Defense was supposed to be St. John’s backbone. Its constant. Its identity. The strength that doesn’t slump.
Nine games into this season, the Red Storm’s play at that end of the floor has been thoroughly underwhelming. Each game has been 40 minutes of open looks. Containing dribble penetration has been at best inconsistent and at worst absent — and has led frequently to uncontested 3-point attempts.
That concerning trend continued Thursday night.
St. John’s started poorly on defense and fell apart late in an ugly 94-76 loss to No. 9 Creighton at Carnesecca Arena. For the second straight season and the third time in four years, the Johnnies have begun conference play 0-3.
“We are still trying to get the ‘blue collar’ out of our basketball team,” coach Mike Anderson said over Zoom. “Our guys last year, they took pride in their defense. Truth be told, we have got some of the same guys, and we just need to get them all connected.”
Senior Rasheem Dunn agreed with Anderson’s assessment. The Red Storm aren’t connected enough. There are too many breakdowns, in part due to communication problems. That was apparent throughout the one-sided defeat.
St. John’s trailed, 28-12, less than nine minutes in and after getting back within two points early in the second half, fell behind again by as many as 22 points in the final minutes.
The sharpshooting Bluejays shot 56 percent from the field and sank 13 3-point attempts. They also mauled the Johnnies in the paint (42-30) and on the glass (44-26). It wasn’t just Big East Preseason Player of the Year Marcus Zegarowski slicing them up for 20 points and five assists. Freshman center Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 15 points and added five rebounds.
It would be one thing if it were just Creighton, a gifted offensive team. But St. John’s also allowed Georgetown, the projected worst team in the Big East, to shoot 54 percent in an overtime loss on Sunday. And the Johnnies struggled defensively against low-major opponents St. Peter’s and Rider.
“I feel like we’re still trying to get to know each other, as far as playing with each other. On the defensive end, we [have] got to get to know one another, and we just have to talk a little bit [more],” said Dunn, who had 10 points and seven assists. “Creighton had 14 second-chance points, and I feel like that comes with toughness and talking on and off the ball.”
Julian Champagnie led the Red Storm with 17 points, and Posh Alexander added 13.
Last year, defense led St. John’s (5-4, 0-3). It was 53rd in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. The Red Storm held the opposition to 41.5 percent shooting and 31.7 from 3-point range. This year, they are 111th in defensive efficiency and last in the league in field goal percentage defense (48.5) and points allowed per game (78.2).
Some of that can be attributed to the loss of LJ Figueroa and Nick Rutherford, two of the Johnnies’ best defensive players. Newcomers such as Alexander, Isaih Moore and Vince Cole are playing heavy minutes. Without a full offseason program or preseason, they are still adjusting to Anderson’s up-and-down style and getting used to guarding Big East-level players. Dunn, one of the team’s best defenders, missed five games due to a concussion and is still working his way back.
“We have just got to get the mentality where we focus on defense,” Anderson said, “and that is something that we have to continue to work at.”
