That deep roster Steve Lavin has raved about wasn’t very deep last night in St. John’s exhibition opener against Sonoma State.
Junior college transfers Marc-Antoine Bourgault and Orlando Sanchez were held out of the contest, along with God’sgift Achiuwa — the team’s lone senior — and freshman wing Felix Balamou, leaving the team with seven scholarship players in the Red Storm’s 73-55 victory at Carnesecca Arena.
Lavin said he is considering red-shirting Balamou and Achiuwa, though it is dependent on the uncertain eligibility of Sanchez and Bourgault who are awaiting “separate eligibility rulings from the NCAA regarding classification,” St. John’s announced before yesterday’s contest.
St. John’s could learn the results for Sanchez and Bourgault in a week to 10 days, a source said. The source said it has nothing to do with academic issues, which was the case last year for JaKarr Sampson, Norvel Pelle and Amir Garrett, were ruled ineligible by the NCAA, but is based on age and classification. It is likely, a source told The Post, the 24-year-old Sanchez, a 6-foot-8 wing from the Dominican Republic, will be ruled a senior and the sharpshooting Bourgault a junior.
“It’s just like the waiver appeal process that we go through, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary and we’re just waiting to find out what the determination will be,” Lavin said.
As for the game, sophomores Amir Garrett and Phil Greene scored 17 points apiece. Garrett, a minor league pitcher in the Reds’ organization, made 7 of 9 shots and also had six rebounds and two steals while Greene had a team-high six assists and grabbed five rebounds.
St. John’s completes its exhibition schedule against Concordia Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Queens.