In recent seasons, it has seemed like the list of players who transfer between Division I men's basketball programs has risen year after year.
Coaches liken transferring to fidelity and marriage; whether you as a reader agree with it or not, it's important to realize that players can and will move between programs to find their right fit, the amount of playing time they think they deserve, or to find a coach they vibe with (or to escape an uncertain coaching situation).
St. John's, in recent years, has contributed its share of transfers, including Omari Lawrence, Dwayne Polee II, and Quincy Roberts in the last year.
Luke Winn digs into the decommitments of Division-I players from their high schools and colleges - Momo Jones and Dwayne Polee II both figure prominently in the narrative.
But the upshot for us is this:
Here's why it was worthwhile to track high school transfers: Our data revealed that a player who attended multiple high schools was almost twice as likely to decommit from a college than was a single-HS recruit. Forty-five of the 195 multiple-HS recruits (23.1 percent) had college decommitments on their record, compared to only 38 of the 307 single-HS recruits (12.4 percent). If a prospect's circle of influencers stays the same throughout high school, there's far less likelihood of him changing his mind on a college.
The study also speaks to transfers once players are in college. With so many freshmen coming in to the program, it's worth a look through the high school transfer lens at the players. By Winn's measure, St. John's should have nothing to worry about with D'Angelo Harrison or Ricardo Gathers in 2012.
The rest of the Red Storm recruits have seen multiple high schools. Take a look at the list below.
Jakarr Sampson attended St. Vincent/ St. Mary's in Ohio before transferring to Brewster Academy, where he hoped to improve his academics to get qualified.
Moe Harkless was at Forest Hills High before South Kent (and decommitted from U Conn); he moved on to get ready to play the wing in college.
Amir Garrett first attended Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas for his freshman and sophomore years. He moved on to Leuzinger High in California before returning to Nevada to play at Findlay Prep for his senior year. Findlay plays a national schedule, and they're on television routinely. This was an exposure transfer.
Norvel Pelle played at Lakewood High (near Long Beach) as a freshman, moved on to the storied Dominguez HS squad, playing as a backup, before moving on to Price High School, also in Los Angeles. In leaving for Price, Pelle cited both a need for academic help, and the coaching change at his high school as well.
Phil Greene played at Julian High in Chicago before moving on to IMG to help his academics/ get him qualified.
Sir'Dominic Pointer transferred from Roseville High in Michigan to Quality Education Academy; he considered Detroit powerhouse Southeastern before going to QEA.
Which is not to say that fans should be worried about a rash of transfers from the 2011 class.
For one, a number of the players on this list needed to get to programs that knew how to design programs to get players eligible.
For two, between Steve Lavin, Rico Hines, and Tony Chiles, there are three men who know a lot about how to manage players and their egos. I would say that the player management/ emotion management skill is one of head coach Steve Lavin's strongest skills - players like him, players fight for him.
I think there are one or two players that I wouldn't be shocked to see transfer. It's not the worst thing for a program. Players should look for their best options for future success, and a program should retain the players dedicated to bettering themselves and building towards something notable through adversity and lack of playing time.
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