Often and accurately pegged as an inexact science, recruiting is a cutthroat and topsy turvy business.
Always has been.
And for some, it could be an exasperating and mentally taxing experience.
Guys who come in with high expectations and hype don’t always pan out.
Prospects hidden in the shadows and plucked from obscurity eventually blossom at the next level.
For O’Mar Stanley, St. John’s family-esque environment and the authenticity of the coaching staff were major selling points at the core of his decision. He sidestepped the murky underworld and some of the pitfalls of the recruiting process, pulling the trigger early.
He was a rather obscure 6-foot-8 forward coming out of Link Year Prep.
Prior to his commitment in the fall of 2020, wasn’t wooed by many high profile suitors.
At 6-8 and 235 pounds, Stanley’s intriguing size and high horsepower style in battling for 50-50 balls are finer points of his hardwood trade.
He wasn’t as versatile as the quintessential guard/wing or wing forward in today’s recruiting climate.
Still, adding frontcourt depth and the type of body that would last in the physical, black and blue marked Big East and the conference’s notoriously unforgiving brand of play was enticing.
Stanley’s numbers were below pedestrian his freshman season (3.0 PPG 2.0 RPG) and his battle to sustain meaningful minutes fluctuated throughout.
He showed flashes during a 14-point performance in 12 minutes during an 81-78 loss to Creighton back on February 23rd.
Without Joel Soriano and with Julian Champagnie and Aaron Wheeler mired in listless shooting performances, Stanley’s
efficiency (7-for-8 FG) was necessary.
Stanley is looking to make a quantum transition to a significant role as his sophomore year waits in the wings.
He shot a combined 8-for-15 in a pair of games during the recent sun-baked Dominican Republic trip, providing energy and a stabilizing spark off the bench.
Buoyed by a breakout performance from Stepinac HS product and Yonkers, NY native Joel Soriano, SJU capped off a 2-1 international summer road swing.
Having made conditioning a livelihood and vowing to seize the leadership reins as a veteran, the 6-foot-11 Soriano averaged 22.5 points and 15.5 boards against a fleet of familiar faces in two games against Dominican national teams.
Blocker On The Radar:
St. John’s head coach Mike Anderson and assistant coach TJ Cleveland have tapped into their Arkansas roots as the program recently offered 6-foot-5, 190-pound Class of 2024 swingman Landren Blocker of Little Rock Christian.
Depicted by some as a freaky athletic talent with significant burst, Blocker averaged 14.5 points, 6.9 boards and three assists as a sophomore.
He capped off the season by earning 5A All-State honors.
Blocker appears to be ascending the high major market this summer.
He’s piled up recent offers from Ole Miss, TCU, Missouri, and most recently St. John’s.
Memphis, Auburn, and Arkansas are all expressing high interest in the swingman, who is the younger brother of blurrish Class of 2023 guard and Arkansas commit Layden Blocker.
