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Exclusive: Norvel Pelle Decommits From St. Johns, Will Open Up Recruitment

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And another chapter in the saga of Norvel Pelle’s recruitment has been written.

The 6’10 California native, who was ruled ineligible by the NCAA this Fall, was thought to be signing this November and joining the Red Storm in 2012.

Pelle was ranked by ESPN as the #1 center in the 2011 class.
But that may no longer be the case.

Multiple sources have told JohnnyJungle.com that Pelle has decommitted from St. John’s and will reopen his recruitment.

Touted as one of the top big men in the Class of 2011, academic questions have been raised since the latter part of Pelle’s high school career. After taking summer classes in an attempt to qualify, Pelle enrolled at The Phelps School, outside of Philadelphia.

A source also tells JohnnyJungle.com that Pelle’s involvement with the team has been limited at Phelps, despite being healthy.

At 6’10” tall, Pelle’s signing in the Fall of 2010 was thought to bring size and shot-blocking ability to the St. John’s frontcourt. His absence, along with the absence of fellow decommitted forward JaKarr Sampson, has left the Red Storm thin on the front line.

There are no immediate indications as to possible schools where Pelle may land, along with no word on where St. John’s stands in his recruitment.

Report: St. John’s Amir Garrett and Norvel Pelle Still Awaiting NCAA Clearance

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Jeff Goodman of CBS is reporting that incoming St. John’s freshmen Norvel Pelle and Amir Garrett are still awaiting academic clearance from the NCAA.

Seven of Steve Lavin's nine newcomers have been cleared by the NCAA, so far. (Photo: Icon/SMI)
As part of a larger piece on players around the country who are still awaiting clearance, Goodman says that Pelle and Garrett finished summer classes last week.

Questions arose over the summer about Pelle’s eligibility and the possibility of taking a prep year, which were refuted. He enrolled in summer classes at Rise Academy in Philadelphia to work toward eligibility.

Amir Garrett had an eventful summer for reasons that lie outside the basketball court.

Aside from taking classes at Rise Academy to gain eligibility, Garrett signed to play baseball with the Cincinnati Reds.

“We are hopeful that all of our incoming men’s basketball student-athletes will meet their NCAA eligibility requirements and will be able to join us on campus very soon,” Senior Associate Athletics Director for Communications at St. John’s Mark Fratto told JohnnyJungle.com.

Pelle is one of two true big men slated to play for the Red Storm in 2011-2012, along with junior college transfer God’sgift Achiuwa. The lanky, 6’10” California product is an athletic shotblocker who can finish above the rim.

Garrett is another California product, by way of Findlay Prep in Nevada. The high-flying forward finished as a Top 75 recruit who head coach Steve Lavin has called a “special talent” and “an ideal fit for the [St. John’s] system of play.”

The seven other newcomers from St. John’s Class of 2011 have been cleared by the NCAA. With summer classes having ended for Garrett and Pelle just over a week ago, an NCAA ruling is expected in the coming weeks.

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.

Norvel Pelle Brings His Hollywood Talent to St. John’s

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From the City of Angels hails another shining star who is making his way to the bright lights of New York City.

Norvel Pelle of Price High School (CA) joins Amir Garrett and Dwayne Polee II as the third recruit from the Golden State to come to Queens in Steve Lavin’s one full year with St. John’s.

Pelle will be part of an athletic frontcourt for the Red Storm next season. (Photo: MaxPreps)
Pelle began his high school career at Dominguez (CA), famous for alumni like Dallas Mavericks’ center Tyson Chandler and Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Jennings, before transferring to Price. The 6’10” Pelle is bringing his long, lanky frame to the Red Storm, a team for which he believes the sky is the limit.

“I picked [St. John’s] because I felt it would be a perfect situation,” said Pelle. “Having a whole new team and a new coaching staff, we would have a chance to rebuild St. John’s.”

Coach Steve Lavin brought nine inherited seniors to the NCAA Tournament this past season, but his most daunting task will come in the fall, when he brings in nine new commits, seven of whom have no college experience.

With all of this youth, where will St. John’s find a leader? Pelle says he is a guy Lavin feels can lead by example next year, and throughout his time at St. John’s.

“We just talked about how we have to take stepping stones to reach success. It doesn’t come knocking on your door all the time,” said Pelle.

Though he is being ranked as a top prospect in the country, Pelle said he sometimes felt out of place with all of the media exposure during his time in high school.

“At times, it’s overwhelming. But, to be successful, you have to be able to be outside your comfort zone,” he said. “The media puts you out of your comfort zone, but I got used to it and enjoyed seeing the different opinions from others.”

And those critiques were not always positive.

Many analysts and experts have scrutinized his game, saying he is lackadaisical and lacks fundamental development. Pelle said he doesn’t take the criticism as something bad and, instead, uses it as motivation.

“People can only talk and a lot of them haven’t had a conversation with me. There is going to be something made up to make me look bad and there are going to be positive things said to make me look good,” said the Los Angeles native. “I’m just using all the negative as a motivation to prove the haters wrong.”

Pelle, who brings a 7-foot wing span to go along with his 6’10” frame, is very similar in size to that of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant. Durant is one of two players Pelle says he models his game after, along with Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett.

“Kevin Garnett has the mentality of a beast that no one has and Kevin Durant is 6’10” playing the wing. You bring those two players together, you have an unreal player,” said Pelle.

With Pelle’s size and length, he brings athleticism down on the block on both ends of the floor. He also has a soft touch around the basket and a keen sense of timing on defense. Because of that, he fits well into Coach Lavin’s athletic, swarming defensive sets and high-pace, fast break offense.

When Pelle isn’t in the gym working on his game or doing interviews, he’s just being a regular kid. He is getting ready to graduate from high school and head to college in a few months time, listening to music, hanging with friends, and dreaming of taking famous Hollywood stars on dates.

“There is so much,” said Pelle on deciding who he would go on a date with, before ultimately deciding to take either Kim Kardashian or New York’s own Nicki Minaj.

When he has downtime, Norvel also likes listening to his iPod, which features a heavy rotation of Lil’ Wayne, Tyga, Big Sean and Trey Songz.

He has also expressed an interest in drawing, which is ironic because it was one of the classes he said he wasn’t looking forward to coming to college.

“Be prepared to go all the way, because we have a mission and a goal to reach.”-Norvel Pelle

The kid from the warm West in California is looking to make a home in the frigid East of New York City. Though the temperature outside may drop to below zero at some points during the season, Pelle should feel a sense of warmth from the St. John’s fans, for whom he has a message.

“Be prepared to go all the way, because we have a mission and a goal to reach,” he said confidently. That same sentiment has been echoed by his future teammates D’Angelo Harrison and Amir Garrett, who both guaranteed runs deep into the NCAA Tournament in 2011-2012.

Pelle has promised to bring excitement and entertainment to Queens next year and, being that he is from Hollywood, it would be crazy to expect anything less.

Lavin Inks 5 And Attracts More Recruits

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Head Coach Steve Lavin is doing wonders with the St. John’s program in his first 6 months on the job. It seems like almost every day there is more positive news coming out about the Red Storm. On Thursday, Lavin received his 5th national letter of intent of the class of 2011.

Dom Pointer at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy. The 6'5 swing will be the stopper for the Red Storm. (Kelly Kline)
Sir’Dominick Pointer is the fifth player to sign his national letter of intent, following Maurice Harkless, D’Angelo Harrison, JaKarr Sampson and Nurideen Lindsey all who committed on Wednesday.

“This class, which will become one of the largest signed in collegiate basketball, comprises the foundation of the St. John’s program moving forward,” said Lavin. “The arrival of the 2011-12 class, along with an elite returning talent in Dwayne Polee II, is the core group that will carry the Johnnies into the future.”

“I’m glad I got it out of the way,” says Sampson. “Now I can focus on school and basketball.”

For Sampson signing his national letter of intent was not only a big deal for him, but for his mother as well.

“There was weight on my shoulders all summer, calls were coming in every day,” said Sampson. “It had my mom all stressed out but now that it’s over with she finally has peace of mind.”

His new teammate Nurideen Lindsey is just as happy to sign on the dotted line.

“It feels great,” said an excited Lindsey when I asked him about officially signing his national letter of intent to St. John’s.

It’s been a long process for the Redlands Community College point guard, but certainly it is one that has paid off.

“I’m ready to finally get out there with the other great guys that are coming in with me,” said Lindsey. “Now I can spend more time in the gym because my decision is made.”

Moe Harkless is the guy that got the 2011 class started. Without him taking the leap of faith this class may not have taken the same course.

“Maurice is the best player in New York City,” said Lavin. “He is an excellent athlete, highly-skilled and versatile enough to contribute at multiple positions.”

Aside from the actual skills on the court Harkless possess, Lavin continues to let everyone know how important it is to keep kids from New York, playing basketball in New York.

“Maurice is going to be our ‘pied piper,” said coach Lavin. “His choice in coming to St. John’s will lead other elite local talent back to New York City’s college basketball program.”

Focusing back on Lindsey, he is the player in the shadows not being mentioned, but his play is going to change that.

On November 2nd against Ft. Scott, in his first game in over a year, Lindsey dropped 48 points. He followed that game with a 26 point, 7 assists, 7 steals, 5 rebounds performance against Labette, and on top of that, he poured in 33 points on Monday against South Plains College.

Nuri Lindsey might be the best player in the country no one is talking about. He will be suiting up the Red Storm in 2011 after playing a year at Red Lands Community College in Oklahoma. (Redlands CC Athletic Communications)
“I’m not into playing for spotlight, other peoples opinions, or anything in that nature,” said Lindsey. “I play for my team and my program.”

With everything he has been through, all this talk about recognition and hype go by the wayside, he is ready to let his play do the talking.

“When the time is right,” Lindsey said sternly, “I’ll shine for everybody that don’t know who I am.”

Everyone on the other hand knows about D’Angelo Harrison and Sir’ Dominic Pointer.

Harrison is coming all the way from Texas to be apart of the Red Storm, and he comes with high praise.

“D’Angelo is a dynamic combination guard. He is a prolific scorer and clearly one of the best shooters in the nation,” said Lavin.

Pointer is also hailing from a distance, bringing his talents down to the big apple from Michigan.

“In addition to a well-rounded offensive skill set, Dominic is a dynamic athlete who has demonstrated a propensity at the defensive end of the floor,” said Lavin. “We envision Dom growing into a role as a defensive stopper. It is refreshing to find a player at his young age that prides himself in defense like Dominic does.”

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better another domino falls in favor of the Red Storm.

Earlier today, 6’10 power forward from Prince High School in Long Beach, California, Norvel Pelle verbally committed to St. John’s on ESPNU.

“It feels like a home away from home,” said Pelle. “Coach Lavin is a very smart coach. I just loved the way he approached the situation. He was calm, and cool, He knew other schools wanted me and he gave me space and also made sure I knew they wanted me.”

One of Pelle’s potential new teammate, JaKarr Sampson is excited with the verbal and knows this makes St. John’s that much better.

“He is a real cool guy, he’s goofy like me,” said Sampson. “Norvel is a great shot blocker, athletic, he can jump out the gym, it’s just fun to play with those kind of players.”

Sampson said Pelle is the perfect fit and “it’s not just another big man, he doesn’t just stand there, he is crazy athletic and can run the floor.” Sampson confidently said that people better be ready, “we are going to hit the ground running.”

Pelle visited St. John’s last weekend and was in attendance for the 100-42 Red Storm exhibition win over Westmont. During the game the students in the jungle [student section] chanted “We want Pelle,” and apparently Pelle wanted St. John’s too.

The news of St. John’s success on the recruiting trail for 2011 is spreading like wild fire. Everyone is taking notice, even class of 2013, Christ the King PG, Isaiah Lewis.

“Yes, I’m really considering St. johns,” speaking about his budding interest after taking notice on twitter to their success on the recruiting trail. “I like what coach Lavin is doing right now. I’m going to take some visits up there to see how he practices and things like that, but they are on my radar for sure.”

Lewis said he plans on visiting the St. John’s campus sometime in the month of December.

The 2011 class for Steve Lavin gets exponentially better with the addition of a solid big man like Pelle.

How much better you may ask? Well at 4:30pm in New York, ESPN had St. John’s as the #7 class in 2011. As of 5:30pm they are now #3.

This recruiting class is already exuberating excitement and confidence as it nears completion. JaKarr Sampson is already looking into his crystal ball. “They are going to have to make room for us on Sports Center once they see a couple games.” You have to love the sound of that if you are a Red Storm fan.

The season kicks off for coach Lavin and his Red Storm on Tuesday, November 16th as St. John’s travels to Moraga, California to take on the St. Mary’s Gaels. Be sure to check out JohnnyJungle.com for Calm Before the Storm the must read column before every St. John’s basketball game providing in depth analysis on the Red Storm and their opponent.