Young Pillars Of The Storm
Deborah N. Harris, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/21/07 Section: Sports
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As the country's best teams touted their freshmen class for the NCAA Tournament, the St. John's men's basketball team was doing the same without national tournament action. Larry Wright and Qa'rraan Calhoun, two promising out-of-state freshmen, have become the new faces of St. John's basketball.
"I think both of them are very important to our future and development as players and leaders over the next couple of years," coach Norm Roberts said. "I think their talent level is very high."
In the midst of the March Madness season, it is worth taking a look at St. John's recent post-season history. Before this season, the team had not made a post-season appearance in the Big East tournament or NIT since 2003, an NCAA appearance since 2002, had not been a Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight team since 1999, or made a Final Four appearance since 1985. The changes will not come overnight, but one item was knocked off the postseason "to-do" list after the Johnnies appeared in the Big East tournament this season.
With the presence of Wright and Calhoun, St. John's made some groundbreaking feats: aside from making the post-season, they defeated Providence, breaking a 10-game losing streak to the Friars, and improved the overall quality of the team by adding depth to positions that would have been deficient with the loss of standout players during the course of the season. Now the young Johnnies have tasted that unfamiliar fruit and want more.
When asked about what he wants his legacy to be over the next four years at St. John's, Wright answered with a smile, "to win the NCAA."
Wright, the newest point guard on the scene, has developed into a key player for St. John's. Known for his ability to shoot from long range and his scorer's mentality, Wright has come through in tight situations during the season for the St. John's team, most notably hitting a game winning three with 9.9 seconds left in regulation to clinch the win against No. 22/21 Notre Dame on Jan. 23. Wright also scored his career-high 11 points in the Big East tournament first round game against No. 18/19 Marquette.
"I think both of them are very important to our future and development as players and leaders over the next couple of years," coach Norm Roberts said. "I think their talent level is very high."
In the midst of the March Madness season, it is worth taking a look at St. John's recent post-season history. Before this season, the team had not made a post-season appearance in the Big East tournament or NIT since 2003, an NCAA appearance since 2002, had not been a Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight team since 1999, or made a Final Four appearance since 1985. The changes will not come overnight, but one item was knocked off the postseason "to-do" list after the Johnnies appeared in the Big East tournament this season.
With the presence of Wright and Calhoun, St. John's made some groundbreaking feats: aside from making the post-season, they defeated Providence, breaking a 10-game losing streak to the Friars, and improved the overall quality of the team by adding depth to positions that would have been deficient with the loss of standout players during the course of the season. Now the young Johnnies have tasted that unfamiliar fruit and want more.
When asked about what he wants his legacy to be over the next four years at St. John's, Wright answered with a smile, "to win the NCAA."
Wright, the newest point guard on the scene, has developed into a key player for St. John's. Known for his ability to shoot from long range and his scorer's mentality, Wright has come through in tight situations during the season for the St. John's team, most notably hitting a game winning three with 9.9 seconds left in regulation to clinch the win against No. 22/21 Notre Dame on Jan. 23. Wright also scored his career-high 11 points in the Big East tournament first round game against No. 18/19 Marquette.
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