St. John’s welcomes recruit Joseph Girard III for unofficial visit

Today, St. John’s receives a visit from Joseph Girard III, a 2019 guard from upstate New York - Glens Falls, to be exact, just north of the Capital Region.

A shooter and two-sport athlete who also competes in football, Girard is only beginning to draw major-conference attention.

The sophomore, who is 6’1” and 165 pounds, is streaking up local scoring records, chasing Jimmer Fredette and displaying a honed shooting skill that has drawn interest from locals like Albany and Vermont, mid-majors like George Washington. Now, he has also caught the eye of Michigan (where he made an unofficial visit in January) and now, St. John’s.

Why?

With the City Rocks EYBL squad, Girard is playing on the top level and averaging 10 points per game. He is shooting 45% from outside the arc, including an 8/10 shooting performance against the Las Vegas Prospects on May 28th.

Joseph Girard III can really stroke it.

There are bloodlines at play as well. His father, Joe Girard, Jr., was also an excellent shooter - who played for John Beilein at LeMoyne College, before Beilein broke into the NCAA Division I coaching ranks. Beilein and the elder Girard were in regular contact before Joe III became a recruited player.

The guard also plays football for Glens Falls. And has worked out with Jimmer Fredette.

As far as the early competition, Girard has also made unofficial visits to Notre Dame and Syracuse, where his AAU teammate Buddy Boeheim’s father is a coach.

The 2019 season is far away, but Chris Mullin and the Johnnies have been aggressive about pursuing talent for the future. Girard, similar in size to Shamorie Ponds with perhaps less of a slashing game but more of an outside shot at this point, is a player who can continue pouring in points in a Red Storm uniform.