Rush The Court

Few expected a winning season for a St. John’s team that experienced a complete roster upheaval. Not only was fifth-year head coach Steve Lavin shown the door, but all six players on a team that only played a six-man rotation to begin with departed the program. There was no apparent end in sight for the dark and gloomy forecasts that riddled the program. It went on for so long that fans, coaches and players alike were not wondering when, but if, St. John’s would ever return to its status as “New York’s team.” Alas, the arrival of Chris Mullin provided a struggling program with a flicker of hope. And that hope may be arriving sooner than expected. It started as an uphill battle for a program that hasn’t sniffed a continued degree of success since Mullin himself played in the 80’s. So after St. John’s suffered a blowout loss to Vanderbilt, struggled to hold off Division II Chaminade, and then lost by 16 at Fordham, few expressed much surprise. After all, this was a team full of misfits. Some were only at the university for a one-year stay as graduate students whereas others had been recruited to play for Lavin and were now forced to adapt to new leadership.

Considering the limited degree of time and resources, Mullin’s roster construction in a matter of months has been a truly admirable effort. He took a completely unfamiliar group of players, put them on the floor together, and let the chemistry work itself out. “We’re young, we’re inexperienced, we’re all new guys, speaking a different language, but when you play together and you play well, it’s a positive reinforcement.” Mullin’s two graduate transfers Durand Johnson (Pitt) and Ron Mvouika (Missouri State) have stepped in as immediate contributors and provided invaluable leadership to the host of newcomers. Meanwhile, sparingly used returnees Christian Jones and Amar Alibegovic have worked to fill in the gaps while the freshmen, his freshmen, develop.

After a slugglish 48-44 win over 3-8 Niagara, a game in which St. John’s shot just 33% from the field, the Johnnies flipped the script. A 3-of-17 three-point shooting performance became a 12-of-24 one just four days later. On the offensive end, the emergence of two bench players, neither of whom had proven to be a reliable scoring threat this season, was major reason St. John’s had its best performance of the season. Highly touted freshman Kassoum Yakwe demonstrated a light shooting touch around the rim while returning sophomore Amar Alibegovic finally found his shooting stroke from beyond the perimeter. The scoring punch of these two combined with the shockingly mature play of freshman point guard Federico Mussini, who finished with 17 points and just two turnovers, powered St. John’s to its second highest scoring output of the season. “One of the things about our defense is taking away the three-point shot. They did a really good job of getting the ball in the high post and spacing us out,” Syracuse coach Mike Hopkins said. Above all, perhaps the most encouraging development is the defensive play of 6’11” freshman Yankuba Sima, who has served as a shot-blocking anchor with a rare sense of shot timing.

Game specifics aside, the win signifies what might prove to be a major turning point in an otherwise rocky season. Nobody expects the Red Storm to play its way into the NCAA Tournament, but the win undoubtedly sets a new standard. With full confidence that his team will eventually fit into his grand vision of success, Mullin is not afraid to take things slow. “With a young inexperienced team, we try not to anticipate anything. Each and every day we try to wipe the slate clean… come in and be accountable and try to get better.”