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Rysheed Jordan Will Make St. John's A Tough Match-Up For Any Tourney Opponent

By Danny Cox

Name: Rysheed Jordan #23
University: St. John's
Year: Sophomore
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Position: Guard

Rysheed Jordan stands at 6-foot-4, but he weighs just a mere 185 pounds. That has helped him develop amazing speed and agility when on the court and with a basketball in his hands. He's been able to help guide St. John's to a 21-9 record and they're looking at either a nine or 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

This season, he is second on the team with 13.9 points-per-game while chalking up three assists per game and 1.8 steals in each contest. He's fast. He's talented. He's a leader on the floor and the Red Storm is going to go as far as the skills of Rysheed Jordan will take them.

Nicknamed the "Prince of North Philadelphia," Jordan is going to make St. John's a troublesome team for any NCAA Tournament opponent.

Jordan's high school career kept on getting better and better, and then it ended with him on top of his game. He entered college and things got really tough for him. In just seven short months, he had to deal with the death of a childhood friend in a police shooting, the double homicide that took his aunt's life and hospitalized his mother, and then a short suspension.

His freshman season was one that wasn't overly amazing as he showed signs of greatness and then signs of sluggishness.This was to be expected though.

Once his sophomore season came around, everyone was expecting so much more from him, and he brought it at the beginning.

In January of this year, he took an indefinite leave of absence from the St. John's basketball team. Honestly, there were a lot of people that thought he might not end up coming back at all. Jordan only sat out a couple of games before coming back, but then more trouble followed him.

Rysheed Jordan hasn't spoken with the media during his time yet at St. John's University, but he caused some issues on Twitter regarding anti-gay statements - Jordan issued an apology in a statement and said he "did not mean to hurt anyone."

Once all of those issues got out of the way, Jordan was able to fully concentrate on his game and he delivered the very thing that St. John's had been missing at times in the last year and a half: A focused Rysheed Jordan.

He's quickly become one of the best point guards, not just in the Big East, but in the country. Jordan's size is perfect for the position and he's using it, combined with his raw talent and ability, to be a leader and dominating force for the Red Storm.

Whichever team ends up having to step on the court with St. John's will have to deal with a very talented squad that is extremely underrated. Having a focused Rysheed Jordan with all of his troubles seemingly behind them will make St. John extremely dangerous.

Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. Danny is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.

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