Yankuba Sima, a 6-foot-11 center from Jacksonville (FL) Elev8 Sports Institute, is the latest pledge for new St. John’s coach Chris Mullin.
He Tweeted this on Monday:
Proud to say that I have committed to the University of Sant John’s!! ????
— Yankuba Sima Fatty (@Yankusima) April 13, 2015
The 18-year-old Sima visited St. John’s last week and also considered Louisville and others.
The NCAA late signing period begins on Wednesday.
Playing for Spain in the European U18 Championship last year, he averaged 10.9 points and 12.1 rebounds.
Sima is ranked the No. 17 center in the Class of 2015 by 247Sports.com and the No. 20 player in Florida.
Yet Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com believes St. John’s got a steal in Sima, who is a potential pro prospect.
“He’s very athletic, 6-11, he’s a monster rebounder, he can shoot some 3s once in a while,” Givony told The 4 Quarters Podcast. “He’s not a great shooter. He can block shots. It’s an unbelievable commitment, to me, to get that kind of kid this late in the game, it really tells you the kind of job that St. John’s is doing on the recruiting trail.
“To me, he’s a better prospect than anybody St. John’s has had during the Lavin regime…On talent alone, this guy is a pro prospect. I’m very excited as a New York City native to be able to go see him so close to my house.”
He becomes the latest player with a great name to join the Red Storm, following Sir’Dominic Pointer and God’sgift Achiuwa.
Mullen already landed 6-8 forward Darien Williams, a onetime Iowa State commit, as well 6-10 Tennessee transfer Tariq Owens.
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