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For St. John’s and head coach Steve Lavin, this was supposed to be a season that ended with an NCAA Tournament bid and perhaps a magical March run.
Instead, it concluded with the No. 1-seeded Johnnies getting blasted by No. 8 Robert Morris, 89-78, in the first round of the NIT at Carnesecca Arena.
The Johnnies played their final game of the season without point guard Rysheed Jordan, who missed the game with tonsilitis.
St. John’s had no answer for Karvel Anderson, who poured in 38 points on 12-for-20 shooting, and former St. Anthony standout Lucky Jones, who went for 25 points and nine rebounds.
Jamal Branch led St. John’s with 22 points and Max Hooper dropped 18 off the bench.
“They played extremely well, we played poorly, and as a result, they hammered us good,” Lavin, who is due for an extension on his current deal, told reporters in Queens, according to Jaden Daly.
Lavin’s team finished 20-13 on the season, but lost four of their final six, including a loss to eventual Big East tournament champion Providence in the quarterfinals. That loss effectively ended any chance Lavin’s club had of making the NCAA Tournament.
“If you look back at our season, we hammered a lot of people, too,” Lavin said. “Basketball is a game of runs.”
In defense of a season that clearly fell short of expectations, Lavin said, “This group went from 13 wins to 17 wins to 20 wins. That’s clear progress.”
St. John’s has several players considered potential future pros in Jordan and sophomores JaKarr Sampson and Chris Obekpa, but none of them are ready for the NBA. Neither is junior guard D’Angelo Harrison, who shot 3-for-13 for nine points.
Just ask the NBA scouts who previously told SNY.tv these guys shouldn’t come out just now.
It will be interesting to see if all the underclassmen return for St. John’s, which will lose Orlando Sanchez and God’sgift Achiuwa. They remain in the hunt for Christ the King big man Adonis Delarosa, who will announce April 18.
“This group made progress,” Lavin said. “Naturally, the expectations will be ratcheted up with what we return.
Meantime, Robert Morris and coach Andy Toole knocked off a No. 1 seed in the NIT for the second straight year, having ended Kentucky’s season a year ago.
“It wasn’t an NCAA Tournament, but it was a great opportunity for ourselves and our program,” Anderson said, according to Daly.
“A lot of people think the NIT isn’t worth their time, but we think differently. I sensed in us that we were ready.”
