ANY PORT IN A STORM
After top schools bail, Johnnies take chance on troubled recruit
The 2017 St. John’s recruiting class is expected to be small in numbers, but it could be large in impact if everything goes according to plan with its newest recruit.
The Johnnies made a big splash Thursday by landing a commitment from one-time UConn pledge Zach Brown, as first reported by The Post, a troubled but talented 7-foot-1 center from Miami. He was a consensus top-20 prospect with scholarship offers from Ohio State, Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky and Florida before he ran into legal problems in late May, when he was arrested for armed robbery and credit card fraud.
St. John’s began recruiting Brown shortly after he parted ways with UConn in early May. While others pulled his scholarship offers after the incident and cut off communication, the Johnnies remained in the picture. They did their due diligence, speaking to Brown’s former coaches and teachers, sources said. St. John’s officials spoke to his attorneys and came away confident the charges will be dropped or lessened and that Brown has turned a corner, according to sources.
Brown grew up in poverty in the downtrodden Overtown section of Miami. He spent time in foster homes after being taken away from his biological mother, Tina Vickers, who reportedly was unable to support him and his brothers, and was legally adopted by an AAU coach in 2013. He now is back living with his mother.
Brown visited St. John’s in June and liked the Queens campus. He sat down with assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih, who led the charge in his recruitment, and head coach Chris Mullin, who shared his own personal demons, such as his battle with alcoholism. Brown felt so comfortable with them he went into detail about what happened.
“I never really opened up to people like that,” he said in a phone interview with The Post.
So rather than see what new schools wanted to get involved or whether he could improve his ranking now that he is back on the court and feels he is on the right path, Brown picked St. John’s.
“This is the school that’s coming after me after. It’s the school I felt comfortable with,” Brown said. “I trust the coaching staff. I trust everyone at the school. The main thing I liked about the school, they didn’t judge me about my past. … I’m going to show I’m not that person.”
The armed robbery charge has been dropped, according to his attorney, Kendall Coffey, but Brown still faces charges of theft by snatching and credit card fraud. He is due next in court Aug. 20. Since the incident, Brown has been taking online summer courses, and he returned to the court this month, playing on the AAU circuit with Nike South Beach.
“There are a number of people who strongly believe in Zach, who are behind him, including his attorneys, all of whom are volunteers,” Coffey said. “Hopefully the system will recognize he’s a quality individual who has endured unimaginable hardships and is now headed in the right direction. We’re very hopeful that this matter will be resolved in a way that doesn’t signifi- cantly impact Zach’s future.”
A college coach familiar with Brown said he has played well this month. Though he acknowledged the risk St. John’s is taking, he believes it is a smart one.
“Without the issues, all the blue bloods would be on him,” the coach said. “He has size and talent. He blocks shots. He runs very well.”
St. John’s envisions the 2017-18 season being a breakthrough year, when transfers Marvin Clark Jr. (Michigan State) and Justin Simon (Arizona) are eligible. Now they have a 7-foot-1 center to add to the mix.
“I’m bringing them a beast that is on his grind,” Brown said. “I’m coming to just win and work hard every day. We’re going to have great things coming at St. John’s.”