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St. John’s Basketball: Breaking down the freshmen in the 2018 recruiting class

By Nick Bello

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 08: Head coach Chris Mullin of the St. John's Red Storm speaks to an official in the first half against the Xavier Musketeers during the Big East basketball tournament Quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 08: Head coach Chris Mullin of the St. John's Red Storm speaks to an official in the first half against the Xavier Musketeers during the Big East basketball tournament Quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /
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St. John’s Basketball is bringing in a solid recruiting class for 2018-19. What kind of impact will they make for the Red Storm?

In what has been a crazy offseason for the Red Storm, it is easy to forget about the amount of freshman talent that Chris Mullin and his staff are bringing in this season. Surely there is a lot of returning talent for the Red Storm, however, with this recruiting class, the future looks bright. In a year that could be make or break for Mullin and the Red Storm, the incoming freshman will play a key role this season.

This year’s recruiting class may be one of the best of the Mullin era. It features three-star recruits Greg Williams and Josh Roberts as well as New Jersey standout, Marcellus Earlington. Since it is their first year at St. John’s, their roles on the team will probably be limited since Mullin has a good amount of returning players. However, depending on how the season goes they could play major roles on the team as we saw with Bryan Trimble Jr last season.

Josh Roberts from Montverde Academy may see a lot of minutes this upcoming season. The 6-8  forward is remarkable on the defensive end and can block shots with ease. With Mullin looking to replace the shot-blocking presence of Tariq Owens, Roberts could surely be the go-to guy when Mullin needs a shot blocker in the paint.

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Another player who could possibly receive a lot of minutes this season is Greg Williams. The 6-3 guard from Louisiana has does his best work on the fastbreak making him perfect for Mullin’s scheme. As of right now, it is still uncertain whether or not Mustapha Heron will play this season, which will most likely determine the number of minutes Williams will get this season. However, Williams could be the future of St. John’s when Shamorie Ponds leaves, making him a player to keep an eye on this season.

Although there wasn’t a lot of hype surrounding Marcellus Earlington, his impact this season and in years to come could be huge. The strong 6-5 forward was also a standout football star at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, and even earned multiple scholarships to play football. However, Earlington decided to play basketball and signed with St. John’s in April.

What Earlington brings to the table is a lot of size and strength that is lacking a little bit with this St. John’s roster. It is unknown how much Earlington will play this season, however, he could be key for Mullin in years to come. With Marvin Clark graduating after this year, Earlington could easily fill his shoes.

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As we get closer to the season, the roles of these key freshman will become more obvious. With a lot of uncertainty surrounding what Mullin’s roster will look like for this season, it is hard to determine what his roster will look like. However one thing’s for sure, the future is bright for the Red Storm.