St. John's basketball transfer target Jeremy Roach creates unique recruiting rivalry

One of the biggest names to enter the transfer portal this week was Duke guard Jeremy Roach and he immediately drew interest from the St. John's basketball program, who is looking to replace Daniss Jenkins.

Roach, as expected, has many other suitors after him but two that emerged were Kentucky and Arkansas, creating a unique rivalry between Rick Pitino, John Calipari, and Mark Pope.

Pitino and Calipari have their rivalry going back to their days at Louisville and Kentucky, respectively, as Pope joins the trio as Calipari's replacement in Lexington and Pitino's team captain with the Wildcats on the 1996 National Championship team.

It sets up the first of many recruiting battles between the three programs, which are the favorites for Roach, according to multiple reports. He also entered his name in the 2024 NBA Draft, but is expected to withdraw his name and return to college for his final season of eligibility.

The 6-foot-2 guard was a two-time captain at Duke and averaged 14.0 points per game this season on 42.9-percent shooting from 3-point range, both career best numbers.

He was vital in Duke's deep NCAA Tournament runs during his sophomore and senior years. He has posted 13.7 points per contest during the postseason.

Kentucky and Arkansas both have empty rosters compared to St. John's, who is returning Simeon Wilcher in the backcourt. The Red Storm are also looking for a way to get an extra year of eligibility for Jordan Dingle, who was not awarded a fifth year due to playing in the Ivy League.

St. John's has five vacant scholarships to fill and recently hosted West Virginia transfer Kerr Kriisa on a visit, but he is not expected to commit to the Johnnies.

Nonetheless, it sets up what should be a fascinating rivalry on the recruiting circuit between St. John's, Kentucky, and Arkansas with others trying to close the gap.