Five Things To Know

FRESH START

1 - The Red Storm got off to a solid start to the non-conference portion of the schedule, despite having to rapidly recruit nine scholarship players after the new coaching staff arrived in April. St. John’s won seven of its first 10 games, which included a marquee victory over Syracuse before 13,473 fans at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 13.  

Due to the roster overhaul, the Red Storm freshmen have had the opportunity to play big minutes and make significant contributions already in their young careers. They have accounted for nearly 50 percent of the team’s scoring offense and more than one third of the squad’s total rebounds. 

Federico Mussini continues to impress as the 6-foot-1 guard from Italy leads the team and ranks 12th in the BIG EAST with a 14.0 scoring average.  

Classmate Yankuba Sima is quickly developing into one of the premier centers in the league. His defensive talents have put him on the national radar as he leads Division I with 46 blocks, while ranking in the top-15 of the conference with 7.0 rebounds per game. 

Meanwhile, Kassoum Yakwe has been a spark on both ends of the court. The 6-foot-7 freshman forward is the team’s second leading shot blocker with 2.0 rejections per game. Yakwe showcased his offensive skill set going for a career-high 15 points (5-11 FG, 5-6 FT) against the Orange.

2 - St. John’s earned victories in 6 of its 8 home games this season. The Red Storm has played particularly well on the defensive end of the floor at Carnesecca Arena keeping opponents below 60 points 4 times, while holding teams to 61.5 PPG and a 35.9% field goal shooting percentage. 

Freshman center Yankuba Sima has elevated his game in Queens as he has shot 64.7% from the field and averaged 8.7 points to go with a 8.5 rebounds.
 

3 - The Red Storm’s top three scorers, Federico Mussini (14.0 ppg), Durand Johnson (11.6 ppg) and Ron Mvouika (8.8 ppg), have combined for 66 of the team’s 82 3-point field goals. 

Mussini is tied for seventh among Division I freshmen with 30 triples and he is third in the BIG EAST averaging 2.3 3-pointers per game. 

Two of St. John’s top three 3-point shooting performances came at home, most recently dropping a season-high 12 3s versus Syracuse on Dec. 13. 

The Red Storm drained 10 triples at the Maui Invitational in a win over Chaminade and sank 9 in a season opening victory against Wagner at Carnesecca Arena.

4 - St. John’s Federico Mussini and Yankuba Sima are the only freshmen teammates in the conference to each garner BIG EAST weekly honors this season. 

 Mussini was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 14 after averaging 14.0 points in a pair of wins over Syracuse and Niagara. His week was highlighted by a 17-point, three-assist performance against the Orange at Madison Square Garden, the program’s first win over Syracuse at home since 2007. 

Previously, Sima was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Nov. 23 after leading the Red Storm to wins in the first two games of the year. He averaged 10.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks against UMBC and Rutgers in the Gavitt Tip-Off Games. 

Mussini and Sima are one of two freshmen combos in the BIG EAST to lead their team in scoring, rebounding and assists, and the only tandem to top the charts in these three categories as well as blocks.
 

5 - The Red Storm’s roster features 6 international players who have combined for 64% of the team’s total minutes this season. 

St. John’s 6 foreign-born players are tied with Canisius, Eastern Washington and Saint Mary’s as the second-most in NCAA Division I, trailing just New Mexico State’s total of 9 international players. 

Freshmen Federico Mussini (Reggio Emilia, Italy), 

Yankuba Sima (Girona, Spain),  

Kassoum Yakwe (Bamako, Mali), 

sophomore Amar Alibegovic (Rome, Italy), 

senior Felix Balamou (Conakry, Guinea) and 

graduate student Ron Mvouika (Paris, France) have combined for 65% of the team’s scoring, 56% of rebounding and 69% of assists. 

St. John’s has 5 different foreign countries represented on its roster, a total that matches New Mexico State for the most in the country.

Scouting Creighton

• Creighton has won 4 of its last 5 contests, including back-to-back 20+ point wins over North Texas and Coppin State. The Bluejays averaged 103.5 points in the past 2 contests.
• The Bluejays look for their first road win of the season after previously falling at Indiana (Nov. 19), Loyola Chicago (Dec. 5) and Oklahoma (Dec. 19).
• Creighton is ranked seventh in the nation averaging 87.4 points per game and tied for 12th in Division I with a 50.6 field goal shooting percentage. Four Bluejays are averaging double-figures, including a team-high 12.5 points per game from Maurice Watson Jr. He also ranks second in the BIG EAST with 6.4 APG.
• Senior Geoffrey Groselle has posted a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game to go with a 12.2 scoring average. The 7-foot center is the conference leader with a 73.3 field goal shooting percentage.
• Creighton ranked second in the league during non-conference play with a +4.8 rebounding advantage.
• The Bluejays are top-25 in the nation with 121 3-pointers and lead the BIG EAST averaging 9.3 triples per game. Junior guard Isaiah Zierden is second in the league with 2.5 per contest.
 

Creighton
Previous Starters 2015-16 Statistics 

Pos # Player PPG RPG APG MPG
G 10 Maurice Watson, Jr. (5-10, 170, Jr.)  - 12.5 PPG 2.8 RPG 6.4 27.9'

G 2 Khyri Thomas (6-3, 200, Fr.)  - 9.8 PPG 4.7 RPG 1.7 APG 22.2' MPG

G 21 Isaiah Zierden (6-3, 185, Jr.)  - 11.4 PPG 3.5 RPG 3.1 APG 30.0' MPG

 F 13 Cole Huff (6-8, 215, Jr.)  - 11.5 PPG 3.7 RPG 0.6 APG 21.4' MPG 

C 41 Geoffrey Groselle (7-0, 240, Sr.) - 12.2 PPG 6.9 RPG 0.7 APG 21.4' MPG