Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: Breakout players from each team for 2020-21 season

MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 07: The Big East logo logo on the court before a college basketball game between the Marquette Golden Eagles and the Providence Friars at the Fiserv Forum on January 7, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 07: The Big East logo logo on the court before a college basketball game between the Marquette Golden Eagles and the Providence Friars at the Fiserv Forum on January 7, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 12: Julian Champagnie #2 of the St. John’s Red Storm (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 12: Julian Champagnie #2 of the St. John’s Red Storm (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images) /

Big East Basketball breakout candidate – Julian Champagnie (St. John’s)

Last season was another struggle for St. John’s and first-year head coach Mike Anderson. They finished the season 17-15, just 5-13 in Big East play and the program took another hit this summer when leading scorer LJ Figueroa decided to enter the transfer portal. Second-leading scorer Mustapha Heron is also gone after graduating, but Anderson does return a couple of young players he can build around, and one of them, sophomore guard Julian Champagnie is my pick to have a breakout season for the Red Storm.

The 6-7 guard from Brooklyn led the team in rebounding with 6.5 per game during his freshman season and scored 9.9 points. While Champagnie had a consistently solid season for St. John’s as a freshman registering four double-doubles, but it was in the team’s final two regular-season games against Butler and Marquette where he really showed what he is capable of and gave fans something to look forward to this season.

In that two-game stretch, he averaged 22 points and nine rebounds, while also making over 50% of his three-point attempts. If he can improve his three-point shooting this season, he shot just 31% in his first year, then coach Anderson could have a bona fide star on his hands.