Harkless, who was the first big name recruited by head coach Steve Lavin at St. John's, paved the way for Lavin's third-ranked recruiting class last year. The Queens native was also the first blue-chip player from the New York City high school system to come to St. John's since Ron Artest over a decade ago.
The rangy 6-feet-8 Harkless was named Big East Rookie of the Year and is expected to be picked somewhere between No. 15 and No. 25.
If everything goes as is expected, the 18 year-old Harkless will end all the speculation about his future at the 2 p.m. press conference.
Harkless had an outstanding freshman year even if the Red Storm struggled at times. He averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds— sixth and second best, respectively, among freshmen nationally. Harkless' stock skyrocketed at the end of the season and, with a little added weight (he weighs 208 pounds), could flourish in the league.
If Harkless chooses not to hire an agent, he will have the option of removing his name from the draft and could return to St. John's. Once he hires an agent he is no longer considered an amateur.
The guard/forward's exit would be the latest hit for the the already thin Red Storm.
Lavin is recovering from prostate cancer surgery and has limited his time coaching on the sidelines. He has been concentrating on recruiting and watching games from a suite at Madison Square Garden on occasion.
The team itself has had trouble keeping all of the scholarship players on the roster this past season. Three players were declared academically ineligible at the beginning of the season and two others transferred.
Not to worry. St. John's already has another top point guard lined up. Jamal Branch, a transfer from Texas A&M, will join the team in the middle of next year and St. John's already has commitments from 6-8 blue chipper JaKarr Sampson and 6-3 Felix Balamou.
Lavin will attend the news conference and has publicly said that whatever Harkless decides, "we will enthusiastically support him."
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