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Key St. John’s basketball recruit picks up an offer from new local rival

By Kevin Connelly

NEW YORK , NY - MARCH 11: The St. John's basketball mascot on the floor during the Big East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament First Round game against the Georgetown Hoyas at Madison Square Garden on March 11, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
NEW YORK , NY - MARCH 11: The St. John's basketball mascot on the floor during the Big East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament First Round game against the Georgetown Hoyas at Madison Square Garden on March 11, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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A budding rivalry is brewing in New York as a local school as offered a scholarship to a key St. John’s basketball recruit.

It didn’t take long for what we wrote about yesterday to come to the forefront as Iona has offered a scholarship to Class of 2021 standout Jordan Riley.

Rick Pitino and the Gales also recently offered Class of 2021 wing Sean Durugordon, which could spark a recruiting battle between the new head coach in New Rochelle, New York and Mike Anderson and St. John’s.

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The Red Storm have not officially offered Durugordon, but the Johnnies have offered Riley, who has been a priority for Anderson and his coaching staff since he took the job last spring.

Jordan Riley is a Brentwood, New York native and stars at Brentwood High School who has made a tremendous rise up the recruiting boards.

St. John’s completed a virtual visit with Riley about three weeks ago as the 6-foot-4 guard also holds offers from Wake Forest, Kansas State, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, and DePaul.

Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog was the first to report of Iona offering Riley.

The debate continues among fans on whether or not St. John’s should have pursued Rick Pitino after the program and former head coach Chris Mullin parted ways.

Pitino continued coaching in Greece before becoming the head coach of Iona in March, instantly creating a rivalry between the two programs that are separated by less than 20 miles.

ALSO READ: Allegations prove St. John’s made right decision on Rick Pitino

Iona has hit the recruiting trail hard since the hiring of Rick Pitino and Jordan Riley will be the first recruit that both St. John’s and Iona will be going after.

Neither program has a commit for the Class of 2021 but that should not last long for either school given the coach’s determination on the recruiting trail.

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