Steve Lavin’s 2015 recruiting class is all but gone. For different reasons, the three prospects Lavin brought in won’t play for new coach Chris Mullin.
The third and final member of the group — Philadelphia three-star guard Samir Doughty — has requested his release from his National Letter of Intent, his AAU coach Kamal Yard said Friday night. St. John’s is expected to grant it Doughty’s request, a source said.
That comes on the heels of Louisiana guard Brandon Sampson picking LSU over St. John’s after he de-committed and Arizona guard Sammy Barnes-Thompkins recently de-committing as well. Doughty was the only player to sign.
In the cases of Barnes-Thompkins and Doughty, it was a mutually agreed upon parting, sources said, while St. John’s attempted to keep Sampson.
The roster retooling is in full swing in Queens. This week, freshman center Adonis De La Rosa, a partial qualifier who only practiced last year, and freshman walk-on Myles Stewart both received their release to transfer.
St. John’s already has landed four new players — Tennessee transfer Tariq Owens, junior college transfer Darien Williams, high school senior Yankuba Sima and Missouri State transfer Ron Mvouika — and is heavily involved with three guards: Marcus Lovett of Chicago, New Jersey shooting guard Malik Ellison and Federico Mussini of Italy in addition to forward Cheick Diallo, a top 10 player from Long Island.
The top players from last year with remaining eligibility, center Chris Obekpa and point guard Rysheed Jordan, are returning, Mullin said on Wednesday.