Slowly but surely, St. John’s is starting to pick up momentum under Rick Pitino.
Two days after Pitino landed his first recruit, former Iona University standout guard Daniss Jenkins, he picked up a verbal commitment from Virginia Military Institute transfer Sean Conway, the graduate transfer announced on Twitter on Saturday night.
Conway was on an official visit to St. John’s this weekend, and didn’t need to see any other schools when it was over.
“I think the biggest thing for me was, first and foremost, to play for a Hall of Fame coach like Coach Pitino in the World’s Most Famous Arena,” Conway told The Post shortly after his announcement. “I’m from Fairfield, Conn., so this is any kid’s dream.”
The 6-foot-5 Conway is a high-level shooter, hitting 37.8 percent of his 3-point attempts last year, along with averaging 12.1 points and 4.9 rebounds. Shooting has been a focal point for Pitino in recruiting the transfer portal, a skill St. John’s sorely lacked last season under Mike Anderson.
Conway heard from, among others, Colorado, Penn State, Iowa State, Northeastern and Louisville after entering the transfer portal. But once Pitino called, offering him a chance to come closer to home, he was pretty set on his destination.
“Honestly, it was a very easy decision for me at the end of the day,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity that lies ahead, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Conway has never played at the Garden before, and now he will get his chance. Pitino is planning for St. John’s to play more games at MSG next year than it has in recent seasons, and moving forward he would like for every league game to be there.
“It’s going to be an unbelievable experience, a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Conway said. “I can’t wait. It’s going to be one of those things where you don’t really believe it until it’s happening.”
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