St. John’s basketball sees dominant paint force in junior college transfer

There is a major paint presence that should be known for St. John’s basketball this season.

Defending the paint and rebounding were major problems for the St. John’s basketball team last season but that should change in 2020-21.

Not only does Mike Anderson keep a large portion of his front-court from last season, he also added graduate transfer Arnaldo Toro and junior college standout Isaih Moore.

Moore joins Vince Cole as the two players that enter Queens from junior college that should provide an immediate impact for the Johnnies.

Isaih Moore enters St. John’s at 6-foot-10 from Pearl River Community College following a season at the College of Charleston.

Following his senior of year at Sumter High School in Sumter, South Carolina where Moore averaged 25.5 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game he opted to attend the College of Charleston where he saw minimal playing time.

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The power forward only played in 11 games as a freshman, averaging 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in just 9.0 minutes per contest.

However, the prospect saw his stock soar at Pearl River CC where he was named as a Third Team NJCAA All-American, in addition to leading his team to an undefeated 28-0 record and the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Tournament.

In the 2019-20 season, Moore averaged 15.9 points 9.1 rebounds per game on 54.3 percent shooting from the field and 79.1 percent from the free throw line. Isaih Moore was also the No. 26 player in the country in terms of blocked shots with 2.1 blocks per game.

How will Isaih Moore fit with St. John’s basketball

Moore projects to be coming off the bench for the Red Storm in the 2020-21 season, but could eventually move to the starting lineup if he proves to be a perennial star for the Johnnies.

At 6-foot-10, St. John’s will be hoping that Moore is able to fill a Tariq Owens-esque role that provides energy off the bench and could fill a scoring role, if needed.

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Combining with Josh Roberts, St. John’s could have a dynamic tandem of shot blockers in the paint, which would help the Johnnies’ offense create fast-break opportunities it covets.

Isaih Moore will begin his St. John’s career on November 25 as the Red Storm will open the 2020-21 season at home against an opponent yet to be determined.