OMAHA, Neb. — Whatever the reason was for Rysheed Jordan’s leave of absence, it seems to have done the trick.
The enigmatic sophomore guard from Philadelphia is finally playing as expected entering Wednesday night’s contest at Creighton (9 p.m., FS1).
The 6-foot-4 Jordan — who missed one game during his mysterious four-day absence from the team — has progressed each game since his return against Villanova Jan. 6, limiting his turnovers, shooting at a higher percentage, making plays for others, all leading up to a big performance in Sunday’s 77-68 loss to Duke.
In the nationally televised showdown, Jordan — moved back into the starting lineup four games ago — scored 18 points with four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“He grows every day,” senior D’Angelo Harrison said recently. “He is becoming more of a leader and acting like an older guy on the team. That’s good to have because you can rely on him. He has been playing well.”
The turnovers are still higher than the Red Storm (13-6, 2-4 Big East) would like — 17 in five games — and he’s still averaging more turnovers per game (3.4) than assists (2.8). But he’s scoring more consistently — at least 15 points in his last four games — rebounding better and getting his teammates involved.
His emergence has come at the perfect time for St. John’s, with Harrison, the team’s leading scorer, slowed by a calf strain and most recently a shoulder ailment. St. John’s said Jordan left the team because of the death of his grandmother, Roslyn “Bootsie” Walker, while multiple sources told The Post there were repeated disciplinary issues that led to his leave.
At this point, it’s neither here nor there. Jordan is performing like the player St. John’s envisioned.
The Johnnies need him to dig out of their hole near the bottom of the Big East and begin to stockpile wins to make their case for the NCAA Tournament.
With Jordan playing at his current pace, their chances are significantly better to go dancing.