One day after signing Michigan State transfer Marvin Clark Jr., St. John’s has added Arizona transfer Justin Simon to the mix.
Both players must sit a year before becoming eligible for the 2017-18 season.
“Justin is an explosive player who we believe will develop well in our program,” St. John’s coach Chris Mullin said in a statement. “He’s an instinctive playmaker with good court vision and he distributes the ball well. We are glad Justin chose St. John’s for the next chapter of his basketball career.”
Simon averaged 7.5 minutes last season for the Wildcats, recording 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. A consensus top-40 prospect in the class of 2015, Simon played in 13 Pac-12 games and had his best conference performance against Washington, posting nine points and four rebounds. He also registered a season-high 10 points and three steals to help lift Arizona to a victory over Missouri.
“Having the opportunity to play for a Hall of Famer who has surrounded himself with an incredible staff that is all about getting their guys better was a huge draw in my decision to continue my college career at St. John’s,” said Simon. “I feel like I can be myself at St. John’s and reach my full basketball potential.”
Rated as high as the No. 24 overall recruit and No. 5 point guard coming out of high school, Simon was a first-team All-NEPSAC Class AAA selection as a senior in 2015 at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. The former five-star prospect averaged 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists to help lead Brewster to a 34-1 overall record, the National Prep Championship and the NEPSAC Class AAA titles.
The 6-foot-6 Clark comes to Queens after two seasons where he played in 69 games for the Spartans.
“We are glad Marvin has decided to join our basketball family,” Mullin said. “He’s an experienced player with size, athleticism and a solid skill set. Marvin is a good fit for our program and we believe he will transition well into our style of play.”
Clark averaged 4.2 points on 51.9 percent shooting and 2.3 rebounds over his two-year career at Michigan State. He made eight starts for the Spartans and blocked 23 shots to go with 17 steals. As a freshman in 2014-15, Clark set a Spartan freshman record by playing in all 39 games during Michigan State’s run to the Final Four. Clark drained 21 3-pointers that season and in seven starts he elevated his averages to 8.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
“Coach Matt [Abdelmassih] is a great guy that recruited me at Iowa State and he’s recruited some good pieces at St.Johns,” Clark told SNY.tv my next. “On top of that Coach Mullin is a down to earth guy, a player’s coach that played at a Hall Of Fame level in the greatest league in the world. Coach [Mitch] Richmond as well. Also the guys they have at St. Johns are high character guys that want to work and get better. They’re just young and need leadership.”
Clark also told SNY.tv he felt a connection with Simon on their visit to New York this past weekend.
“I’ve been talking to him and we click,” he said. “We have a pretty good relationship. We both have the same goals and want the same thing.”
NOne day after signing Michigan State transfer Marvin Clark Jr., St. John’s has added Arizona transfer Justin Simon to the mix.
