The St. John’s Red Storm strung together a special campaign during the 2022-23 season, going 13-7 in Big East Conference play. St. John’s all but solidified their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 when they upset the then-No. 4 UConn women’s basketball team in Hartford.
Even with four starters leaving, the Red Storm essentially duplicated their success in conference play last year. St. John’s swept the Marquette Golden Eagles and finished third in the Big East at 11-7. Head coach Joe Tartamella’s team was the only conference foe UConn beat by less than 20 points in the regular season.
Yet two postseason defeats deleted most of the Red Storm’s regular-season achievements. Third-seeded St. John’s went one-and-done in the Big East Tournament behind a poor offensive outing against the sixth-seeded Georgetown Hoyas. 15 days later in the WBIT, the Toledo Rockets rallied down as much as 13 in the second half and ended the Johnnies’ season.
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All-Big East selections Unique Drake and Jillian Archer’s departures, coupled with how last season concluded, could have resulted in a devastating offseason in Queens. Despite that theory, St. John’s still remains a difficult foe.
Graduate guard Ber’Nyah Mayo thrived as a floor general last year; no Red Storm player recorded more than her 116 assists and 56 steals. Mayo backed that up with 10.6 points per game, a number that will seismically rise in a true leading role. The 2023 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team selection could also become one of the Big East’s premier point guards if she improves her shooting percentage.
Phoenix Gedeon, meanwhile, could become the program’s next extraordinary rebounder. Gedeon makes up for her low offensive numbers (she crossed double figures just once last season) by being a behemoth in the post. Only Archer had more than her 112 defensive rebounds and 36 offensive boards. Add in the fact that she led the team in charges taken, and the six-foot forward becomes a headache for anyone who drives to the hoop.
Junior guard Tara Daye will give St. John’s a potent defensive duo. Daye’s six blocks in 33 games might not seem like much, but they lead all returning Johnnies. If she deflects her opponent’s attempts in the right direction, the Newark native can feed rebounds into Gedeon’s hands. Daye’s defensive aggression and wise shot selection could also make her the program’s version of redshirt senior Aubrey Griffin.
Fellow juniors Skye Owen and Jailah Donald both possess two-way talents that can fool any opposing defense. Owen swatted five shots and left a positive mark in the transition game with 63 assists and 45 steals. Donald, meanwhile, can shoot; she buried 31 three-pointers on 88 attempts and was an efficient 41.5% from the floor.
Tartamella has a plethora of returning players that, alone, should keep the program competitive in the Big East. St. John’s 13th-year head coach erased any further doubts that could arise through the transfer portal.
Graduate guard Ariana Vanderhoop’s talents stand out the most in the four-person portal class. The Monmouth Hawks won 22 games with a defense that ranked fourth in the nation in blocks per game and seventh in three-point field goal percentage against. Vanderhoop contributed to the Hawks’ lockdown efforts with 4.4 rebounds a night and 13 total steals. The Boston native was also a beacon on offense; she was Monmouth’s second-leading scorer at 10.8 points per game.
While Vanderhoop fills one of the starting guard positions, Manhattan transfer Jade Blagrove should cover the frontcourt vacancy. Blagrove enters Queens after averaging 8.4 points and 7.1 rebounds as a senior with the Jaspers. The 6-foot-2 Dutch forward’s two-way talents on both sides of the court will only improve on a program with higher postseason expectations.
Kylie Lavelle and Lashae Dwyer will each provide the program with high-impact depth. Dwyer, a Miami transfer, is a tough-minded guard whose two-way transition game (49 assists, 45 steals) can light up any team’s attack. Lavelle, who averaged 11.1 points as a freshman at Drexel, could be a productive bench piece like she was for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
One individual alone cannot replace the production lost from St. John’s departing leaders. The Red Storm find themselves in the same position that they were in going into last season. Like the 2023-24 campaign, Big East programs should not sleep on St. John’s under any circumstances. How the conference’s other 10 coaches rank the Johnnies in October may only add fuel to their fire.
How the Huskies can defeat St. John’s next season
They say that teamwork makes the dream work. St. John’s March Madness-based aspirations begin and end with their ability to find open teammates. The Red Storm went 4-9 last season when they had less than 10 assists and 14-6 when they crossed double figures in that category. Mayo, Donald and Owen alone combined for 229 dimes, accounting for approximately 60% of St. John’s totals.
How can the Huskies’ backcourt counter the Johnnies’ three-headed passing attack? Redshirt senior Paige Bueckers and sophomore KK Arnold each provide a unique solution. Arnold’s speed will allow her to intercept passes intended for open players. Bueckers can deny the ensuing shot from getting near the rim in the event St. John’s completes the pass. True freshman Morgan Cheli could also see significant defensive minutes; she averaged 3.1 steals as a senior at Archbishop Mitty High School in California.
Blagrove and Gedeon should facilitate the team’s offensive flow in the frontcourt. Jana El-Alfy and Sarah Strong should not run into issues handling either forward. Should things go awry, whether because of foul trouble or a crumbling interior defense, Griffin can back them up down low.
Nika Mühl collected assists at a remarkable rate, especially during her final two campaigns with Connecticut. She supported that with a feisty defense that earned her consecutive Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Huskies retain most of their defense that allowed 57.2 points per game but will need to match Mühl’s aggression when engaging in these scrappy contests.
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