When he’s on, he’s special.
Andre Curbelo, one of the new guards on a revamped St. John’s roster, is looking to put it all together this season in Queens.
After spending two seasons in Champaign with the Illini, Curbelo entered the portal this offseason and moved back to New York.
In his two seasons with Illinois, he played in 50 games: 31 as a freshman, and just 19 as a sophomore. In his rookie year, he posted averages of 9.1 points and 4.2 assists. He shined with his electric vision and passing abilities. He was crafty. A game-changing player and without a doubt, when he was on, a momentum-shifter.
However, his second season did not go as planned.
Curbelo and his Illini team had high expectations heading into 2021-22, with a dominant Kofi Cockburn returning and a well-rounded group around the two. However, due to injuries and other off-the-court factors, Curbelo did not play or produce as much as expected. He averaged 7.5 points and 3.2 assists and shot just 33% from the field (17.6% from three). So what’s next?
Curbelo joins a Red Storm roster with lead guard Posh Alexander returning. Alexander, a bruising, 6-foot tall guard, averaged more than 13 points and five dimes per game last season, and will undoubtedly have the ball in his hands often once again this season. While neither Curbelo nor Alexander shoot the ball particularly well, if Curbelo can fill the role of a distributor and Alexander can flourish on the drive, the Johnnies will have a look at a well-balanced back court rolling alongside shooter Dylan Addae-Wusu. David Jones (DePaul) should provide more balance to the back court, as he posted more than 12 points per contest in the Big East slate last year.
Here at The Portal Report, we will have our eyes on Curbelo specifically all season long, watching to see if the Johnnies can gel together and excel in the tough Big East.
