Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Isaiah Briscoe, Cheick Diallo and Brandon Sampson all enjoyed their visits to St. John’s this weekend and the Johnnies are positioned well with the trio.
“I had a great visit to St. John’s,” the 6-foot-3 Briscoe told SNY.tv. “The coaching staff and I have a good connection and they understand what I’m looking for in a college and a program. Of course, I also like that it’s close to home and I love the city.”
“The St. John’s visit went well,” a source close to the 6-foot-9 Diallo told SNY.tv. “The kid enjoyed the moment.”
The 6-4 Sampson called the visit “good.”
“Isaiah, Cheick and Brandon got to hang out a lot, talk a lot,” George Briscoe, Isaiah’s father, told the New York Post.
Briscoe and Diallo are done for visits for now, while Sampson is slated to visit USC this coming weekend.
St. John’s made a statement last Thursday when head coach Steve Lavinand three assistants watched Briscoe’s first practice after he had the boot on his fractured foot removed.
Briscoe has now visited UConn, Kentucky, Seton Hall, Missouri and St. John’s in recent weeks and plans to sit down with his family soon to figure out his next move. After initially planning to sign in the spring, Briscoe could pull the trigger in the early signing period, which runs Nov. 12-19.
“George told me the family has to sit down and talk over everything,” Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff told SNY.tv.
Diallo also took his final visit to St. John’s and is also considering Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa State and Pittsburgh. He will sign in the spring.
Sampson is also considering home-state LSU along with USC, Cal, UCLA and Texas A&M.
If the Johnnies can land some combination of this group, especially Briscoe and/or Diallo, it would make a statement for head Lavin, who is in the fifth year of a six-year deal.
“To get Cheick Diallo, who is probably the best 4/5 in the country, and to get Briscoe, who is probably the best 1/2 in the country, it would be a signature statement if St. John’s could get either of them and especially both of them,” longtime New York recruiting guru Tom Konchalski previously told SNY.tv.
“And especially, part of the criticism has been that they’ve recruited nationally, they haven’t recruited in their own backyard. Well, getting Cheick Diallo, he’s the best player in New York State, and Isaiah Briscoe is the best player on the other side of the Hudson.”
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.
Isaiah Briscoe, Cheick Diallo and Brandon Sampson all enjoyed their visits to St. John’s this weekend and the Johnnies are positioned well with the trio.
“I had a great visit to St. John’s,” the 6-foot-3 Briscoe told SNY.tv. “The coaching staff and I have a good connection and they understand what I’m looking for in a college and a program. Of course, I also like that it’s close to home and I love the city.”
“The St. John’s visit went well,” a source close to the 6-foot-9 Diallo told SNY.tv. “The kid enjoyed the moment.”
The 6-4 Sampson called the visit “good.”
“Isaiah, Cheick and Brandon got to hang out a lot, talk a lot,” George Briscoe, Isaiah’s father, told the New York Post.
Briscoe and Diallo are done for visits for now, while Sampson is slated to visit USC this coming weekend.
St. John’s made a statement last Thursday when head coach Steve Lavin and three assistants watched Briscoe’s first practice after he had the boot on his fractured foot removed.
Briscoe has now visited UConn, Kentucky, Seton Hall, Missouri and St. John’s in recent weeks and plans to sit down with his family soon to figure out his next move. After initially planning to sign in the spring, Briscoe could pull the trigger in the early signing period, which runs Nov. 12-19.
“George told me the family has to sit down and talk over everything,” Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff told SNY.tv.
Diallo also took his final visit to St. John’s and is also considering Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa State and Pittsburgh. He will sign in the spring.
Sampson is also considering home-state LSU along with USC, Cal, UCLA and Texas A&M.
If the Johnnies can land some combination of this group, especially Briscoe and/or Diallo, it would make a statement for head Lavin, who is in the fifth year of a six-year deal.
“To get Cheick Diallo, who is probably the best 4/5 in the country, and to get Briscoe, who is probably the best 1/2 in the country, it would be a signature statement if St. John’s could get either of them and especially both of them,” longtime New York recruiting guru Tom Konchalski previously told SNY.tv.
“And especially, part of the criticism has been that they’ve recruited nationally, they haven’t recruited in their own backyard. Well, getting Cheick Diallo, he’s the best player in New York State, and Isaiah Briscoe is the best player on the other side of the Hudson.”
