St. John’s basketball expresses interest in Class of 2021 JUCO center

St. John's basketball (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
St. John's basketball (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

The St. John’s basketball program has expressed interest in a Class of 2021 junior college center.

St. John’s head coach Mike Anderson continues his hunt to find a center to round out his Class of 2021 recruiting class as the Red Storm have expressed interest in junior college center, according to reports.

Mohamed Sylla is entering his second season at Florida Southwestern College after attending Putnam Science Academy (CT) in high school.

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In his first season at a junior college, Sylla played in 26 games, starting ten, and averaged 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 64.4 percent from the field and 68.4 percent from the free throw line.

St. John’s has not offered the 6-foot-11, 235 pound big man, but interest in the center is showing where the focus of Anderson and his staff remains after receiving commitments from Long Island Lutheran stars Drissa Traore and Rafael Pinzon in the Class of 2021.

An original native of the Ivory Coast, since arriving in college, Mohamed Sylla received an offer from Arizona State on September 11 and had offers from Manhattan, Florida International, and Arkansas Little Rock back in high school.

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In an interview with 247 Sports back in mid-September, Sylla said, “I rebound, run the floor well and I can block shots. I’m still trying to improve my offensive game, be consistent and confident on my shot and knock it down every time, while also improving my post game.”

He also mentioned that a commitment could be coming soon after he landed an offer from head coach Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils but recent interest from schools such as South Florida, Iona, Tulsa, and Florida Atlantic could force the center to hold off on making his decision so quickly.

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St. John’s also offered JUCO standout and former Ole Miss center Carlos Curry as well as four-star prospect Franck Kepnang.

The Red Storm have the No. 45 recruiting class in the country and No. 10 in the Big East for the Class of 2021, according to 247 Sports.