The Red Storm hope that the four-game sweep, which was capped off by a 74-73 victory over the University of Ottawa, the country’s fifth-ranked team, will be a sign of good things to come. St. John’s also knocked off McGill University, the University of Quebec at Montreal, and perennial power Carleton University.
 
Per NCAA rules, St. John’s was permitted to practice as a team for 10 days prior to the trip north, the team’s first international trip since the Lou Carnesecca brought his team to Spain in the summer of 1991. The Red Storm were supposed to go to on a Labor Day trip last year, but the weekend trip to Cancun was canceled due to Hurricane Gustav.
 
With expectations high for 2009-10, Roberts is happy to have the opportunity to get an early start. “It’s real exciting for the players and the coaching staff,” Roberts said. “It gives us a chance to work out as a team a little earlier than usual. The guys worked real hard over the summer. This trip will give us an opportunity to bond as a team and to get a better feel for one another on the court.”
 
St. John’s believes it will again become a factor in 2009-10. Forwards Paris Horne, Justin Burrell and Sean Evans, and guards Malik Boothe and D.J. Kennedy, all juniors, return from a team that won 16 games last season. However, the most talked about returnee is redshirt senior forward Anthony Mason, Jr., who missed nearly all of last season after tearing the peroneal tendon in his right foot in November. Mason, Jr. averaged a team-best 14.0 points per game in 2007-08.
 
Roberts is excited about having a healthy team. “Obviously, we're very happy to have Anthony and the other guys healthy,” he said. “With the talent in the Big East, starting the league season without Mason, Boothe, and Burrell was too much to overcome.”
 
St. John’s returns over 97 percent of the scoring and 95 percent of the rebounding from a talented team that earned the school's first Big East tournament victory since 2003. In addition to those returning, Red Storm fans are excited about junior college transfers Justin Brownlee and Dwight Hardy, and highly-touted freshmen guards Omari Lawrence and Malik Stith. The sharp-shooting Hardy knocked down 4-of-5 from downtown while scoring 18 points in a 71-54 win over Carleton. Kennedy had a game high 19 points and nine rebounds for St. Johns. Carleton has won six of the last seven national championships.
 
St. John’s, which has the 5th most winningest program in college basketball history, has an excellent opportunity to turn the program around in a hurry. While the Big East will still be deep and talented, Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Louisville do not figure to be as strong, leaving the conference wide open for the Red Storm to make some noise. 
 
Roberts, in his sixth season as head coach at St. John’s, has his deepest and most experienced squad. He expects to be aggressive and athletic on the defensive end of the floor. “We’ve never had the depth that we have now,” Roberts said. “This year we’ll really be able to get after people. We expect to be very aggressive on defense. We’ll trap and press a little more than we have in the past. I’m very excited about the season.”