St. John’s basketball: Brandon Williams announces college decision

St. John’s basketball recruiting target Brandon Williams has come to a decision. 

The short recruiting saga of Christ the King (NY) standout Brandon Williams has come to a close as the power forward selected UCLA over the St. John’s basketball program on Monday afternoon.

Williams, a four-star prospect in the Class of 2023, had trimmed his list down to the two schools shortly after naming his Top-5 finalist, which also included UConn, Illinois, and West Virginia.

Early polls appears to favor the Red Storm in the recruitment of the local 6-foot-7 versatile recruit, but the tide began to turn in favor of the Bruins after Williams’ visit to Los Angeles in late August.

Brandon Williams made his announcement from Christ the King.

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Williams is ranked as the No. 88 player in the Class of 2023, No. 17 power forward, and No. 1 player in the state of New York, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

St. John’s still holds one commitment in the Class of 2023, four-star forward Brandon Gardner, who will be playing his senior season alongside Brandon Williams at Christ the King after transferring to the New York City powerhouse from Word Of God Christian Academy (NC) this summer.

St. John’s basketball next steps on recruiting trail

Brandon Williams was a priority recruit for St. John’s as he has the ability to play both on the permitter and in the paint and losing him to UCLA is a major blow to the Johnnies’ recruiting efforts in 2023.

However, head coach Mike Anderson and his coaching staff continue to land at least one more commitment for next season as St. John’s is heavily in pursuit of Carl Cherenfant, a four-star small forward from Florida.

ALSO READ: St. John’s visits prospects as fall recruiting period opens

Memphis and Central Florida are also heavily in the mix for Cherenfant.

St. John’s has also quickly entered the race for four-star guard Aaron Clark.