Shorthanded SJU refuses to make excuses
This was the doomsday scenario. This was the worry about this talented, yet thin, roster.
One injury could derail the possibilities, turn a promising season into a demoralizing one.
Three games into the Big East — all losses — have the Red Storm reeling, in desperate need of a victory. Marcus LoVett’s sprained left knee, which has kept him out of the last eight games, has exposed the depth issues that was a concern in the preseason. The 10-2 non-conference season seems like a distant memory.
“We look forward to getting him back, of course, but it’s one of those things, you don’t focus on who’s not there,” St. John’s coach Chris Mullin said in a phone interview Friday as the Red Storm prepared to host DePaul at Carnesecca Arena on Saturday afternoon.
It’s hard not to imagine where the Johnnies (10-5, 0-3 Big East) would be if LoVett, their second-leading scorer and point guard, hadn’t sprained the MCL in his left knee Nov. 26 against Central Florida. After a conferenceopening flop at home against Providence, St. John’s pushed two of the better teams in the league, nearly upsetting No. 21 Seton Hall and Creighton, on the road before falling late. They fell by five to the Pirates on New Year’s Eve without LoVett and Shamorie Ponds (knee strain), and blew a 10-point second-half lead to the Bluejays with Ponds at less than 100 percent.
“As far as the mental state, ‘Poor old me,’ isn’t going to happen,” Mullin said. “We move on.”
Mullin wouldn’t use LoVett’s absence as an excuse for the 0-3 start, believing enough players, specifically Marvin Clark II, Tariq Owens and Justin Simon, have emerged in his absence. He wasn’t buying fatigue, either, though the bench has accounted for just 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting in the three league losses, and has averaged just 30.3 minutes per game combined, putting a heavy onus on the starters.
“That would be an excuse to me,” Mullin said.
LoVett, meanwhile, remains day-to-day, his status remaining unchanged since sustaining the injury way back on Thanksgiving weekend. He’s worked with team trainers the last few days, but still doesn’t feel confident in the knee enough to return to practice. Mullin was uncertain how many practices LoVett would need before playing in games, but he wouldn’t rush him back without being in game shape.
As Mullin said, he wants LoVett back, but only when the redshirt sophomore feels ready and confident his knee is sound. The coach believes St. John’s has more than enough talent to win games in the meantime, and the last two losses have proven that.
“One hundred percent confident,” Mullin said. “I got confidence in my players. I think we’re right there. We were right there on the road with two of the best teams in the league. That effort will produce some wins for us coming up.”
With DePaul and Georgetown coming up at home, it better, or by the time LoVett returns, it may be too late.