By ADAM ZAGORIA
NEW YORK — Five-star Prolific Prep (FL) wing Malachi Jordan took his official visit to St. John’s over the weekend and was in attendance Sunday for No. 13 St. John’s 87-74 exhibition win over No. 7 Texas at Madison Square Garden, where fans asked him to sign autographs on jerseys and other items.
The 6-foot-7 Jordan is ranked the No. 6 small forward in the 247Sports Composite.
He had already visited USC, Kansas, Vanderbilt and Tennessee.
“The visit was incredible,” Gershom Jordan, Malachi’s father, told ZAGSBLOG. “The fact that St. John’s does not have a football team and it’s in a small, quiet community that doesn’t even seem like it’s in the middle of Queens, it is incredible, in our opinion. It seems like there a very few distractions and the coaches/players are able to hyper-focus on basketball. From the time we got there until we left, basketball was the priority.
Five-star @ProlificPrep wing @malachijordannn on his St. John’s visit https://t.co/GdHtUMXSVy
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 24, 2026
“St. John’s is a high-level operation that is run like an NBA team and not just because they play at The Garden. My only concern is how my son will get support in trying to get acclimated to how they run their operation. I told them it’s like these boys are earning a PHD in basketball, the amount of film, the way they practice, the attention to detail, the way every coach is dialed in during practices and film sessions, development sessions with Coach [Rick] Pitino himself, and so much more.
“Pitino and his staff believe Malachi can come in and contribute right away. They are very aware of his potential but they are also aware of areas he needs growth. They believe, without a doubt, they can get him to be the best player he can be. After seeing everything this weekend, I understand why.”
As for the fans at the Garden, Malachi felt the love.
“They were yelling his name for sure and asking him to sign shirts and hats,” he said.
Pitino, meantime, said on Friday he envisions taking several high school players in this cycle.
“I could see us taking three players from the high school ranks next year,” he said.
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