Big East Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2021-22 season
3. team. 478. . . . Red Storm
2020-21 season record: 16-11 (10-9)
There are always some surprises in the Big East each season and I’m on record that St. John’s has a chance to be that major surprise next year. They looked very good in Mike Anderson’s first year as head coach, including six straight wins in the middle of the season. Had it not been for brutal losses to Butler and DePaul towards the end, the Red Storm could’ve made the NCAA Tournament.
If Julian Champagnie decides to come back, I believe they will be dancing. The sophomore forward and Big East Most Improved Player of the Year averaged a team-leading 19.8 ppg and 7.4 rpg in 33 minutes a game. He had at least 12 points in every single game, including a career-high 33 points and 10 rebounds at Creighton. Champagnie is the best pure scorer in the conference and with another season could easily be Conference Player of the Year.
He, along with leading passer and double-digit scorer Posh Alexander are coming back, along with another talented underclassman Dylan Addae-Wusu. But those are the only returning rotation players from last season, as many role players opted to transfer out this offseason. Vince Cole, Greg Williams, Isaih Moore, Marcellus Earlington, and Rasheem Dunn all are gone after averaging between 8-9 ppg.
However, I would argue that the roster upgraded in the end, thanks to the incoming transfers for the program. 6’11 Fordham big man Joel Soriano (10.4 ppg and 9.2 rpg) and Texas Texas forward Esahia Nyiwe gives them real size in the frontcourt, along with athletic forward from Purdue Aaron Wheeler.
Rutgers transfer guard Montez Mathis only averaged 8.0 ppg last season but when he started as the team dealt with injuries, the junior was putting up 15 ppg in the first nine games of the season. He and Vermont grad transfer Stef Smith adds depth and proven production to the lineup and will help out Champagnie on offense.
Most importantly, this group projects to be much better defensively than last year’s roster. While St. John’s ranked towards the top in many offensive categories, they ranked either 10th or 11th in just about every defensive category. Assuming Champagnie comes back, the offensive production should be about the same. If the defense improves just towards being middle-tier, the Red Storm will be in the top-tier of the Big East.