The St. John’s Red Storm is rolling

For years, the St. John’s Red Storm has been an easy win on the schedule for Big East teams. Since the turn of the century, the Red Storm has failed to make any significant noise both in the regular season and the NCAA Tournament, only reaching the thrill of March Madness participation three times. The last times St. John’s won a tourney game? 2000.

Suddenly, the Red Storm appears powerful once again. With the latest rankings released on Dec. 29, St. John’s is ranked No. 15 in the country, the highest mark under the reign of head coach Steve Lavin. Lavin came into the program with buzz and excitement back in 2010 but until this year, was not able to produce an consistent winner. Lavin’s second year in Queens was his best to date, with the Red Storm going to the NCAA Tournament before being bounced in the round of 64 by Gonzaga.

In 2014, St. John’s is clearly a force. The Red Storm are only second to the Villanova in Big East power rankings, considerably ahead of the Butler Bulldogs and Georgetown Hoyas. St. John’s is 11-1 and already has impressive victories, including a win in the NIT season tip-off over the Minnesota Golden Gophers and a rare win at the Carrier Dome against the Syracuse Orange.

Lavin’s group poses a tough matchup for any tea because of terrific length on the defensive end and terrific guard play offensively. Center Chris Obekpa might be the best player in the country you haven’t heard about. The native Nigerian patrols the paint with raging intensity, ranking second in the nation at 3.8 blocks per game. Obekpa, standing 6’10, is a game-changer on the interior with his wing span and quickness. Combined with the defensive prowess of Sir’Dominic Pointer, D’Angelo Harrison and others, St. John’s checks in 33rd in points allowed at 58.2 per game, and 25th in steals at 8.9/game.

Offensively, the Red Storm has what you need to advance come March: perimeter shooting. Harrison is one of the most prolific scorers going, averaging 19 points/game and shooting 83.5 percent from the charity stripe. Sophomore Rysheed Jordan is a top-notch sixth man, totaling 14.3 points/game.

Then you have Pointer, one of the more versatile forwards in the Big East. Pointer gives St. John’s a presence on both ends and showed that in Sunday’s 82-57 win over Tulane. Pointer went off for 24 points, seven steals, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. For the season, Pointer is at 11.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game, all career-highs for the senior.

Conference play begins on Wednesday for St. John’s with a contest against the Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudential Center. This begins the stretch run for a team loaded with seniors and the drive to leave a lasting impression on the school and its fan base.

If the two-way play continues, the Red Storm will be a very tough out down the road.