Busting Brackets
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St. John’s Basketball: 2020 recruiting targets for the Red Storm

By Lukas Harkins

GREENVILLE, SC - MARCH 17: Head coach Mike Anderson of the Arkansas Razorbacks calls out in the first half while taking on the Seton Hall Pirates in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 17, 2017 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
GREENVILLE, SC - MARCH 17: Head coach Mike Anderson of the Arkansas Razorbacks calls out in the first half while taking on the Seton Hall Pirates in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 17, 2017 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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DAYTON, OHIO – MARCH 20: St. John’s basketball cheerleaders perform. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OHIO – MARCH 20: St. John’s basketball cheerleaders perform. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

St. John’s basketball has not been successful in recent years. Will new head coach Mike Anderson turn things around with an elite 2020 recruiting class?

St. John’s basketball was once an elite program under Lou Carnesecca in the 1980s. Since then, though, the program has seriously faltered as the Red Storm have struggled to find any sort of consistency. Many believed that former star Chris Mullin would be able to right the ship over the past few seasons, but after stumbling to just one NCAA Tournament bid in four years, he was replaced by Mike Anderson as the top man this offseason. Coach Anderson, who most recently led the Arkansas Razorbacks to three Big Dances in five years, looks poised to bring “New York’s Team” back to national relevance.

Considering the program is waving goodbye to a number of their top talents this offseason, that resurgence will have to come as a result of elite-level recruiting. New York is a hotbed for recruiting prospects and it seems likely that Coach Anderson will tap into landing some commits from SJU’s backyard as a result. The Red Storm have an uphill climb ahead against the rest of the “new” Big East but Anderson has a strong resume and the fanbase support behind him that could lead to some strong years in the neat future. Landing a highly-regarded 2020 recruiting class would be an excellent start towards making that happen.

At this point, St. John’s has secured one early commitment in the 2020 class (Posh Alexander) and they are definitely looking for more. The Red Storm still have two available scholarships for the class and the coaching staff has made strong inroads with a number of their top targets. It would not be a major surprise if Coach Anderson winds up landing a top-50 class in the country with three total commits. That might not be “elite”  but it would be a strong start to his tenure as the leader of the program.

But who might those prospects be? Well, let’s take a dive into St. John’s top 2020 targets at this point in time, starting with Posh Alexander as their lone early commit and building block for the class.