J’Raan Brooks to visit St. John’s in December

A few weeks ago, J’Raan Brooks - a 6’8” forward who was committed to USC for the 2018 class before decommitting this fall - received an offer and a visit from St. John’s.

Now, Brooks - who plays at Garfield HS in Seattle, WA, and is originally from San Diego - is interested enough to visit Queens and take a look at what Chris Mullin’s program has to offer.

Brooks is ranked 79 in the 247Sports composite and is a top-100 player in ESPN’s recruiting rankings.

St. John’s currently has two recruits signed for next season in Josh Roberts (a forward) and Greg Williams (a guard), along with big men Sedee Keita, Kassoum Yakwe, Marvin Clark II and Tariq Owens.

But J’Raan Brooks brings an “old school” game and skill that will see court time. He is a post player who is said to have a high energy level and an ability to hit mid-range jump shots, per an ESPN ($) evaluation.

With Dream Vision on the adidas AAU circuit this season, Brooks was a high-usage (25% of the team’s shots were taken by him when he was on the floor) forward who rebounding on the defensive end solidly (20% defensive rebound rate). He shot 61% inside the arc but 61% at the free throw line.

Overall, Brooks, a four-star forward, could be a solid fit at St. John’s, adding an interior offensive creator that, so far, is not on the roster.

Brooks, per a source, has only the St. John’s official visit scheduled. NCAA rules stipulate that a player can only take five official visits; Brooks has two more that he can take after the St. John’s trip.

The weekend of December 16th is the weekend when the Red Storm will face fast-paced local rival Iona in the Holiday Festival.

Summer Highlights

Extended highlights, adidas Uprising

Shows off his back to the basket moves and individual footwork