St. John’s notebook: Jones commits, potential target for last scholarship, OOC updates

DePaul’s David Jones joins Andre Curbelo as incoming transfers for Mike Anderson and St. John’s. (Photo by Rumble in the Garden)

By Jason Dimaio (@JasonDimaio1)

In what has been a surprising offseason so far for St. John’s, the Red Storm continued to turn heads with the addition of forward David Jones from DePaul.

The addition of Jones, a native of the Dominican Republic with two years of eligibility remaining, immediately improves a St. John’s roster that was desperate for a wing and a scorer following the departures of Julian Champagnie and Aaron Wheeler to the professional ranks. Jones averaged 14 points and 7 rebounds last year for the Blue Demons before choosing Johnnies over Illinois, Oregon and West Virginia after entering the transfer portal in April. 

The relationships Jones has with Joel Soriano and Andre Curbelo — who joined the program last month after transferring from Illinois — seemed to be a big factor in getting him to commit to St. John’s, as did the close proximity of several friends and family members, not to mention the recruiting efforts of assistant coach Greg “Shoes” Vetrone. Simply put, Jones fits the St. John’s program like a glove and provides a much-needed talent boost at the forward position.

Pieces are now starting to fall in place for St. John’s, as only one scholarship remains open. Tobe Akawa, a Class of 2022 prospect from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, has been on the radar of Mike Anderson’s staff, but he’s not alone as Pitt and Maryland are also in the mix, each having recently offered the senior. The Red Storm still needs a shooter to help fill the void left by Champagnie and Wheeler. If the Johnnies can land an impact shooter to complement the skill sets of Curbelo, Posh Alexander and Jones, the Red Storm will be a serious contender to finish near the top of the Big East, but potential and results are two very different things, as St. John’s fans know after the disappointment of this past year.

Mike Anderson's staff is known for working quietly, so it’s not clear who the Red Storm is exactly in on in the transfer portal, if anyone at all. It would not come as a surprise to some if St. John’s decided to not fill the last spot on the roster as there is somewhat of a backloaded roster after the starting five, but a name that can fit the Johnnies is St. Bonaventure transfer Dominick Welch. Welch has one year of eligibility left and averaged 12.3 points per game and 37 percent from 3-point range.

Will St. John’s reach out? Will the Red Storm go somewhere else, if anywhere at all? Time will tell but in what was looking like what might be a reset year in Queens, the narrative has quickly changed, and it will be interesting to see where things go from here.

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE UPDATE: In addition to the previously announced game against Florida State in the Orange Bowl Classic on December 17, St. John’s will be opening its season at home on November 7 against Merrimack, as reported by CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.