Lavin says St. John’s can be ‘special’

Steve Lavin has set the same three goals for his St. John's basketball team each year: win the Big East regular season title, the conference's postseason crown and reach the NCAA Tournament.

For the first time, he feels all three are realistically attainable.

"This is a year where we're positioned to do something special," Lavin said Saturday at the third annual "Dribble for the Cure," a benefit for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation at St. John's. "We expect that, too. We probably have even higher expectations than people outside the program because that's why we all came here. That's why I came as a head coach. That's why [junior shooting guard D'Angelo Harrison] came from Houston. That's why we put together this group."

Expectations are sky-high for the Queens program, which is looking for its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2011, Lavin's first season, and first victory since 2000.

This season will be unlike any of Lavin's previous three. His first year there were no expectations, and his team of seniors made a surprising run to the NCAAs, snapping a nine-year drought. The ensuing season, the team was made up of mostly freshmen and lacked the needed depth to compete in the rugged Big East. Last year, the Johnnies still were young, but reached the NIT and finished with a 16-15 record.

St. John's has added key pieces in Philadelphia freshman point guard Rysheed Jordan, a five-star recruit ranked among the top high school seniors in the country a year ago; Harvard transfer Max Hooper, a sharpshooter who hit 10 3-pointers in an exhibition game during the team's trip to Europe over the summer; and versatile big man Orlando Sanchez, who became eligible after the NCAA granted him an age waiver. Furthermore, red-shirt senior God'sgift Achiuwa is active after sitting out last season, and the entire team returns aside from reserve forward Amir Garrett, who transferred to Cal State-Northridge.

"This is why I came to St. John's, for a team like this," said sophomore forward JaKarr Sampson, the Big East Rookie of the Year last winter. "We have all the pieces."

Vastly improved depth — a weakness the past two years, but now a strength — should give Lavin plenty of flexibility, offering him the option to go small or play big, press and trap.

"Our [top] 10 players can probably start on any roster [in the country]," said Harrison, the Johnnies' leading scorer a year ago who is back after being suspended by Lavin for the team's final six games last season because of behavioral issues. "Having that depth and being able to just expend your energy on things you need to do because you know somebody just as good is coming in for you, that's just great to have."

"We can have about eight, nine guys in double figures this year. We have two or three guys at every position."

The addition of Jordan should free up experienced guards like Harrison and Phil Greene IV to play off the ball, their forte, rather than initiating the offense. The freshman already has impressed his teammates and the St. John's coaching staff with his basketball IQ and ability to create opportunities for himself and others.

"He's as impressive as any player I've had at this stage in his career in space," Lavin said. "If you just kind of space the floor, his ability to break ankles, as they say, get to the paint, the cup or kick, is exceptional."

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