Rick Pitino’s first full week as San Juan’s head coach got off to a busy start.
The Hall of Famers had visits with two available transfers at home, Towson wing Nick Timberlake and Harvard forward Chris Ledlum, in the Boston area on Monday as the Johnnies continue their push to rebuild their roster.
Pitino was accompanied by assistant coach Steve Masiello during the visits.
The 6-foot-6 Ledlum, a native of Brooklyn, averaged 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds this past season for the Crimson.
Iowa and Indiana had visits over the weekend.
“He would have been a homebody (at St. John’s),” said one Ivy League coach, speaking on condition of anonymity. “He is the best physical specimen in the Ivy League. He’s too big and strong for a small guy, too fast for a big guy. Everything bounces, it’s aggressive, it’s tough. … He was second in the Ivy League in scoring and rebounding, and every team’s game plan was to stop Chris Ledlum.
The coach believes Ledlum and Joel Soriano, St. John’s standout returning center, would be “tremendous together.”
Harvard’s Chris Ledlum (4) defends Kansas’ Jalen Wilson (10) on Dec. 22, 2022.Getty Images
Multiple sources said coming home is something Ledlum is drawn to.
He has a close-knit family and travels to most Harvard games.
The 6-foot-4 Timberlake is one of the top shooters in the country, making 41.6 percent of his 3-point attempts and averaging 17.9 points for Towson.
Towson’s Nick Timberlake dribbles against Charleston in the CAA Championship on March 6, 2023.Getty Images
He recently had an in-home visit with North Carolina and has set up an official visit to an ACC school.
Timberlake also met with Indiana last weekend.
Meanwhile, another main target, Iona University guard and Walter Clayton Jr. MAAC player of the year, took an official visit to Florida over the weekend and this week in St. He plans to visit John’s.
Those are the only two schools Lake Wales, Fla., is considering right now, he recently told The Post.
Rick Pitino, March 21, 2023, at the press conference in San Juan.Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post
Two San Juan players, sophomores Rafael Pinzon and O’Mar Stanley, entered the transfer window last week and more are expected to follow.
Pitino and his staff will work on returning players starting Tuesday.
Pitino has said he plans to add six to eight new players, but the composition of the roster remains fluid.