POINTING UP
Mullin & Co. ready to contend in the Big East for first time
Excitement has been evident at St. John’s ever since Chris Mullin returned to campus. Now, for the first time, some expectations are there, too.
After finishing with just one conference win in his first season as coach, Mullin led the Red Storm (14-19) to seven wins in the Big East last season, with an offense that improved by nearly 10 points per game. The thirdyear coach brings back one of the most talented backcourts in the country, with sophomores Shamorie Ponds and Marcus LoVett — the league’s highest-scoring returning duo — while Tariq Owens and Kassoum Yakwe are the conference’s top shotblockers from last season.
The additions of Michigan State transfer Marvin Clark III and Arizona transfer Justin Simon raises the team’s ceiling significantly, with the experienced power program players 3 KEY QUESTIONS What Kassoum Yakwe will St. John’s get? Will he be the player who was an AllBig East rookie team selection or the one who was basically a non-factor a year ago? Yakwe’s play could go a long way to determining the Red Storm’s season. St. John’s desperately needs the active, shot-blocking and rebounding dynamo with the relentless motor it saw two years ago to fortify a thin and undersized front line. What kind of impact will Clark and Simon make? The duo started the team’s two exhibition games, and are immediately two of the best defenders and rebounders. Clark’s shot isn’t there yet — he made just 1-of-11 3-point attempts in the preseason — but the 6-foot-7 forward grabbed 14 rebounds in a win over Division II American International and will be counted on to make up for the team’s lack of interior players. Simon, meanwhile, will take muchneeded pressure off of Ponds and LoVett as a ball-handler, allowing the team’s best weapons to focus on scoring. Is rebounding still a concern? Is water wet? Clark and Simon will help, but St. John’s needs Owens to stay out of foul trouble, Yakwe to regain his freshman form, and everyone to chip in after the Red Storm was last in the Big East in rebounding margin and defensive rebounding a year ago. ready to start and contribute immediately.
The talent is there for Mullin to record his first winning season as a coach, with the Red Storm picked to finish sixth in the Big East in the preseason coaches poll.
The potential is there for so much more.
“I don’t think we all know how good we can be, but we have a feeling that there’s something there,” Simon said Thursday. “I feel really good about this team and this year.”
St. John’s has spent the past two years rebuilding for the future. Starting with Friday night’s seasonopener against New Orleans — an NCAA Tournament team last season — at Carnesecca Arena, there are no more free passes. X FACTOR St. John’s best big man a year ago, Tariq Owens is frequently productive, but only when he can stay on the floor. His 3.2 fouls per game must go down, so his scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking numbers can increase. The 6-foot-11 Tennessee transfer averaged a Big East-best 2.2 blocks last season despite averaging less than 19 minutes. PREDICTION While the Red Storm made tremendous strides last season, the only place to go was up from an eight-win campaign. The next leap is the hardest, and St. John’s is still a year away. A thin frontcourt will prevent St. John’s from getting back to the NCAA Tournament, but the tremendous backcourt will improve the team to 18 wins, and earn a trip to the NIT. WHY ST. JOHN’S WILL MAKE THE NCAA TOURNAMENT The offense is talented enough to carry it there, and capable of winning multiple games from behind the arc after hitting 36.4 percent on 3-pointers as a team last season. The experience of last year will help Big East All-Freshmen selections Ponds and LoVett, and the additions of Clark and Simon provide leadership and balance. Having been off the radar for two seasons, the Red Storm will be able to sneak up on several opponents who won’t realize how much better St. John’s is until it’s too late. WHY ST. JOHN’S WON’T MAKE THE NCAA TOURNAMENT Depth, defense and size. It’s still lacking. St. John’s has just nine scholarship players, creating virtually no margin for error. A player transfers or a serious injury is sustained, and the program’s hopes are severely diminished. While adding Clark and Simon will help on the glass and on the defensive end, those are still areas of weakness.