2006-2007 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 9) ST. JOHN'S

October 9, 2006


Slowly, but surely, St. John's has been improving and moving up in the conference standings. However, with just nine conference wins and no Big East tournament appearances in the last three years, there is still a little bit of hesitation in getting too excited just yet.

With a trio of seniors likely in the starting line-up (Lamont Hamilton, Daryll Hill and Aaron Spears), this is a key season for St. Johnn's to prove to those around college basketball that they are firmly entrenching their program as a future challenger in the Big East. They have added a solid recruiting class and look for some improvement from a couple sophomores in helping the Redstorm and Norm Roberts' quest for a .500 Big East season and a return to post-season play.

St. John's battled the injury bug last year, losing Daryll Hill for a significant amount of time and seeing Anthony Mason also go down with injury just as he was looking to blossom. Still, the Redstorm showed improvement and the scrappy bunch was always competitive, despite not having much depth to plug in the holes for the injured players. Only Ryan Williams is gone from graduation and Dexter Gray and Cedric Jackson transferred out of the program, but they each should be replaced with their incoming players. JUCO shooting guard Avery Patterson might be the most anticipated as he adds the element of perimeter shooting that SJU sorely has missed in the past few seasons. Derwin Kitchen was originally a Florida commitment, but he was not admitted into UF, so after a prep school season, the Redstorm were able to swoop in the quality combo guard. A third guard in the recruiting class is Saginaw, Michigan's Larry Wright, a quick and athletic guard who can score. Another player expected to play a significant role this upcoming season is Qa'rraan Calhoun, a 6'8, 215 lb freshmen forward from Bridgton Academy. Look for Calhoun to back-up both forward spots and, along with Patterson, see a lot of time this season making the Redstorm a deeper squad.

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One bit of disappointing news with the incoming class is that Rob Thomas will be ineligible for this coming season. Thomas is a 6'7 forward that can score all over the court, but he could not make the grade academically at this time. His story has been well-chronicled in the last year and he has overcome many obstacles to get this far, hopefully he can stick it out a little longer and we see him playing in the Big East before long.

The added depth the new players will provide should help the starters be more effective since they do not have to carry the load on their own. The electric Hill returns after struggling with injuries and his role as a junior, where his scoring average dropped from over 20 PPG to under 12 last season. Hill is a player that excels with the ball in his hands, creating opportunities for himself and his teammates with excellent quickness and ball-handling. However, the offense can get bogged down when players spend too much time watching him dribble and it has taken a good number of shots in the past for him to get his points. Quite often, the point guard duties are handled by Eugene Lawrence, a junior. Lawrence is one of the strongest guards in the conference and plays physical on defense and hits the boards. His lack of offensive skills allows him to get others involved more frequently, but his turnover numbers are quite high (as are Hill's). For this team to continue to improve, they must take care of the ball much better. Sophomore Ricky Torres, a sweet-shooting guard, also returns and looks for a bigger role as a sophomore.

The starting frontline returns intact with the productive Hamilton and the solid Spears anchoring the post positions. Hamilton showed the ability to step away from the basket last year and play more of an inside-out game with the presence of Spears. Hamilton still needs to improve his toughness inside in this conference, but he no longer has to go it alone. Spears is a big body with nice hands and touch inside, but he needs to become more aggressive on the boards. His rebounding numbers in Big East play were disappointing. At the small forward spot in the athletic Mason. Like his father, he combines a high basketball IQ with good all-around skills. As his body fills in, he will become better and better at finishing inside at the rim and as he fine-tunes his shooting touch, he will be an even better all-around threat. Another sophomore, Tomas Jasiulionis, is a Euro big man that is still learning the Big East game, but offers size and skill that could develop into a solid player adding depth to the Redstorm line-up.

St. John's is also aided by a schedule that does not have them playing Marquette or Villanova. They do have to play Syracuse and DePaul, two very good teams twice, along with Providence, who is solid, two times each, so it is definitely no breeze. The pieces are in place for this to be a post-season team and if you can get to .500 in the conference, you can be in the discussion for the NCAA tournament.

So, will the Redstorm reach their potential? I am going to put that responsibility on Daryll Hill as he has the ability to be a difference maker. If Hill can better assimilate himself into the system and be the leader the 'storm needs, it should allow the other pieces to fall into place. Hill likely wont have to average 20 PPG for this team to win, but he will need to be more effecient with his offense and his distribution of the ball for this team to keep improving. He has a better supporting cast, especially on the perimeter, than he has had at any time, so his development as a complete player will tell the story of this season.

Things are improving at St. John's and Norm Roberts has a firm control over his team and his expectations seem to be very high for his players. If they can live up to those, it should be another step forward in the right direction for the St. John's program.

Projected Big East Record: 8-8