St. John’s will have to get back on track without prized freshman Rysheed Jordan.
St. John’s coach Steve Lavin announced Jordan will not play against DePaul on Sunday at the Garden after the standout from Philadelphia attended the funeral of his aunt, Niaja Kane, on Friday and stayed with his family overnight. He missed practice on Saturday, but was expected to be back in Queens later on.
“It’s clear that Rysheed needs more time before returning to action,” Lavin said in a statement. “He will not suit up for [Sunday’s] game but will be on the bench to support his teammates. Our thoughts and prayers remain with Rysheed and his family.”
Jordan grew up with Kane, 32, and received the news of her death after the Red Storm’s loss at Villanova on Feb. 22. She was shot and killed in her North Philadelphia home during the game, a source said. After attending her viewing on Monday, Jordan played in Tuesday’s loss to Xavier.
“He’s at a low point in his life,” Lavin said. “It was, as he said, the most difficult day of his life. So we’ll be mindful of that, go from there, try and provide the necessary support as a team for him as he navigates through this tough time.”
This would be the third game Jordan — the h`ighest rated recruit of the Lavin era and the preseason Big East Rookie of the Year — has missed this season. He missed one to be with his ill mother, Amina Robinson, and was suspended for another after breaking team rules.
It has been a roller coaster of a year for the dynamic point guard, St. John’s lone freshman who started slow but has come on fast. Jordan’s mother and grandfather have dealt with health issues and he lost close friend Aaron McDaniels over the summer.
“The thinking is we don’t have to rush him back,” Lavin said. “If he’s not ready, he’s not ready. We’re just trying to give him as much support as we can, let him know we care about him. When he gets to a good place emotionally, we’ll start to talk about the basketball.”
It comes at a time when St. John’s (18-11, 8-8), on the NCAA Tournament bubble, needs all hands on deck. The Johnnies have lost two straight games to fall into sixth place in the Big East after ripping off nine wins in 10 games to climb as high as third.