Having already landed the top New York City player in the Class of 2011 in Maurice Harkless, St. John's has now gotten a verbal pledge from the best 2012 player in the Big Apple, point guard Jevon Thomas.
Thomas, the No. 14 point guard in the class of 2012 per Rivals, called Red Storm head coach Steve Lavin Tuesday night to commit.
Asked what he liked about the Johnnies, the 6-foot, 175-pound Thomas said by text message, "Coaching staff and I'm just trying to bring NYC basketball back!!"
Thomas also had interest from Washington, Villanova, Syracuse, Wake Forest and West Virginia,
"Jevon will bring back that electric energy and fire back to the Garden and New York," said Casey Williams, Thomas' AAU coach.
"He's a great leader on the court and he's a New Yorker. He will bring lots of fire and the will to win."
Harkless is one of five commits St. John's has for 2011, with as many as five more scholarships to give for 2011.
The St. John's staff followed Thomas this summer, watching him with the Gauchos at the Peach Jam, among other events. Thomas briefly transferred from Our Savior New American on Long Island to St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J., but is now back at Our Savior, where he is taking sophomore classes.
In order to graduate for 2012, he will have to take summer school classes for the next two summers even as he plays summer ball with the Gauchos, said New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski.
"He was a freshman last year," said Konchalski. "Now he's taking sophomore classes. Our Savior says they can get him out in two years but he has to go to summer school for the next two years. He's 2012 or 2013."
Thomas said he planned to graduate in 2012.
"Taking online classes now and I took summer classes," he said.
Another source added, "He'll be fine."
Whatever the case, Konchalski calls him a potential program-changer.
"He's an elite guard who has another gear," he said. "He's very explosive, skilled, gets into the lane, really pushes the ball in the open floor. He can shoot the ball from the perimeter. He's very, very good."
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