By Zach Smart
Well before the 2023-24 season, Riverside Hawks’ head honchos and bigwigs collectively expressed a desire to re-establish the once prosperous relationship between their program and the new regime at St. John’s.
There has long been a powerful connection between the Hawks and the Red Storm, dating back to when SJU was the bellwether men’s basketball program across the eastern seaboard—a widely lauded national attraction with an array of NBA alumni.
Riverside, a nurturer of NYC talent, was once a veritable St. John’s launchpad.
They built strong connections with the coaching staff, took advantage of the nearby Queens campus, and played a key role in keeping local talent close instead of moving to perceived greener pastures out of state.
There is the notion of being a champion.
However, nothing compares to being a champion in your own hometown.
Of course, not all Riverside guys wound up at St. John’s, although the draw and seemingly inseparable link between the two were palpable.
Legendary St. John’s products such as Erik Barkley, Ron Artest, the late and legendary Malik Sealy, Anthony Glover, Omar Cook, and myriad others have all come out of the Church.
Widely regarded as one of the most all-around talented players ever to suit up for the church, Walter Berry is forever recognized for his illustrious mark in St. John’s basketball lore.
And so, the St. John’s pipeline runs rather deep for Riverside, which once featured Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, and Shawnelle Scott, the 6-foot-10 All Hallows HS product who played at SJU during the early 1990s and briefly during a city-to-city NBA journey ride.
Riverside will soon renew the rapport with the now revitalized St. John’s program, powered by experienced veteran leader and suddenly versatile 6-foot-11 behemoth Joel Soriano (17.7 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 66 percent FG).
This new-look Johnnies team possesses a wealth of experienced scorers and intriguing depth across the backcourt. While the parity and hothouse landscape of the Big East are as daunting as ever, and it is hectic to pinpoint any program as a particular front-runner for the conference, St. John’s ushers in the New Year and the upcoming slate teeming with confidence.
The 8-4 Red Storm have bettered themselves by buying into the bedrock tenets Rick Pitino preaches as a coach.
There’s accountability, a factor which was sorely lacking during the Mike Anderson era.
There is a defensive emphasis preached with an iron fist.
Playing with the motor on high, with passion, with relentlessness, and with impactful contributions across every connotation of the statistical sheet is prioritized.
During an exciting time for this burgeoning St. John’s team, the relationship between Riverside and St. John’s will progress and potentially blossom with the upcoming “Shooting Stars Basketball Showcase” at Mount St. Michael HS in the Bronx on January 7.
The event features a veritable “who’s who” of high-end talent from both local New York City schools and some of the northeast’s traditional prep superpowers.
Here are a number of prospects from both the Riverside program and beyond, to keep tabs on during the upcoming event.
Some have been offered by St. John’s already; others could be appealing recruits down the road, as their growth and progression continue.
Kaelen Destin, Cardinal Hayes: The St. John’s program has sustained some tight ties with nearby Cardinal Hayes HS in the Bronx. The gym, after all, is just a hop, skip, and a jump from Yankee Stadium.
While Joe Lods’ program was hit hard by a tumultuous off-season that saw Ian Jackson (North Carolina) and Elijah Moore (Syracuse) bolt for perceived greener pastures at Our Savior Lutheran, while simultaneously losing a 6-foot-10 high-rising forward/center who was beginning to flower in Steven Solano, Hayes harvested spanking new talent in rather quick-hit fashion.
In picking up Destin, a transfer via WHEELS, Hayes has a shot-maker and slick, ambidextrous attacker who is fearless in his forays to the rim. Destin averaged nearly 30 PPG as a sophomore at WHEELS last season, including a game in which he stuck five consecutive 3-pointers. The spurt-ability has translated to the regal hoops real estate of the CHSAA “AA,” where he has sustained his scoring prowess significantly.
The 6-foot-1 Destin has been able to thread through the teeth of defenses, score it with his off-hand, and embrace contact. He hit three consecutive 3-pointers during a wild, pulsating 89-84 loss to Stepinac earlier this month.
While Destin has not been inundated with the same stockpile of high-profile offers as the aforementioned Jackson and Moore once were, he has the intangibles and toughness to potentially cut it at St. John’s level.
He would still need to grow and pack some muscle onto his frame, as the Big East has long been synonymous with physical, black and blue pocked play. Destin currently holds offers from Oklahoma State and Texas A & M.
Jack Bailey, Blair Academy: Bailey would add versatility and imposing size to a St. John’s team that’s forced to play with a thinning frontline this season, with the man-child and bulldozing 6-foot-6 forward Chris Ledlum forced to play bigger than he is in the trenches. Bailey may be pigeonholed as a shooter or a European-style skill player, but his rebounding is the one area of his game that consistently gets undersold and underappreciated. Bailey has been an interior banger for most of his career, stemming back to his time as a neophyte getting his teeth cut on the AAU level with Riverside.
As a pick-and-pop four-man with 3-point range out to the NBA 3-point line, Bailey is able to evoke mismatch threats all across the country at 6-foot-10. He’s got a polished, soft touch that he can step in and hit from 15-18 feet, dragging post players away from the rim.
As a point-forward type with a rare comfort level in putting the ball on the deck at his size, Bailey has the advanced, wide-ranging profile that’s become so highly sought after at this level of play.
Originally from Manhattan, Bailey is likely intrigued with the national brand Rick Pitino and company are building this season, restoring the prominence once synonymous with this storied program.
A heady player between his ears, Bailey would be a stabilizing inside-outside presence if he’s able to translate to the Big East. He was recently offered by Butler and also California, which has been impressed with his multi-positional status on both sides of the floor.
Trey Lewis: The 6-foot-4 Lewis may not be on the radar of St. John’s just yet, but his inspirational play thus far has certainly made his case as an under-the-radar, flowering prospect. With a deft long-range touch and a knack for opportunistic 3-pointers, the Class of 2026 guard is a poised scorer who plays with some flash and pizzazz, a swagger that enables you to forget he’s just a sophomore. He has established himself as a terror in the open floor, and with prodigious leaping ability, Lewis is crafting his image as a high-profile recruit.
He’s a volume scorer who does not require a lot of touches to put up numbers or rattle off points in a hurry.
Jermel Thomas: The Class of 2026 Hayes point guard has grown incrementally over the last year, materializing into a three-level scorer with a dazzling handle that enables him to carve routes to the rim. He’s a crafty finisher and possesses rarefied vision, locating cutters around the basket and firing in opportunistic assists during crucial moments of the game. Thomas has opened up his 3-point range out to NBA territory. He is suddenly a centerpiece of a significant troika of shooters alongside Malik Fields, Lewis, Destin, and the seasoned senior Adam Njie.
Thomas’ vaunted first step has become a cornerstone of his game, and he’s able to really snake his way along the baseline and exploit seams in the defense. Having played sparingly on last year’s team, buried behind a star-spangled core on the depth chart, Thomas has immersed himself in a breakout sophomore year. His length and knack for snaring down rebounds have been noteworthy elements at the core of his ascension. Thomas brings positional versatility on both sides of the ball, and as he showed during a loss to a nationally ranked Stepinac team, he has the potential to be a triple-double threat.
Josh Powell, Molloy: The 6-foot-5 big guard has been on a scoring spree this season, with multiple games of 26+ points and double-digit rebounds. Beyond his budding outside shot-making and ability to throw fakes and find space for his shot in innovative fashion, Powell possesses a big frame and barrels his way to the rim. He’s able to use the window effectively and absorb hard contact, manufacturing points at the free-throw line and in a variety of ways. Powell is also a rim-attacker who utilizes just a few dribbles to create positioning and evoke mismatches.
Vince Chaudhri: The 6-foot-7 pogo stick leaper has added elements of swagger and urgency to his game, developing as a thunderous dunker. With his elite-level finishing, he’s able to levitate from two to three feet away from the rim and deliver authoritative dunks that have a lasting impact on the game, allowing the momentum to mount. As a shooter, he’s able to get his feet set quickly and gain significant elevation off the ground before his shot release.He has refined his outside shot and simultaneously developed a knack for straight-away and corner 3-pointers, as he’s progressed as a prolific all-around scorer capable of spurring runs. At an environment like Northfield Mount Hermon, which has churned out guys such as current St. John’s forward Chris Ledlum (who was previously at Harvard), Chaudhri will add to his academic pedigree. Though the similarities don’t exactly fall off the page, Chaudhri plays with a similar burst and high-adrenaline style as current St. John’s wing RJ Luis.
Elijah Small, Molloy: The 6-foot-8 lefty is tracking as arguably the most improved player in the CHSAA-AA conference this season, having developed more of a true interior banger style while sustaining an adroit left-handed perimeter touch and being able to put the ball on the floor like a guard.
As a catch-and-post threat, Small has been efficient in his scoring jaunts and provided blanketing interior pressure as a shot-blocking, shot-manipulating workhorse who is able to backbone the last line of defense. While he began his career as a floor-stretcher known more for his shooting, Small has quickly matured into a powerful finisher with a relentless approach in powering his way above the rim.
He had to recently shed the habit of being hesitant with his rim-attacking, still showing residual effects of a previous injury. After realizing it was purely a mental block and slaying the adversity between his own ears, he’s discovered his niche as an acrobatic and extravagant dunker.
Chidi Nwigwe, St. Benedict’s: The Class of 2026 guard is a jarringly versatile threat at 6-foot-7, as a bigger-built point guard with an adept feel for offensive creation. Nwigwe has rapidly developed his scoring tool-set, matriculating as a knockdown shooter who can spark dizzying runs and spurts when he sticks 3-pointers in succession.
Nwigwe has also bought into the component of multiplicity as a defender, guarding the 1-4. He’s able to really accelerate the tempo as a ball handler and can go from fast to slow and vice versa on his carefully crafted finishes at the rim. Nwigwe developed his spurt-ability significantly this summer, with multiple games in which he stuck five 3-pointers or more and also pioneered game-altering scoring onslaughts.
His motor is constantly on high, and Nwigwe is a rare case of a guy who can play and guard nearly every position on the floor.
Maurice Vassel, St. Benedict’s Prep: The 6-foot-9 Class of 2024 forward is a fluidly moving, baseline-to-baseline rim runner with ambidextrous finishing. He’s grown as a catch-and-post threat and a guy who can utilize a smooth touch with either hand from four to five feet around the basket. One of the more unique draws to Vassel’s game is his ability to swat and contest shots. He possesses the upside of a true defensive backbone as a rim protector. Vassel is also known for his ability to chase out closeouts and really deliver hard, extravagant blocks.
Workmanlike in the post, Vassel possesses upside with his ability to snatch boards outside of the box and sustain plays with offensive rebounds. He’s a powerful finisher who is still discovering his potential as an above-rim presence.
Emile Johnson, Northfield Mount Hermon: The 6-foot-10 Johnson is a commanding presence as a defensive stalwart, capable of blocking, influencing, and changing the trajectory of shots around the rim.
The Class of 2024 product is still raw offensively, albeit he is steadily developing his game as an interior scorer and putting a skill set behind the natural ability he possesses with his length and knac k for playing above the rim.
Deron Rippey Jr., Blair Academy–The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Class of 2026 guard has materialized into a high major recruit in a short period of time. He’s developed as a freaky athletic talent with the intangibles as a volume shooter, hard attacker, and maddening on-ball pest. Rippey has maximized his role this season as a more assertive scorer, after playing meaningful minutes as a freshman.
Averaging 16 points and five assists at Blair, Rippey has discovered his niche as a combination guard who plays with an insatiable desire to win, energy and drive.
These factors have enabled him to surface as a run-sparking scorer on a team with both seasoned, veteran experience and a steady crop of young, budding talent.
Rippey Jr. will be one of the top unsigned guards in the event.
The pace at which he plays and the sound foundational elements of his game are indicative of a kid who continues to mature at a quicker pace than most in his age group.
Lucas Morillo, Iona Prep –Recently offered by Fordham, Morillo is a 6-foot-7 big guard with the ability to operate as a point forward and evoke mismatch headaches. Morillo is able to put the ball on the deck comfortably, spread the floor out considerably with his outside shot, and bang bodies as a presence on the offensive and defensive glass.
Morillo, who scored 21 points during a recent victory over Cardinal Hayes, was offered by Fordham last week.
He’s got translatable traits with his ability to create shot space, purity of vision, and defensive versatility. He’s an adroit scorer around the rim and has become one of the more efficient scoring sources under head coach Tim Philp.
