It’s finally over. The St. John’s basketball roster is complete.
Nearly five weeks after landing its first commitment, Arizona State guard Joson Sanon, the Johnnies have added its second high school prospect of the offseason, Kelvin Odih, to cap its 13-man team.
Odih announced his commitment to the Red Storm on Wednesday, nearly six weeks after he requested his release from his National Letter of Intent at West Virginia following the departure of head coach Darian DeVries for Indiana.
Utah and Louisville were two other major suitors for the 6-foot-4 wing after his decommitment.
Kelvin Odih is a 4-star prospect, according to 247Sports, and a consensus Top 75 recruit out of SoCal Academy (Calif.). He is a Providence native and spent time at La Salle Academy (RI) and South Kent (Conn.).
He originally picked West Virginia over Rutgers and Louisville.
“Odih is imposing on the perimeter because of his strength, physicality, athleticism, and motor,” Adam Finkelstein, the Director of Scouting for 247Sports, said. “He plays with an attacking mentality and extreme force on both ends of the floor.”
Odih is the second high school recruit to commit to St. John’s this offseason, joining Austrian forward Imran Suljanovic. All four American based high school recruits that have committed to Rick Pitino since becoming the head coach of the Red Storm have entered the transfer portal (Simeon Wilcher, Brady Dunlap, Jaiden Glover, and Khaman Maker).
“He can really standout on the defensive end of the floor. He’s very aggressive guarding the ball, able to apply a lot of pressure, and force turnovers,” Finklestein continued.
“He would flourish in up-tempo, pressing systems, but his combination of perimeter size, mobility, and strength allows him to be very versatile and switchable in the half-court as well. He is also an exceptional perimeter rebounder, on both ends of the floor, with a quick second bounce.”
Scholarship spots on NCAA men’s basketball rosters remain at 13 but could increase to 15 if the NCAA House Settlement is passed, which has been delayed for nearly a week since its initial hearing.
Regardless, the St. John’s roster is now complete – barring any major changes – and the Red Storm are poised to enter the fall as a consensus Top-5 team in the sport.