The first week of the college basketball season produced some strange results.
Three Big East teams – Seton Hall, Villanova and Butler – lost to buy games as major favorites.
Second ranked Alabama struggled against Arkansas State.
Texas fell to Ohio State. Baylor, a nice Final Four pick, got hammered by Gonzaga.
There is one common denominator: The aforementioned programs deal with significant roster turnover. So many schools in the era of transfer portals.
St. John’s doesn’t fit that category.
Three starters, Simeon Wilcher, Zuby Ejiofor and RJ Luis, are returning players. So is key backup Brady Dunlap. He helped St. John is off to a strong start this week with a pair of wins at Fordham and Quinnipiac for a combined 55 points.
Continuity can go a long way, especially with a coach like Rick Pitino known for player development. St. John’s had a strong offseason in the portal, bringing in the coveted guards Kadary Richmond (Seton Hall) and Deivon Smith (Utah). But the argument could be made that retaining Wilcher, Ejiofor, Luis and Dunlap also had an impact.
A former top 40 recruit, Wilcher has looked like a different player so far, averaging 15.5 points in the Johnnies’ two wins.
Luis, healthy after injuries limited last year, had 24 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Quinnipiac. He has all league talent.
Dunlap’s floor spacing will be an important part of this team, especially if he can become a more consistent threat from beyond the arc. Ejiofor has gotten off to a slow start, it should be noted, though he did block five shots in the Quinnipiac game.
I still expect Richmond and Smith to be the two best players in St. Louis. Smith dazzled in the win over Quinnipiac, producing 13 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, three steals and a plus-29 rating in 31 minutes. Richmond was passive in the victory, similar to Smith in the opener, after controlling the win over Fordham.
It will take time for the two football-dominant guards to get comfortable with each other, their new teammates and the coaching staff. We saw how long it took last year’s team to reach that milestone. There is no substitute for experience, no magic elixir for group cohesion.
Look at the success of Connecticut’s two defending champions over the past two years. Sure, the Huskies have brought in elite freshmen and transfers that have made a difference, but that’s in addition to their returning core. Young players are emerging to replace the departed stars, which is what St. Louis wants. John from the likes of Wilcher, Dunlap, Luis and Ejiofor.
That’s the offseason formula for Pitino and company this spring. The learning curve, as a result, is not nearly as steep.
Some more thoughts on Quinnipiac’s win:
- The shaky first half wasn’t just because of Aaron Scott’s absence due to illness. Pitino felt the team had its two worst practices of the year, and it showed in the first 20 minutes. But it’s clear how important the 6-foot-7 Scott is to St. Pitino said St. John does not react well to people who are not out there. He guards several positions and prides himself on defense. I thought there was a defensive dropoff in the opener as well when the North Texas transfer wasn’t on the floor. He looked like a Johnnies glue guy early on.
- This team has shown the ability to take punches. We saw it at the Rutgers exhibition, when St. John rallied from a 13-point deficit, and again there. These are important character traits that good teams possess. Obviously you want to avoid a shaky stretch like we saw in the first half on Saturday, but being able to overcome adversity is a sign of maturity and resolve in this group. It took some time for last year’s team to develop that quality.
- Pitino said Saturday that he could start USC transfer Vince Iwuchukwu at center for Ejiofor on Wednesday. I don’t think it’s a bad idea. Ejiofor hasn’t looked fit yet, and coming off the bench in the role he did last year could help him relax. There is a lot on the junior’s plate. He was co-captain and a starter for the first time. Expectations became unrealistic after a big game against Rutgers with 27 points and 13 rebounds. The central position will be a mix of Ejiofor, Iwuchukwu and Ruben Prey. Who started it doesn’t matter. It’s important to get Ejiofor going, after he managed just three rebounds in two games in 41 minutes. Maybe the change attracted him.
