2018–19 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team

The 2018–19 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team represented St. John's University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by alumnus and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Chris Mullin, in his fourth year at the school. They played their home games at Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 21–13, 8–10 in Big East Play to finish in seventh place. They defeated DePaul in the first round of the Big East tournament before losing Marquette in the quarter-finals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as an 11th seed. However, they lost to fellow 11th seed Arizona State at the First Four.

2018–19 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball
Legends Classic champions
NCAA tournament, First Four
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record21–13 (8–10 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCarnesecca Arena
Madison Square Garden
Seasons
2018–19 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 23 Villanova 13 5   .722 26 10   .722
Marquette 12 6   .667 24 10   .706
Seton Hall 9 9   .500 20 14   .588
Xavier 9 9   .500 19 16   .543
Creighton 9 9   .500 20 15   .571
Georgetown 9 9   .500 19 14   .576
St. John's 8 10   .444 21 13   .618
Providence 7 11   .389 18 16   .529
Butler 7 11   .389 16 17   .485
DePaul 7 11   .389 19 17   .528
2019 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

On April 9, 2019, head coach Chris Mullin resigned after four seasons.[1] On April 19, the school announced it had hired former Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson as the team's new coach.[2]

Previous season

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The Red Storm finished the 2017–18 season with a record of 16–17, 4–14 in Big East play to finish in ninth place in the conference. They defeated Georgetown in the first round of the Big East tournament before losing to Xavier in the quarterfinals.[3][4]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Bashir Ahmed 1 G/F 6'7" 210 Senior Bronx, New York Graduated
Mikey Dixon 3 G 6'2" 170 RS Sophomore New Castle, DE Transferred to Grand Canyon (mid-season)[5]
Amar Alibegović 10 F 6'9" 240 Senior Rome, Italy Graduated
Tariq Owens 11 F 6'11" 205 RS Junior Odenton, MD Graduated
Transferred to Texas Tech.[6]
Kassoum Yakwe 14 F 6'7" 210 Junior Bamako, Mali Graduated
Transferred to Connecticut.[7]
Marcus LoVett Jr. 20 G 6'0" 180 RS Sophomore Fort Wayne, IN Entered KLS
Boubacar Diakite 22 F 6'8" 185 Freshman Bamako, Mali Transferred to Iona[8]

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
David Caraher[9] 11 F 6'6" 220 Sophomore Chapel Hill, North Carolina Houston Baptist
Mustapha Heron[10] 14 G 6'5" 218 Junior Waterbury, Connecticut Auburn
Eli Wright[11] 40 G 6'4" 203 Junior Owensboro, Kentucky Mississippi State
L. J. Figueroa[12] 30 G/F 6'6" 185 Sophomore Lawrence, Massachusetts Odessa College
Ian Steere[13] 33 F 6'9" 260 Freshman Sanford, North Carolina NC State (mid-season)

2018 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Greg Williams Jr.
SG
Lafayette, LA Lafayette Christian Academy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Nov 15, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 82
Josh Roberts
SF
Troy, AL Montverde Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sep 8, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 77
Marcellus Earlington
PF
Ramsey, NJ Don Bosco Prep 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Feb 28, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2019 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Johnathan McGriff
PG
District Heights, MD Bishop McNamara 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) May 2, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 70
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

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2018–19 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Sedee Keita 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS So 22ft Academy
South Carolina
Philadelphia, PA
F 1 Josh Roberts 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Montverde Academy Troy, AL
G 2 Shamorie Ponds 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Thomas Jefferson Brooklyn, NY
G 4 Greg Williams Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Lafayette Christian Academy Lafayette, LA
G 5 Justin Simon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Brewster Academy
Arizona
Temecula, CA
F 10 Marcellus Earlington 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Don Bosco Prep Ramsey, NJ
F 11 David Caraher   6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Wesleyan Christian Academy
Houston Baptist
Chapel Hill, NC
G 12 Bryan Trimble Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Sunrise Christian Academy Kansas City, MO
F 13 Marvin Clark II 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Sunrise Christian Academy
Michigan State
Kansas City, MO
G 14 Mustapha Heron 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Sacred Heart
Auburn
Waterbury, CT
G 23 Justin Cole (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Archbishop Molloy Rockville Centre, NY
G 24 Brandon Lawrence (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Moreau Catholic Union City, CA
G/F 30 L. J. Figueroa 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So West Oaks Academy
Odessa College
Lawrence, MA
G 32 Jay Camus (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Archbishop Molloy
Manhattan
Queens, NY
F 33 Ian Steere 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Fr Northwood Temple
NC State
Sanford, NC
G 40 Eli Wright   6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr 22ft Academy
Mississippi State
Owensboro, KY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2018*
6:30 pm, ESPN3
Maryville W 71–57 
 15  Figueroa   12  Ponds   6  Tied  Carnesecca Arena (4,262)
Queens, NY
Regular season
November 6, 2018*
6:30 pm, FSN
Loyola (MD)
Legends Classic campus-site game
W 76–55  1–0
 20  Ponds   8  Figueroa   4  Ponds  Carnesecca Arena (4,863)
Queens, NY
November 9, 2018*
6:30 pm, FS2
Bowling Green
Legends Classic campus-site game
W 84–80  2–0
 26  Heron   6  Heron   6  Simon  Carnesecca Arena (5,174)
Queens, NY
November 16, 2018*
7:00 pm, BTN
at Rutgers
Gavitt Tipoff Games
W 84–65  3–0
 27  Heron   11  Figueroa   6  Ponds  Louis Brown Athletic Center (7,102)
Piscataway, NJ
November 19, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. California
Legends Classic semifinals
W 82–79  4–0
 32  Ponds   8  Clark II   5  Ponds  Barclays Center (5,967)
Brooklyn, NY
November 20, 2018*
7:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. VCU
Legends Classic championship
W 87–86 OT 5–0
 35  Ponds   9  Figueroa   7  Ponds  Barclays Center (5,453)
Brooklyn, NY
November 27, 2018*
6:30 pm, FS1
Maryland Eastern Shore W 85–64  6–0
 25  Figueroa   13  Figueroa   6  Ponds  Carnesecca Arena (4,727)
Queens, NY
December 1, 2018*
12:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Georgia Tech
Hoophall Miami Invitational
W 76–73  7–0
 37  Ponds   7  Simon   3  Heron  American Airlines Arena (5,749)
Miami, FL
December 5, 2018*
6:30 pm, FS2
Mount St. Mary's W 85–71  8–0
 21  Clark II   11  Figueroa   7  Tied  Carnesecca Arena (4,928)
Queens, NY
December 9, 2018*
1:00 pm, FS1
Princeton
Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival
W 89–74  9–0
 26  Ponds   8  Tied   5  Ponds  Madison Square Garden (10,078)
New York, NY
December 16, 2018*
4:30 pm, FS1
Wagner W 73–58  10–0
 19  Figueroa   9  Ponds   14  Ponds  Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
Queens, NY
December 19, 2018*
6:30 pm, FS1
St. Francis Brooklyn W 86–52  11–0
 13  Tied   9  Figueroa   5  Ponds  Carnesecca Arena (5,151)
Queens, NY
December 22, 2018*
8:00 pm, FS1
Sacred Heart W 104–82  12–0
 23  Tied   6  Clark II   9  Ponds  Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
Queens, NY
Big East regular season
December 29, 2018
8:30 pm, FSN
at Seton Hall L 74–76  12–1
(0–1)
 19  Heron   7  Figueroa   7  Ponds  Prudential Center (10,481)
Newark, NJ
January 1, 2019
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 16 Marquette W 89–69  13–1
(1–1)
 26  Ponds   8  Heron   5  Ponds  Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
Queens, NY
January 5, 2019
1:08 pm, CBS
at Georgetown
Rivalry
W 97–94 OT 14–1
(2–1)
 37  Ponds   9  Tied   6  Tied  Capital One Arena (11,115)
Washington, D.C.
January 8, 2019
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 24 at Villanova L 71–76  14–2
(2–2)
 23  Ponds   7  Figueroa   9  Simon  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
January 12, 2019
6:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 24 DePaul L 71–79  14–3
(2–3)
 23  Figueroa   12  Clark II   7  Simon  Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
Queens, NY
January 16, 2019
6:30 pm, FS1
Creighton W 81–66  15–3
(3–3)
 22  Ponds   13  Figueroa   5  Ponds  Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
Queens, NY
January 19, 2019
4:30 pm, FOX
at Butler L 71–80  15–4
(3–4)
 20  Tied   8  Tied   5  Simon  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,121)
Indianapolis, IN
January 27, 2019
12:00 pm, FOX
Georgetown
Rivalry
L 78–89  15–5
(3–5)
 21  Ponds   7  Simon   3  Tie  Madison Square Garden (17,801)
New York, NY
January 30, 2019
8:30 pm, FS1
at Creighton W 83–67  16–5
(4–5)
 26  Ponds   8  Ponds   8  Ponds  CHI Health Center (16,832)
Omaha, NE
February 2, 2019*
12:00 pm, ESPN
at No. 2 Duke L 61–91  16–6
 14  Figueroa   8  Figueroa   4  Ponds  Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
February 5, 2019
8:00 pm, FS1
at No. 10 Marquette W 70–69  17–6
(5–5)
 28  Ponds   7  Ponds   3  Simon  Fiserv Forum (14,030)
Milwaukee, WI
February 9, 2019
12:00 pm, CBSSN
Providence L 56–70  17–7
(5–6)
 20  Ponds   8  Clark II   4  Simon  Madison Square Garden (16,268)
New York, NY
February 12, 2019
8:30 pm, CBSSN
Butler W 77–73 OT 18–7
(6–6)
 28  Heron   7  Tied   4  Figueroa  Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
Queens, NY
February 17, 2019
5:00 pm, FS1
No. 13 Villanova W 71–65  19–7
(7–6)
 22  Figueroa   12  Figueroa   4  Simon  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York, NY
February 20, 2019
8:30 pm, FS1
at Providence L 59–78  19–8
(7–7)
 16  Figueroa   5  Tied   5  Ponds  Dunkin' Donuts Center (9,872)
Providence, RI
February 23, 2019
8:00 pm, FS1
Seton Hall W 78–70  20–8
(8–7)
 27  Ponds   6  Clark II   5  Ponds  Madison Square Garden (18,529)
New York, NY
February 28, 2019
6:30 pm, FS1
Xavier L 73–84  20–9
(8–8)
 23  Figueroa   7  Simon   6  Ponds  Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
Queens, NY
March 3, 2019
12:00 pm, FS1
at DePaul L 83–92  20–10
(8–9)
 29  Ponds   5  Figueroa   2  Tied  Wintrust Arena (5,736)
Chicago, IL
March 9, 2019
5:00 pm, FOX
at Xavier L 68–81  20–11
(8–10)
 20  Figueroa   8  Clark II   10  Ponds  Cintas Center (10,391)
Cincinnati, OH
Big East tournament
March 13, 2019
9:30 pm, FS1
(7) vs. (10) DePaul
First Round
W 82–74  21–11
 18  Tied   7  Heron   7  Ponds  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York, NY
March 14, 2019
7:00 pm, FS1
(7) vs. (2) No. 23 Marquette
Quarterfinals
L 54–86  21–12
 14  Simon   8  Simon   2  Tied  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York, NY
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2019*
9:10 pm, truTV
(11 W) vs. (11 W) Arizona State
First Four
L 65–74  21–13
 25  Ponds   10  Figueroa   4  Ponds  UD Arena (11,827)
Dayton, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West Region.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

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  1. ^ "Chris Mullin steps down as St. John's coach". SI.com. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  2. ^ "St. John's Hires Mike Anderson as New Men's Basketball Coach". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 19, 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  3. ^ "Top-seeded Xavier basketball trounces St. John's in Big East tournament". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  4. ^ "St. John's falls to Xavier in Big East quarters". Newsday. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "Guard Mikey Dixon transfers to GCU basketball from St. John's".
  6. ^ Markus, Don. "St. John's graduate transfer Tariq Owens (Pallotti) picks Texas Tech over Maryland". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  7. ^ Amore, Dom. "UConn Men Fill Out Roster With Grad Transfer Kassoum Yakwe". courant.com. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  8. ^ "Iona lands St. John's transfer Boubacar Diakite".
  9. ^ "St. John's News: David Caraher verbally commits to Red Storm". elitesportsny.com. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  10. ^ "Mustapha Heron Commits to St. John's". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  11. ^ "Soph. G Eli Wright transfers to St. John's from Mississippi State". Rumble In The Garden. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  12. ^ "St. John's adds JUCO All-American LJ Figueroa (UPDATED) | Zagsblog". Zagsblog. April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  13. ^ "Ian Steere Commits to St. John's". Retrieved April 28, 2019.