DeJuan Blair became the first player from the City League in 21 years to play in the NBA when he was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs last summer, following in the footsteps of fellow Schenley alumnus Maurice Lucas, who completed his 18-year professional career with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1988.

After next season, another Schenley graduate is looking forward to getting the opportunity to join the exclusive club.

St. John's junior D.J. Kennedy, who teamed with Blair to bring a PIAA championship to Schenley in 2007, is enjoying a breakout season for the Red Storm. Kennedy is averaging a team-leading 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.

Kennedy and Blair, who remain close friends, still talk about fulfilling a childhood dream of playing in the NBA at the same time.

"I just talked to him this week," Kennedy said. "We definitely talk about that. That was our goal when we were young. That's what we always talked about, being the first guys from the city to make it to the NBA. I'm going to try to follow in his footsteps."

According to St. John's coach Norm Roberts, Kennedy, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, has the credentials to join Blair in the NBA.

"I definitely think he can play in the NBA," Roberts said. "He has the length. He is a very good defensive player. He can guard players from 6 feet tall to 6-6 or 6-7. He's done a good job of rebounding. If he can increase his shooting range he'll get there. I think he has the skills set."

The knock on Kennedy coming out of high school was that he could not shoot well from the outside, but he has taken measures to improve that part of his game. He is shooting 47 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point range. As a freshman and sophomore he was a 33 percent shooter from behind the 3-point arc.

And Kennedy continues to be a well-rounded player for Roberts. In addition to leading the team in scoring, he leads the team in assists and steals and is second on the team in rebounds entering tonight's game against No. 17 Pitt at the Petersen Events Center.

"His role is the same," Roberts said. "He still fills up the stat sheet. The thing is his shooting is much better. He worked really hard over the summer to improve his shooting range. He had to increase his shooting range and be more comfortable shooting it. He's done a good job of getting to the free-throw line. And his ball handling has improved a lot. We ask him to make a lot of plays so he's going to have the ball in his hands."

Kennedy is one of 11 returning letter winners for Roberts, who is coaching his most experienced team since arriving on campus six years ago. With a veteran roster, St. John's was expected to make a push from the bottom of the conference toward the middle because teams such as Pitt and Marquette were rebuilding their rosters.

St. John's started the season 9-1 and received some votes in The Associated Press poll in mid-December, but the Red Storm has lost six of its past nine games, including five of the first seven in conference play.

"A lot of people thought this was going to be a down year for the Big East," Roberts said. "But I know the coaches never thought that was true. We've played some tough competition, but so has everyone else. You have to play 40 minutes in this league. You have to continue to fight through. You have to be able to defend and rebound. You have to be able to do that consistently, especially if you want to win on the road."

St. John's losses in conference play have come against Georgetown, Providence, Louisville, Connecticut and Villanova. Of that group, Connecticut is the only team with a losing record in Big East play.

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