Is Lindsey's next stop La Salle?
By Matt Breen
Philadelphia native Nurideen Lindsey announced on Thursday his plans to transfer from St. John's at the end of the semester.
Lindsey, a guard, has started each of the Red Storm's nine games this season, averaging 11.8 points and 2.9 assists. He's a first-year sophomore as he spent two years at a junior college in Oklahoma before enrolling at St. John's in Queens.
In his sophomore season at Overbrook, Lindsey made an oral commitment to La Salle but later rescinded it after dropping out of high school. He's stayed in touch with head coach John Giannai and the Explores may be a likely destination for the 6-foot-3 Lindsey.
"I came to St. Johns for a couple of reasons. One was to be close to my mom, whose health has been up and down due to some past experiences," said Lindsey, in a statement. "The second was to play for Coach Lav. In both instances it has not worked out how I envisioned,"
If the reason for his transfer is to be close to his mother, Gina Schenck, then it would be assumed he would be granted a hardship waiver by the NCAA if he enrolled at a Philadelphia school. On his Twitter account (@NurideenLindsey), he re-tweeted a fan's tweet saying he should play for La Salle. He also denied a report that he was planning a jump to the NBA.
His tweet read: "I am looking forward to moving on to another school. Will not be taking any steps towards any professional move. I like school, and feel as though I still have so much more to learn and much more room for improvement. So once again, sincerely apologize. I'll be moving on to another program. Thanks for the support! Go Johnnies!!!"
In a lenghty conversation in October, Lindsey said his neighborhood back home was filled with negativity and had only been back to Philadelphia a handful of times since enrolling at Red Lands C.C. That article can be read here: http://articles.philly.com/2011-11-15/sports/30401824_1_nurideen-lindsey-overbrook-high-school-basketball
-Matt Breen, mbreen@phillynews.com, @matt_breen on Twitter.