St. John's had 4 scholarships after the transfers of guards Larry Wright and Mike Cavataio. So far, Norm Roberts' staff has replaced those two guards with 2 other guards, Tyshwan Edmondson and Quincy Roberts.
Rumor has it they've picked up a new under-the-radar recruit: Phil Wait, a 21 year old, 7'1", 265 pound center playing for the Gran Canaria Academy, a basketball training facility where Ashley Hamilton (another recruit the Red Storm was interested in) played. Wait recently came up on UCLA's radar screen when assistant coach Donny Daniels flew to meet the 7'1" center.
Not much is known about Phil Wait. But he is a seven-footer, played soccer as a youth, and supposedly had interest from Nebraska, Arizona State, Kentucky and the aforementioned UCLA. He played for an English Basketball League team, the Manchester Magic (who are owned by and play in the John Amaechi Basketball Centre), England's Under-18 squad, and the Proctor Academy in Massachusetts.
We won't know how he's developed through all of this playing time, yet. We won't know how well he will hold up against the U Conns and Louisvilles of college basketball.
I found a site (in translation) that indicates that he runs well, holds the ball high (one of the best attributes a big man can have), blocks shots; but he still does not play as strong as he should, and needs work on his footwork and toughness. But he has some skills, we hope. Some size for the future. And a strong inside presence who can keep up. Hopefully this is the good under the radar recruit that helps St. John's get competitive.
Update: Wait is confirmed to be committed to the St. John's Red Storm.