Storm The Paint
Fansided

St. John’s basketball year in review: Top-5 moments in 2020

By Michael Szabo

Mar 1, 2020; Queens, New York, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard Rasheem Dunn (3) controls the ball against Creighton Bluejays guard Marcus Zegarowski (11) during the second half at Carnesecca Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2020; Queens, New York, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard Rasheem Dunn (3) controls the ball against Creighton Bluejays guard Marcus Zegarowski (11) during the second half at Carnesecca Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
St. John's basketball
St. John’s basketball (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images) /

No. 4 St. John’s basketball moment of 2020 – New season begins with a thrill

As the fall came around in a year that has been anything but usual, college basketball once again began a new season admit fears of possibly not even being able to play.

The start of the season was delayed by two weeks, but it was finally time to see the Red Storm back on the court.

St. John’s would open the season against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks on November 25.

The Red Storm came into this season with plenty of optimism based on how the team performed at the tail end of last season along with plenty of excitement around the newcomers head coach Mike Anderson was bringing in.

One of those newcomers was junior college star, Vince Cole.

Normally, the opening game would be a time St. John’s would be playing a lower mid-major, easing the new players into the game and season, and maybe cruise to a victory.

Not so fast said Saint Peter’s, as a well-coached Shaheen Holloway team stuck with the Red Storm all night and developed a lead into crunch time.

Staring defeat in their face for what would have been the Red Storm’s first opening-game loss since losing to Wisconsin to open the 2013-14 season, Vince Cole would come up with some late-game heroics to make sure that didn’t happen.

With less than a minute to go the Red Storm were down by two to the Peacocks, but a huge Posh Alexander steal would lead to Greg Willams Jr. finding Cole on the left side who would knock down the game-winning three to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The 6-foot-6 transfer would total 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 5-of-6 from three-point range in what was an impressive debut outing for him.