:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48600755/Jordan_Tucker_155.0.0.jpg)
For St. John's fans, this season has been difficult to watch. While there have been promising moments from freshmen Yankuba Sima, Federico Mussini and Kassoum Yakwe, Chris Mullin's first season has for the most part been a struggle for the Red Storm, with the team at 0-6 in the league and 7-12 overall.
Many fans expected Coach Mullin and his young team to struggle in his first season; but there are still expectations for Mullin to lure elite high school and junior college prospects to St. John's. This past weekend, Chris Mullin's staff was in pursuit of some of the top players in the country, including talented wing Jordan Tucker.
St John's containing its pursuit of Stepinac junior wing Jordan Tucker. Assistant Matt Abdelmassih at his game today. #sjubb
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) January 19, 2016
Tucker, a 6'7" junior wing from White Plains, New York, plays at Archbishop Stepinac and has been on St. John's radar since the summer. He is ranked 30th in the class of 2017 by ESPN and has received interest from UConn, Syracuse, Maryland, and Arizona.
Due to St. John's game against Butler on Saturday, Mullin was unable to watch Tucker play in his only game of the tournament, but Abdelmassih saw him on Tuesday.
Although Chris Mullin and his staff were unable to attend the game on Saturday, St. John's has been aggressive in their recruitment of Tucker. The highly touted wing visited St. John's in the fall, and is intrigued with the idea of playing for a legend.
"Coach Mullin is a Hall of Famer and one of the best players to play in the NBA. He knows his stuff and is a really good coach," Tucker told the Rumble.
Despite Mullin's success in the NBA, Tucker is still not completely sold on St. John's.
"Coach Mullin has not had a lot of talent yet. I really want to see what he can do with a player in my type of position," Tucker said.
Like Rawle Alkins, Tucker is also good friends with Shamorie Ponds and this might influence his decision. " I played with Shamorie on the AAU circuit this year and I liked playing with him," said Tucker. "That helps a lot in terms of making my [college] decision."
It appears that St. John's will continue to struggle this season. However, if Coach Mullin and his staff are able to land top prospects like Tucker, the future will be bright for the Red Storm.
The Johnnies may not impress yet, but next season, with the all-new team with a year under their belts, Marcus LoVett and Shamorie Ponds adding to the backcourt talent, and Bashir Ahmed on the wing, Tucker may see a squad he can envision himself playing with.