{"id":507613,"date":"2022-11-07T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/"},"modified":"2022-11-07T22:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T19:00:00","slug":"st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/","title":{"rendered":"#St. John&#8217;s has everything to prove as it looks for breakout season"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3bc1f6f28fb\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3bc1f6f28fb\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/#%E2%80%9CSt_Johns_has_everything_to_prove_as_it_looks_for_breakout_season%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;St. John&#8217;s has everything to prove as it looks for breakout season&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/#Why_St_Johns_will_make_the_NCAA_Tournament\" >Why St. John\u2019s will make the NCAA Tournament<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/#Why_St_Johns_will_miss_the_NCAA_Tournament\" >Why St. John\u2019s will miss the NCAA Tournament<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/#3_Key_Questions\" >3 Key Questions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/#X_factor_Andre_Curbelo\" >X factor: Andre Curbelo<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/#Games_to_Watch\" >Games to Watch:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/#Anonymous_Coachs_Take\" >Anonymous Coach\u2019s Take:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/#Prediction\" >Prediction:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CSt_Johns_has_everything_to_prove_as_it_looks_for_breakout_season%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;St. John&#8217;s has everything to prove as it looks for breakout season&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n        <\/aside>\n<p>It\u2019s a prove-it season for everyone in Queens.<\/p>\n<p>For coach Mike Anderson. For his two-star point guards, Posh Alexander and Andre Curbelo. For the man who hired Anderson four years ago, athletic director Mike Cragg.<\/p>\n<p>The pressure is on everyone to produce a breakthrough season. By March, it will have been 23 years since St. John\u2019s last won an NCAA Tournament <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>. The Johnnies last reached the main draw of the Dance in 2015. Anderson last won 20 games in 2017-18 \u2014 when he was the coach at Arkansas \u2014 and believes a big season is on the horizon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[This is] probably the most talent that I\u2019ve had since I\u2019ve been here, more guys that fit what we\u2019re doing,\u201d the 62-year-old St. John\u2019s coach said on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> day. \u201cThis team here has all the components of some of the best teams I\u2019ve had.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was ample hype for St. John\u2019s at this time last year, but the Red Storm fell well short of expectations, going 2-9 in Big East games decided by single digits and failing to reach a postseason tournament. After losing top scorers Julian Champagnie and Aaron Wheeler to the professional ranks, Anderson and his staff landed top transfers Curbelo (Illinois) and David Jones (DePaul), and were one of only a select few schools not to lose a transfer. St. John\u2019s, picked to finish sixth in the Big East by the league\u2019s coaches, is banking on that continuity paying off.<\/p>\n<p>If it doesn\u2019t, it will be interesting how president Rev. Brian Shanley responds. Shanley, the former Providence president, didn\u2019t hire Anderson or Cragg, and was described to The Post by someone close to him this way: \u201cAs forward-thinking and as athletic-minded as any priest\/college president you\u2019re ever going to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another dis<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ointing season could lead to major changes in Queens.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/GettyImages-1384105432-e1667782028879.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Jermaine Samuels #23 of the Villanova Wildcats grabs the ball for a rebound as Posh Alexander #0 of the St. John's Red Storm defends in the second half during the 2022 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 10, 2022 in New York City.\" class=\"wp-image-24551900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/GettyImages-1384105432-e1667782028879.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/GettyImages-1384105432-e1667782028879.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/GettyImages-1384105432-e1667782028879.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Red Storm star guard Posh Alexander plans to take a massive step forward this year.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Photo by Tim Nwachukwu\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201c[Shanley is] smart enough to know that he needs a big-time basketball coach\/personality to make this thing work,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_St_Johns_will_make_the_NCAA_Tournament\"><\/span>Why St. John\u2019s will make the NCAA Tournament<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Alexander takes a major step forward, improving his 3-point shot and emerging as one of the better guards in the country. Curbelo finds the form from his freshman year when he was the Big 10 Sixth Man of the Year. And a more athletic, deeper team enables Anderson to use pressure on a frequent basis, making St. John\u2019s difficult to deal with for 40 minutes.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_St_Johns_will_miss_the_NCAA_Tournament\"><\/span>Why St. John\u2019s will miss the NCAA Tournament<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Not enough shooting makes it easy to defend St. John\u2019s in the half-court. Alexander and Curbelo struggle to adjust to one another until its too late in the season. The Johnnies lose to Iowa State and Florida State, and lack a major non-conference victory on their r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Key_Questions\"><\/span>3 Key Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Is the shotmaking there?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Talk to anyone about this team \u2014 opposing coaches, analysts, fans \u2014 and it\u2019s the question everyone has: Can St. John\u2019s shoot\u00a0 well enough from deep? The opposition will pack the paint, forcing the Johnnies to hit shots from beyond the arc. They weren\u2019t a great 3-point shooting team last year, hitting only 33.5 percent from the perimeter, and lost two of their top shooters in Champagnie and Wheeler. Dylan Addae-Wusu, Rafael Pinzon and talented freshman AJ Storr are all capable, yet unproven commodities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can the point guards coexist?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Everyone has said the right things so far. Alexander and Curbelo are thrilled to play together, believing the other\u2019s presence will only help them. The results will tell the story. Both players are used to playing with the ball and now they will have to sacrifice. It\u2019s easy to see this going in either direction, the duo thriving\u00a0 or not meshing well at all.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p><strong>Is the non-conference schedule strong enough?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s better than last season\u2019s soft slate, but only marginally. Playing at Iowa State and facing Florida State on a neutral site are strong games, and potentially facing Syracuse in the Empire Classic would be fun. But the rest of the schedule leaves a lot to be desired, six opponents ranked 227th or lower by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/kenpom.com\/\">KenPom.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"X_factor_Andre_Curbelo\"><\/span>X factor: Andre Curbelo<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>At his best, he\u2019s a playmaking maestro, someone who thrives in the open court and could flourish in Anderson\u2019s uptempo system. The former Long Island Lutheran star can also get out of control, and is a non-shooter. He was terrific as a freshman at Illinois and the opposite as a sophomore, in part due to a concussion that cost him two months. St. John\u2019s needs the freshman version.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Games_to_Watch\"><\/span>Games to Watch:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>At Iowa State (Dec. 4)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The highlight of the non-conference schedule is a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a> to Hilton Coliseum, one of the most raucous arenas in college basketball. Iowa State was picked eighth in the loaded Big 12, but the Cyclones were undervalued in the preseason last year, too, and reloaded with a strong transfer class led by St. Bonaventure duo Osun Osunniyi and Jaren Holmes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vs. Villanova (Jan. 20)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first of four regular-season games at the Garden for St. John\u2019s will be on a Friday night in what should be a packed house. It will also be by far the top game of the night in the sport, a chance for Anderson\u2019s team to make a national statement.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/GettyImages-1403327913.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Head coach Mike Anderson of the St. John's Red Storm during the game against the DePaul Blue Demons in the first round of the 2022 Big East.\" class=\"wp-image-24551906\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/GettyImages-1403327913.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/GettyImages-1403327913.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/GettyImages-1403327913.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/GettyImages-1403327913.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>St. John\u2019s head coach Mike Anderson could lift the Red Storm to their first NCAA Tournament bid.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Photo by Porter Binks\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Vs. Creighton (Feb. 18)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If St. John\u2019s is in the NCAA Tournament mix, and I believe it will be, this game will offer the Johnnies an opportunity to boost their r\u00e9sum\u00e9 against one of the nation\u2019s best teams. Creighton point guard Andrew Nembhard against Posh Alexander will be fun on its own.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Anonymous_Coachs_Take\"><\/span>Anonymous Coach\u2019s Take:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI think Posh is a terrific player, he\u2019s a difference-maker. He can have a big year. I love the kid. Jones can help them. He\u2019s really good. \u2026 To me, they had two of the 10 best players in the league in the past and they were never really a threat. They aren\u2019t good enough defensively to stop you if they don\u2019t take the ball from you. My take would be I think they\u2019re overrated. I\u2019ll believe they\u2019re an NCAA Tournament team when I hear their name called on Selection Sunday. \u2026 A lot of coaches in the league would like to take their top five or six guys, but I just don\u2019t think they have any sort of winning identity that they\u2019ve bought into. What would scare us is we got to handle the ball against their pressure, and they would never really go full pressure on us and then in the half court they\u2019re easy to score on. To me, that\u2019s the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prediction\"><\/span>Prediction:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>20-13, sixth place in the Big East, 11 seed in NCAA Tournament, First Four exit<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A lot of experts see this as a boom-or-bust team, capable of winning big or falling well short of expectations. I see a tease. St. John\u2019s will have games it looks like a Sweet 16 team and performances that drive their fans to question their sanity. The end result will leave everyone wanting more, an annual St. John\u2019s tradition.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/11\/07\/st-johns-has-everything-to-prove-as-it-looks-for-breakout-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;St. John&#8217;s has everything to prove as it looks for breakout season&#8221; It\u2019s a prove-it season for everyone in Queens. For coach Mike Anderson. For his two-star point guards, Posh Alexander and Andre Curbelo. For the man who hired Anderson four years ago, athletic director Mike Cragg. The pressure is on everyone to produce a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":507614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/newspress-collage-24551803-1667797277632.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1667779446&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[135200,72025,77572,135203,72027],"class_list":["post-507613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-11-7-22","tag-big-east","tag-mike-anderson","tag-mike-cragg","tag-st-johns-red-storm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507613\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}