There were roster changes at St. John’s. A new coach. New point guards.
But one big difference in the makeup of the team — the play of the sophomore class — isn’t new, though it feels like it.
Marcellus Earlington, Josh Roberts and Greg Williams Jr. were Johnnies last year. Except they rarely played as freshmen, mostly developing splinters from sitting on the bench so much.
It’s hard to imagine this group without them now.
Wednesday night, St. John’s was without second-leading scorer Mustapha Heron (ankle), and it hardly mattered as Earlington and Williams picked up the scoring slack, helping the Red Storm rout Albany, 85-57, to win their sixth straight game.
“They’re cashing in on their opportunities,” St. John’s coach Mike Anderson said.
When the season began, St. John’s (10-2) was identified as a two-man team. The narrative was that the Johnnies needed Heron and LJ Figueroa to carry them. But more and more that seems about as accurate as Anderson being a poor fit for New York City.
Anderson has developed a quality bench, with Earlington and Williams owning key roles. Wednesday, they combined for 27 points, 12 rebounds and four steals. Roberts, the lone starter out of the three, continued his surprising season, notching eight points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
“Our coach always talks about how our bench is the strongest aspect of our team,” said Earlington, who had 16 points and nine rebounds. “So we try to come out there, provide energy, do the little things. We’re kind of like the blue-collar group.”
The three close friends spent a lot of time during the offseason motivating each other, putting in extra time in the gym to make sure they would see the court. They didn’t want to relive the disappointment of watching again.
“We all made a vow we would give it everything we got,” Earlington said. “We had an opportunity here with the new coaching staff coming in to show them we have talent. I feel like we’ve worked hard, and it’s shown.”
The 6-foot-9 Roberts has been the best of the three, the biggest surprise on the roster, averaging team highs of 8.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Earlington, a physical 6-6 forward, has provided consistent energy off the bench, always hitting the glass hard. Until recently, the 6-3 Williams had struggled after a back injury kept him out almost the entire preseason. But his play has picked up of late, and he scored a career-high 11 points against Albany.
They were all part of another impressive performance. It didn’t even matter who was on the floor. Nothing changed about the effort, intensity and defensive doggedness, hallmarks of the season’s first 12 games.
Coming off an eight-day layoff, St. John’s was rested and acted like it, pressuring Albany into 24 turnovers and an 11:01 first-half scoring drought that led to a 21-0 run. Yes, for over a quarter of the game Albany didn’t score. Not a field goal. Not a free throw. Not a point.
“I’ll call this one of our better effort games,” Anderson said. “We have a goal of 40 deflections a game. I didn’t get the final tally, but it was in the 30’s last time I heard it.”
And, of course, Earlington, Williams and Roberts were essential to that stifling defense.