St. John’s is targeting the Monroe (N.Y.) College duo of Orlando Sanchez and Marco Bourgault, but neither player is close to a decision.
The 6-foot-8 Sanchez is focusing on St. John’s, Providence and Auburn and plans to visit all three schools, Edgar De La Rosa, the former Manhattan assistant who has a relationship with Sanchez, told SNY.tv Tuesday.
“He’s definitely going to visit three programs and then probably one or two more,” De La Rosa said. “Providence, St. John’s and Auburn are three programs that he’s definitely looking at.”
Texas, Mississippi State and Florida International are also involved and might possibly receive visits.
“There are a whole bunch of other schools trying to get in but he’s trying to narrow this down and get it done quickly,” De La Rosa said.
The NCAA late signing period runs April 11-May 16.
No visit dates have been set, but St. John’s is trying to get Sanchez and Bourgault on campus in early April.
The Johnnies already have 6-3 wing Felix Balamou and 6-8 forward JaKarr Sampson committed for 2012 and are also targeting 6-9 shot-blocker Chris Obekpa, who took an official this past weekend with Sampson. The Johnnies are losing freshman forward Moe Harkless, the Big East Rookie of the Year, to the NBA Draft.
Sanchez was named to the All-Tournament team at the NJCAA Nationals, where Monroe finished in fifth place. He averaged 10.2 points and 7.8 rebounds on the season.
The 6-foot-5 1/2, 210-pound Bourgault is a shooter who is not considered quick enough to be a Big East-caliber player, but St. John’s coach Steve Lavin is intrigued by his ability to space the floor and shoot against zones.
“They started to recruit him,” De La Rosa said of Bourgault. “They have started to recruit him. They’ve been coming to the games. They felt they need a shooter on their team.”
During a phone interview Tuesday with SNY.tv, Bourgault, a native of St. Malo, France, said: “They would use me as s shooter. They don’t have any shooters. They have a lot of athletic wings. They need someone with a very high IQ and someone that can shoot and grab rebounds and make plays.
“I watched them play. They really don’t have a shooter at all.”
Bourgault, who averaged 10.9 points and shot 42 percent from beyond the arc (81-for-192), said he’s considering St. John’s, along with St. Louis, Louisiana Tech and Marshall, among others.
“As of right now I’m supposed to go visit St. John’s, St. Louis, Louisiana Tech (April 16-17) and Marshall. I got other offers from BYU, Florida International and Towson.”
Bourgault said he and Sanchez could potentially be a strong tandem for some team, but that the two don’t necessarily have to play together in college. Both will have two years of Division 1 eligibility, although Bourgault could appeal to get a third.
“We’ve been on the same team for two years and we get along pretty well,” Bourgault said, “but we gotta see what the best situation is for both of us.”
Photos: Monroe College
