St. John’s searching for consistency after flashes of potential

For 20 spectacular minutes Thursday night time, it was clear why Mike Anderson was so excessive on this staff within the preseason.

The depth, the explosiveness, the steadiness — the St. John’s coach had seen it all through the summer time and the autumn, main him to name the Johnnies on media day essentially the most proficient group he’s had since arriving in Queens 4 years in the past, a unit that “has all of the parts of among the greatest groups I’ve had.”

From the dynamic level guard tandem of Posh Alexander and Andre Curbelo to a dominant inside presence in Joel Soriano to a top-flight wing scorer in David Jones and contributors off the bench. All of it meshed in that blistering second-half efficiency in opposition to Nebraska, a 70-50 victory made attainable by a 50-23 outburst after intermission.

“That second half we showcased, when our protection is clicking, how enjoyable of a staff we will be,” Soriano informed The Publish. “That’s our type of play. We’re an uptempo staff; we wish to be in your face, get steals, blocks, get out and run. That second half was a showcase of what we are able to do and what we anticipate to do.

“I believe it was the primary actual massive take a look at for our staff. We wanted a recreation like that.”

Purple Storm middle Joel Soriano recommended his staff’s second-half outburst whereas dealing with Nebraska.

Robert Sabo.

Now, St. John’s (4-0) has but to carry out like that staff Soriano described on a constant foundation. It struggled mightily in that first half in opposition to Nebraska, projected to complete next-to-last within the Large Ten, it ought to be famous. It dedicated 29 turnovers in a season-opening win over NEC preseason-favorite Merrimack. It wasn’t at its greatest in less-than-stellar performances in opposition to Lafayette and Central Connecticut.

The important thing will be to bottle up the ultimate 20 minutes in opposition to Nebraska, and convey it to Barclays Middle on Monday and Tuesday for the Empire Basic. The Johnnies will first meet Temple, which has already knocked off Villanova and Rutgers, and probably outdated Large East rival Syracuse the next night time. A visit to Iowa State looms in early December.

“That’s what we’ve been empathizing as a staff, enjoying for 40 minutes,” stated Soriano, who has notched three double-doubles in 4 video games and is coming off a monster 17-point, 18-rebound, three-block exhibiting in opposition to Nebraska.

Consistency eluded final yr’s staff that had NCAA Match expectations, however fell properly brief. This staff’s roster might match Anderson’s uptempo type higher. It actually regarded prefer it on Thursday when the Johnnies have been flying throughout Carnesecca Enviornment, trying each bit like a staff able to being an element within the prime half of the Large East.

“We’ve been dealing with adversity properly,” Soriano stated. “I believe everybody’s on the identical web page, everybody’s linked on the court docket and off the court docket. I really feel like we’re having enjoyable on the market. We’re extra unified.”