Syracuse Basketball: Would love SU to pursue 4-star Arthur Kaluma again

Former Syracuse basketball 2021 target Arthur Kaluma has received a release from his commitment to UNLV, according to numerous media reports.

That has left a bevy of Orange fans, myself included, wondering whether the ‘Cuse coaching staff may make another run at the 6-foot-8 power forward, who is a senior at Dream City Christian School in Glendale, Ariz.

Kaluma is universally deemed a four-star prospect by the main recruiting services, and he’s also a top-50 player across the country in the 2021 cycle.

When Kaluma committed to the Rebels last November, he picked UNLV over a group of other finalists that included Syracuse basketball, Arizona State, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC.

For a period of time during his recruiting process, multiple articles and comments from national recruiting analysts suggested that there was some solid buzz between the Orange and Kaluma.

But as his recruitment carried on, that buzz appeared to fade, and UNLV would emerge as the front-runner, according to several recruiting insiders. Ultimately, the Rebels won out.

However, now Kaluma wants to head elsewhere. It’s worth mentioning here that UNLV did announce a head-coaching change in March. T.J. Otzelberger resigned to become the head coach at Iowa State, with Kevin Kruger replacing him at the helm of the Rebels.

Former Syracuse basketball four-star target Arthur Kaluma has re-opened his recruitment.

To date, I haven’t seen anything from analysts or journalists that speaks to a possible renewed courtship between Kaluma and the ‘Cuse. Frankly, it’s probably a bit unrealistic to think that he would join the Orange at this juncture.

Here’s why. Even though Syracuse basketball has seen a bunch of guys depart, and the team does have scholarships available for the upcoming stanza, things could start to get crowded at the forward position.

As it presently stands, the ‘Cuse forwards for next season are 2021 five-star commit Benny Williams out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., as well as two transfers.

One is Jimmy Boeheim, from Cornell, and the other is Cole Swider, from Villanova. Plus, sophomore forward Quincy Guerrier is testing the NBA Draft process, although he could return to the Hill for his junior stint.

If Guerrier came back, the Orange would have four forwards, and I can’t foresee Kaluma wanting to become the fifth. Also, per this NBA press release, the deadline for an early-entry player to withdraw from the 2021 NBA Draft is July 19.

That kind of timing seems a tad late if a guy like Kaluma wanted to see how the forward group was shaping up in Central New York, and Kaluma also likely doesn’t want to wait that long to make a decision about his collegiate destination.

Of course, this is all speculation on my part. Perhaps it’s not in the cards for Kaluma to ever play for Syracuse basketball. And that’s a bummer, because I think his overall game is exquisite.