Illinois Transfer Returns To NY

As many were hoping and anxiously anticipating, Illinois transfer Andre Curbelo has committed to St. John's.

The former electrifying guard starred at Long Island Lutheran (LUHI) as a high scoring guard with innate instincts as a passer and clutch shot maker.

While Curbelo averaged nine points and four assists as a freshman, he endured an adverse sophomore year.

He battled with a concussion which sidelined him for nearly half of the 2021-22 campaign, before bouncing back to average 7.5 points and 3.2 assists.

Curbelo won't have the radiant outside-inside tandem he formed with Christ The King big Kofi Cockburn, but he will have another high-end guard to work alongside in Posh Alexander.

Curbelo and Alexander, the Our Savior Lutheran High School product who averaged 13.8 points and 5.5 assists, could create one of the most vaunted backcourt tandems in the Big East and the country as well.

Curbelo, who is from Puerto Rico originally but lived on Long Island during his time playing under John Buck at LUHI, expressed a desire to get back to his New York roots.

He surfaced as a Top-50 national recruit while at LUHI, helping the program sustain national reputability.

Curbelo was originally highly prioritized by St. John's coming out of high school.

Since entering his name in the transfer portal, he's become one of the most hotly pursued guys on the market.

Being reunited with teammates Rafael Pinzon and Drissa Traore, both of whom played alongside Curbelo at LUHI, intrigues the 6-foot-1 guard. Mike Anderson's breakneck, up-tempo system was also a major factor in Curbelo's commitment.

Curbelo was the engineer of a national level LUHI team which went 95-10 during his four years there. He bolsters St. John's backcourt after choosing the Red Storm over Florida, UConn, Providence, Boston College, Maryland, Kansas Louisville, and a bevy of others.