LJ Figueroa
So much for momentum: St. John's falls to Xavier
St. John’s will have a hard time making a postseason run without its second-leading scorer. It’ll be impossible without the ability to handle success. Playing without Mustapha Heron (sore right...
St. John's made the Garden feel like home again for one evening
Finally, the Garden bared its teeth, cleared its throat and carried St. John’s on its shoulders. Finally, the old gymnasium on top of Penn Station felt like a home court...
St. John's disaster becomes a party in Tournament breakthrough
Break out the shoe polish. Take the suit to the cleaners. St. John’s looks as if it’s headed to a dance — the Big Dance, the one the Johnnies have...
Shamorie Ponds propels St. John's to key skid-busting win
OMAHA, Neb. — Don’t file that obituary just yet. There is plenty of life left in St. John’s. With their backs against the wall, the Red Storm delivered arguably their...
How St. John's newcomers are faring so far this season
OMAHA, Neb. — Maybe St. John’s struggles shouldn’t be so surprising. Perhaps, all the new additions were going to take time to jell. Coach Chris Mullin’s eight-man rotation includes four...
St. John's will need more grind-out wins like this one
The crowd was on its feet now, letting loose with a roar equal parts delight and relief. LJ Figueroa, who may own the nosiest nose for the ball in all...
Shamorie Ponds returns in style as St. John's gets back on track
Shamorie Ponds returned — and so did St. John’s swag. After suffering a season-worst loss to DePaul with the All-American candidate sidelined by a back injury, Ponds swooped back into...
St. John's misses Shamorie Ponds in ugly loss to DePaul
Shamorie Ponds’ importance has never been questioned. Now, it can never be overstated. With St. John’s star guard sidelined Saturday night by a muscle strain in his lower back, the...
LJ Figueroa confident St. John's will rebound from Villanova loss
St. John’s responded to its first defeat, the controversial buzzer-beating loss to Seton Hall, by manhandling nationally ranked Marquette. A similar response is needed after the Red Storm’s second loss,...
No. 24 St. John's stumbles down the stretch in loss to Villanova
VILLANOVA, Pa. — To be the best in the Big East, No. 24 St. John’s had to beat the best. Thirty-six strong minutes against Villanova weren’t enough. The Red Storm...
St. John's is getting its chance to shake up the Big East's hierarchy
In many ways, the most glorious era in St. John’s basketball history can be traced to one game. It is relevant today to remember that game, to commemorate it, because...
St. John's made statement vs. Georgetown: We are for real
WASHINGTON — You want to be thought of as a legitimate force and not merely a cute little story? You win games like this. You want to be taken seriously...
St. John's ends losing streak to Georgetown with thrilling OT win
WASHINGTON — Shamorie Ponds made six 3-pointers and had 37 points and five assists as St. John’s beat Georgetown 97-94 in overtime on Saturday to snap a 13-game losing streak...
Shamorie Ponds masterpiece puts St. John's at remarkable 10-0
The symmetry was fitting. The timing was apropos. On the day St. John’s equaled its best start in 36 years, Shamorie Ponds — the player most responsible for the Johnnies’...
St. John's remains unbeaten, but it wasn't pretty
The best thing that can be said about the St. John’s victory Wednesday night is that it’s over. Also that it didn’t end with St. John’s the butt of jokes...
St. John's blows out a cupcake to improve to 6-0
It’s one thing to get mocked for a schedule full of cupcakes. It’s another to lose to one of them. St. John’s seemed to learn its lesson from Bowling Green,...
How St. John's can build on its imperfect 5-0 start
It’s easy to find fault in St. John’s 5-0 start, point to the team’s inconsistencies, defensive issues and failure to dominate inferior competition. But it’s also worth noting, this is...
St. John's new guard excels at lighting it up
Ask anyone familiar with LJ Figueroa what he does best, and the answer is always the same. He scores. Some will start by talking about his jump shot. Others will...