Recruiting in not typically something that occupies the St. John’s basketball coaching staff during the season – especially high school recruiting – as the Johnnies will save its efforts for the transfer portal in the offseason, but this weekend will be different.
Class of 2027 5-star recruit Malachi Jordan will visit St. John’s and New York City, concluding with the Red Storm’s final exhibition game of the preseason on Sunday against Texas inside Madison Square Garden, according to multiple reports.
Jordan is currently the No. 19 player in the senior class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, as well as the No. 6 small forward in the nation. He has also taken visits to USC, Kansas, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee.
St. John’s only has two freshmen on its current roster, Serbian center Lazar Stojkovic and Theo Edema.
Edema, a 4-star recruit, reclassified and committed to the Johnnies in May.
St. John’s has not had a high school basketball commit to the program prior to the spring signing period since Jaiden Glover, a Brooklyn native who played at The Patrick School (NJ), who has since transferred to Saint Joseph’s. Glover announced his commitment to St. John’s in November 2023.
Since Rick Pitino has taken the head coaching job in Queens, the Johnnies have landed just seven American based high school players in four years, and none have stayed with the team for more than two years.
“Jordan is one of the most physically gifted prospects in the class,” Adam Finkelstein, the Director of Scouting at 247Sports said.
“The bottom line is Jordan needs to decide what he needs to be. His physical gifts are undeniable, he has the potential to play multiple positions and be a two-way contributor but gets inefficient when he starts worrying about the wrong things or trying to prove something.”
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