Daniel Martin

St. John’s Hardy, Kennedy, Brownlee Honored by MBWA, But Jenkins Wins 3rd Haggerty Award

April 26, 2011 by Daniel Martin Leave a Comment

With all the accolades that the Johnnies have been awarded this season, there was one they were unable to bring home.

DJ-Kennedy — DJ Kennedy finished a stellar career at St. John's. He was a six-time BIG EAST Honor Roll member in 2009-10 and is now a three-time All-Met selection by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers’ Association (second team in 2010-11, first team in 2008-09 and 2009-10). He finished his career 12th on STJ’s all-time scoring list with 1,504 career points, 11th on the all-time rebounding list with 781 boards and sixth on the all-time steals list with 183 thefts.

St. John’s Dwight Hardy, who was very much in the conversation for the award after averaging 18.3 points per game, being named to the All-Big East First team, and leading the Red Storm to their first NCAA appearance since 2002, did not do quite enough to be named the Metro Area’s best player.

For the third season in a row, Hofstra guard Charles Jenkins has won the Haggerty Award, given to the Division I Player of the Year in the New York-Metro area.

“The first time I won the award one of the things I did was to look at the list of winners to see who won before me and I saw the names of the three-time winners and I didn’t think of doing that,” Jenkins told the Wall Street Journal. “Instead I looked at it as a reason to grow. It’s been tremendous.”

Jenkins, who was sixth in the nation with 22.6 points per game this past season, becomes part of an elite group, becoming only the third player in history to win the award three times. He joins Columbia’s Jack McMillan (1968-1970) and St. John’s Hall of Famer Chris Mullin (1983-1985), quite exclusive company for the Queens native.

But St. John’s did not come out empty-handed.

Dwight Hardy picked up All-Met First Team honors, and teammates DJ Kennedy and Justin Brownlee were both named to the Second Team.

Before going down with a torn ACL in the Big East Tournament, an injury for which he is now rehabbing, Kennedy had another strong season across the board for the Red Storm. He averaged over 10 points, 5 rebounds, and nearly 2 steals, including 20 points and 11 rebounds in a win over eventual National Champion Connecticut at Madison Square Garden.

Justin Brownlee, in his second season with the Red Storm after transferring from Chipola Junior College (FL), was the Most Outstanding Player in both the Great Alaska Shootout and the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. On the season, he averaged over 12 points and 5 rebounds, being one of the most versatile players for the Johnnies.

St. John’s has a strong history in the All-Met Awards, having 24 winners in the history of the Haggerty Award. The next-closest school is Seton Hall, with 9 total winners.

The last Johnny to win the Haggerty Award was Marcus Hatten in 2001-2002

Read the Official Press Release from St. John’s.

Lincoln 2014 Guard Isaiah Whitehead: The Next Star of New York City?

April 23, 2011 by Daniel Martin Leave a Comment

Every time Lincoln High School (NY) 2014 guard Isaiah Whitehead steps on the court, the New York City lens magnifies everything he does.

“Everybody in New York compares everybody with everybody else. People compare me with Lance [Stephenson], Sebastian [Telfair], Steph [Marbury],” said Whitehead. “But, at the end of the day, I’m still going to be Isaiah Whitehead.”

At the age of 16, the baby-faced Whitehead has been thrust into the spotlight after starring for the Lincoln Railsplitters this past season.

At Hoop Group Pittsburgh Jam Fest with his AAU team, Juice All-Stars, Whitehead showcased his explosive ability when attacking the basket, as well as his polished mid-range game. “Playing at a big university on a big floor, it’s great,” said Whitehead of the Hoop Group experience. “We have a huge opportunity to play at a Big East school and I’m just looking to get better.”

Isaiah Whitehead Hoop Group Top 100 — Isaiah Whitehead at Fordham University for Hoop Group Top 100 clinic. Whitehead put his superior talents on display against the best in New York. (Hoop Group/Dave Krupinski)

As only a freshman, his 6’4” frame is sturdy and he has learned how to use it to his advantage in the lane. His balanced, compact jumpshot release is difficult to block and is part of the reason he is effective, even when he is unable to get to the basket. Early in his Hoop Group Pittsburgh Jam Fest game against the Baltimore All-Stars, Whitehead was able to use his size to get to the basket, clear out defenders and use a keen eye to find a teammate for a nice assist. He sees the floor well when he drives and can find an opening with skill beyond his years.

Whitehead is drawing interest from Southern California, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Providence, and North Carolina and is leaving the recruiting field open.

Being that Whitehead is a highly-touted New York product, St. John’s naturally comes into the mix of possible schools for the rising sophomore.

“It’s a great school,” said Whitehead of St. John’s. “It’s my hometown school. My teammate Jevon Thomas is going there, so I’ll be looking into it.”

But, the young Whitehead is just that: young. His career can still take one of many paths, which he, interestingly, mentioned when talking about other past prospects from New York.

Stephenson, who was considering St. John’s on his final list of schools before choosing Cincinnati, has been plagued by run-ins with the law that have perhaps limited his development as a player.

Telfair, after being drafted 13th overall by Portland in 2004, has still yet to live up to the astronomical expectations he was burdened with coming out of Lincoln HS (NY). Bouncing around to five NBA teams, he averaged 7 points and 3 assists in 37 games for the Timberwolves this season.

One of the best-case scenarios for Whitehead would be the Stephon Marbury route. Marbury averaged over 19 points and 7 assists in his 13 NBA seasons, averaging over 20 points in seven of those seasons.

Whitehead calls St. John’s Steve Lavin a “great coach” and it appears that the ties to fellow New York guard Jevon Thomas could play a role in his recruitment.

During the remainder of his high school career, Whitehead will most likely grow larger and transform into a true shooting guard or swingman, though his tight handle gives him some point guard characteristics that add to his versatility.

Lincoln has a blossoming star on their hands, one who could be the future of New York basketball.

Langston Morris-Walker Connects With St. John’s Legend

April 22, 2011 by Daniel Martin Leave a Comment

When head coach Steve Lavin brought his Southern California roots to Queens in Spring 2010, the ties between the East and West Coasts were made much tighter for this St. John’s program.

Dwayne Polee II, who had a solid freshman season in limited minutes, is a California player who Lavin was able to nab in his first few weeks on the job, and Amir Garrett and Norvel Pelle, both west coast products, will wear Johnnies’ red and white this fall.

langstonmorriswalkerdunk — Morris-Walker has learned to become a complete basketball player and not just relied on his athleticism to be effective. (Photo: Facebook)

For versatile 2012 Berkeley High (CA) forward Langston Morris-Walker, his connection to St. John’s is different.

“I call [St. John’s legend] Chris Mullin my ‘Godfather’,” said Morris-Walker. “He wants me to look into St. John’s.”

Mullin, the newly-inducted Hall of Famer, has a son (Chris Jr.) who used to play AAU basketball with Morris-Walker. Through that relationship, the two have grown to be good friends.

“He’s not actually my godfather, but I call him that because we’re so close,” said Morris-Walker.

The Berkeley, California native, who did not start playing organized basketball until 8th grade, is a crafty and smooth 6’5” swingman who has transcended the label of simply “athlete” and has transformed himself into a complete basketball player.

His athleticism adds something to his game on both the offensive and defensive ends, allowing him to play above the rim, but that is not all he has in his repertoire. He is continuing to develop a mid-range and outside game, and, if he could do that, would settle in nicely as a large shooting guard at the college level, at 6’5”.

Morris-Walker is drawing interest from across the country, including west coast schools like Oregon, Stanford, Nevada, and UC-Santa Barbara, and east coast schools like West Virginia, Marquette, and Boston College.

“The big thing for me is what kind of school it is, what it’s known for,” he said. “I really like Oregon and Stanford. Oregon is an up-and-coming team; they show a lot of promise.”

Morris-Walker compares his style of play to that of Memphis Grizzlies’ forward Rudy Gay, and the comparisons are not far off. “He’s an athlete that can really shoot it,” he says. “[Gay] gets the team involved and is a leader.”

This summer, he is working on his ballhandling to become the shooting guard he feels like he can be: “My whole life I’ve been a small forward. I want to become a complete player.”

The Oakland Soldiers, Morris-Walker’s AAU team includes other high-major recruits, top prospects like Brandon Ashley, Jabari Bird, and Richard Longrus.

Though St. John’s has not come calling yet, Morris-Walker says much of his family lives in New York, in Brooklyn and upstate, so he is open to the idea of going to the school on the east coast.

“I haven’t gotten a phone call or anything from St. John’s, but [Lavin] is a good coach,” Morris-Walker said. “I like how he has his guys playing.”

Heading into the summer AAU circuit and his senior season at Berkeley, Division I coaches will continue to take notice of this athletic wing and his recruitment should pick up, coast-to-coast.

Dwight Meikle Released from National Letter of Intent

April 20, 2011 by Daniel Martin Leave a Comment

Dwight Meikle, a 6’9” forward from Quality Education Academy (NC), has been granted a release from his National Letter of Intent to play at St. John’s, the school announced Wednesday evening.

“We wish Dwight the best of luck in the future,” said head coach Steve Lavin. “He is an outstanding young man and a talented basketball player. The mutually arrived-upon decision to release Dwight from his NLI will now allow him to pursue other opportunities.”

The Rockville Centre, New York native averaged nearly 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game this season at Quality Education, playing alongside St. John’s signee Sir’Dominic Pointer.

Meikle was regarded as an “under-the-radar” prospect when he signed with the Red Storm in November, and analysts said he would have been a steal, were he to wait until during the Spring Signing Period to choose a school. Now that he is free of his letter of intent to play at St. John’s, he is expected to sign at another school and play this coming season.

St. John’s is still in pursuit of a few remaining unsigned prospects, including highly-touted forward God’s Gift Achiuwa of Erie Community College (PA), who is taking an official visit to St. John’s this Easter weekend.

BeeJay Anya: DeMatha Big Man Is A Rising Star In 2013

April 19, 2011 by Daniel Martin Leave a Comment

There is no other way to put it. BeeJay Anya is a big, big man.

Standing 6’7” tall and weighing 275 pounds, the power forward from DeMatha Catholic (MD) is a rising star in the Class of 2013.

beejayface — Anya is a big man with a lot of upside for DeMatha. (Photo: Facebook)

Anya, who has dropped a significant amount of weight to settle in at 275 pounds, looked much more agile and mobile at the 2011 Hoop Group Pittsburgh Jam Fest than he has in the past. Though he was playing in an older age group, he was dominating at times in the 17U division for his AAU team, Team Takeover DC.

Watching him play, there are parts of his game that look a lot like those of former Kentucky star DeMarcus Cousins. Anya is a big-bodied forward who knows how to use his size, boxing out and being a force down on the block at both ends of the floor. Though the rising junior is just 6’7” now, he will grow, helping to carry that 275 pound frame.

During one game at Pitt Jam Fest, late in the second half, one of Anya’s teammates drove to the basket and missed a layup. Anya, going up for the tip slam, was fouled and lost the ball, but came down, hanging on the rim. This lifted the thousand-pound, bolted-down base of the rim, he let the rim go, and the base fell back down with a slam that echoed through the gym.

All onlookers could do was look around at each other in awe and amazement.

Anya is still developing a go-to move in the paint, but the sky is the limit for his development. He does a good job taking up space in the lane and creating open spots on the floor for shooters on the perimeter when the offense runs through him on the block. His biggest strength, at this point, is offensive rebounding for put backs and getting free on dribble-drives by his teammates.

On the defensive end, he is many times the largest player on the floor, but he showed he can play against bigger opponents at Pitt Jam. Against 7’3” Sim Bhullar of CIA Bounce, he used his size to hold his ground and limited Bhullar in both scoring and rebounding.

St. John’s has offered Anya a scholarship, but the list of possible suitors for the Hyattsville, Maryland native is long. Along with the Johnnies, there is interest from West Virginia, UCLA, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Georgetown, and Connecticut.

“I like the style of play St. John’s has,” said Anya. “Coach [Mike] Dunlap recruited me and I think he’s a good guy.”

Anya would fit well into the system Steve Lavin runs now because, though he is a big-bodied player, he is mobile for his size and has solid stamina. Many of Lavin’s players thus far have been long, athletic wings who are good for an up-tempo pace. Anya fits well because he brings a rebounding and inside presence, but will not slow the team down.

He still has two years left in high school, and the future is bright.

ESPN Insider recruiting ranks him as the 8th-best player at his position and the 63rd-best overall. He is surrounded by quality players and a great coaching staff at both DeMatha and with Team Takeover DC that will help him along in his development. If he can work on a more polished back-to-the-basket game, it will make him more well-rounded on the offensive end and give him the ability to dominate.

But, most importantly, he will continue to reshape his body and add extra muscle, which is a scary prospect for anyone who wants to get between him and the rim.

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