St. John’s is “strongly in the mix” for Greek 7-footer Georgios Papagiannis, projected as the No. 13 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, a source close to the situation told SNY.tv.
The source said Papagiannis will visit St. John’s at some point.
The 7-foot-1 Papagiannis signed a multi-year deal with Greek champion Panathinaikos but reportedly has the option to return to the States this summer.
“Papagiannis was playing last season for Westtown School in Pennsylvania and he is already mentioned as a possible lottery pick in the 2016 NBA draft due to his combination of skills and height (2.17 m.). That’s why in his contract there’s also an opt out clause for the summers of 2015 and 2016. Since he is underage, he can keep his amateur status and try playing in the NCAA in the 2015-16 season. For the 2014-15 season he will have an amateur athlete license which will not belong to Panathinaikos BC, but to Panathinaikos amateur sport club, the entity from which every pro team emerged, according to Greek legislation.
During his time at Westtown (Pa.), head coach Seth Berger told SNY.tv that Papagiannis “is a top five, one-and-done, 2016 pick.”
Berger added: “He’s a really unique player. He’s 7-1, 250 pounds. Incredibly coordinated. Jumps well, shoots well, dribbles well, passes well, has really good post work and he just turned 16 in July.”
Berger continued: “Usually kids this size, this young, can’t run up and down the court. Forget he catches alley-oops and can reverse them. He’s got a super-high basketball IQ, incredibly motivated. And he’s really smart.
“His weaknesses are on the defensive end he needs to be able to grab rebounds out of his area and he needs to stay out of foul trouble. But when he wants to, he’s a great rim protector.”
St. John’s on Monday got a pledge from 2015 shooting guard Brandon Sampson and now has two guard pledges for next season. They must add several more pieces to their 2015 recruiting class.
