Two St. John’s basketball recruits opt for Overtime Elite league

Two St. John’s basketball recruits are opting for professional basketball over college. 

St. John’s basketball recruiting targets Matt and Ryan Bewley are two of the fastest rising prospects in the Class of 2023 and now the two brothers are being trailblazers.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday morning that the two prospects will become the first high-profile players to join the Overtime Elite basketball league, a new professional basketball league that allows players to earn money instead of playing college basketball.

The Bewley’s received offers from St. John’s in July 2020.

Both listed as five-star prospects, the brothers star at West Oaks Academy (FL) and are listed as 6-foot-9 power forwards.

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Matt Bewley is ranked as the No. 2 player in the Class of 2023, No. 1 power forward, and No. 1 player in the state of Florida, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings while Ryan Bewley is the No. 16 player in his class, No. 5 power forward, and No. 2 player in the state of Florida.

The brother’s also held offers from Alabama, Auburn, DePaul, Florida, Florida State, Iowa State, Miami (FL), Ole Miss, USF, Illinois, and Virginia Tech.

In Wojnarowski’s report, he says the deals are expected to top seven-figures over the course of the two years that the prospects will be in the league.

St. John’s basketball looking to add in future recruiting classes

It’s highly unlikely that Ryan or Matt Bewley would have ended up in Queens should they have opted for college basketball rather than the professional route, but it’s still newsworthy that Overtime Elite has landed its first two prospects.

The league has been searching for its first additions throughout the spring and been turned down by several top players.

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It’s likely that the league will try and lure New York City prospects to its league and create some competition for the Johnnies in the future.

St. John’s has not landed commitment from any recruits in the Class of 2022 or beyond.