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How NaVorro Bowman Jr. Committing to UConn Impacts St. John’s Basketball

The St. John's Red Storm are going to have to do battle with another great UConn Huskies commitment.

Kenneth Teape

Nov 13, 2021; Queens, New York, USA; The Big East logo on the court at Carnesecca Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2021; Queens, New York, USA; The Big East logo on the court at Carnesecca Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports

The St. John’s Red Storm has been the class of the Big East the last two seasons, being back-to-back regular season and Big East tournament champions.

Heading into the 2026-27 season, the Red Storm are once again expected to compete for that top spot, with their toughest competition being the UConn Huskies. Most projections have the teams as the top two teams in the conference, and it isn’t particularly close either.

Being led by Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley, both programs are in great hands with legendary head coaches. This rivalry looks like it is just getting going again, and more fuel was added to the fire with the Huskies getting a massive win on the recruiting trail.

NaVorro Bowman Jr., a five-star player in the Class of 2027, has committed to UConn after making an official visit to the school last week. A product of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, he is the son of former NFL star linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who was an All-Pro.

St. John's will have hands full trying to slow down Navorro Bowman Jr.

Having that kind of athletic pedigree certainly helped the younger Bowman, who is the No. 11-ranked player in the Class of 2027 by 247Sports. He is the first commit for UConn in the class, and they have shot up to No. 11 in the country as a result.

How does this commitment impact St. John’s? For starters, it means the Huskies aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, not that anyone expected a falloff to occur. With Bowman in the mix, UConn has continued a trend of landing five-star players under Hurley the last few years.

The Class of 2026, which is ranked No. 19 by 247Sports with two top-50 players, is the first time since 2023 that they haven’t landed at least one five-star prospect. In 2023, it started with Stephon Castle, who is now starting with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA.

Liam McNeeley was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024 and was a first-round pick of the Charlotte Hornets in the 2025 NBA Draft. In 2025, Braylon Mullins was a five-star recruit and made his presence felt, making the shot to send home the Duke Blue Devils in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

He is back for Year 2 in Storrs, which helps compensate for not having a new five-star recruit on campus in the Class of 2026. But the Huskies are back on that train with Bowman committing to the program.

A dynamic scoring guard, the Red Storm are going to have their hands full trying to slow him down for however long he is with UConn in the Big East.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

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