Calm Down: Without Keith Thomas SJU Expectations Should Remain The Same

The St. John’s Red Storm took a pretty serious hit today with the loss of transfer Keith Thomas. There is no denying the fact that Steve Lavin planned on him being a big part of the Red Storm rotation. It could also be said that Thomas was going to be a key factor for the Johnnies upcoming season. Even while acknowledging all of that, though, losing him because West Chester Community college runs its university like the guys from Perfecto Prep does not mean it is time to give up on the season.

First thing is first, though. We need to admit something as people who follow the Johnnies. Red Storms fans, because the offseason is where they (we?) thrive as optimists, love to build up players before they ever step foot on the hardwood. Last season saw all the hoopla over Max Hooper being the long distance shooter the program needed to stretch the floor. That was before, you know, we found out that he really didn’t provide the team that and he spent large portions of the seasons collecting splinters on his rear.

The Max Hooper is all that and a bag of chips era came only a few moments after the Marc-Antoine Bourgault was going to be all that and a bag of chips season. So, yeah. Realistic expectations of players seem to be a thing not completely grasped here. Not just for Red Storms fans, but for any fans of any sport in the world.

There is nothing wrong with getting excited about a new player joining the fold. In fact, it is better to give new student-athletes (what a funny word) the benefit of the doubt first, instead of lambasting him for whatever his shortcomings may or may not be. However, it is still funny to me to see fans going this bonkers over Keith Thomas without knowing how good he was actually going to be.

Comparing Thomas to Hooper is not fair. Not to either of them or to this situation. Two different players, two different positions and one was expected to be a specialist (Hooper) while the other (Thomas) was thought to be the frontcourt running mate of Chris Obekpa. Naturally, the assumption is to be had that Thomas would have been the better Red Storm player. Since, um, he hasn’t played a single second of Division I basketball yet, I guess.

Nevertheless, the expectations should remain exactly the same with this program. Not because the players that have come with the hyperlike Thomas have failed to live up to them, but what is it exactly that you thought Thomas was going to bring the program to put them over the top (whatever “the top” is for you, I don’t know)?

St. John’s is a guard team. Yeah, it would be nice to add depth to the frontcourt and only (whichever) God (you worship) knows if Christian Jones has made any progress or if he is just a cat who played good in a singular game, but the frontcourt — especially on offense — was never going to be the Red Storm’s bread and butter.

With a slew of experienced players on the roster, the volume-shooting and talented D’Angelo Harrison being all 3’Angelo-ish and more, as well as the possibility of Rysheed Jordan making huge steps as a player all being ever present, very few points were to be expected from the frontcourt.

There is the notion going around that Obekpa may have developed some form of an offensive game. Although, if we are being honest with each other, it is his defense what makes him one of the best big guys in all of the Big East. Anything that came from his hands and eventually made its way through a basketball hoop would just be bonus points.

Keith Thomas wasn’t going to add that much either. Yes, he would have been another semi-viable option to score a few points, but offense was never going to run through him, nor was he going to create his own shots. Some post moves? Sure. The reincarnation of Anthony Glover? No. On LOTS of (not literally) meth? Still probably not.

Thomas was going to add rebounding, though. That is for sure. As much as I think Obekpa has the best future as an NBA player on the Red Storm he doesn’t do that great of a job of grabbing boards. The team itself, as scrappy as they can be, isn’t exactly full of guys who are known as great rebounders. So, sure, St. John’s lost a guy who probably would have been a good rebounder. Keyword being: Probably. Since we don’t actually know that for sure.

If you’re expectationsï were for the Red Storm to make the NCAA Tournament don’t change it. That set of exceptions are right in line where they should be, with or without Keith Thomas. If you had expectations  lower than that, as no a Tourney bid team or worse, well I guess you like to set your goals low.

However, if you had a set of expectations so high that the loss of Keith Thomas — a JUCO transfer and a guy who had a ceiling as being the fifth best player on this year’s team — has shifted them, I think it is time to reevaluate how you go about living.

Everyone take a deep breath and relax.