It’s going to be a long time before St. John’s has enough elite players to compete in the Big East. But last night the Red Storm took a big step toward wooing the man who has established himself as the top recruiter of prep talent in the metropolitan area.

Pittsburgh assistant coach Barry Rohrssen, a Brooklyn native and Xaverian High grad, was wined and dined last night by new St. John’s coach Norm Roberts and athletic director David Wegrzyn. The highlight of the evening was prime seats for the Knicks-Nets playoff game at the Garden.

“I’m just flattered that they’ve expressed an interest in me,” Rohrssen told The Post. “St. John’s is a unique situation, but I have a great situation in Pittsburgh.”

Sources told The Post that Rohrssen, who played at St. Francis of Brooklyn, assured Pittsburgh coach Jaime Dixon that he would not commit to St. John’s until he returned to the Steel City and gave the matter sufficient thought. Rohrssen has helped Pittsburgh emerge as an elite program by signing players such as Carl Krauser of The Bronx and Brooklyn’s Chris Taft.