It’s still early, two nonconference games into the season to be exact, but St. John’s looks good.
Julian Champagnie had 22 points as St. John’s rolled past St. Peter’s 91-70, Saturday at Carnesecca Arena.
Tareq Coburn had 17 points for the Red Storm (2-0), while Posh Alexander contributed 12 points and nine assists. Aaron Wheeler had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Clarence Rupert and Jaylen Murray had 11 points apiece to lead the Peacocks (0-2).
Saint Peter’s is considered to be top contender this season in the MAAC. But the Red Storm showed the talent of their depth with an all-around effort.
“They’ve upgraded tremendously,” Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway said. “They brought in tremendous transfers and they’re older. You got guys who were leading (players) on other teams. . . . They just have better players. . . . and (Storm coach Mike Anderson) got players where when you go to the bench you’re not losing anything. When you’ve got that, it’s the sign of a great team.”
The first big test of the season for the Red Storm will be their next game when they face the Indiana Hoosiers, Wednesday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
St. John’s can shoot it from deep, they can get to the basket, and they play blue-collar defense. The influx of talent from the transfer portal has them primed to make plenty of noise in the Big East.
