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St. John’s basketball virtually meets with three Class of 2021 recruits

By Kevin Connelly

WASHINGTON, DC- JANUARY 08: Head coach MIke Anderson of the St. John's basketball team looks on during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on January 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC- JANUARY 08: Head coach MIke Anderson of the St. John's basketball team looks on during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on January 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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The St. John’s basketball program virtually met with three prospects in the Class of 2021 this week.

It’s been a very busy couple of days for Mike Anderson and the St. John’s basketball coaching staff as the Red Storm have virtually met with three players in the Class of 2021 this week.

These meetings come on the heels of the June 15 date that allowed Division I head coaches to have contact with rising juniors in the Class of 2022.

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St. John’s has reached out to approximately 15 players in the sophomore class but Anderson knows he still must give his full attention to the rising senior class as the Johnnies have yet to land a commitment from a member of the Class of 2021.

The three recruits that the Red Storm met with are Arthur Kaluma, Michael James, and Drissa Traore.

Zach Braziller of the New York Post was the first to report the meetings with Kaluma and James while recruiting expert Andrew Slater reported the meeting with Traore.

All meeting were virtual and conducted on Zoom.

Arthur Kaluma is a four-star prospect out of Glendale, Arizona and stars at Dream City Christian School. Kaluma is ranked as the No. 32 prospect in his class, as well as the No. 6 power forward, and No. 2 recruit in the state of Arizona, according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings.

The 6-foot-8, 205 pound forward also holds offers from Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma, Syracuse, UNLV, USC, and Utah.

At the moment it seems as if the Cowboys, Aggies, and Red Raiders are the frontrunners to land Kaluma, although there has not been a Crystal Ball Prediction submitted as of yet.

ALSO READ: Full list of Class of 2022 prospects that St. John’s has contacted

Michael James is an Orlando, Florida native that is a standout at Oak Ridge High School and is another highly sought after prospect in the Class of 2021.

James is ranked as the No. 79 prospect in his class and the No. 17 small forward, while being the No. 7 prospect in the rich state of Florida, according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings.

The 6-foot-6 star also holds offers from Arkansas, Cincinnati, Louisville, North Carolina State, TCU, Texas A&M, USF, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.

The 247 Sports Crystal Ball predicts that Michael James will land at Texas A&M but the confidence level in that is only a 5-out-of-10.

ALSO READ: St. John’s extends offers to two local prospects

Drissa Traore is a much more local prospect out of Harlem, New York and plays at Long Island Lutheran High School.

Traore is a two-star prospect, according to Verbal Commits and also holds offers from Illinois, Sienna, Marist, La Salle, Fordham, Massachusetts, Bryant, St. Louis, Manhattan, and Stony Brook.

St. John’s is probably in better position to land Drissa Traore over Arthur Kaluma and Michael James but it’s a welcome sight to see that Mike Anderson is trying to push the envelop by tying to being the highest ranked recruits to Queens.

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