St. John’s lands Chris Obekpa

St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin once again shows off his recruiting prowess in 2012. The Johnnies have added a eighth player to the incoming class Monday afternoon when Chris Obekpa (Our Savior New American/Centereach, N.Y.) chose St. John’s over Cincinnati.

Last week the 6-foot-8 Obekpa made it clear he was down to just St. John’s and Cincy, cutting UConn, DePaul, Providence, and more out of contention.

Obekpa brings an immediate presence down low for St. John’s in 2012. The Red Storm ranked in the bottom half in rebounding and blocked shots. The defensive-minded, Obekpa should be able to help increase those numbers, especially with leading rebounder and reigning Big East Rookie of the Year, Moe Harkless declaring early for the NBA.

St. John’s incoming class is headlined by JaKarr Sampson (Brewster/Akron, Ohio). Darrick Wood (Bridgeton/Washington, D.C.) and Obekpa’s high school teammate, Felix Balamou (Our Savior of New American/Centereach, N.Y.) adds to the Johnnies’ backcourt.

Monroe College’s Orlando Sanchez and Marco Bourgault enter as JUCO transfers. Max Hooper (Harvard) and Jamal Branch (Texas A&M) both head to Queens as transfers.

St. John’s finished 13-19 (6-12) last season after making the NCAA Tournament the previous season.

Follow BigEast360 on Twitter