Perspective is important.
At this time last year, St. John’s was winless in the Big East. The worst was still to come, as two months passed between victories and the Red Storm lost a school-record 16 straight games.
Though St. John’s (10-13, 4-6) isn’t satisfied with how things have gone this season, sophomores such as Malik Ellison know how much progress has been made. Ellison has seen how bad it could get, and said he believes he’s getting an idea of how much better it could be.
“It’s very exciting, especially for the guys that were here last year,” Ellison said Tuesday. “We hadn’t won a game at this point and won only one game in the Big East [all season]. Having won four games already in conference play … it’s just been a great feeling and hopefully we can keep it going.
“We’ve always had great expectations for this team. We have great talent on this roster. Obviously we’re young still, so the experience is not there yet, but the talent is definitely there. The more we play with each other and the more experience we have with each other, the better the results will be.”
Looking for their third win in the past five games, the Red Storm return to the Garden on Wednesday night Neyine to face Marquette, which won all three meetings with St. John’s last season. With the Big East’s second-highest scoring offense — including six players averaging double figures — the Golden Eagles (14-7, 5-4) recently defeated No. 1 Villanova and No. 7 Creighton.
St. John’s has half as many players averaging double-digit points — Shamorie Ponds, Marcus LoVett and Bashir Ahmed — though Ellison’s improved play from last season has been instrumental to the team’s progress.
This season, the 6-foot-6 sophomore has been one of the team’s most important backcourt defenders, while his field-goal percentage has jumped from 36.9 to 45.2 percent. His 3-point shooting is at nearly 40 percent after hitting just 31.8 percent last season.
Ponds and LoVett demand the spotlight as the second-highest scoring freshmen tandem in the country, having revitalized the team’s offense with their play-making ability. Ellison now has a better understanding of the unique skills he offers, as well.
“I’m one of the bigger guards that we have, and I have a lot of versatility,” Ellison said. “I bring a lot of things to the table, so I just try to do all the little things we need in order to be successful, like guarding the best player on the other team, making sure everyone gets involved in the offense, attacking the basket and being a very vocal leader. I try to bring a different aspect of the game than we have at the guard position.”
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