By ADAM ZAGORIA
The NCAA has denied St. John’s request for a waiver for Ian Steere, while Rasheem Dunn’s waiver request is “in progress,” a source told me Friday.
Steere’s waiver “appears to be headed to appeal,” the source said.
The 6-foot-9 Steere played one game for N.C. State last season before transferring to St. John’s for the second semester. Under normal circumstances without a waiver, he would sit one season per NCAA rules and be eligible for St. John’s in December before Big East play begins.
“I’m pretty confident that I’m going to get a waiver to play immediately in November [2019],” he told me last November. “We’re going to try and get that, but we’ll see what happens.”
When he first signed, then-coach Chris Mullin said, “We are excited about Ian’s decision to join the St. John’s men’s basketball program. Ian is a skilled big man who can make an immediate impact on our team next season because of his athleticism, physicality and basketball experience.”
A 6-2 combo guard who played with Ponds at Thomas Jefferson High School, Dunn transferred to Cleveland State in May of 2018, only to see head coach Dennis Felton fired in July of this year.
Dunn averaged 15.4 points and 5.7 rebounds two seasons ago at St. Francis.
“I think that will definitely help, he helps in practice every day,” senior Mustapha Heron told me of Dunn. “He just brings that Brooklyn mentality, that hard-nosed tough basketball every day on both ends of the floor.”
Heron expects Dunn to get the waiver.
“I think his waiver will go through,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any reason it shouldn’t.”
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