Nobody, not even St. John’s fans, has watched the Johnnies play this season while possessing expectations of a season that would end in a postseason tournament appearance for them. Given those modest hopes, few are now looking at first-year head coach Chris Mullin or the performance of his youth-laden squad assembled last summer with any sort of disappointment. Instead, there is a common sense of understanding. Everybody around the program knows the results of this season are meaningless from a win-loss standpoint. The greater significance lies in the development of its core group of players, almost all of whom are freshmen enduring their first season of Big East basketball.
Freshmen rarely, if ever, excel in conference play. So with present expectations having long ago been traded away for future dreams, it was both surprising and encouraging that the Red Storm played Villanova on its home floor as closely as any Big East team has (St. John’s ended up losing by ten), and more recently, were an untimely foul call away from derailing Seton Hall’s NCAA tournament plans.
No statistic encapsulates this St. John’s season better than the following one: they returned just eight percent of all minutes from last season, a stat that puts them dead last in the country. The national average is about 48 percent. As a result of the turnover, things haven’t been pretty on the offensive end. St. John’s is averaging just 0.939 points per possession, which ranks them 323rd nationally. It’s a function of both the team’s poor shooting and it’s quick tempo, which often encourages quick shots at the expense of good ones. Things are different on the defensive end, where the Johnnies have been rather adept at forcing turnovers and defending the paint. Furthermore, the recent play of forward Kassoum Yakwe has provided plenty of reason for optimism.
Yakwe was a late signee, committing to St. John’s in late August while working on gaining eligibility for this season. Once cleared to play in early December, head coach Chris Mullin wasted no time in getting him on the floor. The 6’7″ forward’s minutes have steadily ramped up, going from 20 minutes per game in non-conference play to an average of 30 in the month of February. The minutes boost has been accompanied by an improvement in rebounding, scoring and perhaps most importantly, shot blocking. The value of the latter development cannot be understated. While Yakwe’s shooting touch and finishing around the rim is still a work in progress, his defensive instincts have proven uncanny. He is averaging nearly three blocks per game and ranks 7th nationally in block percentage. When his team suffered through prolonged scoring droughts against Seton Hall on Sunday, it was Yakwe who kept the team afloat, posting a career-best 16 points and 15 rebounds, to go along with four blocks.
His rebounding instincts can be seen here, as he catches a tipped ball and finishes through traffic. It’s interesting to note that he immediately turns and boxes out Seton Hall’s Khadeen Carrington when the shot goes up to ensure the inside position on the offensive glass.
Meanwhile, his shot-blocking abilities and quick feet are well illustrated by this play, where he slides to provide help defense on a broken defensive play. Marquette’s JaJuan Johnson is an athletic wing who plays above the rim, but despite turning to help a second late, Yakwe was able to quickly rotate and block the shot without committing a foul.
Yawke’s teammates aren’t the only ones who have taken note of his development. Seton Hall ultimately hung on to win the game, but Pirate head coach Kevin Willard was complimentary of Yakwe’s performance on Sunday. “[Kassoum] Yakwe and [Yankuba] Sima are just terrific. Yakwe times it great, uses his length and is great on pick rolls. From when he got eligible to now where he’s playing, his progression has been tremendous. I thought he was the difference in the game, especially in the second half.”
In addition to the rapidly improving play of Yakwe, the Red Storm will add a highly touted group of recruits next season, one headlined by four-star guards Marcus LoVett and Shamorie Ponds. These players are expected to form the core of what many hope will become a perennial Big East contender for years to come. For now though, it’s time to marvel at the development and cohesion of a group of players that has nowhere to go but up.