Kilpatrick Still Feeling St. John’s

At least we still have hope for landing basketball recruit Sean Kilpatrick. Kudos for Coach Norm Roberts and Quartelbaum for identifying talent (that other people want) and staying on him. If Kilpatrick is as good as the attention he’s getting– and for all we know, teams might want him to be a bench scorer or envision him as the centerpiece of a recruiting class, since the view of a talent can vary wildly from one year to another– especially since Kilpatrick didn’t play AAU ball.

From Hoops on Hoops:

White Plains senior guard Sean Kilpatrick’s recruiting is quickly picking up steam, but Kilpatrick said he’s not sure where he’d like to go yet.

Good news for St. John’s however: the Red Storm seem to be in this one. Kilpatrick said yesterday that he thinks very highly of St. John’s.

“It’s a loyalty thing,” he said last night. “They’ve been there from the beginning.”

Kilpatrick says the Johnnies have shown interest in him ever since his freshman year, and that means a lot. The 6-5 scorer struggled with his grades for a few years before getting his academic standing in order over the summer.

He skipped much of the AAU season. That cost him valuable exposure, but now he says he’s on track to graduate.

“I got the credits I need,” Kilpatrick said.

The Johnnies kept tabs on Kilpatrick the whole time. He says he’s spoken with Red Storm assistant Fred Quartlebaum and Norm Roberts, and he calls them “good guys.”

“I like them because they’re real,” he said.

The Johnnies have already offered him, but that might not be enough to lure Kilpatrick to Fresh Meadows – at least not yet. At least a dozen other schools are in the running, including George Washington, Seton Hall, Wake Forest and Miami.

Gerard Jones, whose brother Kevin Jones recently signed with West Virginia, has been acting as Kilpatrick’s advisor (“He’s like family,” Kilpatrick said). Jones said that Kilpatrick will definitely make official visits to St. John’s and Kansas State.

“We don’t know when we’ll make them,” Jones said. “We’ll probably spread them out. Sean is still very focused on school and the team.”

Wherever he goes, Kilpatrick says he wants to contribute right away. He sees himself as a tough wing scorer who can defend and rebound. Wake and Miami have drawn interest because he feels he can contribute immediately there.

St. John’s rebuilding project also has its merits.

“It would be a nice situation,” Kilpatrick said.