42°Good Morning
Rafael Pinzon of Long Island Lutheran goes to the basket...

Rafael Pinzon of Long Island Lutheran goes to the basket as Brandon Boston Jr. of Sierra Canyon defends at the Metro Classic at RWJ Barnabas Health Arena in Toms River, N.J., on Feb. 8, 2020. Credit: George McNish

St. John’s has officially added three new recruits to its men’s basketball program, including two top players out of Long Island Lutheran.

Rafael Pinzon, a 6-6 guard, and Drissa Traore, a 6-7 forward, averaged 10.9 points and 6.3 points respectively for the Crusaders as they went 22-3 and earned a berth in the state Federation semifinals before the state tournament was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. O’mar Stanley is a 6-8 power forward from Kansas now attending Branson (Mo.) Link Prep and averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds.

All signed their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, the first day recruits could do so under NCAA regulations.

Pinzon is from Puerto Rico and should add scoring punch for coach Mike Anderson’s Red Storm. He chose St. John’s over Florida and New Mexico. Traore is a physical player despite his mere 210 pounds and opted for the Storm over Stony Brook, Tulsa and East Carolina.

Stanley is a bruising interior player known for, as Anderson put it in the school’s release, "a relentless motor." He selected St. John’s over Tulsa and UNC-Greensboro.

Stony Brook adds Shumpert

Stony Brook inked 6-7 Payton Shumpert from upstate Jamesville-DeWitt High, the son of former Syracuse standout Preston Shumpert, who was a two-time All-Big East first teamer. The swingman averaged 20.6 points in his senior season of 2019-20 before enrolling for a prep year at Woodstock (Conn.) Academy. He also played travel basketball with the city-based New York Jayhawks. Shumpert opted for the Seawolves over UMass, Hofstra and Rider.

Hofstra signs Barrouk

Hofstra announced that it has signed 6-5 guard Griffin Barrouk out of West Chester (Pa.) Bayard Rustin High School. The senior battled injuries throughout his first years in high school but averaged 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists last season. He opted for the Pride over Colgate, Drexel, Lafayette, Saint Joseph’s and UMBC.

SUBSCRIBE

Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months

ACT NOWSALE ENDS SOON | CANCEL ANYTIME