By Joseph Staszewski
Top recruit Isaiah Briscoe will not be joining St. John’s next season. The question now is: Who will?
The Roselle Catholic (N.J.) senior, considered by some to be the top point guard in his class, chose coach John Calipari and Kentucky over St. John’s and UConn Nov. 13 on ESPNU. It left the Red Storm and coach Steve Lavin with just one commitment for 2015, three-star shooting guard Shamir Doughty out of Philadelphia, but without Briscoe, the player they hoped would be the cornerstone of that key class.
“I’m a city kid,” Briscoe said on ESPNU. “I love the city and my fan base, it’s pretty much where I’m from. I’m not downgrading any other team. I just had to do what’s best for me and my family.”
Lavin, who is in the fifth year of a six-year contract, did nearly everything right recruiting Briscoe. He had St. John’s considered as the favorite to land him by many insiders in the final weeks of the whirlwind recruitment. It is about what Lavin and Co., didn’t do leading up to that moment that put St. John’s in this position. Too big an emphasis was put on the 2015 class and a lack of effort in 2014 has left the Johnnies in dire need of proven players after this season.
St. John’s loses five seniors to graduation. Junior Chris Obekpa and sophomore Rysheed Jordan could make the jump to the NBA. What will be left when they leave?
Lavin comes into the season on the hot seat in many people’s eyes, needing to make the NCAA Tournament with players he recruited for the first time in his tenure. The 2010-11 tournament team had players from the previous regime.
St. John’s 2014 recruiting class hasn’t given fans much hope for the future. The Red Storm missed out on Abraham Lincoln guard Isaiah Whitehead, who is now at Seton Hall. Westchester Community College transfer Keith Thomas has been ruled ineligible after a grade-fixing scandal at his former school. Former Christ the King standout Adonis De La Rosa has had his physical fitness come into question by Lavin, along with reportedly the validity of his SAT score by the NCAA.
Has the luster and allure of playing for Lavin at St. John’s worn off?
The Johnnies are still in the running for top-10 forward Cheick Diallo of Long Island Lutheran and highly rated shooting guard Brandon Sampson of Madison Prep in Louisiana. But both prospects are far from sure things.
Kids want to go where they can win and develop enough to get to the NBA. This coaching staff at St. John’s has a track record doing neither, Calipari does.
“I think I can handle playing with great players,” Briscoe said. “Right now coach Calipari has a machine going with getting point guards to the NBA … I can see myself in that mold being the next point guard to come out of Kentucky.”
The Orlando Magic drafted Maurice Harkless in the first round, but Mike Dunlap was the head coach of that team as Lavin battled prostate cancer.
Sure, JaKarr Sampson is on the 76ers roster, but he wasn’t drafted and Philadelphia may be one of the worst teams in NBA history. Jordan didn’t make the one and done leap some predicted.
St. John’s is 71-60 in Lavin’s tenure, including a 13-19 season with Dunlap on the bench, with one NCAA tournament appearance and two postseason wins.
St. John’s may go to the NCAA tournament this year. It may not.
What comes after that is still up in the air and it is looking more uncertain with each passing day.
