St. John’s Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

Norm Roberts seems to spend every February and March having to answer questions about his job security. The 2009-10 team looks like one that gives him the best chance to get the Red Storm back to a level that will continue to keep him employed.

He’ll have a veteran team to lean on, including one of the most experienced players in the Big East. While many coaches make the claim of having six starters, Roberts means that literally.

Anthony Mason Jr. has missed the past two seasons with injuries, but got a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. He’ll add an all-conference talent to a strong core of players. The question is, who will he displace, since all five of the players who started in 2008-09 return?

It won’t be Malik Boothe. The point guard emerged as the team’s most indispensible player a year ago, and the Red Storm went 2-7 when he missed nine games with a thumb injury. Part of the recruiting season for Roberts was to find him a backup. Incoming freshman Malik Stith will vie with Quincy Roberts to fill that role.

In all likelihood, Mason will take time from either Paris Horne or D.J. Kennedy.

Horne emerged as the top scorer on the wing, while Kennedy is as effective on the glass as he is filling up the net. Freshman Omari Lawrence and junior college center Dwight Hardy will also fight for time on the wing, and both could provide some scoring excitement off the bench.

The other option is to move Mason or Kennedy inside more often. That would impact power forward Justin Burrell, who had a somewhat disappointing sophomore season due to injury, and forward-center Sean Evans. Rob Thomas and Dele Coker are also back, giving St. John’s a plethora of players to match up with opponents in the paint.

The Red Storm has been battered by injuries in recent years, and 2008-09 was especially brutal. In addition to Mason’s injury, Boothe missed nine games with torn ligaments in his thumb and Burrell broke his nose and was less effective while wearing a protective mask.

Better luck on that front will give Roberts one of the deepest teams in the league and his best shot yet at getting into the top half of the league.

NOTES, QUOTES

• One key for this team will be keeping PG Malik Boothe healthy or making sure he has a capable backup. When he missed nine games in 2008-09 with torn ligaments in his thumb, the Red Storm went 2-7 in his absence.

• Even with all of the returning players, St. John’s is still a relatively young team. F Anthony Mason Jr. is the only senior on the roster, though nine of the 13 players on scholarship are juniors.

• The big concern for Norm Roberts is how well his team will match up against opponents that have a true center. At 6-10, junior Dele Coker is the only player on the roster taller than 6-8.

Last Year:   16-18 overall, 6-12 in the Big East

Head Coach:   Norm Roberts (career 64-85); sixth year at St. John’s (64-85).

Quote To Note:   “Having quality competition at every position is what you want in your program. We don’t promise our guys anything, so they know that coming in. You get what you earn.”—Coach Norm Roberts, in the New York Post, after Anthony Mason was awarded a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   PG Malik Stith adds needed depth at the point, which will be key for a team that struggled when Malik Boothe was injured a year ago. But the most hyped recruit is Omari Lawrence, a swingman who should compete for playing time even with the team’s depth on the wing. Junior college transfer Dwight Hardy is a scorer who should add some high-octane gas to the offense, and Justin Brownlee may see minutes in the paint.

Key Early-season Games:   There are a number of intriguing games for the Red Storm leading up to Big East conference play. The Philly Hoop Group Classic pits the Johnnies against Siena and Temple, and Georgia comes to the Garden on Dec. 9 for the SEC/Big East Invitational. Plus there’s a trip to Duke on Dec. 5, and a meeting with either Cornell or Davidson in the Holiday Festival in late December.

Program Direction:   If the program isn’t rising now, Norm Roberts won’t be back in 2010-11. The Red Storm has everyone of note back, but the team has to learn how to win in a league that is unforgiving on its weaklings.

Probable Starting Lineup:   PG Malik Boothe, SG Paris Horne, SF Anthony Mason, PF Justin Burrell, F/C Sean Evans.

Roster Report:  

• Anthony Mason got a sixth year of eligibility, and will be back for another try at his senior season in 2009-10. The veteran will compete with Paris Horne, Quincy Roberts, Omari Lawrence and Dwight Hardy for minutes at shooting guard and wing forward.

• F Rob Thomas’ rise from the streets of Harlem to the starting lineup in Madison Square Garden was the subject of an ESPN Outside the Lines documentary over the summer.

• PF Justin Burrell’s numbers plummeted last season once he broke bones in his face and had to wear a protective mask for the latter part of the season. He and the coaching staff are thrilled to see the mask is gathering dust at the start of 2009-10.