The weekly Rumble, 10-22

The "worst" thing about Midnight Madness festivities?

A couple more weeks like between that burst of excitement and the real games that count in the record books.

The first of two St. John's exhibitions will be on November 1st against Sonoma State (from California, coached by Steve Lavin's former coach at San Francisco State), and that's over a week away.

Big East Media Day was last week, there was recruiting news, and we at the Rumble continue to prepare for a bangin' season. Also, Quinn celebrated his one-year Rumble-versary - congratulations to him and Tim for helping build this site to where it is, and to its brighter future!

Now, let's recap.

Last week, in Rumble in the Garden...

Coach Lavin was asked about what the rotation might look like last week at Red Storm Tip-Off, and he said it was too soon to determine playing time for the full-strength Red Storm. Lavin did say that the crucible of competition that will be the Charleston Classic will go a far way in figuring out the rotation; we'll keep an eye on the team's tinkering.

The Syracuse Post-Dispatch's poll of Big East writers had St. John's picked 10th and D`Angelo Harrison on the second team. The Big East's coaches agreed with that assessment. The picks for the bottom of the league were slightly different, but mostly, there is a community consensus about how the league will look in early March.

See the major poll results below, with the consensus on the left; color coded for easier reading (I hope).

From media day, a few coaches reflected on St. John's place in the shifting Big East.

Rick Pitino, coach of the Louisville Cardinals, remarked on the mistakes St. John's made after Lou Carnesecca retired - and it's definitely worth a re-read if you've read it already.

Meanwhile, South Florida coach Stan Heath - lonely despite his team's rise into tyhe top half last year - remarks on what his team does well and on how St. John's could make a similar leap up the Big East standings.

On the recruiting front, forward Ishmail Wainright - a defensive-oriented power wing - committed to Baylor, joining former St. John's commit Ricardo Gathers in Waco, Texas.

The Red Storm continue to pursue local forward Jermaine Lawrence, Philadelphia point guard Rysheed Jordan, and forward Jarell Martin from Baton Rouge.

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