While his team is mired in a four-game losing streak, St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin continues to recruit to land players for next season and beyond.

Lavin is on the West Coast and will be at Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep Wednesday to watch senior forward Winston Shepard, sources told SNY.tv. Findlay (23-1), No. 2 in the nation, plays host to ABCD Academy.

The 6-foot-8 Shepard is the Rivals No. 10 small forward in the Class of 2012. He is coming off a 10-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game last Friday in an 82-47 win at Lubbock (Texas) Trinity. (more…)

Anthony Bennett’s mother, Edith, will finish up home visits in her native Canada with Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, following an afternoon meeting with West Virginia coach Bob Huggins and assistant Larry Harrison.

The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Bennett is considering Kentucky, UConn, Florida, Pitt, Washington, UNLV, Oregon, West Virginia and Missouri, according to Mike George of CIA Bounce.

Bennett, a Toronto native playing at Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep, won’t sign until the spring and will not take any official visits until after Findlay Prep’s season.

As for which schools will get visits, George said, “Not sure. He comes home this weekend for [Canadian] Thanksgiving, so we will figure it out then.”

FREE THROWS

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin and K-State coach Frank Martin are expected Thursday at Roselle Catholic for 6-7 2013 wing Tyler Roberson. Read my feature on Roberson here….Dixon, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, Michigan coach John Beilein and Rutgers coach Mike Rice will participate in Howard Garfinkel’s “Clinic to End All Clinics” Friday at Iona. Here’s a great feature on “Garf” by the AP. For more information on the clinic, contact Garfinkel at (212) 246-3063 or (646) 275-9818.

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NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Wherever Anthony Bennett went at last week’s Peach Jam, high-major Division 1 coaches followed.

The 6-foot-8 Canadian from CIA Bounce and Findlay Prep has the makings of a big-time college player, but he likely won’t sign until the spring period in 2012.

“As far as schools and his decision I think he wants to wait until late so he can make sure of coaching situations, other players going in, etc.,” said CIA Bounce coach Mike George. “He doesn’t want to be a kid that commits and later changes his mind.”

George said Pitt, West Virginia, UConn, Florida, Missouri, Marquette, Ohio State, Kentucky and Washington were expressing the most interest in Bennett, the No. 3 power forward in the senior class according to Rivals.

“His upside is tremendous because the better his ball-handling gets, the more unstoppable he becomes,” George said. “He shoots it so well from behind the arc and he has tremendous athletic ability. And you know he’s only scratched the surface of his ability.”

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AKRON, Ohio — Anthony Bennett has a long list of schools.

A really long list.

In this interview at the LeBron James Skills Academy, the 6-foot-7, 242-pound rising senior at Findlay Prep listed UNLV, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Kentucky, Duke, Cincinnati, PIttsburgh, West Virginia and Florida State.

He also said he’s heard from North Carolina.

“They said they’re going to come to LeBron and they’re really excited to recruit me,” he said. “I just need to know a little more about the program because I’m really not big about basketball in college. I’m going to go in this year and watch all their games.”

A native of Toronto, Bennett plans on signing in the late signing period.

“Yeah,” he said, “the spring.”

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By ALEX KLINE & ADAM ZAGORIA

As the coaching carousel has been in full effect recently, a number of moves have taken a toll on recruiting. The latest has hit the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels.

2013 Findlay Prep guard Nigel Williams-Goss, a UNLV commit, decided on Saturday night that it would be best if he re-opened his recruitment.

“I didn’t feel comfortable staying committed to a coaching staff that I had no relationship with,” the 6-foot-2 star said by phone on Sunday morning. “I’m wide open to any school that is looking to recruit me, even UNLV.” (more…)

Montrose Christian became the first school other than Findlay Prep to win the ESPN Rise National High School Invitational Saturday.

Villanova-bound Tyrone Johnson of Plainfield, N.J., scored 21 points to lead No. 1 Montrose Christian over No. 2 Oak Hill Academy, 71-64 in double-overtime, in the championship game at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md.

Montrose won the earlier matchup this season, 70-62, in double-OT. (more…)

Mike Taylor and his Brooklyn Boys & Girls teammates have already won back-to-back New York PSAL championships.

In the next week, they can add New York State Federation and National championship belts as well.

But they will have to do it without seven suspended players, including one starter and the team’s sixth man.

They were suspended Monday for violating a school rule that requires all students to pass, and regularly attend, their first-period class.

Click here to read the full story at SBNation.com.

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UNION, N.J. — Even from as far away as Henderson, Nev., Amir Garrett has his eye on St. John’s.

Garrett watched the Johnnies blow out Duke at Madison Square Garden.

He saw them hammer UConn on national television.

And he’s kept up with their recent road wins over Cincinnati and Marquette.

“Oh yeah, I watched them, man. I was hyped,” the 6-foot-6, 200-pound Garrett said Sunday before scoring 15 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in Findlay Prep’s 76-50 victory over Newark East Side in the PrimeTime Shootout at Kean University. (more…)

UNION, N.J. — From Tristan Thompson to Myck Kabongo to Khem Birch, Canada has produced its share of talented Division 1 basketball signees in recent years.

The next big Canadian star could be 6-foot-8, 230-pound Anthony Bennett, a 2012 forward from Brampton, Ontario who plays for national power Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep.

“Bennett is a talent,” one Division 1 head coach said. “He has broad shoulders. He could become a beast.”

Bennett has offers from UNLV, UConn, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Arizona and others, but says he has “No favorites yet.” (more…)

Angelo Chol is headed to the desert.

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound Chol out of San Diego Hoover announced for Arizona over Kansas and North Carolina Thursday at 12:45 local time at his high school.

The native of the Sudan joins point guard Josiah Turner of Quality Education  (N.C.), shooting guard Nick Johnson of Findlay Prep (Nev.) and power forward Sidiki Johnson of Oak Hill (Va.) in Sean Miller’s 2011 haul. (more…)