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St. John’s Basketball: Expectations for preseason game versus Maryville

By Nick Bello

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 7: Head coach Chris Mullin of the St. John's Red Storm looks on in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The St. John's Red Storm defeated the Villanova Wildcats 79-75. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 7: Head coach Chris Mullin of the St. John's Red Storm looks on in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The St. John's Red Storm defeated the Villanova Wildcats 79-75. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Before the season starts, St. John’s Basketball takes on Maryville in an exhibition game. Here’s what to look for in the game.

College basketball is back! Well, sort of. Throughout this past week teams all over the country have been playing in exhibition games and private scrimmages. Tomorrow night, the St. John’s Red Storm take on Maryville University, a Division II team from St. Louis. The Red Storm are entering this season with a lot of hype as they have one of the deadliest backcourts in all of college basketball with Shamorie Ponds and Mustapha Heron. As the Red Storm prepare to open up their season next Tuesday against Loyola Maryland, this is the first time we get to see the damage that they can potentially do this season.

More Offense Than Defense

While the Red Storm will look to play solid defense, the amount of athleticism on their team should create a lot of turnovers on the defensive end leading to fastbreak points. We saw this last year with Marcus LoVett and Ponds early on in the season as the duo’s quick hands on the defensive end lead to a lot of fast break points and highlight dunks from guys like Justin Simon. With the size of Heron, the Red Storm will probably have similar success on the defensive end.

The Red Storm also seems to be looking to press more this season. During an open practice for media, Chris Mullin and his team started their practice off with a three-man press drill. From observing that drill, it is safe to say that the Red Storm could have a lot of success in that department this season.

New Faces in the Starting Lineup

The Red Storm have a lot of new additions this season. As mentioned, they have added Heron who transfer from Auburn as well as a lot of new freshmen who will have a huge impact this season. They will also have transfers Mikey Dixon and Sedee Keita, who sat out last year due to transfer rules.

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One addition who will be a new face in the starting lineup is JUCO transfer L.J. Figueroa. Going into this season, Figueroa has a lot of hype surrounding him as Mullin and the rest of the coaching staff were raving about him during training this summer and fall. Figueroa also put on a show during the Red Storms Tip-Off event a few weeks, dazzling the crowd with unreal dunks and his ability to score with ease.

A Lot of Substitutions

Most coaches during exhibition games don’t like to use their starters a lot as they don’t want them to get injured or tired before the season even starts. I would expect that Mullin will most likely play his starters for a good portion of the game however, he will most likely go to his bench a lot as they have the depth to do so.

Next. St. John's Season Preview. dark

During St. John’s media day, Mullin said that he plans on using his bench a lot this season to give guys like Ponds and Heron some rest so they will be able to play at a high level later on in the season. Also with the amount of talent their bench has, there is no doubt that he will use it as much as possible.