One Question for Every New York City College Basketball team entering December
It’s been a good start to the season for a few of the Big Apple’s college basketball teams, but others have struggled. From KenPom 55 (St. John’s) to KenPom 345 (Columbia), these teams span pretty much the entirety of the Division I Basketball landscape and thus have different questions that must be answered.
Iona
- Just how far can this team go?
A 7–2 start, including a win over a top ten opponent in Alabama, has the media and fans alike extremely excited about what Rick Pitino has built in New Rochelle. SMU transfer Tyson Jolly has been excellent to pair with standout sophomore Nelly Junior Joseph in the Gaels system. The aggressive defense that is centered around Joseph is able to switch 1 through 5 against most mid-major teams, but they were exposed against Kansas, allowing 1.3 points per possession and 96 points. They won’t face an opponent like Kansas until March, should they get to the tournament, so we’ll just have to wonder how far this team can go.
Manhattan
- Can they challenge Iona?
Steve Masiello had tons of battles in his day with former Iona coach Tim Cluess, but now a Pitino team is a whole different animal. The Jaspers have started their season 5–2, including a come from behind win over Fordham in the Battle of the Bronx, but there is no doubt that the MAAC will be a tough conference to win for anybody but Iona. The most experienced team in college basketball, the Jaspers are led by seniors Jose Perez, Warren Williams, Isaiah Buchanan, Samir Stewart, Josh Roberts, Samba Diallo, and Anthony Nelson. Nobody that played more than 3.5% of their minutes is below a senior, but can they leverage this experience into success against the Gaels? For this to happen, they’ll likely need to clean up the turnovers, as an aggressive Iona defense will feast on the 330th best team in the country in turnover percentage.
Wagner
- Will they be able to recover from COVID?
Wagner remains the favorite in the NEC this year, and they haven’t done anything to prove otherwise. They’ve played just three games, and they sit 2–1, including a win on the road against VCU, and a road loss to Seton Hall. The Seahawks had a nearly three week layoff due to COVID, and they lost their first game back. Obviously, they weren’t expected to compete with Seton Hall, especially without their two leading scorers, Alex Morales or Will Martinez, but how they will perform when they return from COVID will likely be very important for the rest of Wagner’s season.
Columbia
- Which underclassmen will show themselves to be the future of the program?
It hasn’t been the most auspicious of starts to the season for Columbia, as they’ve started 2–6 and are only favored in 2 of their remaining 19 games. However, the Lions are also one of the least experienced teams in the country, and they didn’t have any expectations this year in the first place. Freshman Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa has already impressed in his playing time, as the Dominican guard has probably carved out a good role for himself going forward. Sophomores Zavian McLean, Liam Murphy, and Josh Odunowo have also shown flashes at times this year, but this is nothing more than a build year for Columbia, especially after senior star Ike Nweke went down hurt in game one.
LIU
- Which player is going to take the reigns from their current seniors and emerge as the next key player?
Ty Flowers, Eral Penn, and Isaac Kante are the only 10+ PPG scorers on this Sharks team, but they’re all seniors, and the Sharks aren’t very good anyway. Sitting at 1–6, LIU is unlikely to compete in the NEC, and they’ve shown little to be confident about this year, or for the future. They scheduled some tough teams, including San Francisco, Fresno State, and UConn, and they got blown out in all three games. Derek Kellogg’s team needs somebody else to step up, perhaps it’s Kyndall Davis, who scored 21 points against Delaware State, maybe Alex Rivera, who has scored 12, 8, and 9 points in his last three games. For the Sharks, figuring this out will be key to their future.
Hofstra
- Can they close out games?
They nearly went into Houston and defeated a Final Four team from last year, but fell in overtime after leading by 13 in the second half. They had multiple mental lapses on the road against Maryland, causing them to lose by just two points. The Pride also had a chance to beat Iona, but Coach Speedy Claxton failed to be able to sense the momentum shift and call timeout, and the game was effectively over from there. A 4–4 team that is significantly better than their record, Hofstra is the favorite in the CAA, but they’ll need to figure out how to close out games if they truly want to be dangerous.
St. John’s
- Is Julian Champagnie capable of carrying this team to the tournament?
The probable favorite for Big East Player of the Year, Julian Champagnie is NYC’s best College player. Champagnie is averaging 21.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, including a 32 point game against Indiana. Posh Alexander had his worst performance against Indiana, and if that’s a sign of things to come, which St. John’s hopes aren’t, Champagnie will have to really strap the team on his back even more than he already does. Alexander, the reigning Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year, has begun to develop his offensive game, but he had a season-low in points and season-high in turnovers in the Johnnies only game against a high-major opponent. St. John’s faces Kansas tonight in what will be their biggest test yet, a huge gauge for where this team is.
St. Francis (Brooklyn)
- Will they be able to shoot better?
Despite being 254th in average height, the Terriers are 316th in three-point shooting percentage, leading to a stagnant, 322nd ranked, offense. If they’re not able to shoot, they’re going to continue to struggle, as they currently sit at 0–7 and 334th in KenPom rankings. Coach Glenn Braica hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in his decade-plus long tenure with St. Francis, and this year doesn’t seem like it’s going to be the first. This has been a team that’s been much better in conference than in non-conference in the past, potentially that holds up this year and they can have a successful season
Fordham
- Can they climb out of the A-10 Basement?
The Rams haven’t won more than five A-10 games since 2016–17, but this year, they’ve started 6–3 under new head coach Kyle Neptune, potentially a change is in order? The Rams have had some poor performances, including a home loss to UMES, but Chuba Ohams, Antonio Daye, and Darius Quisenberry are legit players that could make an impact in the A-10. The question isn’t for them to run with the Bonnies and with Richmond, but can they climb from last, climb above some of the bottom feeders and show some promise.
