Johnny Jungle

The 6th Man of St. John's Basketball

For the die hard St. John's fan.
The unofficial 6th man. est. '07
You are here: Home / Archives for 2011 Class

St. John’s Getting On Point

by 2 Comments

Lindsey is ready to step out of the shadows again showing that he's ready to play on the big stage in the Big East
In the quest to restock the Red Storm with talent, Coach Steve Lavin and the staff have been working hard to find impact players for the 2011 season and beyond.

St. John’s has already been recognized by ESPN for having a top-15 recruiting class after receiving verbal commitments from Maurice Harkless and JaKarr Sampson … but there are 8 scholarships left to fill.  Neither commitment is from a point guard; St. John’s fans are very concerned with who will man the position.

St. John’s fans will have to wait a few more days to hear that they have found their man. Junior college point guard Nurideen Lindsey is set to announce his commitment to St. John’s on Friday, according to a source close to Lindsey.

Lindsey is currently enrolled at Redlands Community College in Oklahoma after originally being a recruit in the 2009 class (committed then to LaSalle). He will enter 2011 with 3 years of eligibility left. Coach Tony Chiles has been keeping tabs on the Philadelphia player, and has unearthed a long and athletic 6’3 scoring lead guard for the recruiting class.

If you’re asking Who is Nurideen Lindsey? Check out David Berov’s interview with him last week.

Welcome to the Red Storm, Nuri.

Who is Nurideen Lindsey?

by 2 Comments

At one point in his high school career at Overbrook High School in West Philly, he was on pace to threaten Wilt Chamberlain’s points scored record. Since foregoing his commitment to LaSalle, Nurideen Lindsey has taken his talents to a Junior College in Oklahoma and in turn, has fallen off the recruiting map.

You probably haven’t heard Lindsey’s name in a while. But he is hard at work getting ready for Division 1 college basketball.

Nurideen Lindsay was once the center of attention in Philadelphia. (pictured holding ball front center)

Lindsey is a long 6’3 point guard whose biggest strength is his ability to score. Anyone who can be put in the same breath as Wilt Chamberlain in scoring must be worth mentioning.

Currently the prospective point guard is knee deep in the process of being recruited and says it’s been “interesting, I’ve met a lot of great people in this process.”

St. John’s has kicked around the idea of recruiting Lindsey. He is one of their targets for the 2011 class, which has plenty of vacancies. The fact that he plays point guard,  a glaring area of concern for the Red Storm in the 2011 class, makes Lindsey an interesting recruiting candidate.

Lindsey understands that he has faded off the radar of some schools; that isn’t a concern to him. “I’ve just been working hard, and staying humble,” said Lindsey. “I obviously realized that people have forgotten about me but that never was a issue with me. I’ve just been waiting for this opportunity that I’m in now, and I’m going to make the best of it.”

As far as the next step in his basketball career, Lindsey is very aware of his situation. “I have an idea where I want to go, and where I’ll probably end up,” said Lindsey.

I wasn’t going to let him get off that easy so I asked if he could give me a little hint as to what his top choices were. “I just want to go where it’s the best fit for me, my family, and my career,” Lindsey confidently said. With a quiet laugh he added, “I think you have an idea of where that might be.”

Another recruit could be looming for Steve Lavin and the Red Storm with the hints that Lindsey has laid out. The JUCO guard doesn’t know when he will make his decision and says he is taking his time. “I don’t know when I’ll commit to anywhere,” said Lindsey. “I’m just trying to be patient and make sure wherever I commit is the best place for me.”

Nurideen Lindsey could be another one of the pieces to the puzzle for St. John’s. As Coach Lavin is “building his ark” as he likes to say, you have to wonder if Lindsey will join Maurice Harkless and JaKarr Sampson along for the ride.

Lavin Lands Sampson Second

by 2 Comments

Jakarr Sampson, the highly touted 6’8″ swingman from Akron, Ohio, has given his commitment to Steve Lavin to wear Johnnies’ red and white in 2011.

After attending St. Vincent-St.Mary’s (OH) (LeBron James’ alma mater) for his first three years of high school, Sampson is spending this season at Brewster Academy (NH) before heading to Queens next season. He announced his decision on ESPNU, choosing St. John’s over Louisville and Tennessee. That means, for the first time in recent memory, St. John’s stepped into the ring with recruiting giants Rick Pitino and Bruce Pearl and come out with their man.

Jakarr Sampson at the Lebron James Skills Camp this summer. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Sampson is a consensus Top 50 player by experts across the country and is considered by some, including ESPN Insider Recruiting, to be in the Top 25. There is no doubt that a new era is dawning in St. John’s basketball. Just a few weeks ago, when Forest Hills HS (NY) forward Maurice Harkless committed to SJU, talk was that the Red Storm had landed their biggest recruit in a decade. With Sampson on his way, Steve Lavin has managed to outdo himself in a matter of weeks. Amazingly enough, the staff still has 8 more scholarships to fill for the Class of 2011.

It is clear the type of player Lavin prefers: the long, slender swingman with athleticism and versatility. His first recruit as St. John’s head coach, current freshman Dwayne Polee Jr. (6’7″, 185lbs), Harkless (6’7, 200lbs), and now Sampson (6’8″, 200lbs) will undoubtedly create big mismatches in the open floor when they all take the court together in 2011.

Scouts point to Sampson’s athleticism as the major catalyst for the rest of his game. Because of his size and length, in combination with his quick first step, he can beat defenders off the dribble and finish above the rim, as well as do work with his back to the basket. On the defensive end, he is regarded as a solid shot blocker and can guard three positions on the floor, thanks to his versatility and natural athleticism. He probably needs to add a considerable amount of muscle to his frame to be more effective at the Division I level, along with polishing his skills under heavy defensive pressure.

And the Johnnies are far from done. Eight scholarships remain open and, according to a source, Lavin has eight to ten players on his big board that he has had from the beginning and is confident that he could get a commitment from many of them. Lenn Robbins of the New York Post reports that “sources told The Post that forwards Amir Garrett (No. 51) of California; Sir’Dominic Pointer (No. 81) of Winston-Salem, N.C.; and center Norvel Pelle of California, the No. 2 center and No. 19 recruit overall; all could be headed to Queens.”

Perhaps it is true national recruits are once again seeing red.

More Wins or More Recruits by Christmas?

by Leave a Comment

In the newest column on JohnnyJungle.com “Over the Airwaves” the opinions of WSJU Radio personalities Dan Martin and Timmy Dzeladini-Dimas will be on display on a hot topics of debate regarding St. John’s Basketball. It’s the oldest argument of time, what came first? The Chicken or the Egg? In college basketball and more so in recent years for St. John’s it’s been wins or recruits? You need the recruits to win but you need to win to get the recruits. So the question is posed, will Steve Lavin have more wins or more recruits signed for the 2011 class by Christmas?

The decision to hire Steve Lavin at St. John’s was a multifaceted one. Not only were they looking for a talented mind when it comes to X’s and O’s, an oft-criticized aspect of Norm Roberts’ time in Queens, but also a man whose name carries weight and respect when discussed in the circles of elite recruits.

With the pieces that this 2010 roster has, a well-coached Lavin unit has the skill to succeed, while, at the same time, the Class of 2011 will provide the future of this program.

Steve Lavin is ultimately in control of which way this program goes at a very pivotal position in its history. Time, something like a Christmas deadline, might be the biggest question. Because of years of being off the national recruiting radar, this is the year to turn the boat 180 degrees and head in the right direction. Right now, all vital signs are positive. As of August 30th, ESPN Insider Recruiting lists eight recruits it its Top 100 as being “considering” St. John’s. Though “considering” is a very non-committal word, the fact that the Johnnies are on that many lists is an indication of a return to the forefront.

Unfortunately, analysts do not expect this St. John’s recruiting class to be full of these Top 100 players. Though clichéd, Rome wasn’t built in a day. To land just one blue chipper would be a huge victory, rounding the rest of the class out with solid players to build around. This year is more about putting St. John’s back on the national scene more than instantly drawing recruits like Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke do.

As far as recruits before a deadline, Steve Lavin might be just the man to bring results. Just five weeks after being hired as the head coach, he was able to lure Los Angeles City Player of the Year Dwayne Polee all the way from the West Coast to Queens. But, realistically, it won’t matter how soon the recruits commit, but moreso that they do, right?

The second front to cover is how Coach Lavin will arrange the pieces that he inherited from the recruiting work of Norm Roberts. Since they came in as freshman, the buzzword has been “time”: time to mature, time to gel, time to rise back to the top of the Big East. Last year had been deemed the year that the check would finally be cashed, but only a disappointing first round exit from the NIT followed.

Many question, and validly, what immediate difference a coaching change can make when the integral players are staying the same. With an established chemistry, there seems to be little room for innovation with such a large group of seniors. Fortunately, Lavin need not change any of those things. What he will bring is a system; a proven framework that, when the right players are inserted, brings success.

The Red Storm was notorious last season for losing second half leads and having many “Ten Minute Meltdowns”, notably against Villanova and West Virginia. That is something that an experienced and seasoned coach can stop before it happens. Game management is as much a mark of a good coach as recruiting, and it seems Lavin has “it”, something a quick look at his NCAA resume can confirm.

When Christmas comes around, it will probably be decided whether Lavin is on the naughty or the nice list of Johnnies fans. Of the ten or so games that will be played before the holiday, mostly against weaker non-conference teams, look for the Red Storm to win seven, giving them, most likely, far more wins than commits, though it is interesting to weigh with all the optimism that exists today. But, in both, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish; the difference between going to the NCAA Tournament and sitting at home on the couch, and the difference between seeing a prized recruit in Johnnies’ red or watching him come to the Garden, warming up at the other end of the floor.

Dan Martin
St. John’s 2013
@Dan_MartinWSJU

Players want to play for winners. That would be the perception by most people these days and it should be. No high school player wants to play for a school that has no history, no winning ways and nothing to build for in the future. They say in college a player plays for the name on the front of the jersey not the back. Steve Lavin must show recruits that the name on the front, St. Johns, hasn’t lost its history, its winning ways and show the recruits how they can be the build of the future. This is achieved threw winning, now and through the rest of the season.

My feeling is that come Christmas, Lavin will have more wins the recruits. I think the recruits will start to sign when they see that Lavin isn’t all talk. Players know he can be cunning and is a seller but before they want to buy they will want to be assured their investment won’t be a mistake. Lavin needs to show the players what he can do with the players he’s given now. He needs to show recruits how he can mold players. Point guards now a days love to go play at Kentucky. Why, because Coach John Calipari has produced back to back Rookie of the Year players in the NBA in the past two years. Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans played for Calipari at Memphis and won the awards. Both point guards, both benefited from Calipari and this year’s possible winner, John Wall, another point guard from Calipari’s system.

During the time of Norm Roberts, recruits didn’t seem to want to come or at least the high end talents like a Lance Stephenson who decided to play at Cincinnati because he said their coach was better then Norm. Norm didn’t appeal to the players. Norm didn’t put a single player into the NBA. Lavin has his NBA players in Baron Davis, Trevor Ariza as well as other players, but he has to prove to players like Jabari Brown, D’Angelo Harrison, Myles Mack and a slew of other players who all have St. Johns in consideration that coming to St. Johns is the best move for them. He has shown Maurice Harkless that St. Johns was a better place to be rather then UConn. That’s one big step in the right direction. Recruits lead 1 nothing to wins but I think he will have more wins before Christmas. Lavin also has one thing that Norm didn’t have, coaches around him. Mike Dunlap, Rico Hines and Tony Chiles are great assets to Lavin’s arsenal.

To quote the movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come.” To break it down, winning is what needs to be built and once that happens the recruits will come. Harkless is on board; now let’s see what kind of dreams Lavin can field with these recruits.

Timmy Dzeladini-Dimas
St. John’s 2013
@TimmyD_WSJU

Grace Commits to Red Storm

by Leave a Comment

Davontay Grace has become the first player from New York City to commit in 2010.

Grace, a 6′0″ 215 lbs. junior point-guard out of Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, New York) has verbally committed to St. John’s.

“[Davontay] is happy and excited. His dream is to play in the Big East and at MSG and play against the top competition in the country,” says Jefferson head coach Lawrence Pollard to Gotham Hoops Jeremy Bauman.

“Now [Davontay] gets to do that [at St. John’s].”

Coach Pollard also said “Davontay’s job is to get people to play with him and play better and help build St. John’s up with some of the local talent.”

Continue reading at Gotham Hoops for more on Grace’s commitment.