High expectations surround Red Storm [ESPN.COM]

Part 1 of a 3 part preview

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/ncb/columns/story?columnist=darcy_kieran&id=5781338

NEW YORK -- When St. John's took the floor moments before its exhibition game against Westmont College on Saturday night, there were four familiar faces on the court -- four seniors, all of whom appeared in almost every game last season, when the Red Storm finished 13th in the 16-team Big East.

What was new was the fifth starter -- the team's lone freshman, Dwayne Polee. And, of course, the man who sent him there -- new coach Steve Lavin.

Polee wasn't just on the court -- he was in the center circle, tasked with taking the opening tip. And as the freshman sprung into the air and tapped the ball to a teammate, you couldn't help but feel a new era of St. John's basketball had begun.

I like how they said Lavin will stick with an eight man rotation. Its just hard for anyone to get in a rhythm when 12 people are playing every night. If the starting lineup stays as it was the first game the article is right that  Evans and Horne as well as a healthy Burrell should be the only players off the bench. If we let Horne, DJ, and Hardy get in a rhythm out there we wont have trouble scoring because all three can fill it up.

Part 2 of a 3 part preview

When Steve Lavin was hired at St. John's in late March, he inherited a team with a whopping 10 seniors on the roster. He was asked to do the best he could with that veteran group, but more importantly to attract elite recruits in order to build a team that could compete for a Big East championship and return St. John's to national prominence.

But first Lavin had to build another team, to help him get the job done: a coaching staff.

The group didn't come together all at once. In fact, a major addition was made official just a few weeks ago. But it is now complete, and Lavin said he is very pleased with his collection of coaches thus far. 

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Part 3 of 3

Dwayne Polee was brutally honest: He had never even entertained the thought of coming to St. John's until Steve Lavin was hired as head coach.

"Nah, it never even entered my mind really," Polee said.

And really, why would it have? Polee was a West Coast kid, the player of the year in Los Angeles, being courted by some of the top programs in the Pac-10. St. John's is 3,000 miles away, and has been one of the proverbial doormats of the Big East in recent years.

But on May 8, just a few short weeks after Lavin was hired, Polee signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Red Storm.

"Some people thought I was crazy," Polee said. "But playing in Madison Square Garden, in New York City, in the Big East, for Coach Lavin -- I just couldn't pass that up."

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