Chris Mullin, St. John's sign four-star forward Kassoum Yakwe: Report

Chris Mullin continued his quest to keep top New York area prospects from slipping away and on Sunday the first year St. John's head coach announced the signing of four-star forward Kassoum Yakwe from Long Island.

Yakwe, from Our Savior New American school,  is the highest-rated of nine recruits signed by Mullin's staff. The 6'7" forward is a consensus top-100 recruit who was rated as high as No. 57 by major recruiting services.

Yakwe, a native of Mali and originally in the class of 2016, will reclassify and enroll for the fall semester, the school announced. Yakwe chose nearby St. John's over Oregon. A talented shot-blocker and lanky athlete, Yakwe excels on the defensive end but has continued to develop his game offensively.

He averaged 10 points and four rebounds last year at OSNA while playing in the shadow of Cheick Diallo, a top-10 recruit who wound up at Kansas. But on the AAU circuit, Yakwe was named Nike Elite Youth Basketball League defensive player of the year, averaging 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 blocks for the PSA Cardinals.

In five games at the prestigious Peach Jam tournament in July, Yakwe posted 9.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game and shot 67.9 percent from the field.

"We are excited to welcome Kassoum to St. John's University and our basketball program," Mullin said in a statement. "He possesses tremendous athleticism, has good instincts and will be a defensive presence. Kassoum is humble and has an endearing personality, which are important characteristics to team-building."

Yakwe is expected to be eligible for the Red Storm's 2015-16 season.

St. John's suspends starting C Chris Obekpa for two weeks: Report

One of the best shot blockers in the country might have just swatted away St. John's chances at making the NCAA Tournament.

St. John's coach Steve Lavin announced on Sunday afternoon junior center Chris Obekpa will be suspended for two weeks, citing a violation of team rules — just hours before the selection committee decides which at-large teams will be invited to the tournament, reported CBS Sports.

"If St. John's were to advance in the postseason, Obekpa would not be available for the Red Storm's games prior to March 29," according to the school. 

And if the suspension plays a factor in the committee's decision to omit St. John's from the tournament, it means the 2015 senior class of Red Storm players will have never had played a single game in The Big Dance during their four years at the university.

Not to mention Lavin's first time at the Queens school with his own recruiting class.

"All of the young men associated with our program are held to standards consistent with the aims and mission of our university," Lavin said in a statement. "Accountability is tied to the decision making of our student-athletes. It is our hope Chris will learn from this experience."

But Red Storm fans couldn't believe the timing:

You mean to tell me #stjohns couldn't have waited until AFTER the #SelectionShow for this info on #ChrisObekpa to come out? #Wow #pcbb
— Chris Torello (@ChrisTorello11) March 15, 2015

Entering Sunday, the Johnnies were slotted as a No. 8 seed by CBSSports.com bracketologist Jerry Palm.

The 6-foot-10 Obekpa averaged 7.0 rebounds, 5.8 points and 3.2 blocks, his rejects per game was fifth-best in the country. St. John's is 21-11 this season and lost in the Big East quarterfinals on Thursday to Providence.

Amir Garrett leaving St. John's to pursue pro baseball career

Amir Garrett announced early this morning that he is transferring out of St. John's and, according to people close to the sophomore swingman, will pursue a professional baseball career.

Garrett — who came to the Red Storm in the second semester of his freshman season after having eligibility problems with the NCAA — was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of Findley Prep in Las Vegas.  The lefthanded pitcher with a 96 mph fastball received a $1 million bonus before finally reaching a deal with the club that allowed him to play basketball.

The gifted Los Angeles athlete was part of Steve Lavin's first full recruiting class that came to the Queens university.  But it was always a long shot that Garrett would stick with basketball — not when the lure of major league baseball was calling.

After a long thought out process of speaking with my family, I will be leaving St. John's basketball program!
— amir garrett (@Amir_Garrett) April 3, 2013

“After a long thought out process of speaking with my family, I will be leaving St. John's basketball program!” Garrett said on Twitter. He added in subsequent dispatches “It was a well thought out decision that didn't just pop up out of nowhere. St. John's will always have a special place in my heart” and “As of now I'm playing baseball, but I plan on being at another program in the fall.”

Garrett saw decreased minutes during his sophomore year and averaged 5.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 20 minutes per game as an under-sized forward for the 17-16 team.

His departure will open up a much-needed scholarship for Lavin's Red Storm. The Johnnies are in contention for top point guard prospect Rysheed Jordan from Philadelphia's Roberts Vaux High. Jordan also is considering UCLA and Temple.

St. John's suspends D'Angelo Harrison for rest of season

D'Angelo Harrison, the captain and leading scorer for St. John's has been suspended for the rest of the  regular season and any postseason tournaments, the university announced Friday.

Head coach Steve Lavin made the announcement without giving any reason for the suspension.

The loss of Harrison pretty much bursts St. John's NCAA bubble chances and leaves a giant hole in their offense.  He led the team in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per game, which is third in the Big East.

Harrison, who has already missed games for disciplinary reasons, has tried the patience of the coaching staff all season, said sources. They said his immaturity has become a point of issue.

Harrison met with Lavin and is in discussions with his family whether or not to remain with the Red Storm.

"I had a productive meeting with D'Angelo yesterday. He has a bright future in basketball and I'm optimistic his time away from our team will be of value," said Lavin.

The loss of the 6-3 guard from suburban Houston couldn't come at a worse time for the Johnnies. They are 16-11 overall and 8-7 in the Big East and hanging onto a slim chance of making the NCAA tournament.  The Red Storm face a streaking Providence team before ending the season against nationally-ranked Notre Dame and Marquette.

Earlier this season, Harrison — a preseason Big East second-team selection — became a member of St. John's 1,000 point club.

St. John's' Moe Harkless expected to enter 2012 NBA Draft

St. John's has scheduled a press conference for Monday at Madison Square Garden and the New York Daily News is reporting that freshman Moe Harkless is expected to announce that he will apply for the 2012 NBA Draft.

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."

St. John's women win on coast-to-coast buzzer beater

St. John's fought off a second half charge by Creighton and beat the Bluejays on an amazing coast-to-coast basket by the Red Storm point guard Nadirah McKenith with only :01 left on the clock at the end of a nail biting NCAA Women's first-round matchup.

After Carli Tritz of Creighton tied the game at 67-67— by sinking two free throws with 5.4 seconds left—  McKenith took an in-bounds pass about 10-feet in, dribbled up the court zig-zagging through the Bluejays defense and tossing up a tear drop shot that went about six feet above the rim before swishing through the net.

McKenith tumbled to the floor as the St. John's bench erupted in cheers and Creighton players put their hands over their faces in disbelief.  A futile full court shot by Creighton (20-13) fell short as St. John's (23-9) almost became the first third-seeded team to fall to a 14th in the history of the women's tournament.

Red Storm head coach Kim Barnes-Arico must have had a lot of faith in her junior point guard.  She gave the green light for McKenith to single-handedly end the game on her own.  It's the kind of play that will be shown on highlight reels for a long time.

McKenith (an All-Big east second team point guard) finished the game with 21 points as a relieved St. John's moves on in the NCAA tournament.

One person who is probably really happy about the 69-67 St. John's win is President Obama.  He has the Red Storm in his Final Four bracket.

St. John's scores basket for Notre Dame; But still upsets No. 20 Fighting Irish

St. John's is starting to play its best basketball of the season and— despite scoring a basket for the visiting team— held off a frenetic come-back by Notre Dame to post its first victory over a ranked team this season.

Even if the Red Storm wasn't perfect for 40 minutes, they definitely played their best first half in 2012.

The Red Storm won their third straight game by shocking the 20th-ranked Fighting Irish, 61-58, in Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon.

St. John's (13-16, 6-10) had lost 10 consecutive games against ranked opponents this season when— with three minutes to go and a 56-52 lead— a missed shot by Notre Dame's Pat Connaughton was inadvertently tipped in by St. John's Sir'Dominic Pointer to close the gap to two points.

It looked like another Red Storm collapse was inevitable.

Notre Dame's Jack Cooley was credited with the score, but replays showed he never even touched the ball— it was all Pointer.

It was a bucket that the Red Storm couldn't afford to give the visiting team.  St. John's went more than five minutes without scoring a field goal and were up only 57-56 with 44 seconds left after Notre Dame scored on an inbounds pass.

Notre Dame (20-9, 12-4) stormed back from a double-digit deficit and had momentum on its side.  Only Amir Garret's drive through traffic in the lane with no time on the shot clock and only 8.9 seconds left  saved the game for the Johnnies.  Garret's runner clinched the victory and snapped the Fighting Irish's nine-game win streak.

Notre dame's Alex Dragevich missed a long three-point shot at the end of the game.

Moe Harkless— the freshman phenom— finished with 22 points  and nine rebounds.  D'Angelo Harrison had 15 points and Garret had 11.  Cooley and Scott Martin finished with 18 apiece for the Irish.

Both coaching staffs sported blue bow ties to help raise awareness of prostate cancer.  St. John's head coach Steve Lavin is still recovering from surgery for the disease.

St. John's beats UCLA to snap 4-game losing streak

D'Angelo Harrison scored 22 points and Phil Greene made a huge rebound with 6.5 seconds to play but it was Sir' Dominic Pointer's crowd-pleasing dunk that set the tone as St. John's defeated UCLA 66-63 on Saturday  at Madison Square Garden.

Pointer's dunk with 13:16 left seem to invigorate the Red Storm and got the home crowd into the game.

"Climbing the imaginary ladder" as CBS announcer Ian Eagle called Pointer's jam.

St. John's (11-16) snapped a four game losing streak and the win might be called sweet revenge for last year's loss at UCLA.  The California school was Red Storm head coach Steve Lavin's former team.