Storm is brewing
SJU may be primed for a breakout with Heron*
It will be months before the true impact of this week will be known. Months before it is determined whether Mustapha Heron has received a hardship waiver and will be immediately eligible to play for St. John’s. Months before the sudden hype around the men’s basketball team leads to tangible results or unfounded optimism.
For now, though, anything seems possible. The fan base that has been waiting so long for a big winner can dream of a Shamorie Ponds-Heron duo terrorizing the Big East. If the right pieces fall into place — if Heron gets the waiver after transferring from Auburn to be closer to his ill mother, if the many newcomers mesh with the holdovers — dreams will be more than just some spring fantasy.
“I would say if Mustapha Heron is eligible, next season would become as anticipated a season as there’s been around [St. John’s] in a long time,” CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein said in a phone interview.
Rothstein believes St. John’s has the best roster in the Big East, in an upcoming season in which just two of the 13 players that were named to the all-league teams will be back. Defending national champion Villanova lost its top four scorers. Seton Hall graduated four starters. Creighton’s top duo of Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas are gone. Butler lost leading scorer Kelan Martin and top forward Tyler Wideman. Xavier has a new coach, and won’t have top scorers Trevon Bluiett, J.P. Macura and Kerem Kanter around any more.
St. John’s, meanwhile, returns Ponds, the league’s leading scorer and an all-league first team selection who tested the NBA draft waters, and fellow starters Marvin Clark II and Justin Simon. In addition to Heron, sit-out transfers Sedee Keita (South Carolina) and Mikey Dixon (Quinnipiac), the MAAC Freshman of the Year the season before last, will be eligible. There are high hopes for JUCO AllAmerican LJ Figueroa and Louisiana recruit Greg Williams, too.
The Johnnies, deep on the perimeter, couldn’t have better timing.
“The Big East is headed for a transitional type of season with so many key players leaving, and St. John’s obviously [could] have all hands on deck,” Rothstein said. “There’s no question the pieces are in place for a breakthrough.”
There is, of course, no telling what will happen once November rolls around, how the newcomers mesh with the holdovers, if a four-guard lineup can excel and make up for an undersized team that will rely heavily on Keita, and raw freshman forwards Marcellus Earlington and Josh Roberts in the paint. St. John’s plans to play small, using both Figueroa and Heron at power forward in a speedball lineup that will be difficult to matchup with.
“If they all blend well and they de- fend and rebound, they have the firepower to be just as good as anyone in the league,” one Big East head coach said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Off the bat, they’re much better [than they were last year].”
The coach, however, believes any talk of St. John’s winning the league or having the best roster is premature. The Red Storm have to prove it can win first. After all, they started 0-11 in the Big East a year ago, and did not finish above .500 in Mullin’s first three seasons.
Then again, they lost 10 Big East games by seven points or less last year, in part because of lack of depth. Next year, that shouldn’t be an issue.
It’s all just potential on paper now. There are no guarantees it will be more than that. But St. John’s fans can dream about what’s to come. After this week, they have every right to.