STORRS, Conn. — It wasn’t just the return of co-stars Julian Champagnie and Posh Alexander that led to heightened expectations for St. John’s. The supporting cast was supposed to be improved, creating the best depth of the Mike Anderson era.
Five experienced transfers were expected to help make this at least an NCAA Tournament team. Instead, the Johnnies have yet to resemble such a squad nearing the mid-point of January. A major reason is the underperformance of the newcomers.
Here’s a look:
Montez Mathis (9.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 26.4 MPG)
Of the five transfers, he’s been by far the most consistent, the only one averaging more points this year than last year. He’s one of St. John’s best defenders and has provided needed aggression attacking the basket, shooting 47.1 percent from the field. In many ways, the former Rutgers guard is this team’s X factor: When he reaches double figures, St. John’s is 7-0. When he doesn’t, it is 2-4.
Joel Soriano (6.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 17.4 MPG)
At 6-foot-11 and 260 pounds, Soriano is the inside presence St. John’s has lacked for years. Coming over from Fordham, the Yonkers native is clearly still adjusting to the pace at which the Johnnies play, and how frequently they switch defensively. He has shown progress of late, producing 18 rebounds and seven blocked shots in a recent two-game span against Pittsburgh and DePaul. Foul trouble significantly limited him against Providence. He has shown glimpses of being able to contribute at this level. Like the others, consistency has eluded him.
Stef Smith (8.0 PPG, 2.1 APG, 20.0 MPG)
Smith is shooting a career-worst 29.3 percent from 3-point range. He’s averaging his lowest point total since his freshman year. Aside from a few strong games — big performances against Indiana, Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson — the Vermont transfer has struggled. He’s missed open shots and has not helped to improve the half-court offense as expected. What if Anderson ran some plays to get him more open looks? He’s better than he’s shown so far.
Aaron Wheeler (5.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 14.8 MPG)
He has finally begun to show flashes of the player St. John’s thought it was getting. Wheeler scored a season-high 15 points in the loss at Providence. His defensive versatility and activity at both ends of the floor was key in the win over DePaul three days earlier. Maybe this is a sign the Purdue transfer is finding his game, because his performance had yet to match the expectations for such a talented and athletic forward. Far too often, the 6-foot-9 Wheeler has been in between — unsure of himself, either too aggressive or not aggressive enough — and has not produced on the glass as envisioned.
Tareq Coburn (4.6 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 14.2 MPG)
The Hofstra grad transfer was supposed to provide value as a space-creating marksman. After scoring 30 points and hitting six 3-pointers in his first two games, it seemed like Coburn would be a key ingredient to this team. But since, he’s fallen out of the rotation, scoring just 11 points in seven games. The up-tempo style has seemed too fast for him. That said, it certainly hasn’t helped that St. John’s hasn’t run plays to get him shots, not unlike Smith. Also, he is the first player in St. John’s history to attempt to play on the team while being enrolled in the school’s challenging physician assistant master’s program, which clearly has been a challenge.