St. John’s Picked Fifth in BIG EAST Coaches’ Poll; Joel Soriano Named to Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Soriano averaged 15.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and ranked second in Division I with 25 double-doubles last season
Soriano averaged 15.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and ranked second in Division I with 25 double-doubles last season
QUEENS, N.Y. (Oct. 24, 2023) – St. John’s senior captain Joel Soriano was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, as announced by the conference prior to its annual media day on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
The Red Storm men’s basketball team, which received 47 votes in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll last week, was also predicted to finish fifth by the league’s coaches. St. John’s fifth-place selection is the highest since the start of the 2021-22 season when the Johnnies were picked to picked fourth in the poll.
BIG EAST Media Day begins at 9:30 a.m. A live broadcast with all the action from “The World’s Most Famous Arena” can be viewed here.
Reigning BIG EAST regular season and tournament champion Marquette was selected to win the league by earning seven first-place votes and 96 points. The Golden Eagles were followed by Creighton with four first-place votes and 92 points. Defending National Champion UConn (79 points) and Villanova (76) earned third and fourth-place in the preseason standings ahead of the Red Storm. Xavier (57), Providence (51), Georgetown (34), Seton Hall (30), Butler (16) and DePaul (15) rounded out the rest of the preseason poll.
Soriano’s Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team selection marks the third straight season year a Johnnie was named to the conference’s top team, joining Julian Champagnie (2021) and Posh Alexander (2022).
The 6-foot-11 center is coming off a career year in Queens, totaling a personal-best 15.2 points and 11.9 boards per game with the latter ranking fourth in the nation. His 11.9 rebounds also paced the BIG EAST, becoming the first Johnnie since the inception of the league to be the category leader at season’s end.
Soriano’s magnificent 2022-23 season earned him a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team and semifinalist honors for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award.
The Yonkers, N.Y., native posted 25 double-doubles during the 2022-23 season, the second-most in NCAA Division I and the most by a St. John’s player since Walter Berry tallied 28 in 1985-86. With 563 career rebounds, Soriano became just the ninth player in program history to go pull down more than 500 boards in two seasons with the program.
St. John’s will return to action for its final exhibition of the preseason on Sunday, Oct. 29, when Pace visits Carnesecca Arena for a 3:30 p.m. tip.
2023-24 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) Pts.
Marquette (7) 96
Creighton (4) 92
Connecticut 79
Villanova 76
St. John’s 59
Xavier 57
Providence 51
Georgetown 34
Seton Hall 30
Butler 16
DePaul 15
