St. John's to see familiar face when it hosts Posh Alexander and Butler
Posh Alexander #0 of the St. John's Red Storm works against Sean Jones #22 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half during their Big East Tournament second round game at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Mar. 9, 2023 in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
In his three seasons at St. John’s, Posh Alexander was never the leading scorer but always the guy Red Storm fans were most interested in. From his debut season, when he was the Big East Freshman of the Year and Co-Defensive Player of the Year, they couldn’t take their eyes off him. His on-ball defense, penchant for the steal and ability to score at the rim over taller players made him their “must-see.”
Eyes again will be on him at Carnesecca Arena on Tuesday night with the Brooklyn product at point guard for Butler when St. John’s (9-4, 1-1) hosts the Bulldogs (10-3, 1-1) at 8:30.
When he was introduced as the new Red Storm coach in March, Rick Pitino said very few members of the 2022-23 team would remain, and only Joel Soriano and Drissa Traore did. Alexander was one of three others invited to stay, but he entered the NCAA transfer portal and became what Butler coach Thad Matta called “a No. 1 target.”
“I hated coaching against Posh last year,” Matta said in a Monday interview. “When he went into the portal, we knew we needed a point guard — we wanted a veteran point guard — and I would say he became like a No. 1 target for us. And we wanted to check to make sure of what he was looking for in the transfer because I wanted it to be a perfect fit.”
Matta added: “He’s been phenomenal . . . There’s a hidden thing in him: That he wants to win like nobody I’ve ever coached before. He’s got dreams. He’s got aspirations. But he loves to see his teammates play well and it’s a great attribute that he has.”
Alexander has started all 13 games for the Bulldogs and is averaging 10.7 points, 5.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals. He continues to struggle as a three-point shooter, making just 21.4%, though Matta believes he will improve.
When asked about Alexander after Saturday’s win over Hofstra, Pitino didn’t want to discuss him in depth but did say, “I think Posh is in a great place . . . We know he’s a terrific basketball player. I’m happy he’s doing great. He’s on a terrific team.”
Alexander’s playing style has adjusted since the move from former coach Mike Anderson’s team. Matta said Alexander always focused on stopping his man but had to learn to play “help” defense, to know that three-point shots were not to be eschewed and to harness in-game emotions rather than letting them get the best of him.
“He’s done a great job of running our team and that’s something that I promised him, that I would teach him how to run a basketball team,” Matta said.
“Posh is an emotional kid — he can get emotional throughout the course of the game — but if you look, he’s done a lot better,” Matta added. “I got into him at halftime a few games ago because he was kind of fading, and he came out and had a great second half. [It was] getting him to understand he’s our leader. We’ve got to have him dialed in 100% all the time.”
Alexander turned down an interview request but said he would take questions after Tuesday’s game.
“I think he’s in a good spot going back there and I hope he plays well,” Matta said. “One of the things I love about him: He knows this is game three of a 20-game schedule in the Big East because he’s been there before.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
