St. John's lands Sedee Keita, will have three years of eligibility left

St. John's used one of two remaining scholarships on Sedee Keita, a 6-foot-9 forward who comes to Red Storm by way of South Carolina with three years of eligibility remaining. (Photo by University of South Carolina Athletics)

Already having shored up depth issues in the backcourt and on the wing, St. John's took the next step in solidifying their front line Sunday evening, when Sedee Keita committed to the Red Storm.

A 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward from Philadelphia, Keita spent his freshman season with South Carolina, reaching the Final Four with the Gamecocks as a reserve, and decided on coming to Queens after visiting the St. John's campus on Friday and Saturday. News of Keita's arrival was first reported by Zach Braziller, who covers the Red Storm for the New York Post.

Keita will have three years of eligibility remaining, beginning in the 2018-19 season, after he sits out this coming year to serve his NCAA-mandated year in residence. His commitment comes two weeks after highly touted freshman Sidney Wilson picked St. John's over UConn and Texas, and nearly two months after the Red Storm began their recruiting with the signing of former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Mikey Dixon, who transferred from Quinnipiac.

In 29 games, Keita averaged less than ten minutes per contest and scored only 32 points, but his size makes him an effective body down low alongside the likes of Kassoum Yakwe and Tariq Owens, both of whom enter their junior seasons next year. The Red Storm also welcome Marvin Clark, Jr. to the roster after he sat out this past year following his exodus from Michigan State.

St. John's still has one open scholarship, and according to Braziller, head coach Chris Mullin and his staff may not necessarily be finished with their roster improvements this offseason. Following the signing of Wilson, it appeared that the staff was content to let both scholarships roll over into 2018, but these plans may have changed.