St. John's feels its present is bright. After this weekend, Steve Lavin and company may know more about their future.
The Johnnies have a huge recruiting weekend on tap, perhaps the biggest in Lavin's five-year tenure.
They will host their top three senior targets: Isaiah Briscoe of Roselle (N.J.) Catholic, who some believe is the top point guard prospect in the country; consensus top five forward Cheick Diallo of Our Savior New American of Centereach, L.I.; and highly rated shooting guard Brandon Sampson from Madison Prep of Baton Rouge, La..
The official visits began Friday night with the Red Storm's Midnight Madness event and continue into Sunday. The trio undoubtedly will get a tour of their potential future home, Madison Square Garden, and hear about the recent St. John's players to get a shot in the NBA, such as Maurice Harkless, JaKarr Sampson and Orlando Sanchez.
"Getting all three of those guys [Briscoe, Diallo and Sampson] would put them in great position to win the Big East and make a splash nationally," Scout.com national recruiting analyst Evan Daniels said. "Those three guys would be massive pickups.
"All three of those guys would be coups and all three would be early contributors."
Of course, landing any of the three won't be easy. St. John's is battling established blue bloods in the case of Diallo and Briscoe, and for Sampson, his hometown school, LSU, in addition to California and USC. Kansas, Iowa State, Pittsburgh and Kentucky are after the relentless 6-foot-9 Diallo, while Kentucky, Connecticut and Missouri are among the mega-talented Briscoe's top suitors.
Yet this weekend could be the final visits for Briscoe and Diallo, which could work in Lavin's favor.
While St. John's can't offer the recent winning pedigree or prestige of Kansas, UConn or Kentucky, the Johnnies do have plenty of playing time available, and the opportunity for the three youngsters to be the face of the program. St. John's will lose six seniors, including starting guards D'Angelo Harrison and Phil Greene IV, and sophomore point guard Rysheed Jordan is expected to depart for the NBA.
Lavin and his staff have been involved for years for all three prospects. They began recruiting Sampson when he was a freshman after losing out on his teammate, Jarrell Martin, who picked LSU. The same can be said for Diallo and Briscoe, which is why the staff remains cautiously confident about their chances.
Multiple sources told The Post St. John's is in a good position with Briscoe. The entire staff visited with him at Roselle Catholic on Thursday night and his father, George, has repeatedly expressed an admiration for Lavin and his dogged recruiting efforts with his son.
"They have clearly developed a great relationship with Isaiah and that puts you in a good position," Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff said.
Furthermore, Briscoe and Sampson, familiar with one another from the AAU circuit, have been communicating over the phone in recent weeks, talking about this upcoming visit. A source said Briscoe also has spoken to Diallo - who is at the same high school St. John's junior forward Chris Obekpa attended - about joining him in Queens. Samspon's high school coach Jeff Jones said the potential of him joining two other elite talents "plays a big part."
"He's really good, I like his game," Sampson said of Briscoe. "He's a good facilitator, good scorer, has nice size for his position."
In addition to the big three, St. John's hosted St. Raymond sophomore duo Sidney Wilson and Isaiah Washington, JUCO target Luis Montero of Westchester Community College, Our Savior New American junior forward Kassoum Yakwe and St. Mary's of Manhasset sophomore forward Nicholas Richards Friday night.
The Johnnies have a huge recruiting weekend on tap, perhaps the biggest in Lavin's five-year tenure.
They will host their top three senior targets: Isaiah Briscoe of Roselle (N.J.) Catholic, who some believe is the top point guard prospect in the country; consensus top five forward Cheick Diallo of Our Savior New American of Centereach, L.I.; and highly rated shooting guard Brandon Sampson from Madison Prep of Baton Rouge, La..
The official visits began Friday night with the Red Storm's Midnight Madness event and continue into Sunday. The trio undoubtedly will get a tour of their potential future home, Madison Square Garden, and hear about the recent St. John's players to get a shot in the NBA, such as Maurice Harkless, JaKarr Sampson and Orlando Sanchez.
"Getting all three of those guys [Briscoe, Diallo and Sampson] would put them in great position to win the Big East and make a splash nationally," Scout.com national recruiting analyst Evan Daniels said. "Those three guys would be massive pickups.
"All three of those guys would be coups and all three would be early contributors."
Of course, landing any of the three won't be easy. St. John's is battling established blue bloods in the case of Diallo and Briscoe, and for Sampson, his hometown school, LSU, in addition to California and USC. Kansas, Iowa State, Pittsburgh and Kentucky are after the relentless 6-foot-9 Diallo, while Kentucky, Connecticut and Missouri are among the mega-talented Briscoe's top suitors.
Yet this weekend could be the final visits for Briscoe and Diallo, which could work in Lavin's favor.
While St. John's can't offer the recent winning pedigree or prestige of Kansas, UConn or Kentucky, the Johnnies do have plenty of playing time available, and the opportunity for the three youngsters to be the face of the program. St. John's will lose six seniors, including starting guards D'Angelo Harrison and Phil Greene IV, and sophomore point guard Rysheed Jordan is expected to depart for the NBA.
Lavin and his staff have been involved for years for all three prospects. They began recruiting Sampson when he was a freshman after losing out on his teammate, Jarrell Martin, who picked LSU. The same can be said for Diallo and Briscoe, which is why the staff remains cautiously confident about their chances.
Multiple sources told The Post St. John's is in a good position with Briscoe. The entire staff visited with him at Roselle Catholic on Thursday night and his father, George, has repeatedly expressed an admiration for Lavin and his dogged recruiting efforts with his son.
"They have clearly developed a great relationship with Isaiah and that puts you in a good position," Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff said.
Furthermore, Briscoe and Sampson, familiar with one another from the AAU circuit, have been communicating over the phone in recent weeks, talking about this upcoming visit. A source said Briscoe also has spoken to Diallo - who is at the same high school St. John's junior forward Chris Obekpa attended - about joining him in Queens. Samspon's high school coach Jeff Jones said the potential of him joining two other elite talents "plays a big part."
"He's really good, I like his game," Sampson said of Briscoe. "He's a good facilitator, good scorer, has nice size for his position."
In addition to the big three, St. John's hosted St. Raymond sophomore duo Sidney Wilson and Isaiah Washington, JUCO target Luis Montero of Westchester Community College, Our Savior New American junior forward Kassoum Yakwe and St. Mary's of Manhasset sophomore forward Nicholas Richards Friday night.
