By Joseph Staszewski
Jamaica won’t be renamed Panic City—at least not just yet. Nor should it need to be.
The St. John’s men’s basketball team rebounded from its disastrous 32-point preseason loss to Division II St. Thomas Aquinas by beating Sonoma State (Division II) 64-46 in its final tune-up at Carnesecca Arena last Saturday night. It brought a sense of calm to a worried fan base before the games that count begin when SJU hosts Wagner 6 p.m. Friday.
“Building is tedious,” first-year St. John’s coach Chris Mullin said. “It takes time. That’s where patience and perspective come in.”
Red Storm fans who were leaning for the ledge can now come back to solid ground. I understand that the now-calm feeling in your gut may not last long if the team gets off to a rocky start, but try to keep the big picture in mind.
I’m not defending the team’s performance in the opener, but what did fans expect after former coach Steve Lavin left the cupboards bare on Utopia Parkway? Maybe everyone thought Mullin, who had never coached before at any level, would wave a Hall of Fame wand and make a roster of kids who have never played together compete like savvy veterans.
He and the players have never put any expectations on this team, other than competing and giving their best effort every night.
Keep in mind, the Red Storm is still playing without three potential starters and its most experienced player in Flex Balamou, who is out with a minor injury. Forward Kassoum Yakwe and freshman point guard Marcus LoVett Jr. have yet to hear from the NCAA about whether or not they are academically cleared to play. What is left without them are plenty of freshmen and veterans getting back on the court after prolonged basketball layoffs.
“Because it was their first game, everyone was still nervous,” forward Christian Jones said. “The second game, I think everybody got the jitters out.”
If you add those three kids into the mix you immediately improve your scoring, ball handling, rebounding and defense.
Take basketball out of it for second and look at what we learned about this group as people. They suffered one of the most humiliating losses in St. John’s history, owned it, grew from it and now have put it behind them. Mullin said that the way they handled it was the most important thing. It means they will be just fine during a year that could have more than a few tough defeats to rebound from.
“We had something to prove. That’s not us, our last game,” Jones said. “We just had more fire. We were ready to play.”
It’s going to be a different type of season at St. John’s either way, filled with growing pains.
“You usually have a team with some guys that the next guy can look at,” Mullin said. “When you have all new guys you have to go through this.”
Put the panic button away and enjoy the process.
