Leader by example
Senior Heron ready to guide Johnnies under new coach
Mustapha Heron didn’t have to wait long to know where he stood. Hours later, it was obvious.
Mike Anderson became the new St. John’s coach late on April 18. By 8 the following morning, Heron’s phone rang. It was the man hoping to be his next coach.
“He told me what his plan was for me,” Heron said. “Get better every day. Be a leader consistently, help bring guys along and go on to the next level.”
If there was any decision to be made about his future, the bond he quickly formed with Anderson erased it. The two had known each other from their SEC days — Heron as a player at Auburn, Anderson a coach at Arkansas — so there was already mutual respect. Anderson remembered Heron as a “dynamite” player and Heron heard from Arkansas players how his new coach was someone who “brings it every day” and is “energetic.”
“He’s never had a losing season — that says it all right there in itself,” Heron said.
Heron wasn’t going to graduate, so transferring was out of the question anyway. As was going pro, after an up-and-down first season at St. John’s in which the 6-foot-5 wing from Waterbury, Conn. was hampered by right knee tendinitis and a sore left Achilles tendon. Following the season, Heron received injections in each, giving him time to assess his situation. If he wasn’t going to get drafted, getting paid could wait. Getting his diploma was more important. He opted not to make the same mistake so many others have.
“A lot of bad information, a lot of people are informing these kids wrong,” Heron said. “A lot of these kids are not doing research for themselves of what’s going to happen to them, and I think it shows.”
So far, he’s been everything Anderson could have hoped for, locked in to having a memorable senior year while serving as a role model for the program’s younger players. Heron is in top condition, he’s been the team’s hardest worker, according to Anderson, and will take part in the Pan-American Games in Peru at the end of the month.
When asked about the positive attitude he’s displayed, Heron pointed to the culture Anderson has already established.
“I think that everybody’s been invested,” said Heron, who averaged 14.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season. “It’s become where it’s the norm. Guys are staying here late to get up shots. Guys are doing [things] we’re supposed to be doing, getting to class on time, getting to tutoring on time.”
Of course, when the oldest player on the roster, and arguably the most talented one, is leading the way, it obviously helps. Heron has accepted that responsibility.
“As the only senior [who’s played at St. John’s], I feel that 100 percent this team is going to go as far as I take them,” he said. “It’s not scoring all the points. It’s leading by example, making sure I’m in class, making sure my stuff off the court is OK.”
“He’s dedicating himself to have the best senior year he possibly can,” Anderson added.
Heron won’t have to do it alone. He’ll form what should be one of the Big East’s premier scoring duos with fellow wing LJ Figueroa, who opted to stay after putting his name into the transfer portal. The two were roommates last year and discussed the situation frequently. Figueroa, despite interest from several premier high-major programs, opted to stay. St. John’s success will ride on their shoulders.
“We talk about it every day,” Heron said. “We watch games from last year. We want old Arkansas film to see how we’re going to play this year. We’re up for it.”