Already stinging from a loss in its Big East opener at Seton Hall two days earlier, St. John's received another big blow Friday night.
Coach Steve Lavin announced that second-leading scorer Rysheed Jordan will take an indefinite leave of absence from the team to deal with "personal and family circumstances" in his hometown of Philadelphia. The sophomore guard will not be with the team Saturday when it hosts Butler.
Exactly what led to Jordan's leave of absence is unclear, but Jordan endured a tumultuous freshman season that included the death of a childhood friend in a police shooting, a double homicide that claimed the life of his aunt and the hospitalization of his mother. The New York Post reported Friday that disciplinary issues are also a contributing factor in his leave of absence.
Regardless of the reason, Jordan's absence is a blow to a St. John's team that lost only one non-conference game to Gonzaga by just seven points. Jordan has lived up to his status as a consensus top 50 recruit, averaging 14.0 points per game as a sophomore and serving as a key cog in the Johnnies' aggressive defense by posting 2.1 steals per game.
The timing of Jordan's absence could not be worse for St. John's either. The Johnnies host Butler and Big East favorite Villanova next before visiting Providence on Jan. 14, a tough stretch that would be even tougher if one of the league's best players isn't in uniform.*

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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