As previously reported here last week, Philly Vaux Roberts guard Rysheed Jordan announced for St. John’s on Thursday.
“ST JOHN BABY..????????????????????????????????????????????????,” he Tweeted.
The 6-foot-4 Jordan also considered Temple and UCLA.
“I am looking forward to taking the next steps as a basketball player and in continuing my education at St. John’s University,” he later added. “Throughout the recruiting process it became clear St. John’s is the best fit for me. I developed a strong relationship with Coach [Steve] Lavin, the staff and players and believe I can contribute to the program immediately.
“The full-court, uptempo, attacking system of play is suited for my game. New York City has great energy and The Garden is a place everyone dreams of playing. I want to thank Temple and UCLA for showing interest in me. I am a Philly native and love my city and can’t wait to represent in the Big Apple.”
Longtime New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski saw Jordan play Tuesday night at the Donofrio Classic in Conshohocken, Pa.
“Rysheed Jordan is a tremendous athlete who had a great season this year,” Konchalski told SNY.tv. “Scored a ton of points for Vaux but yesterday he showed a disposition to share the ball and play within the team framework.
“He’s a great athlete. In the past sometimes he’s tried to make everything showtime. For Vaux he has to score a lot of points. He had 45 in the city final against Imhotep. He can really score. He’s not a great shooter, he’s a good shooter. He’s an explosive athlete going to the basket. He has great athletic ability and has a good skill set.
“He could be a major, major factor at St. John’s if he goes there. It would be a major acquisition for them.”
St. John’s has an open scholarship now that Amir Garrett is transferring. Prior to that, the Johnnies technically had no open scholarships and were involved with both Jordan and 6-10 New Jersey forward Jermaine Lawrence, who picked Cincinnati.
Jordan would join a set of guards that includes point guard Jamal Branch, Phil Greene, Felix Balamou and D’Angelo Harrison, assuming he returns to the program after being suspended at the end of the season.
If Harrison and reigning Big East Rookie of the Year JaKarr Sampson both return as expected, and join newcomer Orlando Sanchez, St. John’s could have one of the most explosive teams in the new Big East Conference, which next year adds Butler, Creighton and Xavier after losing Syracuse, Pittsburgh, UConn, Notre Dame, USF, Louisville, Cincinnati and Rutgers.
