By Laura Amato
It was more treat than trick for the St. John’s men’s basketball team as the Red Storm cruised to a 99-49 victory over Baruch in an exhibition game Monday night.
Of course, the Johnnies are taking the win with a grain of salt—it is an exhibition against a Division III squad, after all—but the lopsided showing is a boost of confidence for a young squad that still had plenty of question marks heading into the regular season.
“We did OK I thought, and we can be better,” said head coach Chris Mullin. “That’s why we play these games. Overall, it was a good effort.”
The Johnnies got off slow— starting five fresh faces to the program—but JUCO transfer Bashir Ahmed proved to be the spark St. John’s needed on offense. The 6-foot-7 Bronx native was everywhere on the court throughout the game, but his 15 first-half points and willingness to shoot from anywhere jumpstarted the Red Storm.
“We just wanted to set a statement,” Ahmed said. “When we got a handle on everything, I felt like everything started rolling for us. We started moving the ball around and stuff started coming easy.”
Of course, an exhibition game also gave Mullin the chance to play with lineups and schemes on both sides of the ball. And the second-year coach didn’t shy away from testing out the waters throughout the game.
The Red Storm played small, showed off a full-court press and pushed the ball forward in transition—all things Mullin said he hoped to see from his squad once the season gets underway next week.
“Sometimes coaches say that, that we’re going to be OK offensively, but I really believe that’s the case with this team,” Mullin said. “Not only are they gifted offensively, they can score the ball, but they’re unselfish, so that’s good.”
While Ahmed was the spark in the first half, his fellow first-year players stepped up down the stretch as well. Big East Preseason Rookie of the Year Shamorie Ponds shook off his first-half nerves in the final 20, finishing with 12 points, while Richard Freudenberg showed off his keen shooting touch, racking up 12 points.
“Coming in, we had a lot of guys who this was their first game,” Mullin said. “I kind of anticipated them being anxious and some nervous energy. But it was good to get out and go play against somebody else instead of just them practicing against each other.”
Perhaps the most heralded debut, however, came from redshirt freshman Marcus LoVett, finally getting his start in Queens after he was ruled a partial qualifier by the NCAA last season. The 6-foot guard finished with 14 points and five assists, but it was his rhythm with Ponds in the backcourt that proved most impressive.
“I like to play with them,” said junior guard Federico Mussini of his new backcourt teammates. “They’re great players and shooters, ball handlers and they pass the ball. So I really feel good with them back there.”
In the end, it didn’t really matter who was on the court—the Red Storm breezed to a victory. By the final whistle, St. John’s shot 53.5 percent from the floor, forced 21 turnovers and out-rebounded Baruch 53-to-30.
St. John’s returns to the court Nov. 11, opening up the season at Caranesecca against Bethune Cookman. There’s still plenty to work on, but the Red Storm’s first showing on the hardwood proved this still-young roster is ready to play. And, right now, that’s the most important thing they can do.
“I think it’s always important to learn from your experiences,” Mullin said. “We focused this summer and this past month on working hard, working together, being unselfish and all the things that really matter to me to make a change here.”
