The Red Storm are 9-0 for the first time since the 1991-92 season
St. John’s guard Shamorie Ponds — Image credit: Steven Ryan
St. John’s basketball has been waiting a long time for the love to come back their way.
Head coach Chris Mullin finally has the Red Storm in the win column long enough to start picking out furniture. Three years of growing pains, on and off the court, have helped prepare them for what’s ahead.
Happy days are in Queens again, right?
Not so fast.
A 9-0 start to this season has St. John’s knocking on the door for a top-25 ranking. That’s a long way from Mullin’s first season when they only won eight games.
But, while the wins have helped put the Johnnies back on everyone’s radar, there’s still plenty of room for improvement before they can take the next step.
The offense looks good, five players are averaging double figures in scoring. Junior guard Shamorie Ponds is averaging 21.6 points per game with improved efficiency.
Ponds scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half of the Red Storm’s 89-74 win over Princeton.
St. John’s Still Learning To Put Opponents Away
Where St. John’s leaves room for their critics is they’ve been inconsistent with putting opponents away. They’re winning games but after they’ve nearly blown leads. They let Princeton get within striking distance twice before pulling away for the win.
Victories over Princeton, Bowling Green, and Mount St. Mary’s have all come with bouts of mental lapses. There’s legitimate reason for concern because conference play begins in a couple of weeks.
The good news for St. John’s is they’ve shown grit and toughness at crucial moments. But their non-conference schedule, overall, isn’t strong. This makes their inability to keep inferior opponents on their backs a red flag.
This season projects to be a down year in the Big East, powerhouse Villanova was just upset by Penn. The timing is right for St. John’s to secure a spot in the top half of the conference.
This non-conference schedule will either toughen St. John’s up for what’s ahead in the Big East or expose their weaknesses.
Soft schedule or not, the bottom line is still winning. Mullin has to be excited about his team’s 9-0 start, it beats the tough times from year one on the job.
There is, however, still room to grow.
Wagner, St. Francis BK, and Sacred Heart round out the non-conference portion of the Red Storm’s schedule. It’s an opportunity to build on what’s working and, just as important, fix what’s been wrong.
Going into conference play undefeated likely means St. John’s would be ranked in the top 25. That’s a great short-term goal for this team to aim for.
Bu if they’re going to live up to preseason expectations, of a run at an NCAA Tournament spot, they’ll need to do more than they’ve shown.
