Tanksley Efianayi, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard/small forward from Daytona State, will visit St. John’s and Arizona State in September, but is still considering several other options, his junior college coach told SNY.tv Thursday morning.
“He’s not down to those two schools, those are the two he’s going to visit in the fall,” Daytona coach Ryan Ridder said. “Coach [Steve] Lavin and Coach [Herb] Sendek, their assistants have done a really good job recruiting him and have built the best relationships. So he’s going to visit those two, I’m not sure when he’s going to make his decision, fall or spring.”
Efianayi averaged 15.7 points and 6.4 rebounds last season for a Daytona team that went 24-6. He is slated to visit St. John’s Sept. 19-21 and Arizona State Sept. 25-27, Ridder said.
“If he goes up to St. John’s and loves it, he’ll make a decision in the fall. If he goes to Arizona State and loves it, he’ll make a decision. But he’s told both those coaches that I’m still not sure when I’m going to make that decision.”
Ridder said Iowa State, Maryland, Alabama, Texas Tech and Cincinnati are also involved for the talented two guard.
“He’s a big physical guard that can really shoot the ball from the perimeter,” Ridder said. “But he can effect the game in more ways than just scoring, which is why I think he’ll be successful at the high-major level because even the nights he’s not putting the ball in the basket, he can defend, he’s able to rebound both backboards. He’s just a really good teammate.”
St. John’s must bring in a sizable recruiting class for 2015, especially in the backcourt, where Lavin has zeroed in on high school prospects Isaiah Briscoe, Brandon Sampson and Tyler Dorsey, among others.
“They have not been to Daytona State, they saw him this summer,” Ridder said of St. John’s. “But Tank is originally from the Northeast, born in Connecticut, so to get the opportunity to play for a coach of Coach Lavin’s pedigree and then being able to play in the Garden, the relationship he’s developed with those coaches is at the highest level.”
As for Arizona State, Ridder said: “I think it’s the same thing in terms of relationships with those coaches. Both of those staffs have by far recruited him the hardest. He’s a big relationship guy. The way that Arizona State plays is intriguing to him as well, but at the end of the day it’s all about the relationships he has with both those coaching staffs.”
