St. John’s Basketball: Zach Brown adds to Johnnies 2017 core
St. John’s basketball reeled in a 7’1″ center from the class of 2017 on Thursday.
It’s already well known that St. John’s and Chris Mullin are in the midst of a major rebuild. They had to scramble together a roster last summer to put a viable team on the court, finished 8-24 in 2015-16 (last in the Big East), and dropped games to NJIT and Incarnate Word at home.
Related Story: A close look at how the Big East performed in the Big Dance
The Johnnies massively upgraded their talent level in 2016-17 with the additions of Tennessee transfer Tariq Owens, former four-star recruit Marcus LoVett, four-star Brooklyn guard Shamorie Ponds, Germany’s Richard Freudenberg and JUCO transfer Bashir Ahmed.
While Mullin’s team should be in the mix to make a postseason tournament, they are unlikely to make a jump to the NCAA Tournament and there are certainly questions as to whether they will even make the NIT.
But 2017 could be the first opportunity for the Red Storm to truly make a leap nationally and finish in the upper half of the Big East.
On Thursday, St. John’s landed 2017 7’1″ four-star center Zach Brown, who was originally committed to UConn.
The Miami native, who had thoughts about reclassifying to 2016, was formally a top-10 prospect and a member of Putnam Science Academy. But things took a massive turn earlier this year when Brown was arrested on four charges of robbery and credit card fraud, and was later booted from PSA for getting into a post-game altercation at a prep tournament in Rhode Island.
The Johnnies didn’t view Brown as a player or person who has dealt with troubles. Instead, they viewed him as a prospect that could have an intriguingly high upside if he keeps the right frame of mind.
And with Mullin being the perfect person to guide him on the correct path (based on his troubles with alcohol addiction and his Hall of Fame career), St. John’s likely feels that the rewards of this move outweigh the risks.
Zach Brown still facing charges for theft, credit card fraud, will be in court Aug. 20, but attorney confident they will get resolved.#sjubb
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) July 21, 2016
The armed robbery charge Zach Brown was facing has been dropped, I was told. Expectations is same may happen with other charges. #sjubb
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) July 21, 2016
If it wasn’t for the off-court issues, Brown would still be a top prospect (possibly the top center in the class) and would have interest from blue bloods, including Kansas, UCLA, Florida and Indiana.
More from Busting Brackets
- NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 4 teams for PF Jaxon Johnson
- NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 5 teams for top-100 SG Larry Johnson
- Oregon Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2023-24
- Big East Basketball: Ranking all head coaches going into 2023-24 season
- Florida State Basketball: Is Seminoles roster good enough to win in 2023-24?
Brown has the length, toughness, solidly built frame, soft hands, mobility and motor that could make him a force as the team’s starting center from day one. He has to work on his defensive skills, doesn’t have any range, and could improve his post moves, but his rebounding and strength will be a critical asset that the Johnnies have been desperately searching for.
While Brown is a terrific player and prospect, his commitment is not the lone reason for the expected jump in 2017.
In addition to likely returning everyone of significance from the 2016-17 roster, the Red Storm have two transfers, Michigan State’s Marvin Clark Jr. and Arizona’s Justin Simon, who will be eligible next year.
Clark is a bully in the painted area, who also will provide some shooting range from the four position and an added presence on the glass.
Simon is a long, tall athletic guard, who can attack the rim, is terrific in transition and has good vision/high IQ.
The Johnnies will be deep in the backcourt, while their toughness and strength will be upgraded in the front court. Plus, whenever you bring in players from a Tom Izzo or Sean Miller run program they add instant credibility (both Clark and Simon will even help as leaders this year during their sit out season).
There’s no guarantee that the Red Storm will make the Big Dance in 2017-18, but this program looks to be headed in the proper direction. The staff is consistently working hard to upgrade the talent, the players have bonded on and off the floor, and the individual improvements from the beginning of last season to the end was rather impressive.
Next: Big 12 expansion? Who would we choose?
The next step is turning the roster upgrades into results on the court.