St. John’s Jordan to Return vs. Columbia

St. John’s freshman guard Rysheed Jordan returned to practice Thursday and will play Saturday against Columbia at the Barclays Center.

“He was back at practice [Thursday], and will be us with us tomorrow against Columbia,” Johnnies coach Steve Lavin said Friday.

Jordan missed Saturday’s game against Youngstown State due to the illness of his mother, Amina.

“It’s been a tough stretch with his family health issues,” Lavin said. “I’ve been impressed with how he’s been able to handle it.”

Lavin said the Columbia game “will prepare” his team for the upcoming Big East schedule in which the Johnnies open at Georgetown, at Xavier and against No. 8 Villanova.

Columbia pushed then-No. 2 Michigan State to the limit before losing 62-53, Nov. 15 in East Lansing.

“We’ll have our hands full tomorrow vs. Columbia,” Lavin said.

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St. John’s will appear in the Preseason NIT in 2014 and the Maui Invitational in 2015, sources told SNY.tv.

Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.