When Chris Mullin was asked at
media day what to expect in this his second season as the school's head coach
he had several answers. He was quick to point out that the talent level and
depth were better. And after two recruiting cycles; one where they moved
swiftly and found some good talent and another which included a consensus top
40 high school prospect and a top 5 juco player both with New York roots. But
his most simple and direct response came when he said that this season was
"a debut for everybody".
It's easy to understand why Coach Mullin
and the players would be eager to turn the page from last year's 8-24 season.
While several of the young players they recruited in the immediate aftermath of
Mullin's hiring demonstrated that they could help the team progress they simply
did not have enough numbers and talent to survive in a new Big East conference
that remains intensely competitive and produced a national champion, Villanova,
in just its third year of existence. Those players, including all Big East
freshman selection Kassoum Yakwe and a pair of talented perimeter players in
Malik Ellison and Federico Mussini have helped provide a welcoming environment
for the newcomers. "We have a bunch
of gym rats who love the game," Mullin said. "It's fun being around
guys who just had a two hour practice and after they're just shooting and
hanging around the gym."
Five newcomers will be seeing their first action for St. John's this season but thanks
in part to that "gym rat" mentality there's no division between
newcomers and returnees. "The biggest advantage is that the guys who
returned know what we want done in our system," Mullin said. But everyone
connected to the program acknowledges that the wide recruiting net cast by the
coaching staff has upgraded the talent level in the program. "Practices
have been much better, more competitive," Ellison said. "Everyone has
bought in to what coach wants and is trying to build."
The aforementioned wide recruiting
net brought home a pair of New Yorkers who both helped their teams to
championships last season. Shamorie Ponds the consensus top 40 recruit helped
Thomas Jefferson to both city PSAL and State Federation titles. Bashir Ahmed, a
6'7" Bronx native who began his career at JFK high returns home after
leading Hutchinson Junior College to a national title and earning juco
All-American honors in each both of his seasons there. Both local stars bring
lots of scoring potential to St. John's and that makes another freshman Marcus
LoVett perhaps the most important of the newcomers. The Indiana native who sat
out last year due to NCAA freshman eligibility rules brings a playmaking dimension
to a recruiting class that primarily addressed the team's shooting struggles . "He's
really meticulous in his preparation and unselfish," Mullin said of
LoVett. "He's had some big scoring nights in high school but I think he
likes to pass more and get his teammates involved." It's worth noting that
Ellison, who was at times asked to play the point last year echoed those
thoughts and sees LoVett's arrival creating chances for the other guards to
play off the ball and look to score. "He creates a lot, and I think I can
be more of a scorer."
The Red Storm also added some international
flavor to the recruiting class in Richard Freudenberg who a native of Germany
who adds length, shooting ability and another spoken language to a team that
already speaks six of them. The hope is that his shooting ability from the
power forward spot will help space the floor and add to a frontcourt that includes Ahmed, a junior
and Yakwe, along with fellow sophs Yankuba Sima and Tariq Owens. The trio of
second year players add length and shot blocking but the team's perimeter defense must improve to take full advantage of their ability to
protect the rim. If they can combine that with improved offense they will
surely be improved and competitive against a tough non-conference schedule and
in league play.
Year two of the Coach Mullin era
brings with it a deeper and more talented roster and a group that's eager to
work together towards improvement and success. Time and patience will still be needed as the
building process of the team and the program continues but progress has been made that should show
itself on the court this season.
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