AM Rumble: St. John's schedule update, spring championships, around NCAA

We are deep in spring, with players taking a break before summer sessions and training. But there's still news!

St. John's schedule update

Delaware State went 7-25 last season and played a lot of young players in an attempt to find a rotation after a number of leaders left. Like many of the other opponents St. John's has scheduled, the team looks like a confidence-raising buy game for the Johnnies.

St. John's recruiting update

Aundre Hyatt, a 2018 wing from Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, received in invite the the Nike Top-100 camp, a prestigious skill development camp and opportunity.

Non-revenue sport update

With four games left, St. John's baseball team is four games behind Creighton, who they face this weekend in Queens. But they're also four games behind Xavier, tied with Creighton at the top of the standings. The Johnnies should be safe to make the Big East Tournament, where the top four teams meet for a berth to the NCAA Tournament. This year, the tourney is in Aberdeen, MD.

St. John's men's tennis finished a successful season after a loss to South Florida in the NCAA Tournament last weekend. The Johnnies' men's tennis squad defeated Marquette for the Big East Championship.

St. John's Softball fell to Butler, 10-8 in extra innings, last weekend in Chicago in the Big East Championship. Butler goes to the NCAA Tournament, while the softball team can take pride in a 29-win season.

Around the NCAA

The Big East's summer meetings are beginning today in Florida, per the Big East Conference, focusing on the 35th anniversary of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, growth of the Fox/ Big east partnership, and "student-athlete welfare". Could we see some monetary initiatives discussed and/ or approved for the conference's players?

North Carolina State lands Turkish center Omar Yurtseven, who chose the Wolfpack over Syracuse, Utah and others. Yurtseven scored 91 points in an Under-18 game in Turkey, scored eight points and had seven rebounds in an exhibition against the Brooklyn Nets in October, and is considered a lottery pick next year.

The Turkish big man could face a long eligibility battle, however, over whether his Turkish club Fenerbahçe has paid him. (Enes Kanter, who was ineligible for the year at Kentucky before moving on to the NBA, also played for Fenerbahçe as a youth.)

Players who declare for the NBA Draft without an agent are able to get some intel on where they stand in the heirarchy, but also are taking a risk. Some players boost their stock as they look for an excuse to go pro, but others expose weaknesses of height, athleticism and IQ that can be hard to overcome.

Draft Express exposes some players who did not make the best first impression on NBA Scouts. Sports Illustrated delves into the process and what the NCAA players are hoping to hear - plus what they are learning from the process.

North Carolina wing Justin Jackson has heard the feedback. And he's headed back to school for his junior year.

Could Creighton have the Big East's best backcourt next year, with Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster next to sublime point guard Maurice Watson? Villanova, Marquette, Xavier, St. John's - ok, the whole league outside of maybe DePaul and Georgetown comes with serious guard play, but the Bluejays may be on the rise...