NCAA Basketball: Top 25 team backcourts for 2021-22 season

Head coach Mike Anderson was able to improve the St. John’s program in his 2nd year running the team. Despite a 16-11 record on the season and a relatively small leap in the win column, the Red Storm were able to secure a top-4 spot in the Big East regular-season standings. It’s a feat that’s only been accomplished three other times in the last 20 years (2002, 2011, and 2014). While the Johnnies have yet to repeat these performances in back-to-back seasons, there is reason to believe that will change in 2021.

A main reason for the optimism is the return of Julian Champagnie and his near 20 points per game. Champagnie tested the draft waters before returning to the Red Storm and is a big help towards stabilizing both their floor and potential ceiling this season. The junior wing took a big step forward in his production and command of the offense in his sophomore season and will look to replicate both his volume and efficiency in pursuit of a Big East title.

He will have the help of breakout freshman Posh Alexander, whose string of 15-point performances late in the year helped propel the Johnnies to a 6-game win streak. In fact, St. John’s was 11-2 last season when Alexander scored in double figures. With the departures of Vince Cole and Greg Williams, the sophomore has a bountiful opportunity to expand on his strong first season and find similar results on a more consistent basis.

Expecting this duo to again carry the team, it’s good to have the return of Dylan Addae-Wusu to the roster. Wusu flashed periodically through the season and will look to find more consistency now that there’s greater opportunity for minutes and scoring on the table. His competition will be stiff though, as Coach Anderson was able to sign proven guards Montez Mathis (Rutgers), Stef Smith (Vermont), and Tareq Coburn (Hofstra) to the team this offseason.

Mathis turned in similar production to Wusu last season for the Scarlet Knights, but his experience could afford him a better shot at seeing extra minutes. He comes from a much stronger defensive system and St. John’s efficient offensive play could result in benefits to both parties. However, the reliable and proven scoring from both Coburn and Smith throughout their collegiate careers could lead to earlier chances to take the vacant shots on a nightly basis.

Not to mention incoming freshman Rafael Pinzon, who could again produce a double-digit scoring threat for the program. Pinzon ran with the New York Jayhawks on the grassroots level where recent alumni of the program, Andre Curbelo (Illinois) and Zed Key (Ohio State), have quickly made impressions in the Big Ten. Outplaying Curbelo in the 2019 FIBA U17 Centrobasket tournament, Pinzon displayed efficient scoring from all three levels with balanced production on the glass and the defensive end. He could be in line for a similar impact for the Red Storm in his first season.

Cumulatively St. John’s appears set to challenge again for a top-4 spot again this season and could make the NCAA Tournament. A deeper backcourt mixing veteran production and high-upside youth could lead to the right combination of players to vault the Johnnies to a 20-win season if the chips fall right.