SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Not much has changed at St. John’s University in Middle Village Queens, one of the five New York boroughs.
It is still on Utopia Drive on its own private campus of approximately 1,000 acres in a relatively residency area. It is still athletically a Division I four-year school. It still has its own basketball court, capacity 5,602 — the one named after its former head basketball coach Lou Carnesseca, and it stills plays its biggest games at the world’s main Meca — Madison Square Garden, whose capacity is known to be 19,812.
Name-wise, the program now in its 70th year, was originally referred to as the “Red Storm,” or the “Johnnies.” Now it is referred to as the “Redmen,” to remove the label that put in the company of “Native Americans” or storm warnings. Johnnies is still okay to say.
At Carnesseca while covering St. John’s in hoops, I would usually sat along my buddy Bernie Beglaine of the Long Island Press and he would often be tapped on his shoulder to inform him that his wife just announced the birth of their fifth child, or sometimes she delivered twins. When the word got around, the applause followed.
The basketball program had a long list of elite players and big-name coaches, particularly Joe Lapchick, Dick McGuire, Chris Mullins and Carnesseca. It won one, just once national basketball championship, that coming in 1984-85 with Mullins as the 6-foot-6 swingman who scored 2,440 points as a four-year starter.
Now I noticed something interesting as I check out the top 25 and those still unbeaten. there at 8-0 is St. John’s, but nowhere on the top 25 is it listed. Not even in the also votes casted. Nothing, nada, naught, zero, and I’m trying to figure out why the Johnnies are being ignored. Their schedule has been okay, but then again, the idea is to play it, and as a member of the Big East, that’s what head coach Mike Anderson goes by in what is his fourth season.
“We have put together a quality lineup,” he says. “We have some very good transfers, good size, depth, and a group with solid attitudes. We are not in the top 25, but we consider ourselves New York’s team.”
He pointed out 6-11 senior Joel Soriano as his leading scorer, 7-1 freshman Mohammed Keita as a rising big man, 6-6 sophomore Rafael Pinson as a very good swingman, 6-6 junior David Jones as a great transfer arrival, 6-8 freshman Drissa Traore as another top transfer, 6-foot freshman guard Parker Williams, 6-6 freshman swingman T.J. Storr, and how pleased he is with 6-1 sharpshooting junior Andea Curbalo.
“It’s just a great bunch of guys who play well together,” Anderson said. “We’ve beaten Niagara, Syracuse, Temple, Nebraska, and we play Sunday at a good Iowa State team. We also have tough tests against DePaul, FSU, Seton Hall, Marquette, UConn, Creighton, and Georgetown.”
Now for the top dozen to ever suit up for St. John’s.
Dick McGuire, player and coach and NBA player.
Harry Boykoff, 6-9 center who knew his way around underneath.
Alan Seiden, my cousin and a super guard at 5-11 who scored and provided leadership, averaged 19.3.
Tony Jackson, a 6-4 jump shooter who tallied 1,603 points and was NIT MVP twice.
Lloyd (Sunny) Dove, at 6-8, brought down more than 1,000 rebounds, and was a fan favorite,
Chris Mullins, a 6-6 swingman on the NCAA champion, and who turned in 2,440 points.
Walter Berry, 6-8 with a one-game high of 58 points and who averaged 20.1.
Bill Wennington, was at 7-feet a shot blocker who also tossed in 1,026 points.
Mark Jackson, also played in the NBA, and at 5-10 a stellar point guard who averaged 10.1 assists.
Malik Sealy, went 6-8, averaged 18.9 per game, and also played in the NBA.
Felipe Lopez, from New York City, tallied almost 2,000 points, and was quite versatile.
D’Angelo Harrison, as a 6-2 two-way guard, turned in 1,986 points and contributed multiple assists.
Others who contributed were 6-foot guard Gus Alfieri, and 6-11 center Billy Paultz.
Now, just a warning that I’m going to continue to check out the undefeated list and the top 25, and maybe, just maybe we can find St. John’s on them.
