St. John’s success over the last month has spread past the court, where the Johnnies have won nine of their past 10 games to play their way into the NCAA Tournament picture.
St. John’s recruiting profile has increased as well, in terms of the visibility of its coaches at high school events to the number of top recruits who have attended games as visitors.
Christ the King senior center Adonis Delarosa attended the Red Storm’s win over Butler on Tuesday night, and highly rated junior point guard Isaiah Briscoe of Roselle (N.J.) Catholic was at the previous victory, Sunday over Georgetown, as was Wings Academy center Jessie Govan.
The previous Sunday, consensus top 10 junior Cheick Diallo, a forward from Our Savior New American on Long Island — Chris Obekpa’s high school — was at the Garden when the Johnnies knocked off No. 11 Creighton.
Either Lavin or a member of his staff has been out to see each of the four players in person, and Lavin recently spoke to junior college point guard Trey Dickerson of Williston State (N.D.), a Queens product being recruited by a host of mid- and high-major programs.
St. John’s has targeted the 2015 class as a significant one, with several scholarships opening up, and a focus on Govan, Briscoe and Diallo — three top 50 recruits. There is a definite need in the backcourt, as D’Angelo Harrison and Phil Greene IV will have graduated, and Rysheed Jordan could be off to the NBA.
Briscoe’s father, George, previously told The Post, “It doesn’t get any better” than playing for Lavin at Madison Square Garden. Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff said in a phone interview that Lavin and his staff have been a fixture at the New Jersey school, attending games, practices and workouts to see the 6-foot-3 Briscoe, ranked 17th overall in the nation by Rivals.com. Briscoe also is being courted by the likes of Rutgers, Seton Hall, Louisville, Providence and Syracuse, among others.
“I certainly think they’re a team [Isaiah is] strongly considering, they’re a team him and his dad watch very closely, and a team that will have a good shot at signing him,” Boff said in a phone interview. “They’ve been one of the more active schools.
As for 2014, there is a need up front. Orlando Sanchez and God’sgift Achiuwa are out of eligibility after this season, leaving a dearth of forward depth which is where, perhaps, Lavin and his staff view the space-eating 6-foot-11 Delarosa — who is also being recruited by the likes of Rutgers, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and Fordham — fitting in.
Lavin said he could see St. John’s signing up to three or four players in the spring, possibly five in 2015 and three in 2016, though it all depends on the fit of the prospect and the need St. John’s has at that time. He also said he would prefer to land difference-makers, rather than place-holders.
“I’d rather not sign anybody in a year where I don’t think the players coming in are going to elevate our program,” Lavin said on Friday. “You save those bullets, those aces, for the ones who are program changers.
“I like where our program is, in terms of our current roster and we’re very encouraged by [the prospects we are recruiting] in ’14 ’15, ’16 if we can continue to close and sign these kids.”
Though St. John’s is still without a commitment for next year, Lavin has been at his best landing impactful spring signings. Two years ago, it was Obekpa; last year, it was Jordan. And as Lavin has shown with the performance of the Johnnies, he’s at his best late in the year, on the court or on the recruiting front.
St. Peter’s point guard Glenn Sanabria landed a scholarship offer from Division II Southern New Hampshire.
Delarosa, the Christ the King center, added a scholarship offer from Rutgers on Wednesday and took in the Scarlet Knight game against Memphis on Thursday. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic sophomore guard Asante Gist was also there, while junior forward Elijah Burns of Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., was at Prudential Center to see Seton Hall knock off Georgetown.
Fordham is among several suitors for Point Pleasant Beach (N.J.) point guard Matt Farrell, a former Boston College commit. Farrell visited Fordham on Sunday and head coach Tom Pecora watched Farrell play Thursday night.