St. John's still not waving white flag despite 9th straight Big East loss

Marcus Foster's 24 points led Creighton as Bluejays held off St. John's Tuesday night, dropping Red Storm to 0-9 in Big East play. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

JAMAICA, NY -- I need a sign to let me know you're here

All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere

I need to know that things are gonna look up

'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup

- Train, "Calling All Angels"

Two months into a season loaded with enough hope and optimism to envelope every corner of the Queens campus, St. John's fans now find themselves investing in the guidance of a higher power after just nine games of Big East Conference play, the most recent of which being a 68-63 setback at the hands of a Creighton team that the Red Storm took to the wire in Omaha just three weeks prior. 

The return meeting was far from the spirited effort displayed in the Midwest, as St. John's (10-11, 0-9 Big East), despite a very commendable display of ball control in only committing five turnovers for the entire game, were simply unable to climb out of a first-half trench they had inadvertently dug themselves. Through a rocky start to the opening stanza, the Red Storm eked out an 11-8 lead before Creighton seized control with a 16-4 run, feeding off the production of Marcus Foster, staunch defense of Khyri Thomas and red-hot shooting of Toby Hegner to coast to victory even as St. John's attempted to make it interesting in the final minutes. In fact, the trio of Foster, Thomas and Hegner accounted for all but nine points for the visiting Bluejays (16-5, 6-3 Big East), and just four fewer than St. John's total output. Underscored by the defining takeaway of a ninth defeat in as many league games for the hosts was the fact that Ponds was held to just seven points of 3-of-11 shooting by Thomas, and did not return for the final 13 minutes of regulation after suffering what head coach Chris Mullin described as a bruised quadriceps muscle.

"He's got a bruised quad," Mullin revealed after the game, which only compounded the ever-growing strife and frustration on the corner of Union and Utopia. "I think he got kneed, took a knee to his quad. He'll get treatment tomorrow and see how he's doing Thursday, and we'll go from there."

Mullin's vague press conference demeanor and perceived apathy on the bench and in huddles during games have made him constant fodder for critics and fans alike, many of whom believe that assistant coach Greg St. Jean being the most vocal presence on the sideline is an indicator that the head coach is either in over his head or largely ambivalent to what is transpiring around him. But a look into the Hall of Fame player and all-time leading scorer in the St. John's red and white's mindset Tuesday night proved that nothing could be further from the truth, even as a rabid fan base grows all the more agitated.

"No one wants to win more, and no one's more competitive than the guys in the locker room and myself," Mullin reiterated. "The record? We don't like it at all. We hate it, but I do think how we handle it is important, and I told them that we can lose games, but you're not a loser if you approach it the right way."

"If it doesn't go our way on our time schedule, the easy thing is to blame, give up, point fingers," he elaborated, growing increasingly defiant. "That's not happening. We're not doing that. That's not how I operate, that's not how my players operate."

Both Justin Simon and Tariq Owens acknowledged the razor-thin margin for error surrounding the Red Storm, who have dropped seven of their last eight contests by seven points or less while fighting a short bench that shrunk yet again once it was announced that Marcus LoVett would miss the remainder of the season with a sprained MCL.

"It's very frustrating," said Owens. "We feel like we're right there. We work hard, but it's just not enough. We can't afford to put ourselves in holes early. We can't really have lapses. That's just what it boils down to. With our margin for error being so small. we can't afford to do that. It just can't happen."

The next spate of games does not get any easier for St. John's, who travels to Butler on Saturday before welcoming Top 10 program and Final Four contender Xavier to Carnesecca Arena on Tuesday, and then Duke one week from Saturday at Madison Square Garden before a trip to Philadelphia to battle top-ranked Villanova. Nevertheless, the morale in the locker room remains one of trust and perseverance.

"At the end of the day, we have faith in the guys we have," said Simon. "We've proven that we can keep up, we've proven that we can hang in the game. With guys having to play more minutes, we still have to lock in mentally. That's what it comes down to."

"That's the easy thing, to give up," Mullin stated when asked to address the sense of despair and convey a message to the fan base. "That's not happening. It's not what anyone came here for, but we're going to work through it. I don't give up, ever. You've gotta put me in the ground, you've gotta bury me. That's when I'll give up."