Tanksley “Tank” Efianayi, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound shooting guard/small forward from Daytona State (FL), enjoyed his St. John’s visit this past weekend and trips to Arizona State this coming weekend.
“It was good, I never saw Madison Square Garden before so that was amazing to see,” he told SNY.tv by phone Sunday evening. “And Rucker Park, all the great NBA players played at Rucker Park. They just showed me a lot of New York, and their campus was actually quiet compared to the city, which I didn’t know it was going to be like that. It’s actually pretty small.”
St. John’s needs a big recruiting class in 2015 and must replace numerous graduating guards and wings, and Efianayi, a Connecticut native, sees a place where he could flourish.
“They have about five wings leaving, so they have a lot of minutes at that position,” he said. “They need a veteran coming in. They’re looking for another leader for the team, so I could play right away if I look to commit there.”
Lavin meets Monday with Roselle (N.J.) Catholic point guard Isaiah Briscoe, and informed Efianayi of his plans vis-a-vis Briscoe and Hutchinson (KS) Community College wing DeShawn Freeman.
“They’re trying to get a point guard named Isaiah Briscoe and also DeShawn Freeman from Hutch,” Efianayi said. “I know DeShawn. We started clicking at a JUCO Showcase in Missouri, so we’re pretty cool.”
Asked how good the team could be if all three players were to commit, Efianayi said, “Oh, we could be really good, one of the top classes to come in in 2015. Definitely be a top five class if we all go there.”
Freeman, who is a 6-8, 215-pound wing, said he also plans to visit both St. John’s and Arizona State, but Hutch assistant coach Jay Cyriac said Freeman has no visits planned yet.
“Right now I really don’t know [when I might decide],” Freeman said by phone. “I have no idea.”
St. John’s assistants Rico Hines and Tony Chiles recently visited him, and Hines and Freeman are both from North Carolina.
“Rico, he’s pretty cool,” Freeman said. “He’s from Greenville, N.C., and I’m from Rocky Mountain, N.C., so he know a little bit about where I’m from and things like that.”
Wherever he goes, Freeman could be a factor on the wing.
“He’s a 6-7 hybrid power forward,” Cyriac said. “He plays as hard as anyone in the country. Think of a Jae Crowder type of player. He can go inside and outside due to his skillset. He’s an excellent rebounder and will be a matchup problem for bigs and guards since he can bully his way to the basket or have a big step out and will go by them.”
