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AM Rumble: St. John's offers Kofi Cockburn, Marcus Lee transfers to Cal

Cockburn plays his high school basketball at Christ The King in Middle Village.

Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Today in the AM Rumble, St. John's extends an offer to a 2019 center, a former Kentucky big man is taking his talents to the Pac-12, and DePaul reeled in a former top-100 recruit.

Recruiting updates

The Johnnies extended an offer to 2019 Christ The King center Kofi Cockburn last week. The 6'10", 240 pound old school big man plays his AAU basketball with The Rens.

Cockburn is an effective defensive rebounder, is efficient in the low post with smooth footwork and an assortment of skilled moves, and can finish above the rim. The Middle Village native needs to work on his ability on the offensive glass and his conditioning, but he's only rising sophomore, so he could develop into a special player in three seasons.

Hasahn French, a 2017 power forward and a member of the PSA Cardinals, visited the St. John's campus on Monday before heading out to the NBPA Top-100 camp on Tuesday. French has offers from numerous programs, including Arizona State, UMass, Minnesota, Providence, and Seton Hall, while he already visited Temple and Saint Louis.

French's physicality and toughness would be especially valuable for the Johnnies who could use a solid rebounder in the painted area. The Springfield native doesn't have much range on his jump shot but he can run the floor and convert easy buckets around the rim.

Shaquille O'Neal wants his son Shareef O'Neal, a top-60 recruit in the class of 2018, to attend Kentucky. O'Neal holds early offers from Baylor, California, Kansas State, LSU, UCLA and USC.

Shaq said that he prefers that his son not attend LSU so that he is capable of creating his own path.

Lee and Grandstaff find new homes

Former Kentucky forward Marcus Lee initially opted to enter the 2016 NBA Draft. After a poor performance at the NBA Combine, Lee decided to return to college for his final season of eligibility. Instead of remaining at Kentucky (they have a loaded front court), Lee transferred closer to home, committing to Cal on Saturday.

The forward will have to sit out one season before taking over for Ivan Rabb in the Golden Bears' front court in 2017-18.

Former top-100 recruit Austin Grandstaff is headed to play for Dave Leitao and the DePaul Blue Demons. Grandstaff will apply for a waiver, which could grant him eligibility following the fall semester. If the waiver is denied, the guard will sit out the 2016-17 and have three years remaining.

Grandstaff played 10 games at Ohio State, but did not receive consistent minutes. While he transferred to Oklahoma mid-season, he never played a single second for Lon Kruger and the Sooners.

Although DePaul is his third program in two years, this seems to be the perfect fit as Grandstaff will have a solid role in the backcourt with Billy Garrett Jr. (if he's eligible this year) and Eli Cain.