St. John’s is 3-0. At the moment, that is all that matters.
But with Minnesota, and potentially No. 13 Gonzaga, looming next week at Madison Square Garden, we’ll get our first real look at where the Red Storm stands against likely NCAA Tournament teams.
St. John’s trailed in the second half of its past two wins against LIU Brooklyn and Division II Franklin Pierce, reviving memories of last season’s slow starts and how often it played down to its level of competition.
Last season, the criticism of underachievement was fair, as Steve Lavin brought in the most talented roster to Queens in a decade-and-a-half, only to miss the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season. But with the departures of JaKarr Sampson and Orlando Sanchez, along with the ineligibility of Keith Thomas and Adonis De La Rosa, St. John’s is undermanned this season, essentially playing with a six-man rotation.
As always, the tournament will be the definition of a successful season, but next week should help clarify whether it should be an expectation or a goal.
With a quick look back at Wednesday night’s 66-53 win over LIU Brooklyn, we look at what it may tell us going forward:
Rysheed Jordan
“As a sophomore, he’s right up there with any player I’ve ever coached,” Lavin said of Jordan, following the guard scoring 13 of his 15 points in the second half of the win.
Jordan is producing in all areas, averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and a team-high 4.3 assists, while shooting 51.4 percent from the field. Hitting several mid-range jumpers in Wednesday’s win, Jordan’s confidence in his outside shot appears to have grown immeasurably since last season and could help him become one of the Big East’s best this season.
Rebounding
Lavin is playing small this season, which is not only the best use of the team’s guard-heavy talents, but really the coach’s only choice given the lack of size outside of Chris Obekpa. With 6-6 foot Sir’Dominic Pointer playing the four-spot and guards D’Angelo Harrison and Rysheed Jordan taking on a large responsibility of rebounding, the Red Storm gave up 21 offensive rebounds to an inexperienced and equally undersized LIU on Wednesday, but only allowed 10 second-chance points. Bigger and better teams will take advantage of those chances.
Foul trouble
Jordan had to sit much of the first half after picking up two early fouls, while Harrison finished with four fouls. With Jamal Branch the only reliable option off the bench at the moment, the team needs to be cognizant of fouls more than ever, particularly Chris Obekpa. Christian Jones, averaging eight minutes thus far, is not ready to fill in for the team’s best interior defender and only post presence.