I couldn't talk with Jakarr Sampson, but, through a connection, I spoke with someone who knows him very, very well. He said Sampson is serious about St. John's. Initially, his people wanted him to go to a close, small, Catholic school like Xavier or Dayton, where he wouldn't fall through the cracks academically over a large, state school like Ohio State. Then, he blew up this spring and many more suitors came into the picture. He's still got academic work to do to get qualified, but, in the end, they think he'll qualify. Frankly, the person said they think that if he commits relatively early, the program he chooses can help him get qualified. The schools that Jakarr told him, as of yesterday, are Ohio St., Dayton, Michigan St., Southern Cal, Cincy, Xavier, St. John's, and Louisville. A long-time midwestern scout, who didn't want to be mentioned, thinks that the kid has long-term pro potential as a 3.