The St. John’s basketball program has ramped up its recruiting efforts in recent days of Monmouth graduate transfer Ray Salnave.
Prior to May 7, St. John’s has been in pursuit of Monmouth graduate transfer Ray Salnave but the point guard had not been in contact with head coach Mike Anderson.
The leader in the Red Storm’s recruiting efforts has been assistant coach Steve DeMeo but now the Johnnies are putting on its patented full-court press against the 6-foot-3 guard.
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Zach Braziller of the New York Post reported on Thursday night that not only Anderson has been in contact with Salnave but also rising senior guard Rasheem Dunn has been involved in the recruiting process as the two are good friends.
Dunn and Salnave, both New York natives, became familiar with each other competing on the AAU and high school levels.
Dunn, a Thomas Jefferson High School product and Brooklyn, New York native, also found his way to Queens via transfer through St. Francis Brooklyn and Cleveland State, although he never saw game action as a Viking.
In his junior season, Dunn averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game on 37.7 percent from the field yet just 22.4 percent from 3-point range.
As for the man the Johnnies are in hot pursuit of, Ray Salnave is a Elmont, New York native and was a star at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School before taking his talents to the Jersey Shore joining the Monmouth Hawks.
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Loyola Marymount and DePaul are the two other schools that made the Top-3 of Salnave which he announced via his Twitter this week.
Ray Salnave posted his best collegiate season in 2019-20 with 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest on 39.6 percent shooting from the floor and 36.4 percent from 3-point territory.
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While the prospect of adding another dynamic guard to the team is exciting, St. John’s currently does not have an open scholarship on its roster.
Either a player would have to transfer to open up a scholarship spot or junior wing LJ Figueroa would forge his senior season and stay in the 2020 NBA Draft or pursue his options as a professional overseas.