St. John’s picked ninth, but unfazed as growth and depth exceed perception

Julian Champagnie and St. John’s were taken lightly in Big East preseason poll, but sophomore forward and his teammates insist predictions are irrelevant. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW YORK — Far too often, greater stock is placed in preseason predictions than the pundits’ speculation deserves. For teams picked to finish near the top of their leagues, it is a validation. For those selected toward the bottom, it is usually a prevailing opinion that the number next to the name does not matter at the end of the day.

St. John’s proved itself befitting of the latter description Wednesday morning, as the Red Storm — picked ninth and third-last in the Big East Conference’s preseason poll, unveiled this morning before the league’s annual media day kicked off in a virtual setting — is largely unfazed by the low expectations that were created by an influx of new talent the likes of which have not been seen by a majority of Big East programs outside of recruiting.

“Personally, I’m not really a guy to look into politics and preseason polls,” Julian Champagnie said of St. John’s perceived stature among its conference brethren. “I don’t really expect anything from anybody. Opinions are opinions, and that’s what it is. I feel like the only thing I’m worried about is as a team, we ended the season really well and I would like to pick up where we left off.”

“It seems like last year, because I think last year we were picked ninth, too,” head coach Mike Anderson observed. “I keep using the analogy that I was my wife’s third choice, so I didn’t turn out that bad. It ain’t where you start, it’s where you finish. I don’t take it personal. All that means is we've got to work and continue to prove that we can be the best team. That’s all I want out of our guys.”

St. John’s did win 17 games last season and threatened to upset Creighton in the Big East tournament before it was canceled at halftime of the Red Storm’s quarterfinal matchup, a testament to the gradual and marked improvement of a group that ultimately became comfortable with its coach’s in-your-face, 40 Minutes of Hell style.

“Even as we look at our team last year, we came out of the gates and we played well in the non-conference schedule, then we got to the conference schedule and we got popped upside the head,” a candid and succinct Anderson assessed. “It took us a while with injuries and guys understanding their roles, but I thought by the end, we were playing well.”

“I think we’ve addressed some issues. Our guards were our strength last year with our basketball team. Our forwards were lacking, and having a year in the Big East going up against some good coaches and some really good talent, we figured we had to bring in some forwards to make us a little more balanced.”

The depth in Queens is perhaps the most conspicuous takeaway looking at St. John’s roster compared to last season. While a core of incumbent players the likes of Champagnie, Greg Williams, Rasheem Dunn, Marcellus Earlington and Josh Roberts has improved, so too have the newcomers. And to expound on Anderson’s need to address the Red Storm’s front line, graduate transfer Arnaldo Toro and 6-foot-10 junior college import Isaih Moore have already gone a long way toward tilting the scales closer to an equal split.

“I’ll tell you what: I really like what Toro brings to the table,” Anderson gushed. “I think he brings maturity, he’s just one of those who will do whatever it takes to help your team win. He brings a calmness, the experience factor. I think he’s going to be really, really good in what we do. Marcellus Earlington, you saw him come in. Isaih Moore gives us a versatile forward. It’s going to be a contribution of multiple guys, and you can’t look past what Julian did last year. Going down the stretch, this guy almost averaged a double-double, and I think he’s hungrier.”

“I wouldn’t want to put anyone above anyone else,” Champagnie said of the new arrivals. “I’d say they’ve all come in and done what they had to do. They’ve all impressed me a lot, but I’d say Toro surprised me. He knows what it takes to win and he knows things other guys don’t, including myself. He’s a piece that we needed.”

Junior college wing Vince Cole — currently limited for the past three weeks due to a knee injury — as well as freshman Posh Alexander have drawn rave reviews from both their teammates and coaches, but at the end of the day, the two — and everyone else donning the red and white jerseys in the corner of Union and Utopia this season — are vital cogs in a machine whose main goal is to be versatile to the point where opposing teams will he unable to focus primarily on one or two main scorers.

“Our job is to put a team out there that you’ll have multiple guys you’ve got to worry about,” Anderson cautioned. “My best teams have been when you have multiple guys who, on any given night, can get you 25. And we saw that last year. Marcellus had one of his better games against Georgetown. Greg, against Creighton, he just went off. Julian had a game at Butler where he played extremely well. We’re going to have a bunch of guys you’ve got to worry about.”

“For us individually, we have the mindset to go out and make everyone better, including ourselves,” said Williams. “I think that we have to expand our leadership role to make sure everyone is working as hard as they can and just bringing everything they have to the table. It’s our job to bring what we have to the table, and therefore increase the level of our play.”