The St. John’s basketball program has taken a brief lead over blue bloods in the Class of 2021 recruiting rankings.
St. John’s landed its second commitment in the Class of 2021 with shooting guard Rafael Pinzon and the Johnnies saw a small boost in the recruiting rankings following that announcement.
The Red Storm, who were last in the Big East’s Class of 2021 recruiting rankings just six weeks ago, before the commitment of Drissa Traore, are not only rising in the conference’s recruiting standings but also nationally.
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Mike Anderson and his team currently place No. 9 in the Big East, ahead of Providence and Creighton, respectfully, according to 247 Sports, but the Johnnies are also No. 39 in the nation, according to the same outlet.
St. John’s jumped to No. 9 from No. 10 upon Pinzon’s commitment and No. 39 to No. 41, but, the Red Storm sit above both the Kentucky Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels, who rank No. 47 and 48, respectfully, in the Class of 2021.
Clearly it’s still early in the process for the recruitment in the Class of 2021, given the circumstances around the country surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, but St. John’s fan can still take joy out of being ranked ahead of two blue bloods who are recruiting powerhouses in the country.
Anderson’s team is also ahead of former rival Syracuse in the national recruiting rankings, as the rivalry between the two teams has diminished since the Orange left the Big East for the ACC.
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Aside from other Big East and Power-5 schools, some interesting programs that are ranked ahead of St. John’s in the Class of 2021 recruiting rankings are Harvard, Loyola Marymount, UNLV, and Houston.
Will John Calipari’s Kentucky program and Roy Williams’ North Carolina Tar Heels remain behind St. John’s in the Class of 2021.
Probably not.
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But who knows if Mike Anderson is able to strike while the iron is hot and lands four-star prospect Franck Kepnang and St. John’s shoots up into the Top-20 of the recruiting rankings.
Only time will tell, but St. John’s fans should be very happy thus far with Long Island Lutheran standouts Drissa Traore and Rafael Pinzon.