It’s officially time to shine for a St. John’s basketball junior forward

It is time for a St. John’s basketball junior forward in his second year with head coach Mike Anderson.

Josh Roberts showed glimpses of his potential during the non-conference portion of the St. John’s basketball schedule last season.

Roberts was a dominating force in the paint against the lower-level of competition but struggled once he reached Big East Conference play as he went toe-to-toe against some of the best big men in the country.

However, only as a sophomore, Roberts got a first-hand experience of how grueling a Big East schedule is, considering he did not play as a freshman, and the 6-foot-9 forward lived in the gym this offseason and bulked up with nearly 20 pounds of muscle.

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Josh Roberts is working himself back from offseason surgery on his shoulder in which he missed the last three games of the season.

Playing in 29 games, and starting 28, Roberts averaged 5.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game as a sophomore and now he will have reinforcements in the paint to only make him better on the defensive end.

Arnaldo Toro and Isaih Moore will team up with the Troy, Alabama native to create a dominant force in the St. John’s front-court and the Johnnies could have the best shot-blocking team in the Big East this season, and one of the best in the country.

Where Josh Roberts can continue to help the St. John’s basketball program

Rebounding was also a big need for the Red Storm from a season ago and while Roberts was the tallest player for the Johnnies last season, head coach Mike Anderson made a determined effort to bring in more players to rebound and push the ball up the floor.

Depending which way Anderson wants to set his lineups and rotations, Josh Roberts could remain in the starting lineup, or become an energy man off the bench who will not stop running the floor in short bursts.

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Scoring with his back to the basket was an issue for Roberts in his first two seasons in Queens and thats another aspect of his game that should be improved as a junior.

Josh Roberts will begin his third season with St. John’s on November 25 as the Red Storm host St. Peter’s University at 7:00pm EST.