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St. John’s Basketball: Return of LJ Figueroa massive for Red Storm next season

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 13: LJ Figueroa #30 of the St. John's Red Storm celebrates his shot in the first half against the DePaul Blue Demons during the first round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 13: LJ Figueroa #30 of the St. John's Red Storm celebrates his shot in the first half against the DePaul Blue Demons during the first round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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There have ben plenty of uncertainty with St. John’s Basketball after a coaching change. LJ Figueroa coming back helps the team out big time.

While Shamorie Ponds was viewed as the star of St. John’s Basketball this past season, an argument can be made that LJ Figueroa was the most important player on the team. The former JUCO star averaged 14.4 ppg and led the team with 6.4 rpg.

The 6’6 wing was able to play multiple positions on the court and made over 50% of his total shots. He was a consistent scoring clog and had his best game of the season in the massive win over Villanova, going for 22 points and 12 rebounds. There were some disappointments of the 2018 JUCO recruiting class at the top but Figueroa was the clear exception, playing a big role in the Red Storm making the NCAA Tournament.

He was expecting to return for his junior season, until head coach Chris Mullin decided to part ways with the program. It took a while for the administration to find his replacement, eventually finding former Arkansas Head Coach Mike Anderson. In the meantime, several key players elected to either enter the transfer portal or go pro. Ponds and Justin Simon aren’t coming back, while Figueroa and Mustapha Heron‘s futures with St. John was up in the air.

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But after the new coaching staff was put together, they went to work in recruiting the current Red Storm players to remain on the team. And it worked with Figueroa, with his announcement to come back. That gives Coach Anderson a proven scorer for his team to work with and an experienced Big East player to provide leadership. They also have transfers Eli Wright, David Caraher and Ian Steere to replace some of the departing talent.

Not only are there benefits on the court for Figueroa in returning to St. John’s but there is also recruiting positives. The first being that it’s more likely that 15 ppg scorer Heron could follow suit and come back as well, along with being more viable for other transfers to join. USC grad transfer Derryck Thornton has the Red Storm in his final list of teams and playing with a scorer like Figueroa is very appealing.

Next. 2019 recruiting class who can be influential in the future. dark

St. John’s loses key players but Figueroa coming back softens the blow big time. The Big East overall loses a ton of production so the Red Storm may still be able to compete for a possible spot in the Big Dance. Unlike other incoming first year head coaches, Anderson won’t have an empty cupboard to work with in 2019-20.