St. John's was dealt a significant blow to their 2011-12 season Thursday, when three members of its much-ballyhooed incoming class were declared ineligible for at least the fall semester.

Jakarr Sampson, Norvel Pelle, and Amir Garrett -- all three among the top 100 players in the nation in their high school class, according to ESPNU's rankings -- will not be able to suit up for the Red Storm this fall, after failing to qualify academically.

"We will continue to work with the NCAA in an effort to review Amir, Norvel and Jakarr's cases regarding their eligibility," said St. John's coach Steve Lavin in a statement.