STJ Opens Two-Game Road Swing At Cincinnati On Wednesday

2/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Feb. 9, 2009

Donate to the Carnesecca Initiative

St. John's Alumni Pregame Receptions

QUEENS, N.Y. - For the second time in 20 days, the St. John's men's basketball team (12-11, 3-8 BIG EAST) meets the Bearcats of Cincinnati (16-8, 6-5 BIG EAST), making the return trip of this season's home-and-home series on Wednesday. The first of two-straight road games for the Red Storm will be featured live on ESPN360.com, the broadband Internet service of "The Worldwide Leader In Sports," with Jim Barbar and Mark Adams calling the action. The contest will also air live on the official flagship of St. John's Basketball, Bloomberg Radio 1130-AM, with play-by-play announcer John Minko and analyst Tarik Turner on the call.

Despite a 39-28 halftime lead over Cincinnati on Jan. 22 at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, the Red Storm fell victim to 21 costly turnovers and a 14-for-31 (45.2 percent) effort at the free throw line while succumbing, 71-60, to the Bearcats . Sophomore guard Paris Horne (20 points) led three St. John's players in double-figures. Second-year big man Justin Burrell netted 12 of his 15 points in the first half, while classmate Sean Evans scored 12 and grabbed 11 boards (five offensive). The Red Storm shot 56.5 percent in the first half but only 27.3 percent in the second stanza, hampered somewhat by D.J. Kennedy's ejection for back-to-back technical fouls (along with UC's Rashad Bishop). Kennedy, then the Red Storm's leading scorer and rebounder, finished with six points in 20 minutes.

St. John's looks to improve upon a 1-6 record away from home during the 2008-09 season, having defeated Cornell, 86-75, and losing 82-70, to Boston College in the NIT Season Tip-Off, both at B.C.'s Conte Forum. The Red Storm also fell at Providence in its conference-opener, 75-54, on Jan. 31, lost at then-No. 1/1 Pitt, 90-67, at the Petersen Events Center on Jan. 11, fell at then-No. 23/22 Villanova, 76-57, on Jan. 18, lost at West Virginia, 75-52, on Jan. 28 and fell at Seton Hall, 91-81, on Feb. 5.

The Red Storm hopes to rebound from a 60-47 loss at the hands of Louisville on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. St. John's led 22-19 at halftime despite shooting only 23.1 percent in the first half, and 31.1 percent for the game. Evans led the Storm with 12 points and nine boards, while Burrell and Kennedy added 10 points apiece.

St. John's leads the all-time series, 5-4, and is 2-2 against the Bearcats in BIG EAST regular-season meetings. This is the second-straight year in which the schools have played each other twice during the regular season, as the schools traded home wins in 2007-08. The Red Storm's last win at Fifth Third Arena was on Feb. 4, 2007, when STJ scored a 73-64 win.

Storm Tracker

Sophomore Paris Horne played in all 30 contests as a freshman, and contributed 7.1 points over the final eight games of 2007-08, firing at a 51.4 percent clip (19-for-37) from the field and hitting at a 64.3 percent mark from long range (9-for-14). After missing this season's NIT opening-round game vs. Cornell with a right ankle sprain (Nov. 17), he bounced back to make his first 20 career starts in the last 20 contests, and is averaging 14.8 ppg and 3.1 rebounds in those games, while connecting on 48.1 percent of his field goals and 36.0 percent of his 3-pointers. He now leads the Red Storm in scoring at 14.4 ppg, and averages 16.2 ppg in league games, ranking 14th among all BIG EAST players.

A consistent contributor on both ends of the floor, D.J. Kennedy is second on the squad in scoring at 13.4 ppg, and is the team's leading rebounder at 6.8 rpg (16th in the league). He has reached double figures in 16 of 23 games on the season, and has established new career highs in nearly all categories, including points (23), field goals (9), attempts (16), 3-point field goals (3), assists (7) and blocked shots (2). He is averaging 13.4 ppg in BIG EAST conference contests as well, and 6.5 rpg in league games.

Sean Evans, who steadily improved all season long as a freshman and drew starts in six contests, has started all 23 games in 2008-09 and is averaging 9.7 points, and his 6.7 rebounds per contest are second on the team and 17th in the BIG EAST. He has set new career highs this season in field goals, attempts, rebounds, steals and minutes.

Now-masked sophomore forward Justin Burrell leads a deep crop of post returnees, coming off an outstanding freshman campaign in which he averaged 10.8 ppg and 5.9 rebounds. His efforts were good enough to earn BIG EAST All-Rookie honors and a spot on the NABC All-District second team. This season he picked up where he left off as a freshman, averaging 9.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg. He spent part of the summer training at the Tarkanian Big Man Camp in Las Vegas with NBA stars Jermaine O'Neal and Al Harrington, among others.

Malik Boothe has taken over as full-time floor general, and returned on Feb. 1 after missing nine games with an injured thumb. Boothe spent his entire offseason on campus - working on his jumpshot and bonding with teammates - and is proving to be a true STJ floor leader. He is averaging 7.9 ppg and 32.1 minutes per outing, and has 67 total assists (4.8 per game).

Rookie combo guard Quincy Roberts played a key reserve roll in the early part of the season, and earned a lion's share of the point guard minutes with Boothe recovering from injury. Roberts is averaging 5.7 ppg across the last seven outings, to go along with 2.0 rpg and 1.4 apg in 23.0 minutes.

Rob Thomas, now a redshirt sophomore after joining the Red Storm in uniform midway through the 2007-08 season, is much-improved physically and is playing at 226 pounds. In his last nine appearances, Thomas is averaging 7.9 ppg and 4.3 rpg while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor in 16.2 minutes. He missed four games with a strained groin before returning Feb. 1.

Sophomore center Dele Coker is still a tremendous 6-10 presence inside, but dropped close to 20 pounds in the offseason and has logged significant minutes in the post. The slimmed-down, 260-pound version of the Nigerian big man is playing with better quickness, and is averaging a team-best 1.2 blocks per game.

Anthony Mason Jr. will miss the remainder of the Red Storm basketball season, as a MRI on Nov. 21 revealed a torn peroneal tendon in his right foot that required surgery. He averaged a team-best 14.0 ppg in 22 contests a season ago and will apply for a medical redshirt to play with the Red Storm in 2009-10.

On Deck