What to Watch For: Key Big East Preseason Storylines
Posted by Justin Kundrat on October 26th, 2015College basketball is just around the corner. Finally. It seems like ages ago since we last discussed Big East basketball. Maybe that’s because the league had no deep NCAA Tournament runs outside of a Sweet Sixteen appearance from Xavier; or perhaps the droll of mid-summer baseball wasn’t enough to hold us over. Not to worry though, the hibernation period is over. For those who have distanced themselves from offseason news about the Big East for the last six months, here’s your handy primer. There are several key storylines worth monitoring as we approach the start of the regular season.
The Return of the… Freshmen?
Jalen Brunson is the one to watch this season. (Ralph Thompson/maxpreps)
Three key players headline the list of Big East recruits this season, and all come at opportune times for their respective teams. The first is Jalen Brunson, recipient of the preseason Big East Freshman of the Year award and a star on the USA FIBA U-19 team over the summer. Brunson is a budding star and arguably the best point guard in his class, setting high expectations that he can provide an immediate scoring punch and carve out a starting role in Villanova’s loaded backcourt. Henry Ellenson, a 6’10″ forward who chose Marquette over the likes of Kentucky and Michigan State, will assume an immediate starting role in the Golden Eagles’ frontcourt alongside returning junior Luke Fischer. Ellenson is a big-bodied forward whose style more closely resembles a Brad Miller/Dirk Nowitzki type than a traditional back-to-the-basket player. And while Brunson might be the bigger household name following his summer breakout, Ellenson should have the larger impact on a resurgent Marquette team that desperately needs his size. Last is Georgetown recruit Jesse Govan, a 6’10″, 260-pound center who truly plays like one. His presence around the rim is game-changing on the defensive end, and as a result, the freshman should see immediate playing time following the departures of Joshua Smith and Mikael Hopkins.
Can Chris Mullin Save St. John’s?
Mullin Was the Wooden Award Winner at St. John’s in 1985. Now he’ll try to bring that same success back to NYC. (SI/A. Hayt)
The Steve Lavin chapter at St. John’s closed with a pronounced “The End.” In five seasons at the helm, Lavin amassed two NCAA Tournament appearances where he failed to win a game in either. Many openly wondered why he didn’t achieve more given his available talent, but that issue is no longer relevant. In the offseason, the Red Storm experienced near-complete roster turnover, losing 11 players and leaving newly minted head coach Chris Mullin with a hodgepodge of transfers and freshmen recruits. Expectations are brutally low for his first season on the bench, but the future already looks bright. Among the new players under Mullin’s tutelage are Pitt fifth-year transfer Durand Johnson, JuCo wing Darien Williams, and a bevy of highly-ranked freshmen, including Marcus Lovett Jr., Kassoum Yakwe and Yankuba Sima. Consider Year One in the Mullin era to be an experiment and take the longer view of what he has already done for the program in just seven months. His recruits are already citing him as the key reason for committing to the school and it’s clear that his players have bought into the longtime NBA star and Dream Teamer’s sales pitch. A revived New York City program has the potential to drastically alter the local recruiting scene, but this storyline also sounds eerily familiar to what we heard about Lavin’s arrival five years ago…
Will the Big East Remain a Top Basketball Conference?
Entering its third season as a revamped basketball league, the Big East is entering an impasse of sorts. Without a stronger showing of postseason success, critics will slowly begin thinking of the conference as an “upper mid-major” failing to garner the same respect as those leagues with national championship contenders. For now, that designation is a difficult one to contest. Six teams made the NCAA Tournament last season, yet none save Xavier possessed the resiliency to make a run. Will this season turn the tide? That will depend on a number of factors: Villanova’s ability to hold serve as a top 10 team; the pending emergence of Georgetown and Butler as perennial Tournament teams; and the success of the turnarounds at programs such as Marquette, Creighton and St. John’s. As with anything in this sport, only time will tell, but the conference as a whole will have to establish itself as nationally relevant this season to maintain its prominence and avoid falling into the abyss that seems to be lurking.
Villanova grad, patiently waiting another 10 years for season tickets. Follow Justin on twitter @JustinKundrat or email him at justin.kundrat@gmail.com
