Rick Pitino lands first 2024 mega-commitment: Top 10 guard Simeon Wilcher pledges to St.John's basketball
Rick Pitino has landed his one of the biggest recruits since taking over at St. John's: Simeon Wilcher, a 6-foot-4 guard from Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey.
Wilcher, who is ranked No. 28 in the ESPN 100 and No. 9 by 247Sports, announced his commitment to the Red Storm on Monday on social media. He chose St. John's over Seton Hall, Indiana and Overtime Elite, a professional league for high school prospects.
He signed with North Carolina in October 2021, but asked for a release from his letter of intent after Hubert Davis left the Tar Heels to join the NBA's Charlotte Hornets as an assistant coach.
Wilcher said he was attracted to St. John's by Pitino's reputation as one of the best coaches in college basketball history, his plan for the program and his style of play. He also liked the opportunity to stay close to home and play in front of his family and friends at Madison Square Garden.
Wilcher is a versatile and explosive guard who can score at all three levels, create for others and defend multiple positions. He averaged 15.4 points, 5.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Roselle Catholic, leading his team to a 17-0 record and a state championship.
Wilcher is Pitino's 12th new addition since taking over at St. John's in March. The other major addition is Brady Dunlap, a four-star wing from California who is also ranked in the ESPN 100. He has also brought in 10 transfers from various levels, including Ivy League Player of the Year Jordan Dingle from Penn, former Iona star Daniss Jenkins and former UConn starter Nahiem Alleyne.
Simeon Wilcher hopes to make history at St. John's with Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino has a history of developing elite guards, such as Billy Donovan, Jamal Mashburn, Terry Rozier and Donovan Mitchell. He plans to use Wilcher in a similar way, giving him the freedom and responsibility to run his uptempo offense and pressure defense.
Pitino said he was impressed by Wilcher's maturity, work ethic and basketball IQ. He said he expects Wilcher to make an immediate impact as a freshman and to be one of the best players in the Big East.
“He just told me that I’m going to have to work for everything,” Wilcher said. “He was letting me know that I fit in to how he likes to play, but there’s nothing that is going to be handed out or given to me.”
Wilcher said he is excited to play for Pitino and to help St. John's return to its glory days. He said he hopes to lead the Red Storm to their first NCAA Tournament win since 2000 and to compete for Big East and national titles.
"I want to make history at St. John's," Wilcher said. "I want to bring back the excitement and the energy that they had back in the day when they had guys like Chris Mullin and Mark Jackson. I want to put on a show for the fans and make them proud."