It didn’t take new St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin long to make a splash on the recruiting front as he landed his first top tier recruit in Dwayne Polee, who is universally known as “Class of 2010’s Best Dunker.” Lavin, only 6 weeks removed from his sweet gig as an ESPN college basketball analyst and former UCLA head man, will undoubtedly help bring some excitement back to a once proud program that once was an NCAA Tournament stalwart and produced a slew of great NBA players like Chris Mullin and Ron Artest.
As for Polee(love the name), he can absolutely jump out of the gym, even though his offensive game is viewed as a work in progress. Although he is on the fringe of making it on ESPN and Rivals Top 150 recruit lists for 2010, he is as athletic as any player in the class. He averaged 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game, in helping Westchester HS to a 32-3 record and both Los Angeles City and California state titles. He also earned the title as Los Angeles’ City Player of the Year. At 6’8 and 190 lbs, he is viewed as a project with tremendous upside. If his game progresses and he adds some weight, Polee could become an elite level NBA prospect after a few years of seasoning in the college ranks.
One truly interesting story that has resurfaced recently with Polee’s commitment to St. John’s, is the fact that a number of coaches, scouts, and teammates have speculated that Polee may have a higher vertical leap than NBA superstar Lebron James. Check out some footage of Polee last Summer showing off his unbelievable hops as his entire head clears the rim, and you be the judge.
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckblog.com, and his own site, Hoops Haven.
