State of St. John's Red Storm Men's Basketball

By Troy Mauriello

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It’s been a period of change for the St. John’s Red Storm. After legendary player-turned-head-coach Chris Mullin left the program in April, former Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson was tabbed as his replacement.

Many questioned the Anderson hire at first, given that he was clearly not the Red Storm’s first choice in what was a very public and, frankly, embarrassing head coaching search. Anderson had also never been anywhere near the northeast in his previous head coaching stops at UAB, Missouri and Arkansas – potentially a major concern for a program that prides itself on being “New York’s College Team.”

But the Anderson era got off to a great start in Queens. “Iron Mike” filled his staff with assistants featuring years of local ties in Van Macon and Steve DeMeo, and the new staff found their way on the recruiting trail right away, landing three local New York City recruits in their first four months on the job.

Early returns on the court were exceedingly positive as well. Anderson returned two starters from an NCAA Tournament team the year before – senior guard Mustapha Heron and junior forward LJ Figueroa – both of whom were Second Team All-Big East heading into the year. With Heron and Figueroa leading the way, the Johnnies opened up the season 11-2 in non-conference play.

That 11-2 start featured an upset win over West Virginia, now ranked in the top-15, and a massive win over No. 16 Arizona in San Francisco. The win over the Wildcats also came with Heron on the bench, dealing with a sprained ankle suffered a few weeks earlier. But thanks to 21 points from Figueroa, the Johnnies surged out to a 40-26 halftime lead and held on for a 70-67 win.

At this point in late December, the Red Storm was receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and looked like one of the surprise teams of this college basketball season. However playing in the Big East, arguably the best conference in the nation this season, has not been kind to St. John’s.

After a heartbreaking 60-58 loss vs No. 11 Butler on Dec. 31, in which the Johnnies made a 23-point comeback only to falter in the closing minutes, St. John’s dropped six of its first seven games to open conference play. They’ve struggled on the road, going 0-4 in trips to Xavier, Georgetown, Providence and Marquette, and suffered a close home loss against No. 18 Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden.

The issue in conference play has been mainly on the offensive end. The Johnnies have shot just a shade over 25 percent from 3-point range in conference play. They currently rank 322nd out of 350 D-I teams in 3-point shooting this season. Heron and Figueroa have both disappointed in Big East play, while junior guard Rasheem Dunn has been a creator, but has struggled with decision making. Bright spots in conference play have been sophomore forward Marcellus Earlington and freshman guard Julian Champagnie.

At just 13-8, it does not appear as though back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances are in store for the Red Storm. But fans have to been encouraged with the work Anderson has done so far with a relatively young team, and the future does appear bright in Queens.