https://www.fanragsports.com/cbb/rothstein-files-big-east-offseason-notebook/amp/St. John’s. The Red Storm were a feast or famine team last season in year two under Chris Mullin, often following up impressive triumphs with substantial losses. Nevertheless, St. John’s will return arguably the Big East’s best backcourt next season in sophomores Marcus Lovett and Shamorie Ponds along with an all-league talent in senior Bashir Ahmed. Add a pair of transfers in Justin Simon (Arizona) and Marvin Clark (Michigan State) along with two experienced front court veterans in Tariq Owens and Kassoum Yakwe and you can see why there’s warranted buzz in Jamaica. Mullin has assembled a roster talented enough to finish in the top half of the Big East standings and compete for an NCAA Tournament bid, but it remains to be seen how much improvement this team can make on defense as well as the boards.
Still, the facts are the facts: St. John’s won 14 games last season and should have won at least two more when you consider early losses to both Delaware State and LIU-Brooklyn. The nucleus of this team is now a year older and adds Simon and Clark, two guys who didn’t leave their original programs to lose. If certain things can be refined, this team has a legitimate chance to win 20 games and play in some sort of postseason.