As I write this St. John’s is getting ready for their first official game of the season tonight in the second game of the Coaches vs. Cancer regional double-header versus North Florida. North Florida only returns two starters from last season and has a total of nine (that’s no misprint) freshmen. St. John’s is favored to win by thirty-one points.

For this regional tournament, it doesn’t make a difference to me how much the Johnnies win by, as long as they do win, because with four new players that are expected to be in the rotation, there are still a few kinks to work out. The lineup should be unchanged from last season, at least for now although Hill, Mason, and Hamilton are probably the only players you can pencil in as definite starters for the entire season.

There has been some talk whether Derwin Kitchen can take the starting job from Eugene Lawrence and although I have not seen Kitchen in person, I don’t see it happening. I remember myself saying in the past that Lawrence would not the be the starting point guard once Norm got some better talent into Queens, but for now I’m quite content with Geno in the starting lineup. He gets a good amount of assists, can score when he is needed, and plays physical defense that the fans love to see. His weaknesses are that he turns the ball over and can be way too slow bringing the ball up the court, which will be in display this season with a offense that wants to run more then ever.

Lawrence did start throughout last year, when the team put up terrible offensive numbers so a switch at the point couldn’t be that terrible as long as Kitchen plays the same type of defense that Lawrence brings to the table.

-The chemistry is said to be extremely good by Daryll Hill in an article by The New York Times seen here. He also had some interesting things to say to author, Bill Finley.

“I think we’re going to be in the top 5 of the Big East,” Hill said.
“They have us ranked ninth, but I think we’ll be in the top 5,” he said. “It’s not necessarily the players and the talent we have, it’s the chemistry we have. Everybody plays well together and knows what each other wants. Are we an N.C.A.A. tournament team? Definitely.

Some lofty goals set there by Hill which is nice to see that this team is ready to win. For me, I need to see this team play well on a consistent basis before I agree with these quotes, but along with this new talent, that consistency level should rise.

Going into this season, my only hope is that it turns out to be as fun as the last two, with two big wins for the program each year.

Good Luck to St. John’s tonight and I’ll be back with my thoughts from the game. No TV tonight, but Disney Channel picks up the radio broadcast on 1560 AM.