Even as he prepares for a new season, head coach Mike Jarvis finds himself marveling at the old one every now and then.

St. John's was 12-12 when Duke came to Madison Square Garden for an early March game that was supposed to be little more than a postseason tune-up for the ACC power and the beginning of the end for the Red Storm.

But a funny thing happened. Jarvis' team won that game and then kept winning -- right on through to the school's sixth NIT championship.

"It was a remarkable thing to see, given all the circumstances when we were 12-12," said Jarvis, whose Red Storm finished 21-13 and beat Georgetown in the NIT title game. "A lot of people quit on that team. Incredibly, the players and the staff didn't. There aren't a lot of teams that could have done what we did last year."

But picking up where St. John's left off won't be easy.

Marcus Hatten's dazzling offense of the past two years is gone. So is the rock-steady inside presence that Anthony Glover provided the past four. Three players (Eric King, Tristan Smith and Tim Doyle) transferred out, and several newcomers are being counted on to make an immediate impact -- two of them true freshmen. This team's leader could very well be point guard Elijah Ingram, a sophomore.

"Every team is different, which is great," Jarvis said. "Even with kids back, teams are different because they're a year older and you never know what to expect from kids. That's what makes this job so much fun."

FRONTCOURT

The hope was that Grady Reynolds would have an immediate impact on the frontcourt after transferring in from the junior college ranks last year. That never happened; Reynolds only occasionally delivered on his promise by averaging 4.8 points and 5.0 rebounds. The payoff, though, could come this year, since Reynolds has drawn raves for his offseason work.

Senior Kyle Cuffe, a solid role player for most of his career, and smooth-shooting wing man Willie Shaw, an inconsistent talent, bring plenty of experience to a frontcourt desperately in need of just that. Both need to step up their games -- not just for St. John's to be successful but also because their playing time will depend on it.

That's because Jarvis lassoed a pair of 6-foot-9 forwards on the recruiting trail in Lamont Hamilton and Tyler Jones. Asked if the two newcomers will have an immediate impact, Jarvis said. "It's up to them. Everyone is going to have a chance to prove themselves on this team."

BACKCOURT

How do you replace an offensive tour de force like Hatten, who scored 1,400 points the past two seasons and always seemed to have the ball in his hands at crunch time? "It's not one guy stepping in to fill the void. It's a lot of people stepping up to do a little more," Jarvis said.

Ingram and sophomore Darryll "Showtime" Hill, who sat out last year for academic reasons, will be counted on more than most to pick up for the loss of Hatten.

Ingram, who arrived with enormous hype, was slowed by two injuries last year. He tore a ligament in his shooting hand on the eve of the opener and then suffered a severely sprained ankle once his hand finally healed. He started flashing star ability at the end of the season, and he averaged 10.5 points, 2.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds while hitting 36.1 percent of his 3-pointers. He also averaged 31.4 minutes per game.

"He was like a lot of guys on the team in that he finished strong," Jarvis said. "But with him I think a large part of it was just being healthy."

Hill, a partial qualifier as a freshman, practiced with the Red Storm last year, although he was not eligible to play. He earned his nickname at Cardoza High School in Queens because of his offensive exploits.

Junior college transfer Anthony Ighodaro will push for minutes at Hatten's old shooting guard spot. St. John's was waiting to hear whether 6-4 senior Andre Stanley will be granted a medical redshirt after being limited to 11 games last season.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Everything depends on the newcomers. The leader is there in Ingram. The frontcourt nucleus of Reynolds, Shaw and Cuffe is solid. But offense is desperately needed, and Jarvis hopes Hill and Ighodaro can provide that in their inaugural Division I seasons. It's tough to lose a dominant player like Hatten and at the same time rely on so many new faces. Jarvis, though, seems to relish challenges like this.

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