If St. John’s coach Norm Roberts expects the five-year contract extension he inked in the off-season is reason for job security, he had better think again.  After all, he’s working for the same administration that canned Brian Mahonney, Fran Fraschilla and Mike Jarvis, each of whom had years remaining on their contracts.  Coming off an ugly 11-19 campaign with a roster that included eight freshmen, Roberts is counting on his underclassmen to learn from the beatings they absorbed a season ago and return the favor.  The university is providing the tools for Roberts to succeed in the form of a recently added $16 million training facility as well as a $5 million renovation to Carnasecca Arena, and now it’s up to Roberts to deliver.

Forward Justin Burrell was the highlight of last season’s newcomers and will be expected to produce similar numbers, if not more, for the Red Storm. Through 12 games, Burrell has been very efficient, netting 57% of his shots to go with 10.5 ppg. He was recently sidelined after breaking three bones in his face after a collision with a teammate but returned with a 10-point effort against Miami last week. Coupled with Burrell has been Sean Evans, a 6-8, 245-pound forward who is also good for 10 ppg. Evans too has a knack for scoring around the basket but a major concern has been his struggles at the free throw line. Currently second in the team in attempts, Evans is a woeful 24-of-53, 45%. Last season, D.J. Kennedy cracked the starting lineup immediately as freshman and never looked back, recording 7.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg from the wing position. Kennedy currently leads the team in board work at 7.3 per game. Lost for the season is senior forward Anthony Mason Jr. Mason led the team in scoring as a junior but injured his foot three games into the 2008-09 campaign and is not expected to return. Thin on talent, St. John’s could use all the weapons they can get but Mason’s departure may be a blessing in disguise. The 6-7 forward has notoriously been bad shooter throughout his career and while talented, he took up a large part of the team’s offensive plans but was not much in terms of efficiency. 

With the graduation of Eugene Lawrence, running the offense now falls upon Malik Boothe, a local talent from Queens whose lack of size at 5-9 is offset by lightning quickness and that trademark New York City toughness. Boothe held his own as a freshman by netting 5.1 ppg but has had a tough time adjusting to more of a full-time role. In 11 games, he is shooting a gaudy 39% from the floor and 23% from three. In a league loaded with bigger and equally fast guards, Boothe remains one of many Red Storm players that have difficulty scoring on a consistent basis. Also note, Boothe was recently sidelined with a thumb injury that will need at least two weeks to fully heal. Another sophomore, 6-3 Paris Horne, has shown to be one of the Red Storm’s few outside threats, shooting 35% from three-point range in 11 games of action. Horne has scored double-digits in all but one game this season.

Things don’t look much different from last season when breaking down St. John’s. They are simply void of having a collective unit of players that can score on a consistent basis in the Big East. Predicting what will occur once league plays begins is as clear as day when you look at contests against Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech. In those three games, St. John’s lost by 12, 14 and 14 and combined to shoot 13-of-53, 25% from three and 32-of-58, 55% from the charity stripe. Those aforementioned teams are right on par with a majority of the Big East in terms of defensive output. The lines for St. John’s will surely reflect their multitude of shortcomings but it is hard to get behind a team that plays with such little offensive efficiency.