You can never have enough skilled guards in the Big East and St. John’s just added another one.

Point guard Malik Stith, a Hempstead, N.Y. native who spent this year at Bridgton (Me.) Academy,  verbally committed to St. John’s on Tuesday morning.

“I made [the decision] last night on my own,” the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Stith said Tuesday by phone. “I slept on it just to make sure I was 100 percent that everything was right. I called [St. John's head coach] Norm Roberts today and I told him.

“I signed a fax paper today and I will sign my official Letter of Intent [Wednesday].” (more…)

Memphis freshman Matt Simpkins is transferring.

“This is a decision that Matt came to after talking with his family and me,” said Memphis coach Josh Pastner. “We wish Matt the best as he continues his academic and athletic pursuits at another school. If there is anything I can do to help Matt in this process, I will do so to assist him in having a smooth transition.”

Simpkins, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward who was cleared to play on Dec. 4, saw action in 14 games and averaged 1.4 points and 1.5 rebounds. (more…)

The Lance Stephenson Sweepstakes continues to drag on with no end in site.

“They’re not close to making any type of decision. It’s not even close,” said a source with direct knowledge who had communicated with the Stephenson family. “There’s no timetable.”

The 6-foot-5 Stephenson initially listed Kansas, Maryland and St. John’s as his options, although Kansas now appears to be out of the running with the recent signing of Xavier Henry.

“We don’t have any scholarships left,” a Kansas source said.

Arizona and Memphis have both tried to reach out to the Stephenson family, but sources say there has been no movement on either front. Both of those schools appear to make sense, as both need wing players and both play an up-and-down style — especially Memphis.

The late signing period ends May 20, but there is nothing preventing Stephenson from announcing after that date.

“He said he’s not even close to making a decision,” the first source said.

One of the more intriguing questions during the spring travel team season is not what school Lance Stephenson or John Wall will sign with, but what does Chris Rivers’ move back to adidas mean for the grassroots circuit?

Rivers (pictured at left above with O.J. Mayo)  is currently the Director of Basketball at Reebok and directs the Reebok All-American Camp in Philly, formerly the ABCD Camp run by Sonny Vaccaro. Now sources say he is preparing for a return to adidas sometime next month.  Rivers left adidas for Reebok in 2003.

Rivers’ exact role is not clear, but in an unrelated move Daren Kalish, head of adidas Grassroots Basketball, has recently resigned to pursue a profession outside of the shoe industry, which definitely raises questions about whether Rivers will return to his old post.

Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle says Kyrie Irving has a little “Chris Paul” in him.

Kyrie Irving, the No. 4 point guard in the Class of 2010, has cut his huge list of suitors down somewhat.

Irving listed the following schools in a text message Tuesday morning: Georgia Tech, Duke, Indiana, Seton Hall, Texas A&M, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Florida, Marquette and Kentucky.

Noticeably absent were Rutgers, Villanova and UConn.

Irving will also take a couple of visits this summer.

“I’m taking one to Texas A&M and one to Indiana,” Irving said. “I don’t know the dates.”

He sat out the state-mandated 30 days after transferring to Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick from Montclair (N.J.) Kimberley Academy and then helped the Celtics win their third Tournament of Champions crown in four years.

St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle loves Irving’s game.

“Kyrie Irving, when it’s all said and done, he will arguably be as good as any guard who’s played in New Jersey,” Boyle said. “Any guard. Ever. Ever. DaJuan Wagner, Bobby Hurley, Shaheen Holloway. You’re talking about a guy who’s a great shooter, a great finisher. He’s going to be as good as anybody who’s played in New Jersey.”

One Big East assistant said without pausing: “He’s a pro.”

Fahro Alihodzic, a 6-10, 235-pound forward born in Bosnia, committed to Fordham on Monday.

Alihodzic, who went to high school in England, is now at the Canary Basketball Academy where he plays with fellow Fordham commit Danny Thompson, a 6-4 shooting guard.

ZAGSBLOG also broke the news of Thompson’s commitment earlier this month.

Steve Keller of the National Recruiting Report rated Alihodzic a High Major player. (more…)

Jerry Wainwright really has his hands full at DePaul.

First the Blue Demons went 9-24, including an 0-18 mark in the Big East.

Then his son Scott resigned last month.  Then leading scorer Dar Tucker declared for the NBA Draft. Then Mac Koshwal declared without hiring an agent.

Now both his remaining assistants,  former St. Ray’s coach Gary DeCesare and Ramon Williams, resigned.

“I would like to thank Gary and Ramon for their hard work and loyalty during the last seven years that we have been together,’’ Wainwright said in a statement. ‘‘They are outstanding coaches and even better men and role models, and I wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors.’’

The Chicago Sun Times reported that both men were told to seek other jobs and that former DePaul and Loyola assistant Lance Irvin is an option for one of the spots.

Mac Irvin, Lance’s father, founded the Mac Irvin Fire AAU team.

DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto has given Wainwright a vote of confidence, but you have to wonder if he can survive another year like the last one. He is under contract through 2012.

Harrison Barnes is the No. 1 small forward in the Class of 2010 and he is being courted accordingly.

During the recent recruiting period, Kentucky coach John Calipari, Kansas coach Bill Self, Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel, Iowa State coach Greg McDermott and North Carolina assistant Steve Robinson all came to watch Barnes during open gyms.

“It’s been relatively busy this spring,” said Vance Downs, Barnes’ high school coach.

Downs said the 6-foot-7 Barnes plans to take all five official visits next fall.

And what is Barnes’ upside?

“Limitless,” Downs said. “He’s as good as they come. First of all, he’s a wing player. He’s all of 6-foot-7 with the wing span of a 7-footer. He’s explosive. He’s got an inside game, an intermediate game and a perimeter game.

“His ballhandling and court vision are getting better every day and I don’t know that there’s a ceiling for this young man. He’s the real deal.”

G.J. Vilarino is headed to Gonzaga.

The 6-foot, 168-pound point guard out of McKinney (Texas) High committed after a weekend visit. Vilarino initially signed with Kentucky and then obtained a release after John Calipari took over.

He chose Gonzaga over Baylor and VCU.

“It’s a great fit,” Gerry Vilarino told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “He was born in Spokane. A fairy tale ending.”

Meantime, Kentucky still desperately needs a point guard and is involved with John Wall and Eric Bledsoe.

Wall told me he will cut his list to “two or three” later this week.

Mike Teel didn’t want to be distracted by the NFL Draft on Sunday, so he went out to play golf with his cousins on a beautiful afternoon instead.

That didn’t stop the former Rutgers quarterback from checking the draft updates on his phone at every chance.

“I was trying to keep my mind occupied but I was on the Internet updating the Web browser every five minutes,” Teel said by phone Monday morning.

Read the full story here.

And read here about the seven Jersey players taken in Saturday’s first round.