St. John’s head coach Chris Mullin and assistant Matt Abdelmassih will be busy on the recruiting trail this week.
On Tuesday, St. John’s was set to host Moses Brown, the 7-foot-1 Class of 2018 big man from Archbishop Molloy and New Heights, as well as 6-10 Class of 2019 big man Aidan Igiehon of Lawrence Woodmere Academy.
Brown took an unofficial visit to UConn on Aug. 31. UConn had already offered him a scholarship.
Brown was impressed at the family environment the team fostered.
“Just because the team is practicing doesn’t mean they can win,” the Class of 2018 big-man said. “They emphasize getting together as a family and just playing.”
Brown is ranked 19th on ESPN’s Top 60 for the Class of 2018. Arizona, Florida, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall, Saint John’s, UCLA and USC have all offered.
On Friday, when college coaches can begin attending high school workouts, Mullin and Abdelmassih are expected at St. Benedict’s Prep for bigs Precious Achiuwa (2019) and Isah Mohammad (2020), who just transferred over from Our Saviour Lutheran on Long Island. The 6-8 Achiuwa is the younger brother of former St. John’s forward God’sgift Achiuwa and is ranked No. 22 in the 2019 ESPN 25.
Then they will hit the first workout at Roselle Catholic for 2018 big man Naz Reid and 2019 guard Khalil Whitney, a Chicago transplant.
The 6-9 Reid holds offers from a slew of high-majors, including Kansas, Syracuse, UConn and St. John’s, and his recruitment is expected to pick up during his junior season.
On Saturday, Mullin and Abdelmassih will head to Florida to see Class of 2017 commit Zach Brown, the former UConn pledge who committed to St. John’s on July 21.
Brown has been at Sarasota (FL) Elevation Prep Academy since the last week of June. He is coached by Matt Hiller.
“He’s still raw,” Hiller said by phone. “He’s a defensive presence. He’s got 9-foot-6 vertical leap. He’s got natural shot-blocking ability and he can definitley protect the paint.
“Offensively, his footwork’s getting better. He’s never going to be a shooter unless Mullin can teach him a thing or to. If anybody can do it, they’re both lefties.
“His back-to-the-basket game is good now. We had to put a foundation now, so he can build off that. He’s very awkward going out to his right hand. He’s got a power game now, he doens’t have much finesse. So that’s been our focus. He’s got to develop some touch. He’s got some work to do but he’s a legit 7-1. He’s got that going for him, so you can’t teach that.”
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