New Yorkers set to face St. John’s

When freshman forward Chris Taft was growing up in New York City, he wanted to go to… When freshman forward Chris Taft was growing up in New York City, he wanted to go to Duke. His friends and teammates, however, wanted to play for the local basketball power, St. John’s.

“A lot of kids in New York wanted to go to St. John’s, but then things started to change,” Taft said. “Kids talk about Pitt now. Lots of New York City players are going to Pitt, so that’s what the kids are talking about.”

Junior forward Mark McCarroll was one of those kids who wanted to go to St. John’s.

“I wanted to go St. John’s early in my high school years,” McCarroll said. “That was the first school that recruited me when I was like a freshman in high school, but things just didn’t work out. I just didn’t want to stay home. I wanted a college life.”

Taft and McCarroll, as well as the rest of the Panthers, will get the opportunity to play against the Red Storm tonight at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. Taft and McCarroll hold no hostilities toward St. John’s; they approach the game the same as they would any other regular-season contest.

“It really doesn’t matter [that the game is against St. John’s],” Taft said. “This is a Big East game we’re trying to win, so we’ve just got to take it as we take all other games we want to win.”

While St. John’s (5-13 overall, 0-7 Big East) has won only one of its last five games, that win came against former Pitt coach Ben Howland and UCLA on Saturday, as the Red Storm defeated the Bruins, 71-55.

“They’re a very talented team,” said Panthers’ head coach Jamie Dixon. “They got some confidence going and they can be very dangerous. It’s a very dangerous team, and it just goes to show how talented their players are.”

Against UCLA, sophomore guard Elijah Ingram poured in 21 points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in the victory. Senior forward Kyle Cuffe chipped in 13 points and a career-high 15 boards while senior guard Andre Stanley came off the pine to contribute eight points and a career-high nine rebounds.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” McCarroll said of tonight’s contest. “UCLA runs everything we run, so I think that they’re probably going to have a real good scouting report on us. But we just have to go out there and play hard and execute everything right.”

For the season, four players average 10 points or more for St. John’s, led by Ingram’s average of 13.3 points per game. Senior forward Grady Reynolds averages about 12 points per contest, while sophomore guard Daryll Hill contributes 11.3 points per game. Cuffe averages approximately 10 points and 6.5 rebounds per outing for the Red Storm.

“[St. John’s] has players that were heavily recruited and everyone knows about,” Dixon said. “Their guards shoot the ball, and any game that Ingram is making shots, especially early, really changes the whole complexion of the game, and that’s what happened on Saturday.”

In both the Associated Press and coaches’ polls released on Monday, the Panthers (20-1, 6-1) rose to No. 4, their highest ranking of the season. While Taft is excited about the ranking, he hopes to get the opportunity to defend a ranking that is even higher.

“It’s exciting,” Taft said. “Especially with me. I want to know how it feels to be ranked No. 2 or ranked No. 1 and just defending that, and just keep winning, and with this team, I feel like I have that.”

The St. John’s game will be televised on Fox Sports Net with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight.