On the eve of the Red Storm’s Big East Tournament opener, Head Coach Mike Anderson and Posh Alexander have claimed major end-of-season awards from the conference. Anderson has been named the Big East Coach of the Year while Alexander has been announced as the Big East Freshman of the Year.
Anderson is the first St. John’s head man in nearly three decades to receive the league’s top coaching honor. Brian Mahoney last claimed that award in 1993 while his predecessor, Hall of Famer Lou Carnesecca, won it three times in 1983, 1985 and 1986.
In his second year leading the Johnnies, Anderson guided the Red Storm to a 16-10 regular season record, including a 10-9 mark in Big East play.
Alexander becomes the fourth player in St. John’s history to be named the Big East Freshman of the Year. Moe Harkless and JaKarr Sampson won it back-to-back in 2012 and 2013, respectively, more than three decades after David Russell claimed the inaugural freshman of the year award in 1980.
Also the Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous selection to the Big East All-Freshman Team, Alexander leads the league and ranks seventh nationally in steals per game entering the Big East Tournament. He leads all freshmen nationwide in that category and is the only first year player to rank inside the top 25.
St. John’s, picked ninth in the preseason coaches poll, finished with a league record of .500 or better for the first time since 2014-15 and secured a top-four seed in the Big East Tournament for the first time since winning it all as the no. 3 seed in 2000.
The fourth-seeded Red Storm will begin Big East Tournament play on Thursday when it takes on fifth-seeded Seton Hall. Tip-off from Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Image: – AP; Robert Sabo
