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St. John’s Basketball Officially Signs Star Recruit Malachi Jordan

The St. John's Red Storm secured a commitment from one of the best players in the Class of 2027, Malachi Jordan.
Kenneth Teape|
Oct 1, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino speaks at 2026 Big East Media Day at Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Oct 1, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino speaks at 2026 Big East Media Day at Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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St. John's Red Storm

Over the last few years, the St. John’s Red Storm have relied heavily on the transfer portal to fill out the team’s roster.

With the landscape of collegiate sports changing constantly, head coach Rick Pitino knew that there were going to have to be some changes made to how the program operated when it came to recruiting. Transfers are helpful, but a focus had to be placed on high school recruiting once again.

St. John’s wasted no time jumping back into the mix in that regard. They quickly made a move on Class of 2027 forward Malachi Jordan and secured a commitment from him on Nov. 3 after he made an official visit.

Now, his signing has become official, with an announcement being made by the school.

Malachi Jordan officially commits to St. John's

"We are super excited to have Malachi as a Johnnie," Pitino said via the school’s website. "He fits perfectly with our style of up-tempo basketball. He's a special young man!”

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds by Rivals, he is one of the best players in the Class of 2027. A four-star recruit, he is No. 22 in the Rivals Industry Rankings, coming in at No. 7 among small forwards and No. 7 for players in the state of Florida.

Jordan is the highest-ranked recruit the Red Storm have landed since 2013. It was a bit of a surprise that he selected St. John’s, with the Vanderbilt Commodores and Kansas Jayhawks thought to be the favorites to land him. The Tennessee Volunteers and USC Trojans also had higher predicted percentages than the Red Storm, per Rivals.

Originally hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, the connection to the Commodores and Volunteers makes plenty of sense. But Pitino was able to work his magic and secure a commitment from the explosive athlete who has some raw basketball skills.

Seeking to develop to the best of his abilities, St. John’s is a natural fit. Pitino has an extensive track record of getting the most out of players on his team and helping them take their games to the next level.

Zuby Ejiofor, Kadary Richmond, Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell and Daniss Jenkins are all players he has recently coached who have reached the NBA or are playing in the NBA G League.

Jordan’s commitment to the Red Storm is a massive win for the program and a step back to relevance when it comes to high school recruiting. The UConn Huskies were starting to really pull away with two more five-star commitments in the Class of 2027, NaVorro Bowman Jr. and Jordan Page.

There is still plenty of work for Pitino to do, but adding Jordan to the mix certainly helps close the gap.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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