St. John's University Basketball in Turmoil

by Yari Wakneen

After a game against Pittsburgh on February 5th, 2004, the Red Storm seem depleted, losing 6 of its players due to a sex scandal. One of these players, Grady Reynolds, has already been expelled from the school because of it being his second violation of St. John's rules and regulations. Elijah Ingram and Abraham Keita, have been suspended and are facing possible expulsion as well. If they are not expelled, they have already been kicked off the team. The other 3 players are all suspended, for violating the teams rules and regulations.

With 6 of their players out, including their top ones, the St. John's Red Storm seem to be building a deeper hole than they were originally in, have now lost 9 of their last 10 games, after being blown out by Boston College, 89-61. In order to make up for the lost players, the Red Storm had some last-minute tryouts, which resulted in 5 walk-ons being added to the team. As much as they tried, the 5 players recorded a measly 8/17 from the field. What do you expect, though, from some walk-ons that only had a one-day, last minute try-out? They can't be expected to be top quality stars overnight. The fans though, gave them the respect for trying during their 28-point demise, still cheering for their Red Storm.

This incident adds on to the earlier incidents of the dismissal of its coach, and one of its players was dismissed for marijuana possession. After taking all of theses event into account, St. John's has hit its lowest point, where they have not defeated a Big East team yet this season, going 0-9 against them. They have lost 9 out of the their last 10 games, and it seems like they really have dug themselves a hole.

Could it be that one of the most recognized teams in the NCAA has now turned into the Orlando Magic of the NBA? Just as the Orlando Magic was once a team to be reckoned with in the NBA, St. John's used to be a contending team as well. This year, the Orlando Magic have the worst record in the league, despite adding new talents, and have had a losing streak of 17 games at one point. Things are not much different with St. John's, them being losers to 9 of 10 games.

St. John's is definitely not going anywhere this year, as they do not look to have a prayer of a chance of going far in the Big East, and it's going to be hard to get back on track next year, after losing 7 players this season. It may take a few years, but do not expect St. John's to stay down for too long of a time. With the reputation that the school has, they will eventually recruit new talent that will hopefully help them rise from the grave.

Just recently, the President of St. John's University has considered eliminating the basketball program altogether, claiming that in light of recent events that occurred, the basketball team was considered an embarrassment to the University. With the sex scandal, the coach being dismissed, and the marijuana possession, it does not seem like St. John's wants to continue having a basketball team because of the further risk of other players causing mischief.

Just because the team has had quite a few rotten apples, does not mean that you should eliminate the entire men's basketball program. It is one of the biggest attractions in the school. People go to that school and acknowledge the school for its basketball team, which has had much success during its franchise history. It has produced players such as one of the all-time leaders in assists, former all-star Mark Jackson of the Houston Rockets, and all-star Ron Artest of the Indiana Pacers. They have both made huge impacts in the NBA, as Ron Artest is leading his team with the best record in the NBA, and possibly, to a championship this year.

If St. John's can produce players with these job resumes, why would people want them to end the program? The school and fans nationwide would love to see more players, such as Artest and Jackson, who come from this team. Hopefully, the President realizes that this is a huge mistake, and may hurt the university in the long-run, as admissions may fall quite a bit without the popular basketball program.