Five questions facing St. John’s women’s basketball heading into the 2024-25 season

The Red Storm begin their season on Monday with a matinee game against Saint Peter’s (2:00 p.m., FloSports)

The St. John’s women’s basketball team tips off their season with a matinee game tomorrow, on November 4 (2:00 p.m., FloSports). The Red Storm are coming off an 18-15 season in which they missed the NCAA tournament but reached the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) and advanced to the second round.

With Joe Tartamella returning for his 13th season as head coach, eight players coming back, and an influx of veteran transfers, St. John’s is looking to return to the Big Dance after a one-year hiatus. Here are five questions facing the women’s basketball team before their season tips off on Monday.

Who steps up in Unique Drake and Jillian Archer’s place?

It’s not rocket science to see that replacing your two top scorers from last season is not easy.

Unique Drake and Jillian Archer graduated after their fifth season of college basketball, with each player leaving a void in different ways. Drake scored prodigiously in her fifth and final season with the Red Storm, averaging 18.4 points per game and shooting 42.4% from the field and 36.9% from three in a unanimous All-Big East season. Archer was a solid frontcourt presence with 11.3 points per game, and she led the team in field goal percentage (59.8%), rebounds per game (7.6), and blocks per game (1.5).

There are a few candidates who can leap into the lead roles. Co-captain Ber’Nyah Mayo is an easy pick to become the team’s next alpha as the top returning scorer from last season, averaging 10.3 points per game. Mayo led the squad in assists per game (3.5) and steals per game (1.7) last season and she had prior experience in the NCAA tournament, playing in the Big Dance with UMass in 2022.

Miami transfer Lashae Dwyer is another potential leader for this year’s team. The Toronto native was a hard-nosed guard over 96 games across three seasons with the Hurricanes, averaging 5.4 points and 1.3 steals in a reserve role. Dwyer was also a member of two different Hurricanes teams that reached the NCAA tournament, particularly the 2022-23 team that made it to the Elite Eight.

Joe Tartamella spoke highly of Dwyer during last month’s St. John’s basketball media day, expecting the senior guard to take a leap in production.

“[Dwyer] brings a lot of experience and incredible intensity defensively, and I think she’s going to be able to score at a higher rate than she has,” Tartamella said.

Even though it was in an exhibition against a Division-II Pace, it is worth noting that Dwyer led St. John’s in scoring with 22 points in an 80-48 win on October 21.

What will the transfer class bring to the squad?

Joe Tartamella once again plucked experienced players from the transfer portal, including the aforementioned Lashae Dwyer.

Monmouth transfer Ariana Vanderhoop not only brings an incredibly fitting name for her trade but also scoring touch and veteran experience. The Boston native averaged 10.8 points per game, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field, 33.3% from three, and 79.2% from the free-throw line. She helped the Hawks claim a 22-10 record and earned a spot on the 2023-24 Third-Team All-CAA.

Manhattan transfer Jade Blagrove and Penn State junior transfer Kylie Lavelle add post presence to a team dealing with attrition at the forward position, with each player standing at 6-foot-2. Blagrove averaged 8.4 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Jaspers last season and projects as a reliable glass cleaner.

Lavelle was a reserve for the Nittany Lions last season, averaging 3.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 28 games off the bench and struggling to find a role after starting regularly for a Drexel team that won a CAA regular season title in her freshman year.

Transfers like Jayla Everett, Ber’Nyah Mayo, and Jillian Archer made immediate impacts with the Red Storm in recent years. Could we see a repeat from one or two transfers in this portal class?

How much will Daye, Donald, and Owen improve?

The junior guard trio of Tara Daye, Jailah Donald, and Skye Owen were incredible defenders last season. Each player had a Bart Torvik adjusted defensive rating of 89.6 or less (100 being average, the lower the better). There is room for each of them to grow offensively, as well.

Donald was named a co-captain alongside Ber’Nyah Mayo entering this season, and she’s looking to break out in 2024-25. Donald started in 21 of 33 games, averaging 5.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while firing 41.5% from the field and 35.2% from three in her sophomore season.

Skye Owen was stuck in a backcourt logjam in her first two seasons, but there’s a clear path for the Staten Island native to ascend into a larger role if she continues to progress. Last season, Owen flashed ball-stopping ability when she averaged 5.4 points and 1.4 steals per game in 33 games and four starts.

Daye is also another capable defensive guard for the Red Storm, averaging 4.2 points in 31 games and 19 starts last season.

Defense is never a question with Joe Tartamella-coached teams, especially for this trio, but it will be important to see how much each player can elevate their play on the offensive end with potentially larger roles.

Can St. John’s avoid another early season skid?

The Red Storm got off to a brutal 2-5 start last season, including a 0-3 performance in the Puerto Classic multi-team event. They eventually rebounded to an 18-15 record, including a third-place finish in the Big East and a berth in a postseason tournament, but that non-conference slide put the team behind the eight ball earlier than anyone would have liked.

Outside of facing Fairfield, who achieved an AP poll ranking for the first time in program history last season, and visiting Penn State, the Red Storm shouldn’t face much adversity in their non-conference schedule. Road games against LIU, Loyola (MD), and Hofstra may not do much for their resume, but those can turn into landmine losses.

Will A’riel Little be an impact freshman?

Tartamella hauled in a two-player freshman class for the 2024 season, with each player he describes as a talented shooter. Middletown, Connecticut native Janeya Grant suffered a torn ACL in her senior year of high school and might not see ample playing time, leaving only one other newcomer that could make an impact this season.

Brooklyn native A’riel Little comes to St. John’s with a high school pedigree. She was the highest-rated high school recruit to come to St. John’s since Unique Drake in 2019, ranking 100th in ESPNW’s class of 2024 rankings. Little won the 2022 New York State Championship and three PSAL city championships with South Shore High School, earning a McDonald’s All-American Game nomination in her senior year.

The Red Storm’s backcourt room is crowded, so it will be interesting to see if or how A’riel Little cracks the rotation and makes her presence felt.