The opponents are C.W. Post and St. Mary’s of Maryland, which is more fitting as foes in the first two rounds of an early-season tournament rather than exhibition games.
Last season, the only exhibition game St. John’s played was against Westmont — of California.
Perhaps no college program has undergone a greater overhaul than St. John’s, which transitions from the senior-laden 2010-11 team to the young guns of this season.
The exhibition games are accordingly more difficult as St. John’s coach Steve Lavin, who is not expected at the game as he recovers from prostate cancer surgery, and his staff try to get a group of eight scholarship players, six of whom have never donned a major college jersey, to learn the system.
“I think it’s as important as our first game last year,” assistant coach Tony Chiles said of tonight’s game in Carnesecca Arena against C.W. Post.
The young guns are certainly approaching it that way. Freshman D’Angelo Harrison of Houston is ready to blow.
“I feel like this game is like the last game I’m ever going to play hard,” he said. “Everybody’s willing to put their life on the line to win this game.”
Boys, boys, calm down. It’s C.W. Post! It’s an exhibition game!
But for freshmen such as Harrison, Moe Harkless of Queens, Phil Greene and Sir’Dominic Pointer, this is the start of their Red Storm careers. And if that is not enough to get it pumping, they’re playing for their coach.
“The team kind of talked about it,” said Harrison. “It was like, ‘Lav’s not here. Let’s show him we could do something.’ Lav hasn’t really been here. He saw tapes or whatever but he hasn’t felt our presence.”