St. John's News, Summer Reports, Zach Smart

ST. JOHN’S SUMMER REPORT

The Redstorm look to turn the corner under Norm Roberts in the Big East in 2009-2010

By Zach Smart

Is Norm Roberts on the hot seat this year?

If St. John’s fails to attain a winning season, that seat could be burnt to pieces.

The general knock on Norm has been has failure to lure in local talent. A paltry record the past few years has also stained Roberts’ resume, further weakening his job security in Queens.

For the upcoming season, however, optimism is in the air.

Roberts didn’t need a GPS system as much as he did a train, bus ticket, or thick-tired bicycle to find this season’s recruiting class.

Roberts scoured the big apple and the national basketball real estate, drawing highly-regarded guard Omari Lawrence.

Lawrence is a full basketball package, if he pans out. He can shoot, slash, defend, handle the rock, and become a presence in the passing lanes.

He could make an immediate impact. The return of a healthy Anthony Mason Jr. will also alter the perception of a team that finished in the Big East’s lower percentile last season.

The pieces make for a good puzzle.

Do Roberts and the Johnnies have the insatiable thirst for victory, enough to produce a winning formula in a Big Eas that, as always, is soaking with talent?

KEY RETURNERS:

Anthony Mason Jr., 6-7 F: Tremendous athlete. Ultra-long forward can score the ball in a variety of ways. Young Mase can drain shots off the dribble and from beyond the confines of the arc. Top scorer brings back a swagger that was sorely lacking last season, particularly when the Johnnies looked like they couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean while standing on the George Washington bridge against Marquette in the second round of the Big East tournament (they established a new low-water mark in the Big East tournament with a meager ten points in the first half). Mase’s suspect shot selection will likely change with the emergence of other scorers around him this season. The Johnnies hope he’ll no longer have to rush shots and settle for mid-range jumpers.

Paris Horne, 6-3 G: High-scoring guard who fell through the cracks as a high-end recruit out of Delaware. Horne, who averaged 14.6 points, picking up some scoring slack with Mason’s injury, and went off in games against UConn, Cincy, and Rutgers, has the potential to form a potent 1-2 scoring punch with a helthy Mason Jr. His emergence as a perimeter scoring threat will likely pay dividends this season, as it will take some of the stress off Mason Jr.

DJ Kennedy, 6-6 G/F: Versatile big bodied junior often shouldered the onus of leader last year. Kennedy, who averaged 13.3 points and 6.6 boards, served as jack of all trades at times. He created offense and made his teammates beneficiaries of his presence. His six assists in the first half against UConn was indicative of this. He also took scoring matters into his own hands, blazing the nets against Duke and Seton Hall. Kennedy, like his teammates, feasted on the cupcakes of the nonconference slate. He needs to step it up and bring the ruckus every game this season.

Justin Burrell, 6-8 F: A freakish athlete, this could be Burrell’s season as a force down low. He has all the tools to emerge into a scorer down low who attacks the rim like the rest of us wake up in the morning. Burrell can also utilize his athletic and physical gifts on the boards. Look for him to be funnelled into a bigger role and increase his numbers from last season (9.0 points, 4.5 boards), which suffered due to nagging injuries, as a supplement to Mase on the blocks. Must improve free throw shooting in 2009-10.

Sean Evans, 6-8 F: Another big who showed promise at various points last season, Evans returns his 10.3 points and 7.1 boards per. Must improve his consistency. Such an aspect is crucial with the talented core the Johnnnies may finally boast this season.

Malik Boothe, 5-9 G: Local product must bounce back from an injury-plagued 2008-09. He will certainly be pushed for minutes with the group of guards Roberts has reeled in. Boothe showed promise in games against Duke and Marquette, passing the pigment out of the basketball. Still needs to develop into the leader Roberts envisions him as being.

KEY NEWCOMERS:

Justin Brownlee, 6-7 F: Versatile and athletic forward who averaged 10.1 points and 5.7 rebounds at Chipola Community College (Fla.) last season. A potential five-tool talent, Roberts says he can utilize Brownlee from the one all the way to the four. Has the opportunity to make an impact in a forward-heavy system.

Omari Lawrence, 6-4 G: High motor guard who can do it all. He’s athletic as they come and can shoot, dish, penetrate the driving lanes and create offense. A highly-touted recruit, Lawrence chose St. John’s over Pittsburgh, Virginia, UConn, Clemson, and Cincy.

Dwight Hardy, 6-2 G: Another high-octane guy in the backcourt, Hardy can shoot the ball from a different area code. He’s a virtual grenade launcher from beyond the arc and is also fundamentally sound in all facets of his game. JUCO transfer could make an immediate impact.

Malik Stith, 5-11 G: Long Island-bred guard who returns to the area after a stop in North Carolina is dieseled-up and can handle the ball and create scoring opportunities. Will give the Johnnies the luxury of having a combination guard while also allowing other guards to work off of him.

NBE Blogger Says…
Like every spring, St. John’s went through their annual attrition (Phil Wait, Ty Edmondson), but all the principle pieces return. The recruiting class gets a shot in the arm with Omari Lawrence and the return of Anthony Mason gives the Redstorm a very nice mix of players with depth, size and perimeter skill.

The stigma of losing will have to be washed away by the veterans. Malik Boothe will need to mature into the lead guard that makes the players around him better. If they can find away to get consistent produciton from Justin Burrell and Sean Evans and Dele Coker combine with Burrell to make a strong trio in the paint, the wings are in good hands with Mason, Kennedy and Horne. Add in Lawrence to the mix and Dwight Hardy, there is a definite reason for the optimism. Anything less than a trip to the NIT would be a disappointment, but this should be a team ready to spend a season on the NCAA Tournament bubble. A few positive developments with players like Boothe and Coker, and they could land on the right side of that bubble in March.

Previous Summer Reports:
Cincinnati Summer Report
Connecticut Summer Report
Providence Summer Report
South Florida Summer Report
Syracuse Summer Report

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