It didn’t take long for Chris Mullin to make good on his promise of securing local talent.
A little over a month after taking over, the St. John’s coach — who at his introductory press conference said he wanted to lure the best players in the area to Queens — landed one of the best available local prospects in New Jersey guard Malik Ellison, a three-star recruit from Life Center Academy in Burlington, N.J., Friday afternoon.
The son of former No. 1 pick and NBA veteran Pervis Ellison picked the Red Storm over South Carolina, Rutgers and Minnesota after visiting St. John’s on Tuesday. When St. John’s lost out on one-time verbal commit Brandon Sampson, a four-star recruit from Louisiana who opened up his recruitment when former coach Steve Lavin was let go and picked LSU, the Johnnies immediately made Ellison a priority.
He is the sixth new player to be added to Mullin’s program, joining JUCO transfer Darien Williams, Pittsburgh graduate transfer Durand Johnson, Missouri State graduate transfer Ron M’Vouika, Spanish big man Yankuba Sima and Tennessee transfer Tariq Owens. Owens is the only newcomer who will have to sit out.
The 6-foot-5 Ellison could start at shooting guard for St. John’s, depending on the lineup Mullin uses. There is also the option of going big and starting the 6-foot-6 Johnson in the backcourt alongside point guard Rysheed Jordan.
Ellison isn’t necessarily known as a knockdown jump-shooter, but he does have solid range, one college coach familiar with him said. More importantly, the coach said, he does a lot of things well, such as scoring, defending and creating opportunities for teammates.
“He’ll make you play him, honestly,” the coach said. “He has a basketball pedigree, obviously, which helps him, and has an IQ to be an effective player [in the Big East]. … I think he can make an impact.”
The addition of Ellison brings the Red Storm’s scholarship total up to 11. They have two spots open, and the staff plans to fill those spots, sources said. Possibilities include four-star Chicago point guard Marcus LoVett Jr., Italian guard Federico Mussini, highly regarded Greek center Georgios Papagiannis, a projected lottery pick in 2016, and Florida graduate transfer Eli Carter, a guard originally from New Jersey.