St. John's guard Jordan takes leave of absence

NEW YORK (AP) St. John's sophomore guard Rysheed Jordan is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the basketball team.

Coach Steve Lavin says in a statement Friday that Jordan, the second-leading scorer for the 15th-ranked Red Storm, has to deal with ''personal and family circumstances'' in Philadelphia. Jordan will not be with the team for its game Saturday against Butler.

Jordan ranks sixth in the Big East conference averaging 14 points per game. He scored a career-high 24 points against Fordham on Dec. 14 at Madison Square Garden. He also ranks fourth in the Big East with 2.1 steals per game.