Busting Brackets
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St. John’s Basketball: 5 keys to a successful 2018-19 campaign

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 7: Bryan Trimble Jr. #12 of the St. John's Red Storm high fives Shamorie Ponds #2 against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 7: Bryan Trimble Jr. #12 of the St. John's Red Storm high fives Shamorie Ponds #2 against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 24: Sedee Keita #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 24: Sedee Keita #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Sedee Keita dominates the glass

In addition to potential depth issues, St. John’s projects as a team that could seriously struggle on the glass. During this past season, the Red Storm ranked near the bottom of the nation in rebounding percentages. In fact, according to KenPom, St. John’s snagged offensive rebounds on 23.6% of missed shots (312th nationally) and allowed opponents to secure second-chance opportunities 39% of the time (209th nationally). Both of these numbers were putrid overall and the Red Storm do not seem that equipped to improve in this category.

Even though last season’s leading rebounder, Justin Simon (7.2 per game), is returning for this season, he is only 6-foot-5 and there needs to be a bigger body inside. This is where South Carolina transfer Sedee Keita needs to make his mark for the Red Storm. Regardless of whether or not he starts or comes off of the bench, Keita will need to consistently provide strong minutes for Coach Mullin.

At 6-foot-9, he will be one of the biggest bodies on the roster this season and will need to play like it. Despite a small sample size (279 total minutes – 9.6 per game), Keita showed the potential to be an above-average rebounder during his lone year with the Gamecocks in 2016-17. In his minor role, Keita averaged 8.3 rebounds per 40 minutes and exhibited a rebounding rate of 12.5%.

It is important to remember that these numbers were taken from a small sample size but both would have led the Johnnies last season. If Keita is able to avoid foul trouble (5.7 fouls per 40 minutes) and stay aggressive on the glass, he could succeed in a much-needed role for St. John’s.

dark. Next. Big East award/all-conference predictions

If all goes according to plan this year for St. John’s, the team could be competing in the NCAA Tournament for just the third time since 2003. Head coach Chris Mullin could really use a strong year from the team and the roster looks plenty talented on paper. However, will the transfers gel together and will his system finally get over the hump? We will just have to wait to find out.