St. John’s gears up for DR trip and first experience as a unit

St. John’s goes through final tuneups before trip to Dominican Republic, where Red Storm will play three exhibition games. (Photo by Thomas Cavanagh/WSJU Radio)

NEW YORK — Not often does one team lose its star player and raise the expectations within its walls, but after the offseason St. John’s experienced, the Red Storm emerged a stronger and deeper unit.

Julian Champagnie has since moved on from Queens to take his talents to the Philadelphia 76ers, but in his place stands a pair of highly-coveted transfers in Andre Curbelo and David Jones, supplementing the cadre of depth and versatility that the Johnnies retained heading into a pivotal fourth year under head coach Mike Anderson, a season that begins with a three-game exhibition in the Dominican Republic starting Friday and one that is anticipated to culminate in the NCAA Tournament seven months from now. But before the ball is tipped, Anderson simply wants to see what he has in the outfit that could very well have the most upside in a significantly altered Big East Conference hierarchy.

“I want to see what they bring to the table,” he said Wednesday before St. John’s final tuneup leading into its overseas excursion. “Obviously from a talent standpoint, we kind of know, but I just want to see what they can bring defensively, offensively, how they get a sense and feel for some of the other players on our basketball team. So for me, it’s more about getting familiar with one another.”

“They’re looking forward to playing against someone other than themselves. For the most part, everybody’s ready, set to go, and we’re looking forward to continuing to find out more about our basketball team. The time spent thus far has been very insightful.”

The makeup of this year's St. John’s team may be somewhat different in terms of the new faces, but largely consistent with the return of Posh Alexander and Dylan Addae-Wusu to the starting backcourt, while Montez Mathis takes on more of a reserve role alongside incoming freshmen Kolby King and AJ Storr, as well as sophomore Rafael Pinzon, who is 100 percent after being sidelined for much of last year with a finger injury and a separate bout of COVID-19. Down low, Joel Soriano — who has earned plaudits from Anderson and his teammates for his conditioning and initiative as a vocal leader — anchors the paint with Jones in Champagnie’s stretch four role and the sophomore duo of Esahia Nyiwe and O’Mar Stanley spelling Soriano in the de facto center spot.

“I think Joel has picked up where he left off last year, he gives us a presence,” Anderson reiterated, revealing his enthusiasm for how he hopes his forwards will perform. “Esahia continues to be that glue guy, but even more so, I think he’s a lot more comfortable passer, being able to catch and finish. I’m excited about those front line guys, and of course, you’ve got to remember, O’Mar had his moments last year.”

One of the major questions surrounding the guards on the corner of Union and Utopia is that of how Curbelo will mesh with Alexander, as both are pure point guards who also have a knack for scoring when needed. Anderson was quick to point out that some of his best teams in the past had a dual point guard attack, which he insists will be more of a boon for the Red Storm than a bane, and heralded Curbelo’s immediate impact as a veteran whose objective has been to acclimate the younger underclassmen behind him to life in college basketball.

“They like to give it up,” Anderson said of Alexander and Curbelo, and their respective tendencies to be facilitators. “They also like to score, too. If I’ve got two point guards out there on the floor, I think that bodes well for our basketball team.”

“(Curbelo) commands their attention. They’re always going to know he’s there. I think his demeanor on the floor, he’s always teaching. He had a moment the other day where he got after Kolby and it got a little physical, but that was Andre’s way of saying, ‘Hey, I gotta get you ready, man. You gotta help us, I gotta get you ready.’”

St. John’s has employed a businesslike approach through its ten allotted practices before arriving in the Dominican Republic, where its three games will take place Friday, Sunday and Monday. But regardless of records and results, the main reward for this potential sleeping giant is the chance to enhance an already strong team bond that could, if coagulated properly, prove to be the adhesive that lands the Johnnies among the field of 68 for the first time since 2019.

“The bonus to me is guys spending time with one another,” Anderson said. “These guys have been here all summer. You don’t have all the distractions, just a team and a basketball. I just think you’ll get a little sneak preview of what’s to come.”