St. John’s basketball coaching staff reaches out to familiar grad transfer

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 01: Head Coach Mike Anderson of the St. John's Red Storm reacts against the Creighton Bluejays at Carnesecca Arena on March 01, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 01: Head Coach Mike Anderson of the St. John's Red Storm reacts against the Creighton Bluejays at Carnesecca Arena on March 01, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

The St. John’s basketball coaching staff has reached out to a graduate transfer with a similar skill set and previous school to a recent Red Storm transfer.

Despite a question mark surrounding the potential scholarships available for the upcoming season, Mike Anderson and his coaching staff are still working on the recruiting trail.

Whether it is due diligence, a Plan B, or something could actually be in the works surrounding the St. John’s roster, Anderson always ready to recruit, especially if it means keeping a New York player home.

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Anderson and his staff most recently connected with Monmouth graduate transfer Ray Salnave, according to a report from Zach Braziller of the New York Post.

Salnave, a three-year player at in Long Branch, New Jersey, is a Elmont, New York native.

The 6-foot-3 guard would be a very familiar site for Red Storm fans as he draws some comparisons to recent Monmouth grad transfer to land in Queens, Nick Rutherford.

Salnave has a more expansive offensive game than Rutherford but the defensive pattens are very similar.

Last season at Monmouth, the All-MAAC selection averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest on 39.6 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent from 3-point range.

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St. John’s currently does not have any scholarships available for the 2020-21 season as the Johnnies are awaiting the NBA Draft decision from wing LJ Figueroa as that decision will now be delayed since the NBA has postponed its Draft Lottery and Combine because of the coronavirus.

Should Figueroa leave Queens either for the professional ranks, a scholarship would open for the Red Storm, although the team would be lacking wing players instead of guards.

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Braziller also mentioned that UCLA, Illinois, Loyola Marymount, and others have reached out to Salnave.

Ray Salnave would be immediately eligible.

Regardless of what happens with in terms of Salnave to St. John’s, it is a welcome site to see that Mike Anderson and his staff are going the extra mile to get the Red Storm name consistently out on the recruiting trail.