Drummond to Marist; More Bad News for St. John's

Casiem Drummond will transfer to Marist from Villanova, according to a source with knowledge.

The 6-foot-10, 275-pound big man from East Orange, N.J., will have to sit out a year and hopes to play beginning in December 2009.

“I think he wants to play a little more,” Bloomfield Tech coach Nick Mariniello said previously. “He’s coming off of foot surgery and he’s probably 90 percent and I don’t think he’s playing as much as he wants to play.”

Mariniello previously said Marist, Siena and Boston University had secured waivers to speak to Drummond.

Drummond appeared in just two games this season for Villanova and averaged 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 19 minutes. He underwent foot surgery last spring and suffered a stress fracture in his other foot a month ago. Villanova head coach Jay Wright also suspended Drummond one game for what he termed a “minor disciplinary” matter.

Mariniello says Drummond’s academics are in great shape.

“He’s in very good academic standing,” he said. “He’s on target to graduate.”

MORE BAD NEWS FOR ST. JOHN’S

The injury bug keeps biting St. John’s.

Sophomore forward Justin Burrell will return to action Saturday against Miami after suffering three facial fractures when he was hit in practice by Sean Evans last week. Evans missed both games this past weekend at the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. The Red Storm beat Marist before losing in the final to Virginia Tech.

But second-year point guard Malik Boothe is now out two weeks with torn tendons in his thumb.

“We are extremely happy and fortunate to be getting Justin back, and we are glad that his injury is something that he can play with and deal with over the course of the season,” head coach Norm Roberts said in a release. “Malik is a big loss for us, but we are happy that it wasn’t worse, and that it is something he will likely be able to recover from relatively quickly. We’ll miss Malik, but as with other injuries we’ve had to deal with, it gives an opportunity for our young guys to step up and fill his position.”