Even before the 2018-19 season tipped off there was excitement building in Queens.
First came the news that Shamorie Ponds, St. John’s electric guard who was just coming off a sensational sophomore season in which he not only led the team in scoring but the entire BIG EAST as well, was withdrawing his name from NBA Draft consideration and was returning to the Johnnies for his junior season.
Then if that wasn’t reason enough for Red Storm Nation to raise a glass in celebration, Mustapha Heron, the splendid transfer from Auburn, was granted a waiver by the NCAA, thus making him eligible to play immediately for St. John’s and giving the Red Storm arguably the most potent one-two punch in the league.
Toss in the fact that the Johnnies were also returning a roster that already included Marvin Clark II and Justin Simon as well as transfers Mikey Dixon (Quinnipiac), L.J. Figueroa (Odessa Junior College) and Sedee Keita (South Carolina), and well, there hasn’t been this much hype around the St. John’s basketball program since maybe its coach, Chris Mullin, was draining long, long jumpers in short, short pants back in the 1980s.
“We’re definitely looking forward to winning this season,” said Ponds, who was named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and is currently averaging 16.3 points per game. “We know we have the offensive weapons to compete with any team in our league. This team can go really far if we play to our potential.”
And that potential could very well make this St. John’s team a major player in the BIG EAST this season. With so many weapons, as Ponds likes to call his playmates, Red Storm opponents are going to be forced to play pick-your-poison a lot this season, which will make for good times for the Johnnies and not so much for their opposition.
“I think last year was a good indication of what lies ahead (for St. John’s),” DePaul head coach Dave Leitao said. “Obviously, Shamorie has a lot to do with that as well as the other guys that are returning. So that momentum (at the end of last year), learning what the taste of winning is all about while you win, and you have pieces that were sitting out and transferred in, gives them great optimism.”
That momentum Leitao was referring to included a 5-2 February that featured back-to-back victories over then-No. 4 Duke at Madison Square Garden and over then-No. 1 Villanova on the road in a span of five days.
Heron is the key among the Johnnies’ transfers and he is already paying huge dividends. The 6-5 junior guard is averaging a team-best 22.7 points a game going into Monday night’s matchup with the California Bears in the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center. He is also leading in 3-pointers made (eight) and rebounds per game (6.3) through the Johnnies first three games, all wins. Figueroa has also made his presence known as he is third on the team with a 14.3 scoring average and is coming off a 23-point, 11-rebound performance in the Red Storm’s victory over Rutgers in the Gavitt Tipoff Games last Friday night.
Holdovers Clark II and Simon have also continued their fine play from last year by averaging 10.7 and 9.7 points, respectively, while Dixon has supplied valuable minutes off the bench. Even the recent injury to Keita, who will miss four to six weeks due to knee surgery, hasn’t slowed the Johnnies, who smoked the Rutgers 84-65 in their first game without their 6-9 big man.
“Our biggest difference is our experience,” said Mullin, now in his fourth season as St. John’s head coach. “We’ve had rough seasons in the past and our guys have worked hard. The difference now is that we have guys coming back who have played together and adding guys like Mustapha Heron, Sedee Keita and Mikey Dixon will be a tremendous help.”
Last season started off superbly for the Johnnies when they began the non-conference season 10-2. But hopes for a special season faded quickly for St. John’s when it proceeded to lose its first 11 BIG EAST games and finished just 4-14 in conference play. But Ponds thinks the talent base is just too deep for another catastrophic collapse this season.
“With this team you can put out any lineup on the floor and expect the same production,” Ponds said. “This team is very loaded. We expect a lot of guys to play some valuable minutes this season. With our young depth, we expect to do some special things this season.”
A couple of victories in Brooklyn in the Legends Classic over the next two nights would only add to the buzz surrounding the Johnnies, who will meet 1-1 Cal Monday night before facing either VCU (3-0) or Temple (4-0) Tuesday night.
And if more victories only add to the hype around St. John’s this season, so be it.
“There’s a lot of hype coming into this season and we know that,” Ponds said. “We kind of feel like we have a bullseye on all of our backs. All the other teams in the BIG EAST know we have a hungry and talented roster this season. Despite all of this, it’s important that we stay focused and level-headed. If we do that, we can be one of the better teams in the league this season.”
And while that might not sound like good news to the rest of the league, Providence coach Ed Cooley thinks a good St. John’s program, along with a packed and rockin’ Madison Square Garden, are good things for the conference.
“I’m happy for the BIG EAST. I’m happy for Chris, who is an unbelievable human being,” Cooley said. “We need St. John’s to be good and they are good. They’re very good. They probably have the most experience coming back, them and Marquette. Ponds can score from anywhere (and) Heron getting eligible, that doesn’t help the Friars. They’re about to have an unbelievable season.”
Yes, it could be a fun ride for St. John’s this year and Clark II, for one, is looking forward to what the season could hold.
“I have a lot of experience under my belt and my confidence is at an all-time high,” Clark II said. “Taking my game to the next step and maximizing my potential is important, but winning this season is the main thing I look forward to the most this season. Me and the guys have worked extremely hard up to this point and with a season of BIG EAST basketball behind me, I know we’re on the right path to do well this season.”