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Sorry Arkansas, Nurideen Lindsey on the move...again

spt-111117-lindsey

Mike Miller

Just when you may have thought that the chapter had been written on Nurideen Lindsey and his abrupt mid-season transfer from St. John’s, it appears that story will need some editing.

Jon Rothstein of SNY is reporting that Lindsey will not be transferring to Arkansas, as the sophomore guard had tweeted less than a week ago, and will, instead, be headed to Rider.

So let’s recap:

On Dec. 8, it was reported that Lindsey would be leaving the short-handed Red Storm and transfer, citing his desire to attend school closer to his hometown of Philadelphia.

“"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,” he said in a press release. “The second was to play for Coach Lav. In both instances it has not worked out how I envisioned.”

After over a month, Lindsey announced on Jan. 13 that he would be attending Arkansas to play for Mike Anderson, joining a deep and young Razorback backcourt.

“The whole idea of staying close to home was definitely more ideal,” Lindsey told CBSSports.com, after committing to Arkansas. “But unfortunately, the schools close to home weren’t a fit and most didn’t have scholarships.”

And now, on Jan. 18, the Rider news surfaces.

If the desire to be closer to his mother was the strongest motive behind his decision to leave St. John’s, he has accomplished that. St. John’s is about two hours from Philadelphia, while Rider is a quick 50 minutes.

Perhaps we should look at another MAAC transfer story for perspective.

Momo Jones, who ran the point for the Elite Eight-bound Arizona Wildcats in 2010-11, left Tuscon for Iona at the end of the season.

Having declared his desire to be closer to his grandmother in Harlem, New York, Jones applied for a hardship waiver and was granted the right to play right away.

And he’s flourished.

Paired with Scott Machado, Jones has averaged 15 points per game and the Gaels are 14-4 and on their way to a MAAC title.

Lindsey (assuming this commitment sticks) will be the most high-profile player at Rider since now-Sacramento King Jason Thompson and could have a similar impact to Jones at Iona.

On top of that, he can apply for the same waiver that Jones did, allowing him to play right away, instead of waiting the year that is mandated by the NCAA. But he’ll likely have to wait until the following fall.

What do I advise? Stay on the phone, in case there’s more breaking news.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_