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The 6th Man of St. John's Basketball

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Latest on Rumors of St. John’s Norvel Pelle Being Ineligible

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Last night, around 1AM Eastern, Neal Nieves of C2CRecruiting.com reported the following, via Twitter:

Following that report by Nieves, JohnnyJungle.com was the first to speak with Norvel Pelle directly early Thursday morning and he refuted the comment. Later he said this, again, via Twitter:

Pelle currently attends Price High School (CA), and the report by Nieves was the first mention of any academic problems that would force Pelle to take a prep year.

The 6’10” center was part of a high school squad this past season that finished 23-8 and he looks to be an integral part in head coach Steve Lavin’s rotation next season.

This is one of two possible recruiting problems being worked out by the Red Storm right now. Lenn Robbins of the New York Post is reporting that the status of swingman Maurice Harkless of South Kent (CT) is under review after his ties to the New York Gauchos AAU program and St. John’s director of basketball operations Moe Hicks.

Harkless played a few tournaments with the Gauchos, but played the majority of his AAU career with the New York Panthers. Additionally, Hicks was not in a coaching role with the Gauchos, prompting Robbins to report “the Red Storm are confident they will not have any difficulty getting final clearance” for Harkless.

“All high school student-athletes are finishing their spring semesters at this point in the calendar year,” Mark Fratto, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Communications at St. John’s, said in an official statement to JohnnyJungle.com. “At this time we are hopeful in anticipating that all of our incoming men’s basketball student-athletes will meet their NCAA eligibility requirements and join us on campus for classes later this summer.”

More details will be added as they become available.

Red Storm Look Ahead: Five Possible Starting Lineups for St. John’s in 2011-2012

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With so many new players coming to the Red Storm next season, Steve Lavin has some decisions to make about how to shuffle his lineup. Below are some ideas about how Steve Lavin could play his cards in 2011-2012:

#1 The Most Likely

Nurideen Lindsey, D’Angelo Harrison, Maurice Harkless, Jakarr Sampson, God’s Gift Achiuwa

This lineup gives the Red Storm the best fit at every position and a good overall mix of different skills at each spot.

In the backcourt, St. John’s will have a good combination with the slashing, driving Lindsey and the long-range shooting Harrison. Harrison also has the ability to attack the basket, but he will be the main 3-point shooter on this team.

Nurideen Lindsey is slated to be the starting PG next season. (Photo: Recruit Scoop)
In the front court, 6’6” Maurice Harkless will be a versatile swing player that can play on the perimeter, in the mid-range, or get to the rim. Scouts look at Jakarr Sampson at the power forward position and see a player capable of winning Freshman of the Year in the Big East. He is still raw, but he can do work in the paint and take defenders off the dribble when he faces up.

And, at center, God’s Gift Achiuwa brings bulk and muscle to the lineup. He is a 6’9” natural power forward whose brawn will allow him to drop to the center position. If God’s Gift plays more of a role like Justin Burrell did last season, where he comes off the bench, expect Norvel Pelle to start at the 5.

#2 Length/Run-and-Gun

Nurideen Lindsey, Amir Garrett, Maurice Harkless, Jakarr Sampson, Norvel Pelle

There hasn't been as much chatter about Amir Garrett, but he will play a big role in 2011-2012 (Photo: PhotoShelter)
Steve Lavin and his pressure defense will be a staple of the 2011-2012 Red Storm. With a lineup like this, Nurideen Lindsey is “small” at 6’4”. Garrett has a motor that doesn’t stop running, with an incredible vertical leap and active hands. Harkless, Sampson, and Pelle, at 6’6”, 6’8”, and 6’10”, with the same lanky, long body type, will wreak havoc when teams try to bring the ball up the floor.

The turnovers that they force will turn into an up-tempo offense and some fireworks in transition. All five can play above the rim and few teams will be able to match up with this arrangement of size, length, and speed.

SNY’s Jon Rothstein has compared this St. John’s teams to the versatile West Viriginia squads of the past. What they may lack in true, powerful size, they will undoubtedly make up for with hustle, length, and athleticism.

#3 True Fab 5

Phil Greene, D’Angelo Harrison, Maurice Harkless, Jakarr Sampson, Norvel Pelle

Pelle is a long-armed, freakish athlete who will cause a lot of problems in the paint for players trying to attack the rim. (Photo: ESPN)
There have been early, rather loose connections made between this incoming class and the Fab 5 of Michigan during the early 1990s. If Lavin goes with the set of players above, he will have the true Fab 5.

This probably isn’t going to be a typical lineup, but Lavin could use it from time to time. Phil Greene will share time with Malik Stith at the back-up point guard position, and he brings a different set of skills than Stith. He attacks the basket well and can knock down a consistent jumper in the mid-range. If he falls back during the season and Stith excels, he could lose minutes, or vice versa.

In addition to having the “gimmick” of featuring all freshmen, the Red Storm have an impressive front court in this set, one that could be the full-time starting front court, depending on what Coach Lavin decides to do with God’s Gift.

#4 Defensive Lockdown

Malik Stith, Amir Garrett, Sir’Dominic Pointer, Norvel Pelle, God’s Gift Achiuwa

Malik Stith will be the only scholarship winner on the roster for the Red Storm in 2011-2012. (Photo: Icon/SMI Select)
Coach Lavin did a good job during his first season in Queens finding the right times to change pace. One “mode” the Red Storm employed was the slowed-down, defensive-minded, shot clock-eating set. With the distribution-oriented Malik Stith at point guard, St. John’s will bleed the shot clock down to 15 seconds and work from there.

In addition to a slow offense, the Red Storm will lock down on defense. Sir’Dominic Pointer, 6’6” tall and built like an NFL linebacker, is regarded as one of the best on-ball defenders in the Class of 2011. Alongside Pointer, Garrett brings length and athleticism to the perimeter defensively.

Down low, Norvel Pelle’s long arms keep the offense away from the basket, and Achiuwa brings the Ben Wallace-like rebounding and size as a complement.

#5 Size

Nurideen Lindsey, Sir’Dominic Pointer, Jakarr Sampson, Norvel Pelle, God’s Gift Achiuwa

Sir'Dominic Pointer is a physical presence on the floor and could make an impact defensively for the Red Storm. (Photo: Facebook)
When the Red Storm match up against some of the bigger teams in the Big East like Syracuse and UConn, they may have to go with size over shooting (Harrison) or perimeter offense (Harkless).

Lindsey, at 6’4”, is a tough match-up for smaller point guards. Pointer, with his muscular build, poses the same problem for opposing shooting guards. And, lastly, a frontcourt of players who are 6’8”, 6’9”, and 6’10” is tough to find anywhere.

It is true that St. John’s will lack a “true” big man like former Syracuse center Rick Jackson, or the type of player Georgetown typically recruits (Roy Hibbert, etc.), but three players 6’8″ and above will help fill that gap. The Red Storm will have long big men that keep players out of the paint, not necessarily true bigs who grind down on the block.

The Road to St. John’s Basketball: Malik Stith Before the Red Storm

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Malik Stith has officially become the last man standing on this St. John’s roster.

Stith has weathered literally every storm that has shaken up the Red Storm program in the last few years. Following the 2009-2010 season, head coach Norm Roberts was fired and fellow Class of 2013 teammate Omari Lawrence left for Kansas State. Halfway through the 2010-2011 season, Quincy Roberts transferred to Grambling State. Just a week ago, nine seniors graduated. And, if that weren’t enough, rising sophomore Dwayne Polee II announced he was leaving the program after just one season.

This leaves the 5’11” Hempstead, NY native in a precarious situation. Will head coach Steve Lavin take into account the dedication Stith has shown to the program, or will playing time be based solely on the player who gives the most quality minutes? Will we even arrive at that point, or will Stith transfer as well, before the season begins?

Before coming to Queens to play for the Red Storm, Stith had his fair share of accolades at the high school and prep school levels.

As a senior at East Mecklenberg (NC) he averaged 17 points and 8 assists, leading his team to the city and state titles and being named the Charlotte Observer Boy’s Basketball Player of the Year.

He took a prep year at Bridgton Academy (ME), the same prep school that produced his former Red Storm teammates Paris Horne and Justin Burrell. In his one year at the school, Stith led the Wolverines to the Prep School Class A title, the fourth for Bridgton in their previous five seasons, and won MVP of the tournament.

Stith will bring experience to the floor for the Red Storm, as he remains the only scholarship letterwinner on the roster. (Photo: East Coast Bias)
The point guard chose St. John’s before attending Bridgton, decomitted, and then recommitted. He ultimately chose the Red Storm over Wichita State, Winthrop, and George Mason.

Stith came to St. John’s under head coach Norm Roberts, in the same class that brought the aforementioned Lawrence, Dwight Hardy, and Justin Brownlee. In his first season, he was the back-up to starter Malik Boothe, giving the Red Storm two distribution-oriented point guards in their lineup. He averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 assists per game.

When Steve Lavin took over in 2010, it seemed Stith had come out with new energy. In just 11 minutes in a season-opening loss to St. Mary’s, Stith had 13 points on 5/8 shooting. He followed that up with an 11 point performance against Columbia and 10 more points in the Great Alaska Shootout Championship Game win over Arizona State on November 28th.

But, a drought in mid-winter saw Stith score just 1 point in the next eight games, three of which he saw no playing time in. Speculation surfaced that he may transfer, but he stuck out the slump and finished the season in limited but quality minutes.

As he moves into the 2011-2012 season, Stith may have the best season of his career. Though he will have to compete with assumed starting point guard Nurideen Lindsey and incoming freshman Phil Greene, Stith will, for the first time in his career, be the only distribution-oriented point guard on the roster.

When Stith would substitute Boothe the past two years, defenses did not have to change their style of play. Now, with Lindsey and Greene seeing time, defenses will have to adjust and Stith could exploit that and succeed in a role that eats minutes, plays mistake-free basketball, and allows the other point guards to rest.

As is in the video above, Stith showed an ability to get to the basket in high school and had flashes of that at times last season, especially in Alaska. If he can continue to develop that part of his game, it will add another aspect to the floor that defenses have to worry about.

ESPNU Rankings: Where St. John’s 2011 Recruits Landed

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ESPNU released its final 2011 recruiting rankings and St. John’s has six of its nine commits on that list.

#24 Sir’Dominic Pointer

(Photo: Facebook)
Pointer was the highest ranking Red Storm recruit, ending up in the Top 25. The Quality Education Academy (NC) forward is best-known for his hustle and defensive mindset. He finishes well on the fast break and is developing a strong mid-range game, to cap it off. He will likely compete for minutes at the small forward position, along with Maurice Harkless and Amir Garrett.

#31 Jakarr Sampson.

(Photo: Brewster Academy)
At 6’8”, Sampson is very athletic and, though he has played small forward in the past, his size and post moves will allow him to move down to the power forward spot and play on the block. Similar in body type to that of rising sophomore Dwayne Polee II, Sampson is a versatile defensively, able to defend shooting guards and both forward positions because of his quickness and wing span.

#38 Maurice Harkless.

(Photo: UConnBlog)
The 6’6” Jamaica, Queens small forward was the first 2011 recruit to sign with coach Steve Lavin after decommitting from UConn. Playing this past year at South Kent (CT), Harkless has been eye-catching, physically larger after having added a lot of muscle since his commitment. As another very athletic player in this class, Harkless moves well in the open court and has started to find an outside touch. Defensively, his agility and length will help in Lavin’s zone and full court pressure.

#63 D’Angelo Harrison
(Photo: Scout.com)
The Dulles HS (TX) guard averaged 31 points per contest this past season as a senior. He is touted as a scoring machine and, though many focus on his terrific outside shooting touch, Harrison is fearless in going to the rim and finishing at the basket. With Dwight Hardy graduating, Harrison will come in looking to be the long-range touch that St. John’s needs.

#76 Norvel Pelle
(Photo: WordPress)
This 6’10” center and his seven-foot wingspan will cause trouble for opponents both offensively and defensively. Pelle, who says he wants to be like current NBA stars Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett, has the ability to get off the floor quicker than most anyone else on the court, which helps him block shots and rebound. Coming in, Pelle will compete with Erie Community College transfer God’s Gift Achiuwa at the center position, and could possibly see time at power forward.

#97 Amir Garrett
(Photo: ESPN)
In terms of mold and prototypical build at his position, the Findley Prep (NV) swingman is the best fit for a Coach Lavin-style game, heading into next season. The lefty can hit the outside shot, but can also attack the basket and play above the rim. On defense, he uses his athleticism to get into the passing lanes and can get up to block a shot, from time to time.

Dwayne Polee II to Transfer from St. John’s

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Update 12:46AM May 28, 2011

Jon Rothstein of SNY, who has been on a trip to the West Coast recently, reported via Twitter, that, though “nothing is confirmed”, the “vibe on West Coast is strong that former St. John’s forward Dwayne Polee will transfer to San Diego State.”

When news of Polee II’s transfer broke, a source told JohnnyJungle.com that San Diego State was a school prominently on the Los Angeles native’s list.

Check back to JohnnyJungle.com for updates, as they become available.

Original Story: Published May 22, 2011, 1:55PM

St. John’s forward and one-time Los Angeles City Section Player of the Year Dwayne Polee II is transferring, the school announced early Sunday afternoon.

According to a source, among the schools interested in Polee II after his transfer is San Diego State. (Photo: Icon/SMI Select)
According to a source, the influence of Polee II’s father, Dwayne Polee Sr., was a major factor in the decision. The source says Polee Sr. was concerned about his son’s role on the team for this upcoming season and felt that another school would offer his son a larger role, as the focal point of the program.

Polee II, who averaged 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 33 games his freshman season with the Red Storm, cites a “family health issue” as the reason for his transfer, via a press release.

“Dwayne is an outstanding individual with a bright future,” head coach Steve Lavin said. “He has been a valued member of our basketball family. He leaves St. John’s University in good academic standing and we wish him well.”

The Los Angeles, CA native had his best performance of the season in his first game with the Red Storm, scoring 16 points and grabbing 4 rebounds in a loss to St. Mary’s.

“I really enjoyed my experience at St. John’s and I’m going to miss the staff and New York,” Polee said.

Following his announcement to transfer, San Diego State and others are interested in the 6’7” swingman, according to a source.

In 9th grade, Polee II committed to play for then-Southern Cal head coach Tim Floyd. After Floyd resigned in June, 2009, Polee decommitted and was being courted by school such as Oregon, UNLV, UTEP, Georgia, and Arizona. He decided to sign with Steve Lavin and St. John’s in Spring 2010.

The transfer leaves point guard Malik Stith as the only returning scholarship letterwinner, and the only player in Lavin’s regular rotation with Division I experience.