SJU - Five Things To Know

1) FRESH START

With only 3 returnees from last season, St. John’s freshmen have had the opportunity to make immediate contributions and continue to gain experience with the Red Storm. 

Federico Mussini, Yankuba Sima, Malik Ellison and Kassoum Yakwe each average at least 20 minutes per game and have contributed nearly 40% of the team’s scoring, rebound and assist totals. 

Sima and Yakwe have already established themselves as premier shot blockers in the BIG EAST and the nation, averaging 3.1 and 2.3, respectively. 

All four freshmen have started for the Red Storm this season with Mussini one of only two players on the team to start all 18 contests. He has played a league-high 600 minutes.

2) DOUBLE TEAM

Four Red Storm players scored double-figures for the fourth time this season on Wednesday versus Georgetown. 

Ron Mvouika led St. John’s in scoring for the second time in the past three games and for the third time this season finishing with 15 points. It was his ninth double-digit scoring effort of the year. 

Amar Alibegovic (12) and Durand Johnson (10) combined for 22 of the team’s 30 points off the bench, while Federico Mussini added 11 points for his third-straight double-digit performance and 13th overall.

3) THE SNIPERS

Freshman Federico Mussini and graduate transfer Ron Mvouika have emerged as two of the top shooters in the BIG EAST. The duo has combined for 58% of the team’s 3-pointers. 

Mvouika has buried seven triples in the past three games and made five of his last six attempts from downtown. He ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with a 42.1 3-point field goal percentage this season and is shooting 43.8 percent from distance in conference games. Mvouika has buried 92.3 percent (12-of-13) of his free-throw attempts in league contests, which is the fourth-best mark. 

Mussini is the only BIG EAST player yet to miss at the charity stripe, hitting all 11 attempts in conference play and he is fifth overall with an 86.5% mark this season. 

Mussini has buried a 41 3-pointers, the second most in the conference. He has sank five 3-pointers in a game four times this year.

4) SECOND HALF COMING

St. John is coming off its second highest scoring half of the season dropping 45 points on a 50.0 percent (13-26 FG) shooting in the second stanza against Georgetown on Wednesday. 

Graduate transfer Ron Mvouika missed one shot in the final 20 minutes going 6-for-7 from the field with two 3-pointers. 

The Red Storm has averaged nearly 40 points in the second half of BIG EAST games this season with a 44.1 percent field goal shooting percentage.

5) NEW GUARD ON THE BLOCK

Nationally-coveted guard Shamorie Ponds, who is St. John’s first signed player for the 2016-17 recruiting class, scored 51 points and grabbed 12 rebounds Tuesday in a 111-87 victory for Thomas Jefferson High School over Brooklyn Collegiate. The 6-foot-1 southpaw from Brooklyn is a consensus four-star prospect, who ranks No. 41 on ESPN 100 list and No. 42 by Rivals. Ponds recently received a nomination for the 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game. He competed in the prestigious 2015 Under Armour Elite 24, which showcased 24 of the nation’s top players for the class of 2016 and 2017. Ponds signed his National Letter of Intent during the NCAA Early Signing Period.

Scouting No. 23/23 Butler

• Butler dropped its 2 BIG EAST home games falling to then-No. 12/13 Providence on New Year’s Eve and then-No. 11/13 Villanova on Saturday. The Bulldogs have averaged 64.0 PPG at Hinkle Fieldhouse in league play.

• The Bulldogs went 11-1 in non-conference action, which included wins over then-No. 17/17 Cincinnati and then-No. 9/8 Purdue. Butler is 7-2 at home this season and has outscored opponents by 30.8 points per game.

• The Bulldogs are 16th in the nation and lead the BIG EAST in scoring, averaging 84.6 PPG to go with a league-high 48.8 field goal shooting percentage. Four players are averaging double-figures, including a team-high 15.3 points per game from Kellen Dunham.

• Butler is one of the best in the country limiting turnovers. The Bulldogs rank third in the NCAA with only 9.4 TPG. The Bulldogs are also 10th in the nation with a 1.66 assist turnover ratio.

• Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones earned Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team honors. Dunham is fifth in the conference in scoring (15.3) and holds the eighth best free-throw shooting mark (90.3 pct) in the nation. Jones is ninth in the league with 14.6 points per game and 11th in rebounding, averaging 7.0 boards per game.

• Butler picked up its first BIG EAST win on Jan. 5 at DePaul. Kellen Dunham went for a game high 24 points draining four 3s. Andrew Chrabascz scored 16 points and had 4 steals, while Roosevelt Jones finished with 15 points and 5 steals.