Sports

St. John’s transfer Lindsey fuels Rider

St. John’s loss is Rider’s gain.

Nurideen Lindsey, the dynamic guard who transferred nine games into his Red Storm career after a scintillating start, is off to a similarly solid beginning with Rider.

Lindsey initially committed to Arkansas, but changed his mind and picked Rider, surprising many since he has always been considered a high Division I talent from his days as a prolific scorer at Overbrook High in Philadelphia.

Lindsey said Rider is the perfect fit for him. He left St. John’s to be closer to his family in Philadelphia — though there were reports he wanted to be the team’s primary offensive option, which he has denied — where he can tend to his ill mother, Gina Schenck, with Rider just a 40-minute drive away in Lawrenceville, N.J. Red Storm head coach Steve Lavin’s absence as he recovered from prostate cancer surgery was also a factor, Lindsey said.

“I’ve been able to focus a lot better,“ said Lindsey, who has lost two brothers to murder and a good friend to cancer. “It’s very important. My mom is my biggest supporter.”

He is the face of a program looking to get back to post-season play for the first time in three years and reach its first NCAA Tournament in over a decade. He has developed a close bond with first-year head coach Kevin Baggett, who made him feel comfortable by immediately “trying to coach me, being there when I needed help, somebody I could call and talk to,” he said. “He took the initiative to put me under his wing when I got here, to make me feel like this is my home for the next two years.”

Lindsey is averaging 12.5 points per game for Rider (6-5), which visits Princeton tonight. The versatile and electric 6-foot-3 guard got off to a roaring start, scoring 26 points apiece in a season-opening win over Robert Morris and loss at South Carolina. He has struggled in recent games, battling turnover and foul woes. A natural slasher at his best in transition, Lindsey has worked dutifully on his perimeter shot, and it shows to the tune of him shooting just over 41 percent from beyond the arc.

“His will to win is unbelievable,” Baggett said. “These guys really rally around him. He’s been good for our program, does everything I ask him to do.”

Lavin considered it a win-win for both parties. Lindsey is more comfortable at Rider, near his family in Philadelphia, while St. John’s has moved on without the dynamic guard.

At the time, Lindsey’s departure looked like a crushing blow to the program, one of the team’s oldest players bolting before Big East play began. Yet, it created opportunities for then freshman guards D’Angelo Harrison and Phil Greene IV.

“I’m sure D’Angelo and Phil’s development have been accelerated because Nurideen moved on to Rider,” Lavin said.

Lavin also pointed out that St. John’s wouldn’t have talented Texas A&M transfer Jamal Branch on its roster, either, if Lindsey didn’t leave. Branch, a pass-first point guard who should make an immediate impact, will make his Red Storm debut against UNC-Asheville tomorrow.

Neither side has any ill-will toward the other. Lindsey said he still talks with Lavin and his former teammates every few weeks, calling them his “brothers.”

“You want young people to be happy and in a situation that is a great fit for them,” Lavin said. “Rider is a great fit for Nurideen.”