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St. John's basketball season kicks off in less than two weeks against New Jersey Institute of Technology.
There is a lot of excitement surrounding this upcoming season - and hopefully the end to an NCAA Tournament drought of three years - and the fans are ready to see some competitive basketball.
The game won't be the only significant event occurring this month.
On November 12th through November 19th, college prospects can officially sign national letters of intent. For a program such as St. John's which is graduating six seniors, that week carries tremendous significance.
Isaiah Briscoe (G, 2015)
Briscoe is down to UConn, St. John's and Kentucky.
A couple of weeks ago it appeared that St. John's had taken the lead in the Briscoe race. Steve Lavin and his staff put on an impressive show for Briscoe at Midnight Madness.
However, according to reports from Zach Braziller of the NY Post, Kentucky is now in the lead. Braziller reports that Calipari has visited with Briscoe numerous times over these last few weeks.
This would obviously be a big blow for the Red Storm's future. Originally Briscoe said he would sign in the spring, but recently he said he might sign in the fall. St. John's has not officially been eliminated from the race, of course, and the situation remains fluid - but not in the Red Storm's favor.
The source was one who told me St. John's was in lead previously now says "Kentucky has taken over" for Isaiah Briscoe. #sjubb #bbn
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) November 1, 2014
Luis Montero (JUCO 2015)
In a recent update, we talked about a transcript scandal that took place at Westchester Community College. This week it was discovered that St. John's forward, Keith Thomas was involved in that scandal. He was ruled academically ineligible for the upcoming season.
Considering the recent issues that have taken place at WCC, it appears unlikely that St. John's (or any NCAA school) will continue to recruit Montero.
DeShawn Freeman (JUCO 2015)
The guard looked impressive in his JUCO season debut for Hutchinson Community College. He scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a win over Trinidad State.
Freeman has received interest from St. John's and Seton Hall. Marquette visited Freeman this past week, while Rutgers plans to watch him practice on Monday.