Brady Dunlap commits to St. John's; 4-star shooter thrilled to play for Rick Pitino

Harvard-Westlake (California) 6-foot-8 sharpshooting forward Brady Dunlap has committed to play for St. John's and its new coach Rick Pitino

Dunlap is a four-star prospect according to On3 and ESPN, the No. 25-rated player in California, hovers around No. 150 nationally in the class of 2023 and an SBLive first-team all-California selection. He was one of the nation's best high school basketball players this past season, earning SBLive All-American honorable mention.

His late commitment comes after he was granted a release from his national letter of intent he signed to play at Notre Dame in January following head coach Mike Brey's announcement that he'd be retiring at the end of the season. 

“St. John’s has a rich basketball history and I believe in Coach Pitino to bring that back,” Dunlap told On3. “His history of winning and developing players speaks for itself. He is the best coach in college basketball and I can’t wait to get to work.”

Dunlap was granted a release from his national letter of intent he signed to play at Notre Dame in late January after head coach Mike Brey announced he'd be retiring at the end of the season. 

He had plenty of suitors after re-opening his commitment late. Kansas, Arkansas, Colorado and San Diego State had initially offered, among others, but he narrowed his focus this spring. Dunlap reportedly visited Villanova, St. John's and Nebraska before ultimately deciding the Johnnies.

The 6-foot-8 wing led Harvard-Westlake to a 2022-23 CIF Open Division state championship in March. He averaged a team-high 17 points and shot 47 percent from the field.

Dunlap reportedly took an official visit to St. John's last week. He's biggest high school prospect to commit in the early days of Rick Pitino's tenure. The infamous Pitino left Iona to coach the Queens, New York program in March.

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Photo by Dennis Lee