Rick Pitino, St. John's land commitment from top high school recruit Malachi Jordan
St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino yells “Be Strong” to his players in the second half of a preseason exhibition men’s basketball game against the Texas Longhorns at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 25. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Malachi Jordan, one of the nation’s top high school recruits, made his final decision on Election Day and cast his vote for St. John’s.
Jordan, a 6-7 wing playing at Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had made an official visit 10 days ago, had spoken extensively with coach Rick Pitino and his staff and had attended the 13th-ranked Red Storm’s decisive exhibition game victory over No. 7 Texas at the Garden on Oct. 25.
Convinced that St. John’s was the choice because, he said, “Coach Pitino promised me that he can get me to my full potential and really develop me . . . and that’s really what I want to be pushed to do,” he was ready. He called Pitino on Tuesday morning with the news.
“He was with [associate head] coach [Steve] Masiello and I think they might have been eating at a restaurant,” Jordan told Newsday in a phone interview. “I could tell he was happy from his voice and he said ‘if I could scream right now I would,’ so that made me pretty happy.”
He also posted an announcement video on social media that ended with him saying ,“Alright, say less — I’m a Johnnie.”
Jordan, considered one of the 25 best high school players according to various websites that rank such things, had whittled a list of suitors down to the Red Storm, No. 17 Kansas and No. 24 Vanderbilt.
He recently played in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League and averaged 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
🙏 https://t.co/0w6T2caaFj
— Malachi Jordan (@malachijordannn) November 3, 2026
Pitino has built his first four St. John’s teams largely recruiting the NCAA transfer portal, viewing older, experienced players is the fastest route to success. Most of his first-year players have come from Europe.
But he recently changed his philosophy with an expectation that the era of unlimited college transfers could be limited to just one without a required season sitting out. This season’s roster includes 6-11 freshman Theo Edema out of high school.
“We think the rules are going to change — we’re looking into more high school recruiting,” Pitino said in an Oct. 23 news conference. “I could see us taking three players from the high school ranks next year.”
Jordan said St. John’s entered his recruiting picture late and he had initial concerns about Pitino’s approach toward recruiting high schoolers, but he said “I asked them about the ‘freshman thing’ and they were very honest and cleared that up.”
Aside from the commitment to developing him, Jordan said he liked Pitino because “I like a coach with a lot of personality and energy” and called the idea of the Garden as a home court “totally dope.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
