Finally the time has come for the next chapter of St. John’s men’s basketball to begin. Chris Mullin will be making his official debut on the sidelines. St. John’s will be facing St. Thomas Aquinas, the instate Division II. The game at Carnesecca Arena will be broadcasted live on ESPN3 (Watch ESPN app) tonight at 7:00 pm est.

Who’s NOT playing?

• Transfer Tariq Owens can not participate in competition but is able to workout and practice with team for remainder of the year.
• Kassoum Yakwe is not yet cleared for competition and is still waiting for NCAA clearance. This was anticipated and it’s possible he may sit out for remainder of the year.
• The big question mark is point guard Marcus LoVett. He has not been cleared yet by the NCAA for competition. The school was hopeful they would have had a ruling by NCAA as soon as today which why no formal announcement was made about him being out. The reason why LoVett has not been cleared is due to the multiple transfers he had in high school. There is a lot of fact checking that requires a lot of back and forth from NCAA to high schools & teachers which undoubtably creates a lot of delays if either party drops the ball on communication. (Insert Jay Bilas rant)

Questions marks…

How much of the lion’s share will senior transfers Durand Johnson and Ron Mvouika have in the offense? There is no doubt that Johnson will be the go-to player in the offense but will Mvouika be the 2nd option? Mvouika could have a similar role as former 1 year wonder Avery Patterson which means bombs away from beyond the arc.

What kind of impact will returning players have on this team? Felix Balamou will look to carve a role for himself this year as the junk-guard dog. Defense, rebounding, and hustle points will be the key to staying on the court this year. Christian Jones needs to improve his go-cart motor and show a desire to do more than just dunk a ball but there is little confidence here he’ll unlock that potential. Amir Alibegovic continues to show some flashes he can make an impact. His decision making and play speed are the two things that kept him off the court last year.

Can Sima log over 25 min a game? There aren’t a lot of bigs in the conference who log over 20min per game due to fatigue, playing style, or foul trouble. Sima is more mobile than he showed in high school and might be best true big man St. John’s has had in over a decade.

Can St. John’s look like a superior team tonight? Far too often you’ll see a young team play to the level of their competition. Can St. John’s avoid the trap of playing down to their competition? Will be a good early test to see if the Red Storm can play disciplined and mistake free basketball. Expect some early struggles but don’t hit the panic button.