There have very few excuses, if any. The losses have piled up, but the St. John’s players and coaches haven’t let it get to them. The Johnnies have worked as if they’re an NCAA Tournament contender, not a team playing out the string.
More than the ugly record and last-place finish in the Big East, that is how they hope to be remembered as this forgettable season nears its end.
“I don’t know if you’ll find any team in the country that went through what we went through and still shows up every day and works as hard as we do with a smile,” senior wing Ron Mvouika said Friday as the Red Storm prepared for Saturday’s regular-season finale at the Garden against Providence, which will air at 12:30 p.m. on FS1. “We don’t let results take us down, and that’s how you see the true character of a team. For the future, that’s a great sign, and that’s how I know they’re going to be very successful [for years to come].”
“I just want people to remember us as guys that were soldiers that came out here and gave everything they had every time they played on that court.”
With just three returning players from the Steve Lavin regime, there was no question this was going to be a trying season, the new staff forced to recruit an almost entirely new roster in a matter of months. Blue-chip prospect Marcus LoVett Jr., the only pure point guard on the roster, was ruled a partial qualifier, making things more difficult. But first-year coach Chris Mullin believes his first team has set a standard with its character and work ethic future teams will be expected to meet.
“For this team here, I think it’s really important to not only recognize what they went through, but also how they’ve handled it. To be a good winner, you have to learn how to lose,” Mullin said. “Before you succeed, you fail, and how you handle it, paves the way for success.”
St. John’s (8-22, 1-16 Big East) is hoping to finish the season strong and move past its ugly past two games — losses on the road to Creighton and DePaul by a combined 49 points.
The Johnnies could throw a monkey wrench into Providence’s NCAA Tournament plans with a victory, and they plan to be a nuisance in the Big East tournament, too, starting Wednesday against an opponent to be determined.
“It’s our last real college game, not including the Big East tournament, so it’s about us three [seniors] — Felix Balamou, Durand Johnson and [myself] — [on Saturday],” Mvouika said. “We need to do it the right way and give everything we’ve got.”
