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St. John’s Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Red Storm

By Brad Cavallaro

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 7: Shamorie Ponds #2 of the St. John's Red Storm dribbles the ball 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: Shamorie Ponds #2 of the St. John's Red Storm dribbles the ball 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 – JANUARY 23: Justin Simon #5 of the St. John’s Red Storm drives to the basket in the second half against the Creighton Bluejays during their game at Carnesecca Arena on January 23, 2018 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 23: Justin Simon #5 of the St. John’s Red Storm drives to the basket in the second half against the Creighton Bluejays during their game at Carnesecca Arena on January 23, 2018 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Starters

Point Guard- Shamorie Ponds, Junior

Ponds was the leading scorer in the Big East as a sophomore and is the early favorite for conference player of the year as a junior. The explosive lefty averaged 21.6 ppg and 4.7 apg and was often the sole offensive catalyst for the inconsistent Red Storm. Ponds excels at getting to the free throw line and getting into the paint, but his three-point shooting dropped significantly last season. If Ponds can increase his 25% three-point shooting closer to his freshman percentage (38%), then he could sneak into the first round of the NBA Draft.

Shooting Guard- Justin Simon, Junior

Simon is a jack of all trades guard who fills the box score. He was second in the Big East in assists (5.1 apg), fourth in rebounding (7.1 rpg), and first in steals (2.5 spg) which shows the many ways he impacts the game. His size and defensive versatility make him a great fit next to an undersized guard like Ponds and the two should form the best backcourt in the Big East. The 6’5” guard also hit 41% of his threes and if he can maintain this percentage on increased attempts, he will get serious NBA Draft consideration.

Small Forward- Mustapha Heron, Junior

St. John’s got an all-league player from a top 15 team to fall out of the sky and land in its lap. It is extremely rare to land a player of Heron’s caliber and it’s even rarer for that player to be immediately eligible. Heron averaged 16.4 ppg and 5.3 rpg as a sophomore at Auburn and was one of the best players on a top-tier SEC team. Similar to Ponds and Simon, he is an excellent college player who will be considered for the NBA if his shooting improves. His addition raises St. John’s outlook from a bubble team to a legitimate top 25 squad.

Power Forward- Marvin Clark, Senior

Clark is the lone senior on this St. John’s team and his contributions as a floor spacer are invaluable. The 6’7” junior averaged 12.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and shot 41% from deep, but his toughness and ability to compete inside often go overlooked. It will be interesting to see how much playing time Clark sees at the five as St. John’s could utilize a small but loaded offensive lineup.

Center- Sedee Keita, Sophomore

Keita is the one unproven player in the Red Storm starting five and he is clearly the team’s X-factor. St. John’s is extremely thin in the frontcourt and Keita will be relied upon to play significant minutes. The former top-100 recruit had a nondescript freshman season at South Carolina where he played behind Maik Kotsar and Chris Silva on their Final Four team. Hopefully, Keita will be able to flash is face-up game and offensive skill with more opportunity.