Originally published Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 7:37 PM

Washington basketball recruiting takes hit as God's Gift Achiuwa picks St. John's

Washington's efforts to bolster its front line took another blow Thursday when 6-foot-8 God's Gift Achiuwa chose St. John's.

By Percy Allen

Seattle Times staff reporter

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Washington's efforts to bolster its front line took another blow Thursday when God's Gift Achiuwa, a 6-foot-8 forward at Erie (N.Y.) Community College, chose St. John's over the Huskies.

Achiuwa, who also considered Cincinnati, signed a letter of intent with St. John's and joins first-year coach Steve Lavin's nine-man 2011 recruiting class that ranks third in the nation, according to ESPN.com.

Achiuwa said in a conference call that the Huskies "were very close." He referred to coach Lorenzo Romar as "a great man" and said he liked UW's campus. But Achiuwa also was impressed with St. John's because assistants Mike Dunlap and Rico Hines coached in the NBA.

The Huskies targeted Achiuwa, who visited UW two weeks ago, after they failed to land two high-profile high-school recruits. The two-time junior-college All-American averaged 22.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks as a sophomore.

The Huskies have two available scholarships and sorely need at least one big man. The signing period ends May 18.

Washington appears to be pinning its hopes on Richard Peters, the former Oklahoma commit who has the Huskies atop his list. But the 6-9 center needs a qualifying ACT score.

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