By Joseph Staszewski
The St. John’s men’s basketball team will be without its leading scorer for the remainder of the season as the school announced the suspension of sophomore guard D’Angelo Harrison last week.
Harrison, who is averaging 17.8 points per game and 4.3 rebounds, will miss the Red Storm’s remaining regular season games, the Big East tournament and any other post-season play. He was reportedly suspended for a pattern of conduct that was viewed as detrimental to the team, including his emotional on-court personality.
“I had a productive meeting with D’Angelo [last Thursday],” St. John’s Coach Steve Lavin said. “He has a bright future in basketball and I’m optimistic his time away from our team will be of value.”
The loss of Harrison could severely hurt the Johnnies’ chances of reaching the NCAA tournament for the second time in Lavin’s three-year tenure at the school. St. John’s is 16-12 and 8-8 in the Big East and currently on the outside looking in on the tournament. The Johnnies fell 62-59 on the road to Providence Saturday in their first game without Harrison.
But it wasn’t all bad news for St. John’s last week.
The school learned that the NCAA granted 6-foot-9 forward Orlando Sanchez a year of eligibility, which will be used next season. It was the end of a long process after it was ruled that Sanchez’s eligibility was used up because of his two seasons competing at Monroe College and two stints with the Dominican Republic national team, including just 3:38 of playing time in 2010. Sanchez averaged 10.2 points per game and 8 rebounds last year at Monroe.
“It’s big news,” the 24-year-old Sanchez said. “I can play next year. I’m so happy. I’m going to call my grandma right now and tell her the great news. I’m going to tell them, ‘I’m free. I can play.’”
St. John’s appealed the initial ruling in November. That was denied until the school, with help from lawyer Robert Orr, an eligibility specialist, provided new documentation. St. John’s was able to show Sanchez’s personal circumstances and limited competition with the national team warranted him eligibility. The NCAA was working under rules limiting the participation of students who enroll in a U.S. college after age 21.
“We are grateful that he will be able to contribute on the court next season, as well as pursue his dream of earning his college degree,” Lavin said. “We are proud of how Orlando demonstrated patience and grace during this process.”
