ST. JOHN’S
The roster that Steve Lavin has assembled in Queens is beyond loaded.
The Red Storm will likely return their top five scorers from this past year’s team that won 17 games, and add two high-profile prospects in skilled forward Orlando Sanchez and lethal scoring guard Rysheed Jordan. Jordan should instantly blend with St. John’s perimeter triumvirate of Phil Greene, Jamal Branch, and D’Angelo Harrison, the Red Storm’s top scorer from a year ago (17.8 PPG) who missed the end of last season due to suspension.
Talented forward JaKarr Sampson also returns, and Chris Obekpa is back to anchor the middle after an impressive freshman campaign in which he averaged 4.0 blocks per game. The unsung player to watch for this team? Bouncy forward Sir’Dominic Pointer. The 6-5 Pointer has the potential to be one of the better “glue guys” in college basketball, and regularly filled up all aspects of the box score last season.
The days of waiting for St. John’s to have talented pieces are over. Anything less than a trip to the NCAA Tournament will be a major disappointment for this group.
“@JonRothstein: The latest @WFAN660 features Five Teams That Will Rise During The 2013-14 College Basketball Season
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