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St. John’s basketball: Mustapha Heron signs with BDA Sports Management

By Kevin Connelly

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 11: Mustapha Heron #0 of the St. John's basketball team reacts against the DePaul Blue Demons at Madison Square Garden on January 11, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 11: Mustapha Heron #0 of the St. John's basketball team reacts against the DePaul Blue Demons at Madison Square Garden on January 11, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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Former St. John’s basketball guard Mustapha Heron has agreed to a deal with BDA Sports Management in hopes of reaching the NBA.

On Monday afternoon, the official announcement was made by BDA Sports Management that they welcomed St. John’s guard Mustapha Heron to the team.

The sports agency welcomed all of their new signees via their Instagram page including Duke guard Tre Jones, Arizona guard Nico Mannion, and Florida State guard Trent Forrest, among many others.

Mustapha Heron spent two seasons at St. John’s after transferring to Queens from Auburn University where he was an All-SEC player.

Heron’s time at St. John’s was hampered by injuries which culminated in season ending ankle surgery after initially suffering the injury on December 10 in the final minutes in a win over Brown.

The Waterbury, Connecticut native missed three games after the ankle injury and then returned for ten games before reaggravating the injury which then required surgery.

ALSO READ: St. John’s no longer interested in Monmouth graduate transfer

In his junior season under head coach Chris Mullin, Heron played in 31 games, starting 30, averaging 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 44.0 percent shooting from the field and 40.3 percent from 3-point range as the Red Storm made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015.

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After Mullin’s departure, Heron never waived from incoming head coach Mike Anderson and vowed to be the face of the program in his senior season.

The 6-foot-5 guard was only able to see action in 21 games in his senior year, starting 19, and posted 13.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per contest on 38.5 percent shooting from the floor and 38.5 percent from 3-point territory.

In comparing his two seasons at the two schools, Heron had better numbers while at Auburn, scoring 15.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his freshman season and 16.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in his sophomore season.

Mustapha Heron has the prototypical size and fundamentals to latch on to an NBA roster but his health will be a question and while the postponement of the NBA Draft Combine hurts junior wing LJ Figueroa, it may be a blessing in disguise for Heron who will have the chance to continue his ankle rehabilitation before auditioning for teams.

ALSO READ: Postponed NBA Combine puts St. John’s roster in flux

In most NBA Mock Drafts Heron is not expected to be selected but an NBA team could have a steal as an undrafted free agent if the St. John’s star does in fact slip through the cracks of the eventual NBA Draft.