Former St. John's 7'1" basketball recruit Zach Brown in jail again

Former St. John's basketball recruit Zach Brown has found himself in more trouble with the law. The 7-foot-1 Brown, who seems to be building a rap sheet almost as long as his wingspan, was taken back to jail on Thursday after a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. His older brother and accomplice, Clayton was also locked up again.

Police picked up the two men at Motel Blu in Miami. Records show they both recently failed to show up in court for traffic tickets, according to SlaterScoops.

The 19-year-old Brown, ranked the No. 35 player in the class of 2017 by ESPN, was arrested January with the same brother for allegedly stealing money from a Florida Walgreen’s cash register. He was charged with first-degree petty theft misdemeanor, driving with a suspended license and an expired tag.

St. John’s had released the once-prized recruit from his national letter of intent following his January arrest. Brown was also charged last May with credit card fraud and robbery in Miami.

Brown grew up in poverty and was living in the Liberty City section of Miami before he was adopted by Michael Lipman in 2013, reported USA Today. Brown and his brother bounced around high schools in Miami and Connecticut leaving a wake of trouble in their dust. The court had taken pair away from their biological mother and their aunt, who was given custody, but said she was no longer willing to raise them.

“They come from the most horrific situation you could imagine,” Lipman said of Zach and his brother. “The judge said he had never seen a worse case.”

That may be but, in a sport which has seen more than its share of young players throw it all away, Brown's choice to piss away a college scholarship and, most likely, a professional career for chump change is more than a sad, it's a pity.

And he probably won't see things any clearer through that eye shadow.

Shamorie Ponds leads St. John’s to 76-73 win over No. 13 Butler in Big East opener

Shamorie Ponds scored 26 points, including four free throws in the final 9.1 seconds, as St. John’s upset No. 13 Butler 76-73 in the Big East opener for both teams at Carnesecca Arena Thursday night.

“I was just confident. I was confident going to the foul line and saying, ‘I’m going to make these two free throws,’” the Brooklyn-bred freshman said after the victory.

The Red Storm (7-7, 1-0), coming off last week’s overpowering 33-point win at Syracuse, came back from a ten point deficit with the Bulldogs (11-2, 0-1) before taking the lead at 72-71 on a free throw by Malik Ellison with 14.1 seconds left.

St. John’s kept the ball on the second miss and Ponds was fouled. He made two free throws before Tyler Lewis of Butler countered with the same at 6.7 seconds left. Ponds added two more with 6.2 seconds to go. Kelan Martin of Butler let a shot go from half-court at the buzzer that hit the rim before giving the young Red Storm team its first Big East victory of the season.

Tie game!!!! Malik Ellison with the steal and score to knot it at 69! pic.twitter.com/DknCw8SWqF

— St. John's BBall (@StJohnsBBall) December 30, 2016

“He’s a really phenomenal player, but he also has that (calm and cool) personality,” Johnnies coach Chris Mullin said of Ponds. “That is his demeanor on and off the court.”

Bashir Ahmed added 19 points for the Red Storm.

Tyler Wideman had 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Bulldogs, and Martin scored 13.

The win ended Butler’s four-game winning streak over the Red Storm and stopped a streak of losses in St. John’s last four conference openers.

St. John's embarrasses Syracuse with 93-60 rout at the Carrier Dome

St. John's handed Syracuse its worst loss in the 36-year history of the Carrier Dome, after the Red Storm overpowered the Orangemen (excuuuse me, the Orange) 93-60 on the famed court.

Wednesday night's 33-point win marked the second largest victory by St. John's over Syracuse and was the first time that a Jim Boeheim-coached team has lost five non-conference games in the regular season.

Syracuse fans even booed their beloved Orange off the court before it was all over after Boeheim waved the white flag and emptied his bench with almost three minutes to go.

Three St. John’s players scored in double figures, the Red Storm scored 32 points on 19 Syracuse turnovers and outscored the Orange 36-12 from beyond the arc in overwhelming their former Big East rivals. But not before the game turned into lob city for the Storm.

It was lob city in the Carrier Dome tonight! Full highlights on the St. John's Red Storm YouTube page! #SJUBB #WeAreNewYorksTeam pic.twitter.com/R4sOJEFMDi

— St. John's BBall (@StJohnsBBall) December 22, 2016

“I didn’t get them ready to do what they needed to do. We just didn’t execute on defense or offense. St. John’s did. That was the game,” Boeheim said. “This is on me, not the players.”

Syracuse’s previous worst loss at the Dome was by 24 points against Seton Hall in 1998.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and was the third straight for St. John’s (6-7) over Syracuse (7-5) in three years.

St. John’s coach Chris Mullin was at a loss to explain his team’s dominating performance.

“I really can’t explain it, especially with the game we’re coming off (a 92-76 loss against Penn State). We’ve been up and down. The one thing about our team is that we’re young, we’re inexperienced,” said Mullin. “When you get effort and energy and share the ball, and do the right things, at some point things will work.”

The game was tied at 14 with 12:17 to go in the first half. From that point on, the Red Storm outscored Syracuse 79-46 — 54-31 in the second half. Syracuse climbed to within six early in the second half on six straight points from Dajuan Coleman, but St. John’s answered with six and ran away after that.

Shamorie Ponds led St. John’s with 21 points. Bashir Ahmed added 20 points and Malik Ellison 16.

Ellison scored eight straight points on two 3-pointers and put-back to tie the game at 12. The game was tied at 14 when the Red Storm went on a 19-4 run to take a 33-18 lead. The Red Storm hit four consecutive 3-pointers in a span of 1:36 during the run. St. John’s held a 39-29 halftime lead.

St. John's and Seton Hall players scuffle during post-game handshake (VIDEO)

After trailing by as many as 19 points in the first half, St. John's made a strong second half comeback before losing 62-61 to their arch rival Seton Hall Pirates at Madison Square Garden Sunday.

The Red Storm struggled down the stretch as the Pirates almost let their NCAA Tournament bubble hopes get popped by the Big East bottom-dwellers.

Even though Seton Hall (19-7, 9-5) avoided what would have been a horrible loss to St. John's (8-20, 1-14), tempers were still heated in the postgame handshake line when a scuffle between the two teams led to several Pirates players pulling teammate Derrick Gordon off the court.

Things got testy after it appears that St. John's' Durand Johnson had a few choice words for Seton Hall star Isaiah Whitehead after the officials had already exited the floor.

Seton Hall and St. John's exchanging words #sjubb #shubb https://t.co/lyUwaRsIBm

— Terrence Payne (@terrence_payne) February 21, 2016

The tense scene carried over from the game after the Red Storm had a one point lead with five seconds left but the officials made a questionable foul call on Ron Mvouika that sent Whitehead to the line. Whitehead nailed both free throws and the Johnnies failed to get a shot off to win it with two seconds remaining.

Then the fight erupted.

Fight broke out on the court after the game. pic.twitter.com/PT99s24GAP

— Emily Van Buskirk (@Emilnem) February 21, 2016

St. John’s snaps 16-game losing streak with 80-65 win over DePaul

It's been 31 years since Chris Mullin participated in Big East victory and finally, now as the St. John's coach, the former Johnnies star is back in the win column.

Mullin won 44 Big East regular-season games as a player at St. John’s, but it took 14 Big East games to get his first conference win as a coach.

The Red Storm snapped a school-record 16-game losing streak (including a 0-13 start in the Big East) with a 80-65 victory over DePaul Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena on Bill Wennington Bobblehead Night — in honor of Mullin’s former teammate on that wondrous 1985 Final Four team.

Federico Mussini scored all 17 of his points in the second half for the Johnnies (8-19, 1-13) in their first victory of 2016 and their first since beating former Big East rival Syracuse, 84-72, at the Garden on Dec. 13.

“It’s somewhat of a relief and somewhat justified,” Mullin said. “They got a win and they had played well enough to win. They just haven’t broken through. You can only do so much. They have to break through themselves.”

The Red Storm were in front by nine at the end of the first half, but didn't seem to know how to handle a lead. They let the Blue Demons (8-17, 2-11) open the second half on an 8-0 run to jump ahead, 32-31.

The Johnnies got the lead right back on a rebound basket by Felix Balamou and they never gave it back. Mussini had half the points in a 14-2 run that gave St. John’s a 54-37 lead with 9:12 to play. The Red Storm stretched it to 20 with six minutes left.

DePaul got as close as 74-65 in the frenetic final few minutes.

“From a basketball point it was brutal,” Mullin said of the streak. “But they can’t take this to the next game. They have to perform. They’ll feel better about themselves but the preparation and approach won’t vary.”

And maybe a Walter Berry Bobblehead Night wouldn't hurt either.

St. John's rallies back from 16 down to beat 'out-hearted' Rutgers

It's totally illogical how St. John's could shoot 32.3 percent from the field and make only 13 of 24 foul shots yet come from 16 points down in the second half to pull out a 61-59 win over Rutgers in front of a roaring crowd of 4,540 Thursday night at Carnesecca Arena.

But frustrated Scarlet Knights coach Eddie Jordan had an answer.

"I told my team they 'out-hearted' us," Jordan said. "I've never used that term in my coaching career, but I'm using it tonight."

And Jordan had good reason to fume. It took a big effort for St. John's (3-0) to overcome a 45-29 lead by Rutgers (2-1). The Red Storm didn't score its first point of the second half until 16:20 remained and didn't make its first field goal of the half until Felix Balamou hit a layup at the 13:53 mark.

That Balamou was playing at all was a plus for the Red Storm after he missed the first two games of the season because of an NCAA eligibility issue. He came off the bench to score eight points, grab 11 rebounds, dish out seven assists and commit only one turnover. Red Storm coach Chris Mullin put the ball in his hands for long stretches in the second half, and it solved the St. John's turnover problem.

"He had seven assists and one turnover, and that's huge at any level," Mullin said. " . . . Thanks to [interim athletic director and general counsel] Joe Oliva, we found out he was eligible at 4:30 this afternoon."

After the Red Storm took a 60-59 lead, Mussini forced a Rutgers turnover that led to Christian Jones' foul shot for a 61-59 lead with 6.5 seconds left. Rutgers' Corey Sanders tried to drive to the basket but was shut off and kicked to Daniels, who hit a three-pointer — but it went through after the buzzer.

"At one point, we couldn't make a shot, but we hung in and stayed positive and gave ourselves a shot," Mullin said. "We were fortunate to win in the end."

That's heart.

St. John's opens Chris Mullin era with 32-point loss to Division II school

Chris Mullin knew his first year at St. John's was going to be rough, but the new head coach might be calling his mentor and former coach Lou Carnesecca out of retirement after how bad it started Wednesday night in Queens.

Mullin opened his Red Storm coaching career with with an embarrassing 90-58 exhibition loss to Division II St. Thomas Aquinas.

That's right. A Big East team lost to tiny St. Thomas Aquinas by 32 points.

But the former St. John's and NBA star took the loss in stride.

"You have to give the other team a lot of credit," Mullin said of the exhibition match. "They played hard, they played together and aggressive. This will be a tremendous teaching tool. A lot of our guys have not played in a college basketball game, and we tried to emulate that in practice and the scrimmage, but it's different. We have to learn from this."

St. Thomas Aquinas shot 61.8 percent in the first half and led 50-34 at the break. The Spartans finished at 48 percent and had only 14 turnovers. The Red Storm shot 36.7 percent and had 27 turnovers against the Spartans full-court press.

Justin Reyes had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Spartans, and Chaz Walter added 18 points.

Federico Mussini led St. John's with 16 points. 

St. John's will face Sonoma State on Saturday in another exhibition game, then open the regular season Nov. 13 against Wagner.

While St. Thomas goes on to face those real powerhouses on their schedule: St. Anselm, Felician and Daemen.

Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond to reunite on St. John’s coaching bench

St. John’s will be reuniting two of the three members of the infamous Run TMC trio from the 1990s Warriors teams on its coaching staff and, if Red Storm basketball is only two-thirds as exciting as that legendary group, St. John's fans are in for a treat.

Chris Mullin had already become the Red Storm’s new head coach, returning to his alma mater following time spent in the NBA as a Hall of Fame player and also as a team executive. Now Mullin has hired former Golden State Warriors teammate Mitch Richmond — himself a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame —  to serve the program as a special assistant, the school announced Tuesday afternoon.

All that’s missing from the popular Run TMC Warriors teams of the early 90s now is Tim Hardaway. In 1990-91, Richmond, Mullin and Hardaway averaged a combined 72.5 points, the second-best output by three players on one team in the league’s history.

“I am really excited to begin this new chapter of my basketball career at St. John’s University,” Richmond said in a statement. “Throughout my life, I have had the opportunity to learn from great coaches who were mentors on and off the court. I look forward to passing along this knowledge and putting in the work to help elevate this program. Mully and I were always coaches on the floor, so I am thrilled to join him for this new venture.”

And there won’t be a better shooting coaching staff in the country. Richmond, has spent time as a scout with the Warriors, will be Mullin’s special assistant, a role similar to the one Gene Keady held on former coach Steve Lavin’s staff.

“Mitch is committed to helping us build this program and develop an environment for sustained success at St. John’s,” Mullin said. “He has tremendous basketball insight, a vision for the game and a passion to share his knowledge. Obviously, his experience in different roles throughout his career as a player, scout and mentor will have an impact in many areas.”

St. John’s also is expected to announce the hiring of its third assistant coach, Greg St. Jean — the son of former Warriors coach Garry St. Jean — which would complete a comprehensive staff that already includes experienced assistant coaches and top-notch recruiters Barry “Slice” Rohrssen and Matt Abdelmassih.

Since last spring, St. John’s has almost completely turned over its roster, bringing in nine new players. Now it's coaching staff will have all new faces too.

So charge up that old boom box, dust off those Bell Biv Devoe cassettes and lace up those Adidas, its fast break time in Queens.

Chris Mullin lands top NYC recruit Shamorie Ponds for St. John's: Report

In what can only be called laying a solid cornerstone for the future of St. John’s basketball, Chris Mullin landed one of New York City’s top players Tuesday when Shamorie Ponds, a 6-1 guard from Thomas Jefferson High in Brooklyn, verbally committed to the Red Storm program.

“It felt like a perfect fit,” Ponds said at a press conference. “It is close to home. I’m St. John’s No. 1 recruit for the class of 2016 and they are putting the ball in my hands.”

In landing Ponds, Mullin, the first-year coach, already has done what his predecessor, Steve Lavin, had a hard time doing — keep the city’s top talent in the city.

"It was a long process," Ponds said at Tuesday's presser. "I'm attending the University of St. John's."

And nobody seemed happier than Matt Abdelmassih — the Johnnies new assistant coach and recruiter.

Just jumped up and down as people looked at me weird at my hotel in Prague. Great day for St John's & NYC #sjubb

— Matt Abdelmassih (@mabde33) September 29, 2015

The smooth-shooting Ponds is a four-star recruit and is rated as a top 50 recruit nationally by recruiting services Rivals and Scout. Ponds made an official visit to the school last month.

Ponds picked the Red Storm over Providence and Creighton, and becoming the first top local player to join Mullin’s program.

“I guess I can set an example,” he said. “This is basically a dream come true. I always wanted to stay home, play in front of my family.”

Arizona recently expressed interest and Ponds had offers from the likes of Minnesota, Miami, South Carolina, Seton Hall and Oklahoma as well. But his hometown school won out.

“They love me here,” Ponds said. “There’s no arena like Madison Square Garden. [Mullin] said, ‘If you put on a show there, you can write your own ticket.’”

Ponds, a southpaw with a sweet 3-point stroke, is the highest-rated local player to pick St. John’s since Maurice Harkless committed to play there under former coach Steve Lavin in August 2011. 

Ponds led Jefferson to the city finals two years ago and the semifinals last year, when he averaged 25 points per game, 8.6 rebounds.

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.

Chris Obekpa taking his troubles from St. John's to UNLV: Report

Ex-St. John's defensive standout Chris Obekpa, the nation's fifth-leading shot blocker last season, revealed he will transfer to UNLV.

The troublesome Obekpa announced the news on his Instagram page, and multiple sources confirmed the decision to ESPN.com.

The short shorts-wearing 6-foot-10 center will have to sit out next season and will only have one year of eligibility remaining thereafter.

Obekpa averaged six points and seven rebounds last season and blocked at least 2.9 shots per game in each of his three seasons at St. John's, but he also earned a reputation for creating problems.

He was suspended for an undisclosed violation of team rules prior to the Johnnies' opening-round NCAA tournament loss to San Diego State last March and showed a lack of poise in getting ejected for flagrant fouls last season against Fordham and Butler. The previous spring, he announced his intent to transfer from St. John's only to change his mind two weeks later.

Maybe a change of cities will help Obekpa — even one as distracting as Las Vegas. Obekpa will still have to stay out of trouble for more than a full year before he'll even be able to play.

Cavaliers draft Sir'Dominic Pointer of St. John's in second round

St. John's versatile forward Sir'Dominic Pointer made it into the second round of the NBA Draft Thursday night when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him with the 53rd overall pick.

The defensive specialist and fierce competitor was selected with the Cavs' final pick. He's a 6-6 prospect who averaged 13.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.9 steals in 33 games during his senior season. 

The 23-year-old Pointer was the Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year and ranks third in the school's history in blocks (172) and fifth in steals (200).

He's still a long shot to make the team.

The athletic Pointer has very little range on his jump shot, so he's counting on his defense to carve out a spot in the league.

Pointer was only the second Big East player taken in the entire draft along with Villanova's Darrun Hilliard, who went No. 38 overall to Detroit.

Steve Lavin, St. John’s ‘mutually agree’ to part ways: Report

Steve Lavin will no longer be the men's basketball coach at St. John's, the school announced Friday, after the two sides mutually parted ways.

The news comes days after reports said Lavin was in talks over a contract extension and one week after the Red Storm were bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first round. Those extension talks didn't last long, as reports later stated his job was in jeopardy.

“Coach Lavin returned high expectations to our men’s basketball program and represented St. John’s in a positive way,” St. John's athletic director Chris Monasch said in a statement. “We appreciate his commitment to the program and to our student-athletes over the past five years. Our student-athletes represented the University well, especially our five-member senior class who excelled on the court, inside the classroom and within the community.”

Lavin did a lot of good at St. John's. He raised the profile of the basketball program, won 20 games 3 times and most will say he left the program in better shape now than when he got here. After all, he took the program to the 2011 NCAA Tournament for the first time after a nine-year drought but critics point out it was a roster filled mostly with previous coach Norm Roberts' recruits. And in postseason play, Lavin’s teams did not fare well. They were 1-5 in the Big East Tournament, 1-2 in the NIT and 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament.  

While Lavin went 21-12 during the 2014-15 season, and compiled a decent 81-55 record over five years, he never seemed to get the team over the hump.

And the disappointing 12 point loss to San Diego State in Charlotte last week — due largely because of the suspension of Chris Obekpa — was probably the last hinge to his fate despite all of the talk about the contract extension.

Granted, Lavin coached only four games in 2011-12 after bravely battling prostate cancer surgery, but there was always the academically ineligible recruits, untimely player suspensions and relatively low profile for a team in the nation's biggest media market that kept his job in question.

“In life change is inevitable, so I take the long view. I'm grateful for my time teaching at St. John’s University,” Lavin said in a statement. “I will take with me the lasting friendships forged during my tenure as Head Coach. I'm proud of our results both on and off the court — in particular our memorable runs to the NCAA tournament in 2011 and 2015. Most importantly, I take pride in our performance in the classroom having graduated our student athletes who will represent the institution in a first class manner."

Lavin is a decent man of principles and a well-liked coach but, with his senior-laden team all but gone, it seemed the time was right for the Red Storm to begin all over again.

And something tells me you'll be hearing the names Mullin and Hurley around Carneseca Arena a lot in the next few weeks. And maybe Mark Jackson.

Chris Mullin, Danny Hurley among favorites to be new St. John's coach, sources tell @SNYtv http://t.co/BoYje1MLiO
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 27, 2015

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.

St. John's' D'angelo Harrison gets a close-up view of Chris Obekpa's short-shorts (VIDEO)

St. John's center Chris Obekpa rocked some retro short-shorts against Minnesota during the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal game at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night.

And the Red Storm's D'Angelo Harrison got a close up view of the John Stockton specials when he slipped through the 6'10" Obekpa's legs on this play:

Harrison looks very glad that his teammate stands 6'10" — and not a few inches shorter.

St. John's forward Chris Obekpa is rocking the old-school look with his shorts in the NIT Season Tip-Off. pic.twitter.com/C0X3XFQalp
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 27, 2014

Former NBAer Erick Barkley attacks third-grader's father after loss (VIDEO)

Former NBA player Erick Barkley replaced the post-game handshake with some fists on a third grader's father when he allegedly went berserk after his 9-year-old son’s AAU basketball team lost a close playoff game by one point.

The altercation stemmed from Barkley believing a player on the opposing team was ineligible, according to the New York Post.

Barkley was coaching his son’s team from the Basketball Stars of New York against a squad based at House of Sports in Ardsley, N.Y.

“Before the game, Barkley got into a beef with the father of a kid on the other team. Barkley said the kid couldn’t play because he was on more than one team,” said a parent. “After a half-hour of arguing, the kid was allowed to play.”

But as soon as the game was over, a tough one-point loss for Barkley’s squad, he allegedly walked over to the father and punched him several times.

Police were called, they cuffed Barkley, intending to arrest him, but the victim declined to press charges even though the assault was captured on someone’s cellphone.

“He’s not a bad guy,” said another parent. “He just likes to beat people up.”

Barkley, a star point guard out of St. John’s, was a first-round pick by Portland in 2000. He was waived after being traded to the Bulls in 2002, before bouncing around Europe and the D-League.

Top-ranked shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead picks Seton Hall over St. John’s, Pitt and Indiana

Isaiah Whitehead has decided to play in the Big East but it won't be for St. John's.

The Lincoln High School (Brooklyn) star announced Thursday afternoon that he will attend Seton Hall University. Coincidentally, the announcement just happened to come on Talk Like a Pirate Day.

On Tuesday, Whitehead revealed that he had narrowed his list of potential schools to five: St. John’s, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Indiana. He visited the St. John’s Queens campus on Wednesday. 

Seton Hall and St. John's had been running neck-and-neck for the prized recruit. But the senior surprised everyone by picking the smaller South Orange, New Jersey school over the other high-profile basketball programs.

The top-ranked shooting guard in the country according to ESPN and a top-15 player in both Scout’s and Rivals’ rankings, Whitehead averaged 21.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Railsplitters as a junior. Lincoln won the New York PSAL ‘AA’ championship with the 6-4 guard leading the way last season.

Metta's dad wants son to finish career with Knicks

Ron Artest Sr. is hoping if his son, Metta World Peace, is waived today by the Los Angeles Lakers via the amnesty rule, he will attempt to finish his career with the Knicks.

Even though World Peace is seriously considering retiring instead of finishing his NBA career anywhere but L.A., Senior is hopeful his son will return to the city where he played his high school and college ball as Ron Artest.

Artest Sr. told The New York Post his son’s strong preference is to remain with the Lakers and he may decide to end his career instead of signing with the Knicks, because he does not want to uproot his kids in Los Angeles.

The Lakers intend to waive World Peace, according to reports. Subsequent reports stated no decision had been made. Kobe Bryant took to twitter Monday night, stating the club should keep World Peace and try to win a title with what they have.

If Metta World Peace becomes a free agent, his father, Ron Artest Sr., would love to see the Queens product sign with the hometown Knicks as the last stop in his NBA career.

Earlier in the day, Artest Sr. said, “He wants to stay with the Lakers for a couple of more years but if not, he wants to finish his career in New York if he can. This would be full circle.

By last night, the son was having a change of heart, feeling retirement would be best.

“I know he said he doesn’t want to play with a team like Milwaukee or Minnesota,’’ Artest Sr. said.

The Knicks are in search of a defensive small forward off the free-agent market and World Peace is intriguing to then. The Queensbridge product would seek the $1.4 million veteran’s minimum, which is basically what the Knicks have to offer. (They also have the remaining $1.7 million left of their mini mid-level.)

Artest Sr. said he still was hoping his son doesn’t retire and comes home.

“Let’s hope and pray it happens,’’ Artest Sr. said.

Knicks fans still haven't forgiven the team for passing on the former St. John's star with their first-round pick to select French center Frederic Weis in 1999. Artest/World Peace went on to a spectacular — if not somewhat controversial — career in the NBA, while the Frenchman never even set foot on Seventh Avenue.

The Lakers would save a good deal in salary and luxury tax, as World Peace is scheduled to making $7.7 million in his final season.

The Knicks and Brooklyn Nets would not get first crack at World Peace; teams under the cap would be eligible to bid on him first.

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.

Steve Lavin schools player on court during St. John's-Villanova game

St. John's coach Steve Lavin has one of the youngest teams in the nation and it takes a lot to get through to his kids. On Wednesday night Lavin showed why he wears those red and white sneakers during the Red Storm games.

Lavin's talented, shapeless and short-handed team was hanging on to a 29-26 lead in their second-round Big East Tournament game against Villanova when the coach didn't like the way sophomore forward Sir'Dominic Pointer was defending a Wildcats inbound pass.

A frustrated Lavin called a time out, raced to the baseline under the net and showed Pointer how to keep passer at bay.

Even the referee got a laugh out of Lavin's on the court coaching session before he indicated, "Hey, give me the ball back."



Pointer might have been a little rusty since it was his first game back after a one game suspension for a fight at Notre Dame last week.

As for Lavin, it'll be back to the chalk board teaching his kids — who dropped the game, 66-53 — and hoping a NIT bid is in the future.

If they get one — you might see the coach in a uniform too.