Everyone wants elite prospects, the guys with five stars next to their names, the one-and-done program-changers.
St. John’s wants them, too. But that is not necessarily the way to go about building sustainable success for a program that has bottomed out, and that is what has been going on for the last year in Queens. It continued this past week, when the Red Storm landed potential impact transfers Marvin Clark Jr. (Michigan State) and Justin Simon (Arizona), players the staff envisions can be difference-makers after sitting out next season, with a combined five years of eligibility left.
The Johnnies liked the idea of bringing in veterans to add to their young nucleus. The right transfers, a veteran Division I coach said, “could accelerate the process.” St. John’s is confident Simon and Clark will blossom in Queens, not just because of their talent, but also because of the desire to be pushed and the leadership qualities they possess.
“Those two guys were exceptional in all areas, I thought,” St. John’s coach Chris Mullin said in a phone interview.
This week, there was a worry within the fan base St. John’s is prioritizing transfers over high school prospects. Some questioned why the program would leave only one open scholarship for next year with such a strong 2017 class locally, headed by top-10 prospects Mohamed Bamba of Harlem and Hamidou Diallo of Queens.
St. John’s will continue to recruit locally and will track both all summer, but it should be noted Bamba and Diallo don’t attend high school in New York City. St. John’s will have to beat out the likes of Kentucky and Duke for their services. It landed the best true New Yorker this year, four-star guard Shamorie Ponds of Brooklyn, along with junior college star Bashir Ahmed of The Bronx. If or when St. John’s becomes a consistent winner, then it can expect to land blue-chippers.
“That’s the way it is, and that’s the way it should be,” Mullin said.
Furthermore, for all the attention a one-and-done type brings, just look at Marquette and LSU, which landed Henry Ellenson and Ben Simmons, respectively, last year. Neither team even made the NIT this season.
The St. John’s staff, moreover, feels confident it can bring in a blockbuster 2018 group, another strong class locally led by highly ranked Hudson Catholic (N.J.) guard duo Luther Muhammad and Jahvon Quinerly and Roselle (N.J.) Catholic forward Naz Reid.
St. John’s always will be involved in the transfer market because of assistant Matt Abdelmassih. There were transfers who have listed St. John’s that the program wasn’t even recruiting, just because of how active the assistant coach is when it comes to transfers. For those questioning the aggressive nature of recruiting at the junior college level and taking transfers, go look at some of St. John’s best seasons. The 1984-85 Final Four team was led by Mullin and junior college transfer Walter Berry. That team also had Notre Dame transfer Ron Rowan, who played a big part on the Johnnies’ 1985-86 team that went 31-5.
“The balance is important,” Mullin said.
Last year, St. John’s brought in five freshmen. Next season, it will have two more. There will be two junior college transfers and as many as three transfers. By 2017, if everyone remains in the program, the roster — comprised of local players and international ones, high school prospects and transfers — will feature two seniors, six juniors and five sophomores. That’s called balance. That’s called even scholarship distribution. St. John’s hasn’t seen such well-thought-out recruiting planning in a long time.
“If it proves to be successful in two to three years, you’ll see it used as a potential blueprint for future high-major rebuilding jobs,” 247Sports.com national recruiting analyst Andrew Slater said. “It is a calculated gamble, but one that can potentially fast forward the rebuilding process at St. John’s.”
http://nypost.com/2016/04/22/why-st-johns-controversial-transfers-can-accelerate-rebuild/
St. John’s wants them, too. But that is not necessarily the way to go about building sustainable success for a program that has bottomed out, and that is what has been going on for the last year in Queens. It continued this past week, when the Red Storm landed potential impact transfers Marvin Clark Jr. (Michigan State) and Justin Simon (Arizona), players the staff envisions can be difference-makers after sitting out next season, with a combined five years of eligibility left.
The Johnnies liked the idea of bringing in veterans to add to their young nucleus. The right transfers, a veteran Division I coach said, “could accelerate the process.” St. John’s is confident Simon and Clark will blossom in Queens, not just because of their talent, but also because of the desire to be pushed and the leadership qualities they possess.
“Those two guys were exceptional in all areas, I thought,” St. John’s coach Chris Mullin said in a phone interview.
This week, there was a worry within the fan base St. John’s is prioritizing transfers over high school prospects. Some questioned why the program would leave only one open scholarship for next year with such a strong 2017 class locally, headed by top-10 prospects Mohamed Bamba of Harlem and Hamidou Diallo of Queens.
St. John’s will continue to recruit locally and will track both all summer, but it should be noted Bamba and Diallo don’t attend high school in New York City. St. John’s will have to beat out the likes of Kentucky and Duke for their services. It landed the best true New Yorker this year, four-star guard Shamorie Ponds of Brooklyn, along with junior college star Bashir Ahmed of The Bronx. If or when St. John’s becomes a consistent winner, then it can expect to land blue-chippers.
“That’s the way it is, and that’s the way it should be,” Mullin said.
Furthermore, for all the attention a one-and-done type brings, just look at Marquette and LSU, which landed Henry Ellenson and Ben Simmons, respectively, last year. Neither team even made the NIT this season.
The St. John’s staff, moreover, feels confident it can bring in a blockbuster 2018 group, another strong class locally led by highly ranked Hudson Catholic (N.J.) guard duo Luther Muhammad and Jahvon Quinerly and Roselle (N.J.) Catholic forward Naz Reid.
St. John’s always will be involved in the transfer market because of assistant Matt Abdelmassih. There were transfers who have listed St. John’s that the program wasn’t even recruiting, just because of how active the assistant coach is when it comes to transfers. For those questioning the aggressive nature of recruiting at the junior college level and taking transfers, go look at some of St. John’s best seasons. The 1984-85 Final Four team was led by Mullin and junior college transfer Walter Berry. That team also had Notre Dame transfer Ron Rowan, who played a big part on the Johnnies’ 1985-86 team that went 31-5.
“The balance is important,” Mullin said.
Last year, St. John’s brought in five freshmen. Next season, it will have two more. There will be two junior college transfers and as many as three transfers. By 2017, if everyone remains in the program, the roster — comprised of local players and international ones, high school prospects and transfers — will feature two seniors, six juniors and five sophomores. That’s called balance. That’s called even scholarship distribution. St. John’s hasn’t seen such well-thought-out recruiting planning in a long time.
“If it proves to be successful in two to three years, you’ll see it used as a potential blueprint for future high-major rebuilding jobs,” 247Sports.com national recruiting analyst Andrew Slater said. “It is a calculated gamble, but one that can potentially fast forward the rebuilding process at St. John’s.”
http://nypost.com/2016/04/22/why-st-johns-controversial-transfers-can-accelerate-rebuild/
