St. John’s Basketball: 3 takeaways from Johnnies’ 4-game winning streak
St. John’s Basketball continued its winning ways on Sunday, defeating the Marquette Golden Eagles on the road, 75-73.
Winners in five of their last six matchups, the triumph over Marquette catapulted the Johnnies to an 11-7 overall record and moved the Red Storm to sixth in the BIG EAST standings at 5-6.
Things were looking very sour in Queens when the Red Storm sat at 1-5 in BIG EAST play two weeks ago, with fans placing the blame on both the players and head coach Mike Anderson and the coaching staff.
Since St. John’s blowout loss at the hands of Creighton on January 9, the Red Storm have responded with urgency and integrity, defeating three of the last four BIG EAST opponents it played on the road.
The Johnnies are playing their best basketball as it awaits their toughest opponent of the season on Wednesday when the No. 3 Villanova Wildcats visit Queens for a 9 p.m. contest.
With that being said, here are three takeaways from St. John’s four-game winning streak.
1. Mike Anderson
It’s clear that head coach Mike Anderson and his coaching staff deserve nothing but praise for leading their team back to playing competitive basketball during a crucial time in their season.
Anderson and his staff have successfully made some rotational changes since their blowout loss at Creighton, none bigger than the glow up of junior forward Josh Roberts.
The junior forward has been a pivotal contributor off the bench for the Johnnies lately, providing over 15 minutes of the bench for rim protection and interior defense.
The Red Storm’s ability to handle difficult situations during the year has been admirable, and it shows with the leadership from key players such as Rasheem Dunn, Julian Champagnie, and Posh Alexander.
There’s no doubt Anderson has this team believing in itself again, and the Red Storm will be faced with its biggest challenge yet when it welcomes No. 3 Villanova Wednesday night.
2. Julian Champagnie
Without question, sophomore forward Julian Champagnie has been St. John’s most valuable player this season, and during this four-game winning streak, the Bishop Loughlin grad has proven that he is in contention for BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Champagnie leads the BIG EAST in scoring at the moment, and in Sunday’s win over Marquette in Milwaukee, the forward led all scorers with 22 points off of 7-of-14 shooting from the field in 34 minutes.
The Brooklyn, N.Y. native has averaged 17. 8 points over his last six games and continues to be the No. 1 scoring weapon for Anderson’s squad. The duo of Champagnie and Posh Alexander has quietly been of the BIG EAST’s most exciting scoring duos to watch.
On the season, Champagnie leads the Red Storm and ranks seventh in the conference with 7.1 boards per outing while placing fifth in the conference with 1.5 steals per contest. The Bishop Loughlin graduate also ranks eighth in the league in blocks with 1.3 per game.
3. Posh Alexander
The biggest surprise, and perhaps the team’s brightest performer, this season has been freshman point guard Posh Alexander.
The two-time BIG EAST Freshman Player of the Week has been phenomenal and continues to impress after each game. His leadership has been exhibited through his intensity and toughness. What makes Alexander stand out amongst the other players on the Red Storm is his basketball IQ.
Alexander’s offensive play continues to improve. He is becoming more comfortable taking shots from the outside and his ability to drive to the basket and make the right play time and time again makes him the lethal weapon he is.
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The Red Storm will continue to improve around Alexander as long as his motor runs as intense as it has. Wednesday’s marquee matchup against No. 3 Villanova will be his biggest test yet as a collegiate player.