St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Men's Basketball Recruiting Roundup
8/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's men's basketball staff hit the ground running on the recruiting trail since arriving in Queens this past April. Rapidly restocking nearly an entire roster for the 2015-16 campaign, Head Coach Chris Mullin has set the foundation for the future of St. John's basketball by signing nine newcomers heading into his first season at the helm. The Red Storm's 2015 recruiting class has ascended the national rankings since the Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer returned to his alma mater. It is currently rated as high as 39th overall according 247Sports.com, a CBSSports.com affiliate.
Returning only three letterwinners from last season, the new-look Red Storm can expect immediate contributions from its incoming group that features a blend of experience, international talent and promising youth. St. John's recruiting class consists of five freshmen and four transfers, including the likes of graduate student Durand Johnson, who figures to make a significant impact in the backcourt, and incoming freshman Yankuba Sima, a 6-foot-11 center with a tremendous upside. Here is a complete breakdown of all nine St. John's newcomers:
TRANSFERS
Durand Johnson - 6'6" Guard/Forward - Baltimore, Md.
Graduate Transfer from Pittsburgh
A 6-foot-6, 210-pound wing, Durand Johnson joins the program after beginning his collegiate career at Pittsburgh. Johnson lettered two years at Pitt, where he appeared in 47 games and averaged 5.8 points per contest. He shot 41.0 percent from the field, 77.6 percent at the free-throw line and sank 47 three-pointers during his time with the Panthers. Out of high school, he was rated as high as No. 29 at his position and No. 88 overall according to major national recruiting services.
Johnson got off to a strong start in 2013-14 at Pitt, putting up career-highs in nearly every statistical category before suffering a season ending injury midway through the campaign. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and nearly one steal per game through 16 contests. Johnson ranked second on the team with 1.4 3s per game, while shooting 40.5 percent from the field and leading the squad with an 85.3 percent free-throw shooting mark. He scored double-figures eight times, including a career-high 17-point effort versus Maryland on Jan. 6, 2014.
Darien Williams - 6'8" Forward - San Francisco, Calif.
Junior College Transfer from City College of San Francisco
Darien Williams is a 6-foot-8 junior college transfer who averaged 16.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 2013-14 at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He comes to St. John's with three seasons of eligibility remaining after sitting out this past year at City College of San Francisco while recovering from shoulder surgery. During his freshman season at Iowa Western Community College, Williams collected All-Region XI honors and ICCAC Academic All-Region XI recognition. He scored double-figures in 21 games, while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from 3-point range.
Ron Mvouika - 6'6" Guard/Forward - Paris, France
Graduate Transfer from Missouri State
A graduate transfer from Missouri State, Ron Mvouika is a 6-foot-6 forward who appeared in 31 games, starting nine, as a junior in 2013-14. Mvouika finished fourth on the team in scoring (6.8), third in rebounding (3.6) and ranked second on the squad dishing out 54 assists. He was one of the team's top long range shooters converting 39.7 percent from 3-point territory. Mvouika averaged 5.5 points in two games for the Bears in 2014-15 before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Mvouika spent his first two collegiate seasons at Sheridan College in Wyoming and averaged 19.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists as a sophomore. He was an NJCAA All-Region IX first team honoree in 2012-13 and helped Sheridan to a 24-7 overall record and a Region IX North title. As a freshman, Mvouika averaged 9.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists to help Sheridan post a 25-7 record.
Tariq Owens - 6'10" Forward - Odenton, Md.
Transfer from Tennessee - Must sit out 2015-16 season
At 6-foot-10, 210-pounds Tariq Owens comes to St. John's after spending last season at Tennessee. In 28 games for the Volunteers as a freshman, Owens started five contests and was first off the bench six times. He averaged 7.6 minutes per game and was tied for third on the team in blocks (13), including eight in SEC play. Owens started four of 17 SEC appearances and averaged 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds for the season. In the SEC Tournament quarterfinals against Arkansas, Owens scored a season-high seven points and had three rebounds. The 210-pound big man was rated the eighth-best prospect in Maryland coming out of high school. He must sit out the 2015-16 season due to transfer requirements.
FRESHMEN
Malik Ellison - 6'6" Shooting Guard - Voorhees, N.J.
Malik Ellison, a 6-foot-6, 175-pound shooting guard from Voorhees, N.J., received a consensus rating of No. 53 for his position and No. 11 in New Jersey from national recruiting services. He is the son of former Louisville No. 1 pick and 10-season NBA veteran, Pervis Ellison. After breaking his leg in the summer following his junior season, Ellison had a breakout performance at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., contributing a game-high 28 points and four steals to lead Life Center Academy to a 60-54 victory over Orangeville Prep. As a senior at Life Center Academy, Ellison averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists per outing. Ellison competed as part of the We-R1 AAU team whose alumni include AJ English (Iona) and Ben Bentil (Providence).
Marcus LoVett, Jr. - 6'0" Point Guard - Fort Wayne, Ind.
Marcus LoVett, Jr. is a four-star, consensus top-25 point guard who attended Morgan Park High School in Chicago. The 6-foot southpaw was a First Team All-State selection by the Chicago Tribune. He finished fourth in the statewide vote for Mr. Basketball in 2015 after averaging roughly 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game. LoVett led his team to a third place finish at the state tournament in 2015 and set an Illinois Class 3A playoff record posting 45 points on 20-of-27 shooting in the semifinals. LoVett attended high school in California during his three years prior to Morgan Park. He lettered two seasons at Providence High School in Burbank, Calif., where he averaged over 30 points per game. LoVett spent his junior season at San Gabriel Academy in San Gabriel, Calif. He received the 2014 Wooden High School Player of the Year Award for CIFSS Division V averaging approximately 22 points and six assists.
Federico Mussini - 6'1" Point Guard - Reggio Emilia, Italy
Federico Mussini, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Reggio Emilia, Italy, is considered one of the top point guards in Europe for his class, rated as high as No. 13 according to EuroHopes.com. He recently played for Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia of the Italian League's first division. At the 2015 EuroCup, Mussini averaged 8.2 points per outing in 10 appearances.
Mussini has been a pillar of the Italian youth national program for many years. He helped lead the Under-18 Italian team to a sixth place finish at the European Championships in 2014 and was named to the All-Tournament Team after recording a tournament-best 22.6 points to go with 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 42.9 percent from long distance. During International showcases, Mussini helped the World Select Team defeat Team USA at the 2015 Nike Hoops Summit contributing nine points and three assists.
Yankuba Sima - 6'11" Center - Girona, Spain
Yankuba Sima is a 6-foot-11 center from Girona, Spain, who ranked as high as No. 14 at his position by major national recruiting services for the Class of 2015. Sima has spent part of the past two years representing his country in various international tournaments. This past summer, Sima competed at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championships. He averaged 9.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks over seven games as the team advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Sima opened World Championship competition nearly posting a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds in a win over China. He registered consecutive double-digit rebound performances against Turkey and Argentina with 10 and 11 boards, respectively. Then he exploded for 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocks against Greece.
Sima led Spain to a fifth place finish in 2014 at the U18 European Championships, wrapping up the tournament with the highest rebounding average (12.1), and ranking both second in blocks (2.1) and doubles-doubles (6) to go with 10.9 points in nine games. He delivered a dominant performance against Russia scoring 17 points, grabbing 19 boards and blocking a tournament-best six shots. Sima also turned in a tournament-high 21 rebounds against Greece. As a senior playing for Elev8 Sports Academy, Sima earned Florida Association Basketball Coaches/Source Hoops Independent Schools Third Team All-State honors. He previously attended Arlington Country Day High School after playing at the Canarias Basketball Academy in the Canary Islands.
Kassoum Yakwe - 6'7" Power Forward - Bamako, Mali
Kassoum Yakwe, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward, is a four-star prospect and consensus Top-100 recruit who played high school ball for Our Savior New American School in Centereach, N.Y. Yakwe averaged 10 points and four rebounds last season and rated as high as No. 57 by major national recruiting services. Highly respected in the AAU circuit, Yakwe was named the 2015 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) Regular Season Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 3.1 blocks and 6.3 rebounds over a span of 15 games for the PSA Cardinals. He dominated the defensive end at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, averaging 5.8 blocks and 11.8 boards per game to earn All-Tournament Second Team recognition.
