Since Rick Pitino took over as head coach of the St. John's Red Storm, most of their roster building has been done through the transfer portal.
Pitino has spoken at length about how he doesn't believe teams that rely too heavily on freshmen can contend for a national title. As a result, he has sought established men's college basketball players to fill out his roster.
Recently, he has changed that approach a little bit, seeking out international players who bring a unique amount of experience to the roster. Given the ever-changing landscape of collegiate sports, Pitino knows that recruiting will require adaptability. That is why he revealed recently that high school recruiting could become a priority once again.
St. John's is wasting no time in that regard, looking to add some big-time talent in the Class of 2027. They have their sights set on four-star forward Malachi Jordan and have moved one step closer to securing a commitment from the talented Prolific Prep star.
According to Dushawn London of 247Sports, Jordan is narrowing his focus to three teams: the Red Storm, Kansas Jayhawks and Vanderbilt Commodores. One of the top players still available in his class, this is a major development for St. John's being in the final three.
High school recruiting has not been at the forefront of the team's game plan for building their roster, but it proves just how quickly they can get into the mix for top players when it comes to a priority.
The Red Storm have a unique advantage, along with most of their fellow Big East members, that men's basketball is the No. 1 NIL revenue sport at the school. In the other Power Conferences, football reigns supreme and takes up a large portion of the available money to spend.
That isn't the case for St. John's, which can pour resources into the basketball program. It is something Pitino has taken full advantage of on the transfer portal, with point guard Quinn Ellis reportedly netting an NIL deal of at least $4 million and Tounde Yessoufou's NIL package reportedly approaching $6 million .
Having that kind of backing is going to make them an intriguing landing spot for any high school prospect looking to cash in, before even taking into consideration how good of a fit they can be on the court and getting to play under one of the best coaches of all time in Pitino.
After seeing their rivals at UConn land two five-star prospects in the Class of 2027, the Red Storm are looking to improve their high school recruiting efforts, looking to develop talent internally and then fill the gaps with transfers, not solely rely on one-year stopgaps every offseason.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/st-johns as St. John's Basketball in Final 3 for 4-Star Class of 2027 Foward .
