Tropical Storm Gustav, currently brewing in the Caribbean near the island of Jamaica, canceled the St. John’s men’s basketball team’s Labor Day trip to Cancun, Mexico. With sustained winds near 70 mph, a tropical storm warning has been issued for the Caribbean, with the severe weather threatening to worsen and continue on a path toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where Cancun is located.

The Red Storm will not reschedule the trip for this season, but will consider options for international travel before the 2009-10 season. (more…)

Terrence Rencher, a former St. Raymond’s star and the all-time leading scorer in Texas history, has been named a graduate assistant under Rick Majerus at St. Louis.

A former New York STate Mr. Basketball in 1991, Rencher was drafted by the Miami Heat in 1995 and played in the NBA and overseas until 2006. Last year he served as the AD and boys basketball coach at the Regents school in Austin, Texas.

“I am both flattered and elated that Coach Majerus has given me such a great to work and learn from him at St. Louis University,” REncher said. “He is unquestionably one of the best coaches in college basketball today and I hope to live up to his expectations.”

Seton Hall’s Michael Glover has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and the Big East Conference after being declared a non-qualifier and having to sit out his freshman season.

Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez had high hopes that Glover would be able to suit up for the Pirates, and even held out hope after Glover enrolled as a non-scholarship student.

But if Glover were to win this lawsuit, it would cause a radical change in the landscape of college basketball, paving the way for other non-qualifiers to end up playing college ball.

Donald Williams, who previously flirted with St. John’s and Marquette, has committed to Kentucky.

“Donald is definitely a Kentucky Wildcat,” said Tony Tate, Williams’ coach with the New Orleans Jazz AAU program. “They enrolled him (Wednesday). It’s just a blessing that every thing shook out the way it shook out. Coach Billy Gillespie has a proving track record of making guys better, and that’s what we’re interested in.

“They’ve taken a lot of guys who needed a year or two to develop. They develop players well.”

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Williams, 19, had offers from St. John’s, Marquette and various mid-majors. (more…)

After visiting Maryland and Georgetown Monday and Tuesday, 6-foot-8 Long Island native Tobias Harris took in Virginia on Wednesday.

“Tobias had a great meeting with Coach David Leitao’s staff discussing the academics and the basketball program,” Torrel Harris, Tobias’ father, wrote in an email. “Tobias would like to major in business ownership. He was very impressed that the University of Virginia business program is ranked 4th in the country. (more…)

Derrick Caracter wants to play basketball this year and has made a decision to go to Oklahoma City University, according to Stacy Brooks, a professor in the Pan-African Studies Department at Louisville who has become an adviser to the 6-foot-9, 270-pound Caracter, a native of Fanwood, N.J.

“The last time I talked to him he had made a decision to go to Oklahoma City,” Brooks said Wednesday night by phone. “That was last week. I told him to hurry up and get on that and go.

“Right now I don’t know where he is. I sent a text message to him and he hasn’t texted me back.” (more…)

Herb Pope, a 6-foot-8, 235-pound junior power forward from Aliquippa, Pa., visited Seton Hall last weekend and is considering transferring to the Big East school from New Mexico State, according to reports.

Pope, who averaged 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds last season and has had a troubled past, reportedly received a release from New Mexico State, but NMSU athletic director McKinley Boston said the school is allowing Pope a chance to explore his options for personal reasons.

“We are trying to assist Herb through some tough personal situations right now,” Boston told the Las Cruces Sun-News. “It’s a work in progress. At the end of the day, I’m confident that he will be in an Aggie uniform this season. But we want the best for him.” (more…)

Still no final determination on Derrick Caracter’s situation vis-a-vis Oklahoma City University.

The 6-foot-9 New Jersey native is apparently still deciding whether to transfer to the NAIA school from Louisville, or to go to another D-1 school and sit out a year.

“He’s not here,” OCU coach Tommy Wade told Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com. “From my conversations, not necessarily with Derrick but with his people, he’s still considering trying to transfer to a D-1 school and sitting out. We’re still in the mix, but the last day he can enroll is a week from today.”

Caracter had been offered an opportunity to return to the Louisville basketball team for the 2009-10 season, assuming he met various academic and athletic criteria set out by head coach Rick Pitino.

Caracter has hung up on both me and Goodman, so we’ll have to hear how this plays out from Wade.

Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon hired former Rice High School assistant and Gauchos AAU assistant Rasheen Davis as the staff’s video coordinator….and one wonders how this might impact Rice senior Durand Scott (pictured) in his recruiting.

“Rasheen is an outstanding addition to our program,” Dixon said. “He brings with him an extensive background both in coaching and administration. He will also be a tremendous role model for our student athletes.”

Scott and Rice coach Moe Hicks weren’t immediately available for comment. (more…)

Rivals released its Top 150 for the Class of 2010 and there are several local ties for the New York metropolitan area, although we were surprised not to see Fuquan Edwin of Paterson Catholic and Ashton Pankey of St. Anthony on this list.

**6-foot-8 Canadian native and Texas commit Tristan Thompson of St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark is No. 5, after Josh Smith, Brandon Knight, Jared Sullinger and Harrison Barnes.

**6-3 Syracuse commit Dion Waiters, who will reportedly suit up at Burlington (NJ) Life Center Academy, is No. 20.

**Brooklyn native Doron Lamb, who transferred to Oak Hill Academy (Va.) from Bishop Loughlin, is No. 21. The 6-4 Lamb holds offers from Rutgers, Louisville, Georgia Tech and Xavier and interest from UConn, Seton Hall and Syracuse. (more…)