Sounds like Arizona (staying out west + relationship with coaching staff) might be in the driver's seat with this one. The immediate playing time is the big one too...Arizona just lost a player to the portal. Would be huge to pull this one off and I'm just glad we are trying.
Glendale (Ariz.) Dream City Christian forward
Arthur Kaluma is one of Arizona's top priorities in the 2021 class and on Wednesday, he held steady as a four-star prospect in 247Sports' new class rankings. He is rated as the 44th best player in the country and the 10th best power forward in the nation after being rated as the 43rd best player and 11th best power forward.
Kaluma recently opened up his recruitment after being committed to UNLV and has heard from a variety of schools, including Arizona, Syracuse, and more.
"Versatile forward whose biggest value is on the defensive end due to size, length, athleticism and instincts," Kaluma's 247Sports evaluation states. "Tremendous defensive upside and what he hangs his hat on at this point. Has outstanding vision for the position; best attribute on offense at this point. Rebounds on both ends of court. Improvement of handle and jumper will have big say in hitting ceiling. Projects as high major starter whose ultimate NBA stock will be determined by how much his offense catches up to his defense.
Arizona recently lost
Jordan Brown to the transfer portal and is looking to add another versatile forward in his place. There is a previous relationship with the new Arizona staff, which means the Wildcats have a legitimate chance of landing him.
The appeal of Kaluma is that he can play multiple positions up front and has the defensive ability to legitimately impact a game. Arizona has multiple spots available and Kaluma and point guard
TyTy Washington are considered to be the top targets on the board.
"While he's best suited to play at the power forward, Kaluma isn't your traditional rugged and bruising low post player," 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Eric Bossi writes. "He's at his best with the ball in his hands in the high post or on the extended elbow where his ability to attack other bigs off the dribble or find teammates with crisp passes makes him a real matchup problem."
As of now, there is no timeline for Kaluma to make a decision. Coming out of high school, Kaluma had a final eight of Arizona State, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Syracuse, Texas A&M, UNLV and USC. He has consistently said he is looking for a school that will give him the ability to play immediately among other factors.
"I can do everything that you need me to be, honestly," Kaluma said previously. "I crash the glass hard, play defense hard, I can run the pick-and-roll and guard the pick-and-roll. I do everything that you need me to do."
