Stith Commits to St. John’s…Again

NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com | Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

Malik Stith made a verbal commitment to St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts on Tuesday and is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. 

Adam Zagoria of SportsNet New York (SNY) was the first to break the story.

“I made the decision last [Monday] night on my own,” Stith told Zagoria.  “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.” 

Stith had a phenomenal conclusion to his post-graduate season at Bridgton Academy as he was terrific in the post-season.  First he led the Wolverines to their fourth NEPSAC Class A title in the last five years, earning tournament MVP honors in the process, and then he helped them upset top seeded Patterson School in the quarter-finals of the National Prep Championship. 

Stith will join two other Bridgton Academy products, Paris Horne and Justin Burrell, on St. John’s roster next year as well as fellow NEPSAC product Omari Lawrence. 

While Stith and Lawrence had a friendly relationship dating back to their AAU days, the two became very familiar with each other this year as Bridgton and South Kent locked up three times, including in the NEPSAC championship. 

“We kind of got close this year,” Stith said of his relationship with Lawrence.  “We talked about me possibly going to St. John’s.” 

Prior to arriving at Bridgton, Stith spent the first three years of his high school career at his hometown high school in Hempstead New York before moving to North Carolina for his senior year to live with his mother where he was named North Carolina Player of the Year by the Charlotte Observer.