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St. John’s basketball: 2017-18 preview for the Red Storm

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Head coach Chris Mullin of the St. John's Red Storm talks with Shamorie Ponds
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Head coach Chris Mullin of the St. John's Red Storm talks with Shamorie Ponds /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 09: Kassoum Yakwe
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 09: Kassoum Yakwe /

Key reserves

SR Amar Alibegovic

The 6’9″ big provides two things the roster doesn’t have much off: senior leadership and true frontcourt size. Although he’s played limited minutes thus far, his role should increase in his final year.

JR Kassoum Yakwe

Although the junior only averaged four points and three rebounds per game, his nearly two blocks per game makes him a factor when he’s on the court.

JR Marvin Clark

Another high major transfer, this time from Michigan State, Clark will get more than the ten minutes per game he had with his previous team. He’s a similar size at 6’7″ as some of the other guys on the roster and might get plenty of playing time.

FR Bryan Trimble Jr.

Because of the unexpected exits of the international guards, this freshman will get instant minutes off the bench. Trimble is more of a shooting guard than a point, so he will sub for either Ponds or LoVett since the other has to play as a lead guard. This is a great opportunity for the freshman to become the third guard on the team and become a main rotation player.

Overall, there’s not going to be much scoring off the bench, which puts more pressure on the starters to score a bunch. Depending on how things go, St. John’s may use a very short bench throughout the year. It’s a shame for the basketball team though, because had Mussini and Freudenberg both returned, the Red Storm would have had formidable depth.

The loss of four-star Sidney Wilson, who transferred to UConn after not even making it through the summer, sets the program back in recruiting even more. The other freshman, Boubacar Diakite has elected to redshirt. The freshman forward will be available next year after a couple of post players move on.