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St. John's meets with Cheick Diallo, Brandon Sampson today

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By Norman Rose
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

SNY and the NY Post report that St. John's has scheduled in-home visits this weekend with top 2015 target Cheick Diallo and with former St. John's commit Brandon Sampson - this weekend. That, on the heels of seeing 2016 prospect Rawle Alkins.

"The plan is to meet with Diallo in the morning and then fly to Louisiana and meet Sampson later in the day," Zagoria writes for SNY.

The staff is making a strong effort in a short time.

From the NY Post:

If St. John’s misses on both, it would be understandable. Other head coaches have experience and built-in relationships with the two players. But if Mullin can nab one — or, in a dream scenario for St. John’s fans, both — it would speak volumes.

"We don’t know if he’s a closer or not," said Bossi, the recruiting analyst. "That’s still to be determined.

"The early signs have certainly been good."

The Alkins trip seemed to be notable for the Christ the King standout.

Visits don't mean a whole lot without a commitment, but so far, Chris Mullin and his staff are opening doors and getting a chance to sell what they can do for these players, who have dreams of professional aspirations and a chance to play heavy minutes right away on a roster lacking in known impact players.

Landing Cheick Diallo, in particular, won't be easy. The MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic and of the McDonald's All American game, the forward from Mali has the athleticism college coaches want, but the motor and on-court energy they crave. Kansas head coach Bill Self met with Diallo already this weekend... at 1:00 AM this morning.

Meanwhile, Brandon Sampson opted not to make a trip to Southern Methodist University in Dallas to stay home and receive the St. John's staff of Mullin, Barry Rohrssen and Matt Abdelmassih.

It would seem that St. John's has two scholarships remaining, but even at this late stage, they're doing work to shore up a roster with a lot of returning question marks.

Notes

And that's not all.

  • St. John's is receiving interest from 2016 guard Mustapha Heron, who Rohrssen recruited to Pitt years ago. Heron committed to Pitt but decommitted a day ago.

  • Angel Nunez, a fifth-year forward from Rice HS (among many other schools) who should be immediately eligible, will visit St. John's. Nunez also went to Notre Dame prep, to Louisville, and then transferred to Gonzaga before leaving the Zags, where he did not see much playing time in two years. Nunez has always been described as a talented, smooth wing who hasn't bee able to put it all together.

Next Up In St. John's basketball recruiting

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