St. John's will have a monster team in 2017 with Zach Brown

[Redstorm1987]

Zach Brown was a top 10 recruit for 2017 . Hope he gets past his legal troubles. St. John's will be very tall in 2017 with many 4 and 5 star players .

[NJRedman]

Really psyched for our future. Mullin and Matt A. are bringing some studs to Queens. I think we're going to shock some folks this year.

[SJHooper]

Love the Zach Brown get. Very low risk, absurdly high reward guy. He's 7'1 260...this is the BIG BODY we haven't had here in so long. In the recent past, we would have relied on a player with a troubled past like this, but the beauty is that he is easily disposable if he acts up again. If he gets his act together, he can be one of the biggest stories in the nation and be a lottery pick. If he doesn't, then he gets shown the door because we have plenty of bodies ready to go. Mullin and Matt A have brought depth that we never had except for maybe 1 year under Lavin. Next year we will be ok but still not very good possibly with a few surprise top 25 wins. But make no mistake, 2017-2018 is the season we are expected to be a legitimate year long top 25 team. I'm not talking about a team that makes the top 25 then leaves immediately. We need to be a team that is in there week after week. By then, Mullin will have been there long enough to expect some results in his 3rd season.

I'm hopeful, but with that being said, I quickly learned as a SJ fan to temper my expectations significantly. This is a program that is trending up, but still routinely falls way short of hype and expectations at least while I've been following. Other than 2011, this team has definitely underperformed on a regular basis. I pray for the best, but I'm also prepared for the worst. One thing we know: we will have the talent to make noise and be ranked very shortly. It all depends on how much chemistry the players have and how good of a coach Mullin is. Lavin did not develop players at all and many only made significant strides in their SR year but looked like freshmen their first 3 years. That happens naturally anyway and left me very unimpressed. Between Sima, Brown, Owens, Yakwe, Ahmed, Freudenberg, LoVett, Ponds, Simon, Diakate, Mussini, Clark, etc. there are officially no excuses. A good coach makes that a routine top 25 team that makes the tournament most of the time. A bad one will do the same as Lavin. I hope to god Mullin succeeds, because if he can't bring the program back I think many will give up on it for good. At a certain time if all you cause is heartache and underperform, people are going to overlook you. At a certain point, results need to match hype like Villanova this year. SJ is a program that almost never rises to the occasion with expectations, but that better change very shortly.

[BigmanU]

Great to see. LOOOVVVVE seeing the Johnnies in the mix. The universe will be right again.

In 17-18 the BEAST will be very top heavy with probably 6 teams consistently in the top 25 all year

Villanova (loaded)
Xavier (loaded)
Creighton (loaded)
Seton Hall (SR.'s)
St. John's (loaded)
Georgetown (Sr.'s)

[Hall2012]

Well this risk is that if he keeps getting into trouble, he may drag other guys on the team with him. Generally, college basketball teams spend a lot of time together- both on an off the court, meaning they have the potential to influence each other quite a bit. 2017-18 St. John's looks very promising, but nothing can derail promise as quickly as a few high profile suspensions.

Now hopefully this goes the other way and his coaches/teammates influence him to stay out of trouble. I kinda gave a worst case scenario, but I do think it's a potential risk that shouldn't be ignored.

[gtmoBlue]

Good Luck Johnnies!

Agreed, if the staff/players can turn Zach around - he has the ability to be a dominant player for the 2017 team. Sometimes the coaching staff has to stretch, take a calculated risk, step outside of their comfort zone. A player like Brown is worth taking a calculated risk...the payoff can be tremendous. If he doesn't work out - it was still worth the gamble.

I for one am expecting a significant turnaround this coming season for St Johns. The incoming Talent, good team chemistry, significant returnees with experience, and the benefit of the doubt to the coaching staff. Did I mention the talent? They take a few steps in the right direction this year. Back on 25 May 16, in my Draft Deadline preseason rankings - I have the Johnnies as 6th for 2016-17. IMHO, if this team gels, plays unselfishly, and for each other...6th could well be their floor with the ceiling much higher.

6. St Johns
Lose Felix Bamalou, Christian Jones
Add PG Ponds...Juco AA Bashir Ahmed, PF Freudenburg (No.2 class in BE)
Returning cast was improving late - Yakwe, Williams, Owens, Sima. LoVett is eligible. Ahmed and Ponds contribute immediately. The Johnnies will be improved. They have talent to win the league - my darkhorse team.

Go Johnnies!

[XtoDC]

To say there is no risk but a high reward is not exactly how I see it. There is a very high reward, and I think everyone on this board sees that and hopes for that. However, I assume St. John's has plenty of white hairs in their fan base with deep pockets who won't be thrilled if there are headlines in their morning NY Post, 'St. John's player arrested!'. People also don't tend to get in trouble on their own, and the basketball players hang out with each other.

Here is to hoping his head is finally screwed on straight, and if it isn't Chris Mullin fixes that real quick. I think things will probably work out with him and a couple St. John's managers are going to have a new best friend they spend A LOT of time with as soon as he reaches campus.

[sju88grad]

Normally, I would cringe with a signing like Zach but after Mullin let Jordan and Obekpa leave because they refused to follow his rules, I felt like we finally had a coach who wasn't going to put up with crap from the players. I am optimistic that Zach can be a great addition to the team and stay out of trouble but if something else happens before he gets to campus, I could see Chris cutting him loose.