Tuesday, March 19, 2013
SJU's need for a point guard
By Matt Giles
When it was announced that Jaren Sina, the former Alabama commit who decided to trek to Northwestern only to learn his future head coach, Bill Carmody, would not be on campus when he arrived in 2013-14, expected to be released from his letter of intent (per ESPN Recruiting's Adam Finkelstein), we immediately began to wonder whether Sina might be an option for St. John's. D'Angelo Harrison, the only Johnny capable of scoring off the bounce, hasn't played in some time thanks to a suspension for the remainder of the season and it's unclear whether he will return to Queens next season, and other than Phil Greene and Jamal Branch, the squad has little backcourt depth.
However, according to Sina's father, who recently spoke to Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com, the 2013 guard is not interested in resuming a recruiting relationship with St. John's, an announcement that signifies the Johnnies are all in to try and land Rysheed Jordan, a 6-foot-3 guard who has yet to announce his college decision but is reportedly picking between UCLA, Temple, and St. John's.
What will be interesting, though, is if Jordan does indeed commit to St. John's. When the NCAA decreed that Orlando Sanchez would be eligible to play for the 2013-14 season, it meant that SJU no longer had any open 2013 scholarships. Of course, if Harrison or JaKarr Sampson declares for the draft, there will be an open slot, but assuming each player returns next season, Steve Lavin will have to attempt a bit of scholarship mathematics to make room for Jordan. One possible scenario: Max Hooper, a transfer from Harvard and reputed long-range marksman, goes off scholarship.
