As Rick Pitino rebuilds the roster, St. John’s is in the midst of big recruiting week

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Rick Pitino and St. John’s kicked off a big week of recruiting by hosting Class of 2023 prospects Spencer Mahoney and Brady Dunlap along with transfers R.J. Luis, Glenn Taylor Jr.and Noah Thomasson.

The 6-foot-8 Mahoney is a three-star forward from Red Rock Academy (PA) and the PSA Cardinals Nike EYBL program.

“They are highly interested in me and I am a very good player,” Mahoney said by text. “I enjoyed my visit. My favorite part of it was getting to do Coach Pitino’s workout. I enjoyed picking up new techniques and learning from his workout.”

St. Benedict”s coach Mark Taylor, who coached Mahoney before he left for Red Rock, said: “Spencer is a great shooter and has a super-high IQ with great size. His skillset will translate to the next level.”

Class of 23 @SpencerMahoney2 on his @StJohnsBBall visit

uncommitted ** pic.twitter.com/6XnwWXTHfi

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 25, 2023

Dunlap is a 6-7 wing from Harvard Westlake (CA) who was previously committed to Notre Dame. He has St. John’s in his final five along with Nebraska, North Carolina, Penn State and Villanova.

“I have been hearing about Coach Pitino throughout my whole life,” he told 247Sports.com ahead of his visit. “My dad coached against him in the ACC. He is a Hall of Famer. My goal is to get better and win a lot of games. He has the resume of winning a lot of games. That is always intriguing. We had a nice conversation on the phone. I have been talking to Steve Masiello and he has been great. I have been developing a relationship there and I am excited to go out and see the school.”

Luis is a 6-7 guard from Miami who is transferring from UMass after averaging 11.5 points and 4.6 rebounds as a freshman.

He has also visited Texas A&M and Louisville and has heard from a number of other progams, including Arizona, Mississippi State, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Penn State, Maryland, Seton Hall, DePaul, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Georgetown and Kansas State.

The Johnnies also hosted Taylor Jr., the Oregon State transfer who averaged 11.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a sophomore. He visited Ohio State and will reportedly visit Texas A&M.

St. John’s is also hosting Thomasson, the 6-7 Niagara transfer, Wednesday-Thursday. He averaged 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season as a senior while shooting 48% and 39% from deep. He has also visited San Francisco and Georgia, and will visit Penn State (April 28-29) and Pitt (May 5-6).

Niagara transfer ⁦@NoahTheShow⁩ on his ⁦@StJohnsBBall⁩ visit

Averaged 19.5 ppg last year pic.twitter.com/3OctQN2ubp

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 26, 2023

St. John’s remains involved for five-star Roselle (NJ) Catholic wing Mackenzie Mgbako, who decommitted from Duke and is considering the Johnnies along with Louisville, Rutgers and Kansas, among others. He is expected to take several visits.

In rebuilding the roster, Pitino has already added three Iona transfers in Daniss Jenkins, Cruz Davis and Quinn Slazinski along with former UConn guard Nahiem Alleyne and former VMI guard Sean Conway.

Speaking during halftime of the Knicks game on Sunday at the Garden, Pitino said he has to “build a brand through your defense and through people who really want to be at St. John’s.”

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