St. John's Lands Star Point Guard Marcus 'Bright Lights' LoVett Out Of Chicago

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- This qualifies as a coup.

Picking up where former head coach Steve Lavin left off, Chris Mullin has completed the stunning recruitment of one of the nation's best high school guards. On Thursday morning, Marcus "Bright Lights" LoVett Jr. signed his national letter of intent to play at St. John's.

A 6-foot point guard out of Morgan Park High School on the South Side of Chicago, LoVett is the 62nd-ranked recruit in the country, according to Rivals.com, and is easily the most highly touted player Mullin has secured since taking over on the bench of his alma mater back at the beginning of April.

A flashy ball-handler and lefty shooter, LoVett reportedly averaged 25 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals during his senior season, leading Morgan Park to the Chicago Class 3A state semifinals. He drew considerable interest from Memphis, Illinois, DePaul, Pitt, UNLV, Kansas and San Diego State, the New York Post reported.

LoVett will be joining a Red Storm backcourt that currently boasts dynamic Rysheed Jordan at the point, senior Felix Balamou, Malik Ellison -- a much-ballyhooed recruit from New Jersey -- and Ron M'Vouika, a graduate transfer from Missouri State.

Jordan averaged 14.1 points during his sophomore season for St. John's, which finished 21-12 after losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Chris Obekpa, one of the nation's best shot blockers, will also return next season.