St. John’s lands defense-first guard Kolby King for 2022 class
Stop us if this sounds familiar. A defense-first guard who takes pride in stopping the opposition before worrying about how many points he scores. Mike Anderson certainly has a type, and his first …
nypost.com
By Zach Braziller
Mike Anderson certainly has a type, and his first commitment in his 2022 recruiting class fits the above description.
Florida guard Kolby King picked the Johnnies on Monday, choosing the Queens school over Illinois, Dayton, Appalachian State, Murray State, Cincinnati and Texas Tech, among others, he told The Post.
“What made me decide, first of all, was Mike Anderson. He made me feel at home over there,” the 6-foot-2 King told The Post. “The style of play fits me. They play with a lot of aggression, are active on defense, fast-tempo. … I like how they push the ball up the floor. They get steals and deflections. They play that way without nobody looking over their shoulder if they mess up a play.”
Assistant coach TJ Cleveland was King’s lead recruiter. St. John’s had been recruiting him for four months and was consistent in its interest, attracted to his defensive mindset.
“That’s one of the specialties of my game,” he said. “I love it, just knowing I can lock up a player.”
King’s offense is coming. He led the Under Armour AAU circuit in scoring at 19.6 points per game this summer. He is unranked, but Dave Roca, King’s high school coach at Pembroke Pines, scoffed when asked if that was deserving.
“This kid is a bottom-line winner,” Roca, a St. John’s alum, said. “He’ll eat up all those guys [who are ranked ahead of him] defensively. He’s got the speed, agility and quickness, and he really understands the game.”
Rob Cassidy, a national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, thinks King would be best suited to start his career in a supporting role, but as he matures and develops, can be a major player for St. John’s.
“Kobe is kind of a spark-plug guy. He plays really hard. This is a kid who plays defense and can score it on this level,” Cassidy said. “The question is how much is this going to translate at the level St. John’s is at. He can shoot it in spurts — I wouldn’t call him an elite shooter — but he can fill it up from deep. He’s going to give you maximum effort, and that’s got to be what they really like.”
