St. John’s Rysheed Jordan just keeps getting better

PHILADELPHIA -- The deafening chants from the bottom of Section 117, almost 100 feet from the floor, never ceased while he traipsed the court. His personal cheering section, a band of “brothers” as they referred to themselves, were present for his homecoming. Some were family, others teammates, confidants and old friends, lining the seats near press row.

One would scream every time he touched the rock: “let’s go ‘Sheed,” emphatically from the stands. “That’s ‘Sheed Jordan yo,” another bellowed ferociously in a north-side diatribe. A third rang out: “it’s time to eat ‘Sheed.” Each chant became a tangible reminder of Rysheed Jordan’s past, St. John’s’ tough, hard-nosed guard born in the heart of North Philadelphia, the oldest of seven kids.

The others brought true Philly ball back to the Wells Fargo Center. They gave it the feel of Jordan’s roots: a backyard, concrete brawl reminiscent of Philly’s famed “Chosen League” that he starred in at 10th Street and Olney Avenue. And when he got his moment to shine, Jordan, like the city remembers from his high school hoop days, didn’t disappoint.

The famed “Prince of North Philly” took flight in his second homecoming since becoming an integral part of the Red Storm. His posse jiggled on the jumbotron right before his landing and their faces flopped. Before the crowd could realize what happened, Air Jordan bounced right over Villanova’s Dylan Ennis.

“We push him every day to get in the gym and we support him every game,” said 20-year-old Karon Sneed, Jordan’s high school teammate during his run to Robert Vaux’s first-ever PIAA state championship in 2013, at the half of St. John’s’ Saturday afternoon game with No. 4 Villanova. “Days like these is what we come for.”

Jordan splashed 21 points against one of the nation’s top squads while his friends and family watched. It’s been a turnaround sophomore season for the 6’4 guard that was a Big East All-Rookie selection and CollegeInsider.com freshman All-American. He’s been one of the focal points for St. John’s offense as they’ve redefined their title hopes in recent months.

February has again turned into his breakout month. Jordan’s seen bumps in minutes played (31.1), points scored (13.9) and a major boost in his perimeter shooting, which has skyrocketed from a lowly 27.9 percent slump to an above average 36.9 percent clip from deep.

And it hasn’t just been the Philly faithful that’ve enjoyed Jordan’s meteoric rise during his stint for the Red Storm. His old teammates and workout partners have observed as well. Current Sixers forward and former Red Storm big man, JaKarr Sampson, sat court-side and watched his former teammate go to work.

“You just see he’s getting better every year, especially from last year where he started kind of slow,” Sampson said. “That’s the key. Is the player getting better? That’s what NBA scouts look at. They see that he’s getting better. A leadership role (next season) would be great for him. As a point guard you have to have that. And he has to keep shooting his shot. Keep shooting you know? He has that range.”

Jordan was a five-star recruit, according to ESPN.com, and rated the No. 1 player in the state and ranked as high as the No. 3 point guard in the country two years ago. He’s scored 15 or more points in a game on 17 different occasions for the Red Storm this year and he’s turning into one of the conference’s deadliest guards.

It’s been a roller coaster career for Jordan. Between days not being allowed to speak to media postgame and suspensions from the St. John’s roster, the guard is top-10 in the conference in scoring and has been the spark to St. John’s recent success. Better late than never.

“He’s right on track for continuing to elevate his play,” St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin said of his player postgame. “Similar to last year he found his stride in February and he’s had a fantastic month. We are hoping he continues to elevate his play as we head to the postseason now.”

Though the Johnnies lost big to Villanova and left the court downtrodden, Jordan’s peers were still as loud as they’ve ever been in their same spots near the court. Villanova’s Dylan Ennis, who Jordan emphatically dunked on to begin the game, got past Jordan for an easy layup, but their racket never subsided.

The “Prince of North Philly” kid that torched nets up and down the City of Brotherly Love for 50 or 60 points on a given night, the same player that redefined what it meant to be a guard in a city that used to produce a bevy of the best, the up-and-down mentality of Jordan had finally come to a rest.

Win or loss, Jordan was here. And as far as the conference had noticed for the past two months, he was here to stay. And his family, always by his side, reminded the crowd, at every opportunity.

“He got dunked on but then wants to shoot, but question,” Sneed and his crew yelled before making their exit. “Who’s been eating tonight?”