St. John’s target Jordan Riley to announce commitment this week

Jordan Riley, a major high school prospect from Long Island is set to announce his college selection this coming Friday. He is down to five schools including St. John’s, UConn, Georgetown, Kansas, and Florida State.

Riley would be a major pull for coach Mike Anderson and the Red Storm staff. He has been a high priority for St. John’s since the beginning of the year. Out of the five remaining schools on his list, St. John’s was the first to offer him. He received his offer from the Red Storm in January, while later receiving a scholarship from Georgetown in late April, and the remaining three offering in June. If St. John’s were to land this prospect they would have to beat out two conference foes, as well as their former head coach Norm Roberts, who has been the lead recruiter here for Kansas.

This 6-foot-4 shooting guard plays at nearby Brentwood High School and has been described by one head coach as, “...an old school Big East player. Just a tough, hard-nosed kid.” That same head coach also told Zach Braziller of the NY Post, “I think he’s a heck of a player. He has a fierce toughness on the court...”

ESPN currently lists Riley as a four-star recruit, yet most believe he has the ability to be even greater than his ranking. Last season at Brentwood, Riley averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. His team was crowned Suffolk Class AA champions, and Riley was named Newsday’s Suffolk Player of the Year for his performance.

“Jordan has decided to stay in public school. Had he done what everybody else does, re-class, and go to a private school, he would be a top 10 in the country and a five-star athlete,” his father Monty told Zach Braziller. “I know he’s a five star, I know he’s top 10 in the country.”

Had coronavirus not impacted basketball, Riley would have spent his summer traveling with the New York Lightning and partaking in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

Nevertheless, Riley is the kind of player that would fit very well in New York City and on the Red Storm roster. He is an off-ball guard that uses his immense athletic ability to play a high-paced game. While his explosiveness helps him attack the basket, he also is able to use that ability to lock down opponents. Riley is the sort of athlete coach Anderson would love to install in his pressure defense.

This class of 2021 shooting guard will announce his decision this Friday at 10:00 AM. He will do so at Brentwood High School’s gym.