Rick Pitino is 2-for-2.
Highly regarded 7-foot-1 center Khaman Maker committed to St John’s on Monday — as first reported by The Post — joining four-star wing Jaiden Glover as players who took official visits the first week of September and picked the Johnnies.
“Based on how it was with me and how they talked to me and how they showed me they’re going to make me grow, [it] made me decide to go there,” the 18-year-old Maker told The Post in a phone interview. “How they’re going to play me, how they work with their bigs … it was really impressive. I felt, if I go to St. John’s, my game would grow.”
A four-star big man, Maker chose St John’s over BYU, Arizona State, UNLV, Columbia and others.
He’s a high-level defender and rim protector with upside on the offensive end.
Pitino’s 2024 class now has three members in Maker, Glover and skilled Greek guard Lefteris Liotopoulos.
St. John’s could add one more high school player to the class, but the plan is only for a high-end talent such as top-10 prospect VJ Edgecombe of Long Island Lutheran.
Defense is Maker’s calling card.
He was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Grind Session this past year for coach Greg Lockridge and SFBA Trinity Prep in Las Vegas.
He was tied for the most blocks per game (2.8) on the prestigious Nike EYBL circuit this spring and summer.
He runs well for someone his size and is considered one of the top shot-blockers in the 2024 class.
“I saw him play at the Nike EYBL. He is a legit 7-foot-1. Loved his motor,” one college coach familiar with Maker said. “Defensively, he was terrific altering shots and was a good rebounder. Was a very good finisher around the basket off of pick-and-rolls and lobs. Terrific prospect.”
Maker is raw offensively, though Lockridge said he has a soft touch for a big man and can step out and shoot it from 15-17 feet.
Lockridge and his staff are working with Maker on his footwork and being able to shoot over both shoulders.
He has to put on more weight to avoid getting pushed around at the next level.
However, it should be noted, Maker is fairly new to basketball.
He only started playing the sport at the age of 15, around the time he left his home of South Sudan.
His first sport growing up was soccer.
He came to America after being spotted by a scout at a camp in Africa and found his way to Las Vegas playing for Lockridge.
St. John’s saw him play at the NBA Top 100 camp in late June, and made him a recruiting priority, led by assistant coach Van Macon.
“They did a great job of selling the university and New York and coach Pitino,” Lockridge said. “When we went out there for the visit, they were hands on. Coach Macon came out here. It was pretty much an everyday thing after the NBA Top 100 camp.”
Ultimately, the lure of playing for a Hall of Fame coach such as Pitino won out.
Maker’s dream — the reason he moved to America in the first place three years ago — is to play professionally.
He believes Pitino can help get him there.
“The one that made me choose St. John’s was probably coach Pitino’s passion for the game of basketball,” Maker said. “He wants to create a strong basketball culture that is inspiring. I just hope to be a part of it along the way.”
