Grading places
How local recruiting classes measure up
THE deadline for players to enter the NBA draft has passed, the spring signing period is over. We have officially reached the dead period for college basketball. But before forgetting about the sport until the fall, let’s take a look at what the local teams did to improve their chances next year and beyond:
St. John’s
The narrative dramatically changed a little over a week ago. After a few months of whiffing on big men, the Johnnies landed a prize in highly rated Bronx wing Sidney Wilson, beating out UConn and Texas. Wilson, a gifted athlete known for his leaping prowess and finishing ability, will be given the opportunity to contribute immediately for St. John’s thin front line. The failure to add significant size could haunt the improved Red Storm this year, but don’t forget the addition of MAAC Rookie of the Year Mikey Dixon, who transferred from Quinnipiac. He is a potent scorer who should thrive in coach Chris Mullin’s up-tempo system after sitting out next season. Grade: B
Seton Hall
Nobody had a better spring than Seton Hall. While everyone will be fixated on the return of Angel Delgado, coach Kevin Willard and Co. were already in an enviable spot because of the additions of threestar forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, a sharpshooting 6-foot-11 prospect originally from the nation of Georgia, and JUCO center Romaro Gill, a 7-foot shot blocker. But the key to this group could be Long Island’s Jordan Walker. The four-star point guard who, while raw, is a tenacious on-ball defender and adept at penetrating. Rather than wait on bluechipper Trevon Duval, who signed with Duke as expected, Seton Hall got its point guard of the future in Walker who led The Patrick School (N.J.) to the New Jersey Tournament of Champions. Grade: A-
Rutgers
Peter Kiss will not help next season, because the Quinnipiac wing has to sit out per transfer rules, but landing the versatile 6-5 playmaker was the best get of the Steve Pikiell era. I have been critical in this space of Rutgers’ recruiting, but Pikiell had a strong spring. Not only did he land Kiss, but he nabbed a potential sleeper in threestar Californian Myles Johnson, a beefy 6-9 forward with a wingspan of more than 7 feet who could help immediately at the defensive end and on the glass. Grade: B
Manhattan
A loaded roster only got strengthened in the spring with the addition of quality centers Warren Williams (St. Benedict’s Prep) and Pauly Paulicap (Harcum JUCO), and Bayonne HS (N.J.) sharpshooter Patrick Strzala. Coach Steve Masiello thinks Strzala can make a similar impact as Shane Richards, a key part of the 2014 and 2015 NCAA teams. Grade: B+
Iona
They don’t rebuild in New Rochelle; they reload with skilled athletes made for coach Tim Cluess’s speed-ball system. A pair of graduate transfers, Zach Lewis (UMass) and TK Edogi (Tulsa), will bolster next year’s team on the perimeter and in the paint, respectively, but the big get was sit-out transfer Isaiah Still of Robert Morris. A big playmaking guard who averaged 15.7 points per game last year. Grade: B