Can St. John's freshmen mature quick enough for a Big East run?
Steve Lavin pretty much has the complete opposite roster that he inherited a year ago; his 2010-11 team featured ten seniors and just one freshman. This year, Lavin has one of the top recruiting classes in the country to fill the void of those ten seniors plus a transfer. Six four-star recruits highlight the class, including five wings, while three more solid players round out the class. As talented as they may be, can Lavin get them all or a good portion of them to compete and contribute at a consistently high level? The last two teams Lavin coached, the 2010-11 Red Storm and the 2002-03 UCLA Bruins struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter and let opponents score a bit too easily, but with this lengthy, athletic class, you can bet that St. John's will make life more difficult on the defensive end, leading way to plenty of transition opportunities on offense.
It took last season's team about 20 games or so to get adjusted and come together in the middle of Big East play; given the difficult situation of a near-complete roster overhaul, another slow-start should be expected.
By President Corey Ruff - 9 - 18 - 11
