Three ineligible freshmen at St. John's, not as bad as you think it is

When Steve Lavin made the decision to take the St. John's job back 18 months ago, he knew he had to bring in a loaded 2011 recruiting class.

That's what happens when you take a job coaching a program with 10 seniors on the roster. So while St. John's made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 last season, Lavin knew back on March 31st, 2010, that his program would essentially be starting from scratch with his crop of 2011 recruits.

To Lavin's credit, he did just that, bringing in a nine-man class that ranked right behind Duke and Kentucky's as one of the best in the country. But since he was in a bit of a desperate position, Lavin had to take on a couple of risks, namely Jakarr Sampson, Norvel Pelle and Amir Garrett. Today, St. John's got the news that all three of those recruits -- who sit at 38th, 57th and 76th, respectively, in our Consensus Class of 2011 rankings -- would be ineligible for at least the first semester.


"The NCAA Eligibility Center informed us this afternoon that after a review, these three PSAs cannot qualify at this time," said Director of Athletics Chris Monasch said in a statement. "The University has been proactive and diligent in assisting in the reviews for each of our incoming men's basketball student-athletes. We will continue to review what avenues the student-athletes may have to achieve their initial eligibility."

"We will continue to work with the NCAA in an effort to review Amir, Norvel and JaKarr's cases regarding their eligibility. Our student-athletes and their families have been patient and cooperative throughout this review process," added Lavin. "We are hopeful that Amir, Norvel and JaKarr will be able to join us on the court this winter, and in the classroom when the 2012 spring semester begins."

What happens from here is unclear. The official statement is that all three players will try and earn their eligibility for the second semester, but whether that actually happens is a different story. Garrett has a contract with a $1 million signing bonus to play baseball in the Cincinnati Reds' organization, a sport where he may actually be a better prospect. Sampson has yet to enroll at St. John's, so there is talk that he will head back to Brewster Academy for another season and try to enroll at St. John's in 2012-2013. As far as Pelle is concerned, the rumor that made its way through twitter this evening is he may never suit up for St. John's.

Let's assume the worst case scenario -- none of the three ever set foot on the St. John's campus. While it will damper some of the expectations of St. John's fans heading into the season, this is not as bad of a result as you think. Simply put, talented recruiting class and all, the Johnnies were headed for a long season full of growing pains. Even with those three in the fold come Big East play, finishing in the top half of the conference and making the NCAA Tournament would have been a very impressive feat for a team that literally returns a single player. Winning with freshmen is not an easy thing to do. When UConn overhauled their roster following the 2006 season -- when they lost their top six players from a team with a seven-man rotation -- the Huskies brought in a loaded recruiting class and promptly finished 11th in the Big East.

The 2011-2012 season was about laying the groundwork for the future of St. John's basketball under Steve Lavin. Without Sampson, Pelle or Garrett, Lavin's uphill battle gets just that much steeper.

But that doesn't change the fact that he is still bringing in six talented recruits. And those six kids, who are going to be thrown into the fire from the first time they put on a Red Storm uniform, will have to grow up quickly. Its not ideal, but Lavin will still get the foundation that he needs to build his program on.

And in the end, that is what this season was supposed to be about in the first place.
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Amir Garrett gets signed

Amir Garrett is a rare commodity these days -- a two-sport star.

Not only is the 6'5" lefty a top 100 recruit on the hardwood, he was picked in the 22nd round in the MLB Draft. He was picked almost solely based on potential -- read here for some of the background -- seeing as Garrett spent the last school year playing basketball at Findlay Prep.

Well, the Reds like what they've seen out of Garrett:

The Reds have managed to woo Amir Garrett away from playing basketball at St. John's. The 22nd-rounder had impressed scouts in workouts even though he hadn't played much baseball in the past two years. The Reds gave Garrett $1 million, but it's spread over five years as a two-sport deal.

That's a lot of money.

And the best part is that it won't effect his collegiate eligibility.

But here's the question: if the Reds are going to be investing $1 million in this kid, is he still going to be able to play basketball during the winters?
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Amir Garrett, Mickey McConnel drafted by Major League teams

There was some minor concern for folks in the St. John's program on Monday when SI.com's Luke Winn published a story about incoming freshman Amir Garrett's ability as a pitcher.

You see, before Garrett enrolled at Findlay Prep for his senior year, he was a two-sport star, a 6'6" left-hander that was getting attention on the diamond as well as the hardwood. Findlay doesn't have a baseball team, so once the basketball season ended, Garrett spent two months working on his pitching game. It paid off, as he was clocked by scouts throwing as hard as 96 mph.

Left-handers with Garrett's athleticism and arm strength don't grow on trees, and there was speculation that he could end up getting picked high enough to warrant the kind of signing bonus that would force him to become a full-time baseball player.


Luckily for the Johnnies, Garrett fell to the 22nd round of the amateur baseball draft, putting in him a perfect position. Instead of being forced to choose between hoops and baseball, Garrett will become a full-time student and basketball player at St. John's while playing in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system during his summers.

"If he went high, it would have been one or the other," Garrett's father, Darrow, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We love (St. John's basketball coach) Steve Lavin, and I told everyone it would have taken a lot to just walk away from him. This way he can still play basketball at St. John's and do the things he wants to be able to do."

"I expected to go in the top 10 rounds, but overall I'm very excited a team picked me up," Amir told the paper. "I'm blessed to be in a situation to be able to get drafted."

Garrett has said that his first love is baseball, but there is no denying that he has talent and potential as a basketball player as well. I think its safe to say this is the best of both worlds. He can continue his career in both sports while getting an education at the same time.

Can you really ask for anything else?

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Garrett wasn't the only player selected in the baseball draft that college basketball fans are going to recognize.

Mickey McConnel spent the last four years as a point guard for St. Mary's, garnering attention as one of the best mid-major players in the country as a senior. A two-sport star in high school, McConnel gave up baseball for hoops in college, but that didn't dissuade the Los Angeles Dodgers from scooping him up in the 31st round on Wednesday.

"It's exciting, I'm totally surprised, this was a little bit unexpected," said McConnel in a statement released by the school. "The last time I played was four years ago in high school. In the summers I would hit a little bit and do minor baseball stuff with my brother but nothing serious or organized."

McConnel isn't ready to give up on his hoop dreams just yet. He's no lock to get drafted, but he still has workouts scheduled with Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.

Getting picked in the 31st round is far from a lock for a player to actually have a real future on the diamond, but hey, is doesn't hurt to have options.

UPDATE: Notre Dame incoming freshman Pat Connaughton was drafted in the 38th round by the Padres.
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Amir Garrett may end up going pro in baseball

Earlier today, we put together a post on why St. John's fans should keep their expectations in check this season.

The focus of our post was on the fact that the Johnnies, while bringing in a talented recruiting class, will still be in rebuilding mode while those freshmen acclimate to the collegiate level. We weren't specualting about whether or not that recruiting class would be intact by the time October 15th rolls around.

For starters, there is concern over Maurice Harkless. Back in 2010, the NCAA instituted the "package deal" rule. If a college team is going to hire someone from the high school or AAU ranks, there needs to be a two-year window between the signing and a player he coached enrolling at the school. Harkless played in a couple of AAU tournaments with the NY Gauchos, a team for which new St. John's assistant Moe Hicks served in an administrative capacity.

Even more concerning, however, is the fact that Amir Garrett now appears to be seriously considering becoming a professional baseball player.

Garrett, a 6'5" lefty, was a highly-regarded pitching prospect during his younger days, but last summer transferred to Findlay Prep in Las Vegas to pursue basketball. But according to the article that SI's Luke Winn penned on Garrett, baseball is his first true love. And thanks to some exhaustive training that he has gone through over the last two months, Garrett is going to be picked high in baseball's amateur draft, which starts today. He's hitting 96 on the radar gun, but he hasn't pitched competitively since last June, when he walked seven batters in 4 1/3 innings at a high school all-star camp.

Garrett has options. Depending on where he gets picked, Garrett has a shot of getting a seven-figure signing bonus. If the money he is guaranteed in baseball isn't enough, he can always 'fall back' on that scholarship offer to St. John's, where he can also play on the school's baseball team. According to Winn's article, 'enough' will be $1.5 million.

The thing that is great -- and confusing -- about his decision is that Garrett can take the money to become a professional baseball player and still be eligible to play college hoops. If he is more serious about baseball, he can do what CJ Henry did -- Henry, Xavier's younger brother, signed with the Yankees out of high school, but the Yankees were forced to pay for Henry's education when he did end up going to college. If Garrett ends up deciding that basketball is where his future lies, he can either play baseball with the St. John's team in the spring or spend his summers cashing paychecks in the minors.

Garrett has plenty of options.

His best course of action right now -- don't limit them. There's nothing wrong with being a two-sport athlete.
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