Despite all the optimism generated by St. John’s this month, Chris Mullin’s third season as coach likely will end by sharing too much in common with the previous two years.
For the third straight season, the Red Storm hold a losing record. For the second time since Mullin took over, St. John’s sits in last place in the Big East.
Still, one player remains from the program’s greatest success in recent years, and the current roster reminds Amar Alibegovic of the team — featuring D’Angelo Harrison, Sir’Dominic Pointer, Rysheed Jordan and Chris Obekpa — that reached the NCAA Tournament during his freshman season.
“There’s a lot of similarities,” Alibegovic said. “[Especially] the heart that every person had on that team. … It was playing like it was do-or-die. It was always like that.”
Barring a miracle run in the Big East Tournament next week, Alibegovic’s only NCAA Tournament appearance will remain the 76-64 loss to San Diego State three years ago.
Entering his final game at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday night against Butler, the last link to the Steve Lavin era believes his teammates can “definitely” return to the Big Dance next season if “all the players stay in the picture,” but the senior forward from Italy remains bothered that they blew their opportunity to make his final season like his first season, by losing nine conference games by seven points or less.
“I think we could’ve been an NCAA Tournament team this year,” Alibegovic said. “We just kept missing those little details.”
In St. John’s most recent meeting with the Bulldogs (19-10, 9-7), the Red Storm (14-15, 3-13) resembled their record. Toward the tail end of its 11-game tailspin, St. John’s scored its fewest points in nearly five years, losing 70-45, at Butler on Jan. 27.
The Red Storm have lost two straight games since their incredible four-game win streak, but in Butler’s most recent visit to Queens (Dec. 29, 2016), St. John’s pulled off one of its biggest upsets in years, knocking off the No. 13 Bulldogs for its first win over a ranked team on campus in nearly two decades.
St. John’s then closes out the regular season Saturday at Providence, and will play in the first round of the Big East Tournament next Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
“I’m looking forward to going out there and ending it the right way,” senior Bashir Ahmed said. “It’s going to be very emotional, but I’m very excited for it.”