By ADAM ZAGORIA
St. John’s season ended Wednesday night at the hands of Bobby Hurley and Arizona State, who advanced to face Buffalo while the Johnnies are headed into an uncertain offseason.
Here are five pressing questions facing the program?
1- Will Chris Mullin return as head coach?
When Mullin was hired in 2015, there was much hype and excitement around the program. And why not? He’s the greatest player in St. John’s history, and one of the greatest shooters in basketball history.
Still, after four years at the helm, Mullin has a 59-73 record (.447), a 20-52 mark (.278) in Big East play and one NCAA Tournament appearance that resulted in a 74-65 loss to the Sun Devils in the First Four.
He has also suffered personal tragedy, recently losing his older brother Roddy to cancer.
Now the question beckons: Will he be back next season? He has two years remaining on his contract.
“100 percent,” Mullin told the New York Post after the loss.
2. Will there be a shakeup on the staff?
Short of a change at the top, new AD Mike Cragg could meet with Mullin and demand/suggest staff changes. The Mike Rice as-an-assistant rumors have been bubbling for several years now, but never came to fruition. Matt Abdelmassih does most of the recruiting for this team that relied heavily on transfers, yet he has been linked to his old Iowa State boss Fred Hoiberg, who appears in play for the Nebraska job. “Matt is the glue that keeps the program together,” one source close to the program said. “If he leaves, it will set the program back five years.”
3. Is Shamorie Ponds gone?
Wednesday night might well have been the last time fans saw Ponds in a St. John’s jersey. Other than L.J. Figueroa, the Brooklyn native was the only one who showed up, going for 25 points and 4 assists. He’s been the face of the program the last few years, and helped restore St. John’s to relevance.
After testing the NBA Draft waters a year ago, Ponds came back where he’s now projected as the No. 46 pick in the Draft, per ESPN.com. Still, it only takes one team to want you and if he performs well in NBA workouts he could find a home. In today’s modern NBA, Ponds can help someone off the bench to provide scoring, even though he’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-1.
4. Who else will leave?
Marvin Clark is the only senior on the roster. The 6-7 Michigan State transfer averaged 10.5 points and 5.4 rebounds and was a positive presence with the team and the media. Mustapha Heron tested the NBA Draft waters a year ago while at Auburn and then opted to transfer closer to his sick mother in Connecticut. He didn’t have a great year, and struggled down the stretch, so pro ball may not be in his immediate future. He averaged 14.6 points and 4.0 rebounds.
5. Who’s coming in?
St. John’s will continue to rely on transfers, adding junior college point guard Cameron Mack and JUCO forward Valdir Manuel for the 2019-20 season. Former N.C. State big man Ian Steere is also coming on board and hopes to have a waiver to start the season.
In a best-case scenario, Heron returns and has a standout season, while Figueroa, Justin Simon, Bryan Trimble and the other rotation players take another step forward and the new guys are able to compete in the rugged Big East.
St. John’s could get back to another NCAA Tournament if all those things happen. If not, they could sink further in a Big East that will feature revived and revamped squads at Villanova, Creighton and Seton Hall.
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