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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 – MARCH 08: Marvin Clark II #13 of the St. John’s Red Storm reaches for a loose ball against Kaiser Gates #22 of the Xavier Musketeers in the second half 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: Marvin Clark II #13 of the St. John’s Red Storm reaches for a loose ball against Kaiser Gates #22 of the Xavier Musketeers in the second half 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) /

Key Questions and Prediction

1. Who emerges in the frontcourt?

The biggest question about St. John’s roster relates to their shallow and inexperienced frontcourt. Marvin Clark is a proven fifth-year senior who provides toughness and floor spacing at the PF spot, but the effectiveness of the other big men is unclear. Sedee Keita looks like the starting center and I think he’s being overlooked nationally. The sophomore was relegated to a small role on South Carolina’s Final Four team due to an early season injury and the emergence of Chris Silva and Maik Kotsar in the frontcourt. With consistent minutes, Keita could start to flash his offensive skillset.

Not even the staunchest St. John’s supporter would claim that they have a deep frontcourt. Freshmen Josh Roberts and Marcellus Earlington round out the frontcourt and one (or both) will need to play meaningful minutes which is concerning given their recruiting ranking. It will be interesting to see how much small-ball the Red Storm play as guys like LJ Figueroa and Mustapha Heron could play the four in certain lineups. A Ponds-Simon-Heron-Figueroa-Clark lineup would be incredible offensively, but could it rebound and defend sufficiently.

2. Is Chris Mullin a capable coach?

Few people who have the Red Storm falling short of expectations cite their roster. Ponds, Heron, and Simon are all-league caliber players. Clark is not far behind and Dixon/Figueroa are two of the best reserves in the conference. Most St. John’s doubters cite Chris Mullin as their main reason for dismissing this team. Mullin has not proved much as a coach, but there are certain factors beyond his control that have led to recent disappointing seasons.

Steve Lavin left the cupboard absolutely bare and Mullin did an excellent job injecting talent into the roster. Last season, Marcus Lovett left the team and he was a crucial piece. His departure left the Red Storm with too few creators and offensive threats. If everyone remains healthy, I am confident that Mullin will be a good enough coach to bring St. John’s back to the NCAA Tournament.

3. Can St. John’s put it all together?

St. John’s has everything in place, now they have to prove it. Even with all the talent that they have assembled, people are still going to doubt the Red Storm until they start winning games. Red Storm fans should be ready for the skepticism to extend well into conference play since their soft non-league slate will not sway any non-believers. In fact, even a single loss in the first 12 games will lead to people jumping off the bandwagon. Hopefully when March rolls around, St. John’s will have proven that the program is headed in the right direction.

Next. 5 breakout teams in 18-19. dark

I have St. John’s finishing 25th nationally and 3rd in the Big East, only behind Villanova and Marquette. St. John’s fans should be thrilled with that outcome, but their talent level suggests that they could finish even higher in the Big East and nationally.