Chris Mullin is closing in on another major addition, and it has nothing to do with a player this time.
The new St. John’s coach could be officially adding another elite recruiter, Brooklyn native and close friend Barry “Slice” Rohrssen, early this week, a source confirmed. Rohrssen is “expected” to join Mullin’s staff, leaving Kentucky after one season to come home.
The former Manhattan head coach would join Matt Abdelmassih, another Brooklynite and top-notch recruiter with deep ties in the northeast, on Mullin’s staff. Mullin has said he wants to keep local players home at St. John’s, and he’s surrounding himself with assistant coaches capable of doing so.
Another source said Rohrssen was offered a six-year deal and negotiations began last week. He reportedly made $375,000 last year and a St. John’s higher-up told The Post at Mullin’s introductory press conference the school would pony up for Mullin’s staff and money wouldn’t be a factor.
“Chris Mullin made two hires that he needed to make,” Scout.com national recruiting analyst Evan Daniels said in a phone interview. “Matt and Slice both have high-level connections in the New York City area and they can be really good together. With their connections in New York City and the northeast and elsewhere, he hired two guys who know the recruiting landscape. Two terrific hires.
“It appears to me they’re going to focus on New York City and New Jersey and the northeast, and for St. John’s to be successful, that’s the way you have to start it.”
The 54-year-old Rohrssen, a Xaverian High School alum, developed a reputation for landing elite local prospects as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh from 2001-06. He was the Manhattan head coach from 2006-10, before returning to Pittsburgh in 2013 and moving to Kentucky last season, where he had a hand in securing McDonald’s All-American Isaiah Briscoe of New Jersey, who chose Kentucky over St. John’s.
Rohrssen should be able to help with McDonald’s All-American Cheick Diallo of Our Savior New American (L.I.), who Rohrssen was recruiting while at Kentucky. Diallo, a consensus top-10 prospect and potential one-and-done player, has a final five of Kentucky, Kansas, Pittsburgh, St. John’s and Iowa State.
St. John’s hosted Italian guard Federico Mussini on Sunday on an unofficial visit. Gonzaga and Davidson are also recruiting the talented Mussini, who was a target of the previous Johnnies’ coaching staff.