In some ways, Posh Alexander’s season has been consultant of St. John’s marketing campaign as an entire. One spectacular efficiency adopted by an underwhelming one. Flashes of promise. Not sufficient consistency.
However Alexander and the Crimson Storm look like hitting their stride on the proper time.
In Alexander’s final seven video games, 5 of them Crimson Storm wins, the 6-foot level guard from Brooklyn is averaging 14.0 factors, 6.2 assists and a couple of.5 steals whereas taking pictures a through-the-roof 54 p.c from the sector. He’s making his teammates higher. Their lone losses within the final three weeks, in opposition to No. 8 Villanova and No. 21 Connecticut, got here whereas he was sidelined with a proper ankle harm.
He has turn into extra decisive, considering much less and reacting extra whereas avoiding foul bother. That stretch contains the primary two double-figure help video games of Alexander’s profession, and a personal-best 29-point outburst in a slim loss to No. 11 Windfall.
“I’m simply attempting to do no matter it takes to win video games to assist my teammates,” Alexander mentioned in a telephone interview on Tuesday as St. John’s ready to host Creighton on Wednesday in Queens.
It’s not a coincidence that St. John’s has begun to search out its kind whereas Alexander has carried out extra persistently. As junior star Julian Champagnie mentioned not too long ago, “he’s the pinnacle of this practice.” Alexander units the tone at each ends of the ground. The sophomore supplies fixed power and management in coach Mike Anderson’s uptempo stress system.
“He’s an igniter,” Anderson mentioned of Alexander, the Huge East Freshman of the Yr and co-Defensive Participant of the Yr a season in the past. “That’s what he did for our group final yr and that’s what he does for our group this yr.”
Robust play from Alexander will likely be important if St. John’s (15-11, 7-8 Huge East) is to proceed its spectacular play. He will likely be matched up in opposition to Ryan Nembhard, Creighton’s spectacular freshman level guard. Nembhard, who's coming off an 18-point, five-assist effort in a win over Marquette, makes the Bluejays’ offense go. St. John’s discovered how prolific Creighton (18-8,10-5) may be in an 87-64 blowout loss in Omaha, Neb., when the Bluejays went 14-for-27 on 3-point makes an attempt.
“We simply obtained to hold our hats on protection,” Alexander mentioned, pointing to how St. John’s has carried out at that finish of the ground as a motive for the mini-surge.
It wouldn’t have been doable with out him, and for the run to proceed, Alexander should proceed to be at his finest.
Champagnie, after averaging 29.0 factors, 5.0 steals, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in wins over Xavier and Butler, racked up plenty of weekly awards. He was named the Huge East, United State Basketball Writers Affiliation and Metropolitan Basketball Writers Affiliation Participant of the Week.
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