Red Storm Mature To New Heights

Wednesday, 07 July 2010 12:01

By Geri Falzon

Turning a collegiate sports program from stagnant to successful is never easy, especially in New York. For St. John’s women’s basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico, the rewards of hard work and dedication has paid off ten-fold.

The Red Storm finished the 2009-2010 campaign with an overall record of 25-7 and 12-4 in the powerful BIG EAST Conference. St John’s fell just short of a Sweet 16 appearance as their stellar season came to an end in a nail-biting overtime loss to Florida State in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“The season was incredible. It was better than I could have ever imagined,” said coach Arico. “We had a great recruiting class come in but you never know how freshmen will pan out, especially in a conference like the BIG EAST, but they just exceeded expectations.” she added.

The recruiting class coach Arico referred to was led by two All-BIG EAST Freshmen Team selections; forward Shenneika Smith and point guard Nadirah McKenith. “Nadirah was a major difference for us this year. Anytime you have an impact at the point position it can dramatically change the team,” remarked Arico. She added, “Shenneika also had an outstanding freshman season as did sophomore Da’Shena Stevens.” Arico went on to say, “This team believed in themselves. For a young team, in a tough conference, they were never intimidated.”

McKenith, the only freshman finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award for the nation’s top point guard, was ranked among the BIG EAST leaders in every point guard category last season. “She was a little under the radar early on last year since she doesn’t put up the points, but she doesn’t have to score for us to be successful. She ran our team,” said Arico.

Smith, the Red Storm’s second leading scorer, was not only a unanimous BIG EAST freshman team selection, but also received Full Court Press Freshman All-American honors.

Stevens, who will be entering her junior year, led the team in scoring and rebounding, nearly averaging a double-double with 14.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. She was an Associated Press honorable mention All-America selection, a WBCA Region I All-American and a first team All-BIG EAST honoree.

With all the accolades surrounding last season, the 2010-2011 season will bring much higher expectations for the Red Storm. “I think pre-season we have the opportunity to be ranked in the Top 20 with the number of kids we have coming back,” said Arico.

Come late fall, the young Red Storm will be put to the test once again as another grueling season of BIG EAST basketball begins. The 2010 National Champion UConn Huskies will pay a visit to the Carnesecca Arena on the Queens campus, as will DePaul, Georgetown and Rutgers. All of which qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season. WNIT participants Pittsburgh and Syracuse will join Seton Hall and Cincinnati to round out the home BIG EAST schedule for the Storm.

On the road, St. John’s will visit the unfriendly confines of NCAA participants Notre Dame and West Virginia. WNIT qualifiers Marquette, Providence and University of South Florida will all pose challenges with Villanova, Louisville and Seton Hall completing the difficult road schedule.

Coach Kim Barnes Arico and her coaching staff continue their efforts to take St. John’s to an even higher level. The Red Storm’s future looks bright with another strong recruiting class coming in for the upcoming season.

This program has created an excitement which is attracting not only students but new fans alike. “There is definitely a buzz around New York and New York high school basketball and St. John’s. It’s all very positive” said Arico. “We have earned the respect of the local community as well as nationally,” added the coach.

The Red Storm, once a perennial pushover in the BIG EAST, is no longer the doormat of the conference. “Our program is on the national level right now,” boasted Arico. The proud coach added, “I think every school in the country knows St. John’s now.”