Red Storm 2014-2015 - Blue Ribbon's Preview

by Mike Waters 

In 2011, Steve Lavin’s first year at St. John’s, he guided the Red Storm to 21 wins and the school’s first NCAA tournament appearance in nine years. But that team was laden with seniors, players recruited by previous head coach Norm Roberts. 

Lavin’s first-year success was nice, but it was temporary. And he knew it. 

“We didn’t have any returning players in year two,” Lavin said. “I’ve never experienced that before as a coach or even in my time in broadcasting. Sometimes you have two or three returning players. We had none.” 

That year, Lavin put together a stellar recruiting class, his recruits were thrown into the fire, and St. John’s managed just 13 wins. The next year the win total improved to 17, and last season the Red Storm won 20 games and made the NIT. Now, Lavin’s first recruits at St. John’s—five players out of his original class—are entering their senior year. 

“They are battle-tested seniors, who have been on their journey of re-establishing our program,” Lavin said. “They came into this daunting situation. This group navigated the challenges with grace and dignity and courage. I couldn’t be more proud of this group of five seniors. 

“I think we’re poised to do something special and send them out on a high note.” 

HARRISON & GREENE - FIERY & QUIET

Lavin’s seniors make up the bulk of an experienced and deep backcourt, beginning with returning starters D’Angelo HARRISON and Phil GREENE IV. They’ve played together for their entire careers, but the two couldn’t be more different. 

Harrison (17.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG) is the fiery one, a shoot-first, ask-questions-later type of player. A guy whose hot-headedness has landed him in hot water with Lavin, including a suspension late in his sophomore season. Last year, the 6-4 Harrison led the Red Storm in scoring, ranking fourth in the Big East. He made 37 percent (64 of 173) of his 3-pointers, but the problem was his overall field-goal percentage was a woeful 38.1 percent. He took almost 100 more shots than anyone else on the team. 

Lavin thinks the Red Storm possesses enough offensive threats to convince Harrison he doesn’t have to do it all. Lavin also said Harrison’s assist-to-turnover ratio (62 to 48) should improve as well. 

“We’re at a point where he doesn’t have to carry the load on his own shoulders,” Lavin said. “He can share the responsibility.” 

Greene, meanwhile, is the quiet type. Lavin said he’s never received an e-mail saying that the 6-2 Chicagoan missed a class or failed to do his homework. He’s the understated contributor. Last year, Greene (7.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.5 apg) made 40 percent of his 3-pointers, but he attempted only 75 of them—98 fewer than Harrison. Greene had the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team (2.72), but he played 24.9 minutes per game. 

Lavin said a torn hip labrum suffered two years ago had held back Greene, but Lavin hoped that Greene’s first healthy offseason in 2 years has him primed for a big senior year. 

“He’s capable of elevating his play and helping our cause along with it,” Lavin said. “We can see he’s got his jets back.” 

BRANCH & JORDAN - BACKCOURT IN TIME

St. John’s backcourt riches also include senior Jamal Branch and sophomore Rysheed Jordan.

Branch (4.5 ppg, 1.7 apg, 1.3 rpg) came off the bench most of last season, although he did start seven games. He’s just 6-3 and 175 pounds, but Branch prefers to get to the basket. He attempted just 18 shots last season from 3-point range, making six. But he hit 50 percent of his 2-point shots. 

Jordan (9.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.2 spg) made an immediate impact on the St. John’s program last year. The 6-4 guard out of Philadelphia was the Red Storm’s third-leading scorer and paced the team in assists. 

Lavin expects to use a three-guard lineup a lot this season with Harrison, Greene and Jordan all likely to start. 

St. John’s doesn’t have nearly as much experience up front as it does in the backcourt. 

JaKarr Sampson (12.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg) left school after two years to enter the NBA Draft. He wasn’t drafted and has since signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. 

OBEKPA CHANGED HIS MIND

The Red Storm also nearly lost starting center Chris Obekpa, who announced that he would transfer only to change his mind a few weeks later. 

“We met at the end of the season and he had decided to transfer,’’ Lavin said. “I wished him well. We went about our business. I gave him the time and the space he needed. Two weeks later, he reached out. He chose to come back.’’ 

Obekpa’s return is a huge boost to St. John’s outlook. The 6-9, 240-pound junior is the best rim protector in the league. Obekpa blocked 133 shots as a freshman, a 4.0 average that also led Division I in 2012-13, and 94 last season. Lavin thinks Obekpa (3.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.9 bpg) can improve his offensive numbers. 

“He’s playing with more confidence offensively,” Lavin said. “He’s more decisive when he gets the ball in the post. He can make the shot quicker or get rid of the ball faster.” 

THAT'S THE POINTER

Sir’Dominic Pointer, a 6-5 senior, also will play. It’s just a matter of where. Pointer can play the 2, 3 and even the 4. If Lavin goes with a 3-guard lineup, Pointer could wind up as a very undersized power forward. 

Pointer was St. John’s sixth man last year, and the only player other than Harrison and Sampson to appear in all 33 games. 

He started just once, but still averaged 21.2 minutes per game. Pointer (5.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.1 bpg) isn’t a shooter. He went 3 of 20 from the 3-point line last year, but he’s reliable in other ways; he made 73 percent of his free throws and led the Red Storm in steals. 

INEXPERIENCED GUYS

While Pointer is a bit undersized as a power forward, he does have something that every other candidate at forward lacks—experience. 

Forwards Christian Jones, Amar Alibegovic and Keith Thomas—plus center Adonis Delarosa—have a combined one year of Division I experience and none of them played D-I ball last season. 

Christian Jones, a 6-7 sophomore, sat out last season with an injury. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 24 games as a freshman during the 2012-13 season, starting seven games that year.

Keith Thomas (15.3 ppg, 15.7 rpg), a 6-8 transfer from Westchester (N.Y.) Community College, led the nation’s junior colleges in rebounding last year. 

Amar Alibegovic is a native of Bosnia who prepped in Italy. His father, Teo, played with Gary Payton at Oregon State. The 6-9 (2,04) Alibegovic is considered a stretch four. His shooting ability could help a team whose guards can be inconsistent from the perimeter. 

“He can pick-and-pop and knock down the 3,” Lavin said. “He plays Euro-style, but he’s more stout than the usual stretch four. He’s got broad shoulders. He’s strong.” 

In the middle, Lavin hopes incoming freshman Adonis Delarosa can back up Obekpa. Adonis Delarosa (12.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg) is listed at 6-11 and 265 pounds, but that’s down from the nearly 300 pounds he weighed at Christ The King High School in Queens. 

“He’s a bigger DeJuan Blair,” Lavin said, referring to the former Pittsburgh center who is still in the NBA. “He’s got good hands and surprisingly nimble feet.” 

Adonis Delarosa’s older brother, Joey, is also on the St. John’s roster. Joey Delarosa, who goes 6-11 and 240 pounds, transferred from FIU with one year of eligibility remaining. Lavin said the older Delarosa could be cleared after the first semester or sit out this season, giving him the opportunity to play the entire 2015-16 campaign. 

OFF THE BENCH

Those earmarked for bench roles include 6-2 sophomore David Lipscomb (0.5 ppg in 2012-13), who redshirted last season;
Felix BALAMOU (1.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg), a 6-4 junior;
and senior Khadim Ndiaye (0.3 ppg), a 6-5 walk-on who has been awarded a scholarship. 

If Sampson had returned rather than entering the NBA Draft, St. John’s would have been a Top 25 team. But even without him, the Red Storm will challenge for the Big East title and be an NCAA tournament contender. In fact, Lavin seems excited about his team’s prospects. 

There is a lot of experience, especially in the backcourt. Obekpa’s return gives St. John’s a defensive force in the middle. If one or two of the inexperienced forwards can take over at power forward, the Red Storm could be a surprise team. 

“We’ve got 5 SENIORS on this team who came here when we had no returning players,” Lavin said. “They were there as a freshmen when we won 13 games. They had 17 wins as sophomores and 20 wins last year. Now we want to take it to the next level and get back to the NCAA tournament.” 

Mike Waters 

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS:

BACKCOURT    B+ 

FRONTCOURT  B- 

BENCH/DEPTH B 

INTANGIBLES  B+ 

LOCATION
: Jamaica, NY

CONFERENCE
: Big East

LAST SEASON: 20-13 (.606)


CONFERENCE RECORD:  10-8 (t-3rd) 17-21-13-17-20

STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 4/1  

NICKNAME: Red Storm

COLORS: Red & White 

HOMECOURT: Madison Square Garden (19,979)/Carnesecca Arena (5,602)

COACH: Steve Lavin (Chapman ’88) 

RECORD AT SCHOOL: 71-60 (4 years) 

CAREER RECORD: 216-138 (11 years) 




ASSISTANTS:

Rico Hines (UCLA ’02) Tony Chiles (Columbia ’89) Jim Whitesell (Luther ’82) 

WINs (LasT 5 YRs.):   17-21-13-17-20

RPI (LasT 5 YRs.):      87-28-156-91-82 

2013-14 FINISH: Lost in NIT first round.