Steve Lavin isn’t done recruiting for this upcoming season.
The St. John’s coach, looking to add depth to his front court, is in Sarajevo, Bosnia, this weekend recruiting 6-foot-9 sharpshooting forward Amar Alibegovic, whose father Teo played with Gary Payton in the 1980s at Oregon State, sources said.
Say this for Lavin: He’s not unwilling to be untraditional, traveling overseas the same weekend hundreds of top Division I coaches descent on Augusta, Ga., for Peach Jam, the prestigious AAU showcase.
The skilled and fundamentally sound Alibegovic, born in Oregon, would be the third new major addition to the frontcourt after JaKarr Sampson left early for the NBA and fellow forwards Orlando Sanchez and God’sgift Achiuwa graduated. St. John’s recently signed Christ the King big man Adonis Delarosa, a 6-foot-11 widebody, and Westchester Community College’s Keith Thomas, who led junior college in rebounding a year ago.
Alibegovic plays with the Italian team Stella Azzurra and will play next week with the Bosnian Senior National Team. He currently plays for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the U20 European Championship Division B tournament, averaging 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.