Just hours before St. John’s learned its NCAA Tournament bracket fate Sunday, the Red Storm’s tourney destiny essentially was sealed with the announced suspension of junior defensive stud center Chris Obekpa for violating team rules.
Sources told The Post Obekpa failed a drug test, testing positive for marijuana.
So that announcement dimmed somewhat the revelation the Johnnies, as a No. 9 seed and one of six Big East teams selected, will play No. 8 San Diego State on Friday in the South Region in Charlotte, N.C. The offensively challenged Aztecs (26-8), who include Dwayne Polee II — a member of St. John’s coach Steve Lavin’s 2011 Johnnies’ NCAA tourney team before transferring — lost to Wyoming in the championship of the Mountain West Conference Saturday.
Lavin felt the timing of the announcement regarding the 6-foot-9 Nigerian-born Obekpa was “the right thing to do.” Neither Lavin nor school officials elaborated on the nature of Obekpa’s transgression, but sources said there were alleged marijuana-use indicators.
“In terms of the committee having the information in advance so that the seeding was appropriate and based off where we are as a basketball team,” Lavin said in a press gathering at D’Angelo Center on the St. John’s campus while explaining the timing of the suspension. “You hope Chris learns from this experience. Our players have demonstrated the ability not only this year but throughout their careers to navigate, persevere when dealt an unexpected blow.”
Earlier, Lavin released a statement saying, “Chris has been suspended for a violation of team rules. All of the young men associated with our program are held to standards consistent with the aims and mission of our University. Accountability is tied to the decision making of our student-athletes. It is our hope Chris will learn from this experience.”
Red Storm players insisted it will be business as usual. And the first business is San Diego State. Actually, the first business was just getting into the tournament.
“I am not going to lie. I definitely was [nervous],” senior D’Angelo Harrison said about the selection.
But now that first order of business must proceed without St. John’s all-time shot blocker.
“He’s my little brother. We all go through life and we make mistakes. Whatever happened, happened. I don’t know what happened but it’s between him and the coach. We’ve got to move on,” said senior Sir’Dominic Pointer. “People make mistakes in life. You’ve got to learn from it. That’s all you can do. He’ll be my brother for life.”
The suspension of Obekpa recalled a similar 2002 incident for the Johnnies. Willie Shaw, a sophomore guard, was banned for four games for what ultimately was revealed by the player to be a positive test for marijuana. Shaw was whacked two days before St. John’s, then under coach Mike Jarvis, lost to Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
So the school tried to concentrate Sunday on St. John’s 30th NCAA appearance (29th officially as the 2002 appearance was later vacated for reasons not tied to Shaw’s suspension.) This is the Johnnies’ first appearance since 2011 when, as a No. 6 seed, they lost in the first round to No. 11 Gonzaga. St. John’s hasn’t won an NCAA game since 2000, when the school advanced to the second round.
If St. John’s does advance, Obekpa, the fifth-leading shot-blocker in the country, would be available in the regional final on March 29.
“One of the advantages of having older players even though it’s their first NCAA Tournament, they’ve been through a great deal and the challenges and the adversity forge a different perspective and an inner strength,” Lavin said.
They’ll need it. the Johnnies don’t have a single player with any NCAA tourney experience. Lavin said he is glad the team plays Friday — it gives his players a day to see what the tourney is about and avoid what he called a “tourist” — just happy to be here — approach.
“We’ve dealt with injuries and stuff all season,” Harrison said. “It definitely hurts but we’ve got to go forward with the team we have.”
Obekpa, who was suspended two exhibition games last year for violating school policy, had lost his starting job until two games before the Johnnies’ one-and-out appearance in the Big East Tournament.
That bench role came after he received a flagrant 1 foul. Still, he made 24 starts and has averaged 5.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 blocks.
“To offset the loss of Chris we don’t need any one player to try to be a superhero but instead collectively as a group step up,” Lavin said. “It’s imperative we don’t focus on the loss of Chris but instead how do we step up and find a way to advance.”