Italian guard Federico Mussini is on the brink of a decision that will either bring him to a college in the United States or keep him with is club team in Italy.
The 6-foot-1 scoring point guard told SNY.tv he will decide between St. John’s, Gonzaga and Italian club Reggio Emilia in the “next few days.”
One industry source said he believes Mussini will land at St. John’s.
Mussini missed his team’s current playoff series with a left foot injury.
Mussini visited St. John’s in April following the Nike Hoop Summit, where he had 9 points and 3 assists when the World team beat the U.S. team., 103-101, in Portland, Ore., thanks to 30 points from Jamal Murray.
“Really good!!” Mussini said after the visit. “I liked the atmosphere of the college. For me [it] was the first time in an American college.”
Asked what he thought of new coach Chris Mullin, Mussini said, “He is a really good person.”
With the loss of Rysheed Jordan, St. John’s would benefit from another guard joining the program.
Mussini is ranked No. 13 in the 1996 European age group by Eurohopes and No. 7 by DraftExpress.com. He averaged 14.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in the 2012 U16 European Championship Men’s Division.
In the 2014 Mannheim Tournament, he averaged 20.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists as Italy beat the USA to win the event. In the European Championship Men’s Division, he averaged 22.6 points, 4.0 rebound and 2.1 assists.
“[I’m a] fast player, I like to shoot 3 points,” Mussini told Jonathan Givony at the Hoop Summit. “I like to reward my teammates too, to share the ball with everyone because I want to win. This is the only thing that counts, so everyone has to be involved. Everyone has to touch the ball, and when I’m open I have to shoot.”
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
And Like Zags on Facebook