St. John's adds USC center Vincent Iwuchukwu and North Texas forward Aaron Scott
Vincent Iwuchukwu of the USC Trojans before a game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena on January 20, 2024 in Tempe, Arizona. Credit: Getty Images
St. John’s coach Rick Pitino made a pair of additions for the 2024-25 Red Storm on Wednesday, picking up commitments from Aaron Scott, a transfer from North Texas, and Vince Iwuchukwu, a transfer from Southern Cal.
Scott, a 6-7 forward, announced his commitment in a social media post on Wednesday.
Iwuchukwu, a 7-1 center, announced his commitment Tuesday via social media and St. John’s announced he had signed on Wednesday.
Both additions are considered high-end defenders with the potential to develop strong offensive games.
Iwuchukwu averaged 5.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15.7 minutes over 31 games during his sophomore season with the Trojans.
“After putting Vince Iwuchukwu through a player development session, I knew we had to have him in a Johnnies uniform,” Pitino said in the announcement.
“Awesome attitude and work ethic. [He is] agile, mobile and shoots the heck out of it. Excited to have him join our program] with so much upside and potential.”
Iwuchukwu missed the first 16 games of his freshman season because of a heart condition and the last three games with a back injury.
Scott made visits to St. John’s, Memphis and Oklahoma before deciding on the Red Storm.
“We competed against him this past year and know him extremely well," Pitino said of Scott. "He is a multidimensional forward who brings a lot to our team from the offensive and defensive end.”
As a junior least season, he averaged 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 34 games for the Mean Green.
He made 44 three-pointers, shooting 37% from beyond the arc.
When St. John’s defeated North Texas last November in the Charleston Classic, Scott had 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Storm have three remaining scholarships. Jordan Dingle and Chris Ledlum are seeking waivers from the NCAA for another year of eligibility as each lost a season at their previous schools, Penn and Harvard, respectively, when the Ivy League canceled the 2020-21 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
St. John’s is also involved with Utah grad transfer Deivon Smith, who led the Pac-12 in assists, and Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi, a 6-11 center.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
