Chris Mullin secures his biggest win in form of JUCO star
Chris Mullin’s best present came the day after Christmas.
St. John’s secured a verbal commitment from junior college star Bashir Ahmed of The Bronx, landing its top remaining target in the 2016 class. The Syracuse upset paled in comparison to this off-the-court victory.
The multi-talented 6-foot-7 Ahmed, who picked the Johnnies over Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Texas, Louisville and Oregon joins Thomas Jefferson guard Shamorie Ponds, a four-star recruit from Brooklyn, already starting to fulfill Mullin’s mission statement when he took the job of keeping the top local prospects at home.
“I will bring that New York City swagger everyone is accustomed to seeing,” Ahmed said in a phone interview. “Being able to represent my city and play in front of my family means a lot to me.
“I wanted to go somewhere the school really needed me. I wanted to go to a school they’re going to really use me. I feel like St. John’s is going to let me play.”
The commitment — as first reported by The Post — leaves St. John’s with two open scholarships for next year. The Red Storm are very confident of landing German forward Richard Freudenberg, according to sources, and are also involved with five-star prospects Rawle Alkins and Thon Maker. The Johnnies also will add forward Tariq Owens and point guard Marcus LoVett Jr., both of whom are sitting out this season, next year.
“I expect us to be tough and I expect us to compete against anybody in the Big East,” Ahmed said. “I love to win, and I want to make it to the tournament. I feel like with me and all the players they have coming in and the coaching staff helping us, I believe we’ll be able to make it to the tournament.”
Ahmed is considered one of the top junior college players in the country, averaging 19.2 points per game, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 37 percent from 3-point range for undefeated Hutchinson Community College (15-0) in Kansas, the top-ranked JUCO in the country.
He took an official visit to St. John’s in September and was at their recent games against NJIT and Incarnate Word. He took a number of visits, seeing Texas and Cincinnati, but being back home at St. John’s just felt right.
“It was a different vibe,” he said.
Assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih did the heavy lifting in his recruitment. The two formed a close bond, beginning last year when Abdelmassih recruited Ahmed while he was coaching at Iowa State.
“He stayed consistent through my whole recruiting process,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed said he firmly believes Mullin and special assistant Mitch Richmond can help him get to the next level. Mullin was a local star like Ahmed and attended St. John’s, while Richmond needed to take the junior college route, again like Ahmed, before a star-studded career at Kansas State and Hall of Fame NBA career.
“These are two coaches who have walked in my shoes before and now I have the two of them in my corner,” Ahmed said. “I aspire to be just as great as they were, if not better, and I know they will be able to mold me and guide me to be just that.”
Ahmed was a local star at John F. Kennedy in The Bronx and committed to Iona College out of high school, but didn’t qualify. He took the junior college route, where he has blossomed.
A Division I coach familiar with him described him as “versatile and tough,” a high-level offensive player who has improved his jump shot and isn’t hesitant to defend the opponent’s best perimeter player.
“The kid is an old-school Big East player,” the coach said.