Last week in the Rumble (4-24 edition)

The weekly recap of news and notes around St. John's basketball...

+ League-wide issue: the Big East and ESPN are talking about renewing their media contract. The Big East is looking to receive a bump from the $26 million the league receives from ESPN for all sports.

+ This week, this site started our season review of the 2010-2011 Red Storm season. The Johnnies brought back a puffing pride and excitement rarely seen since St. John's was the Redmen. The games were watchable again! The  posts dig at some depth into the St. John's philosophical changes in Steve Lavin's first year coaching the team...

+ ...And we started the player reviews with senior center Dele Coker, who started a number of games and played "enforcer". Look out for player reviews of Malik Stith, Dwayne Polee II, Sean Evans, and more in the coming week.

+ The posts make use of advanced stats, so there is a tempo-neutral primer for anyone who needs a refresher.

More recap on recruits, below the fold...

+ There's a lot of talk about junior college forward God's Gift Achiuwa's visit to St. John's this weekend. It's Easter - so of course God's Gift is at a school funded by Christians. St. John's is Achiuwa's final trip - meaning Steve Lavin has the last crack at the solidly built forward. Need to know a little more about Achiuwa? Here's a scouting report on God's Gift - he's best served staying near the basket.

+ With Jamari Traylor loving his visit to Oklahoma State, visiting Kansas this weekend, and listing Texas Tech as his other school choice, it seems that for the Red Storm, it's God's Gift or bust. See video on both God's Gift and Jamari Traylor.

+ The Red Storm received the Letter of Intent paperwork from guard recruit Phil Greene (or Philip Greene, as he's been called in some outlets). Get to know Phil Greene with video interviews of the lanky combo guard from the deep South Side of Chicago.

+ But St. John's recruiting class shrinks, as Dwight Meikle decommits. He was a bit of a mystery man, possibly a developmental forward for the Red Storm who wouldn't see a lot of time. Once released from his LOI, Meikle was signed quickly by the Hampton Pirates from the MEAC. That school in Hampton, Virginia went 24-9 and got a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Good luck to Meikle.

The freed scholarship means that the Red Storm could go after two forwards this offseason... or save at least one scholarship for next year, and a player like Ricardo Gathers.