Yes, today's game against Villanova is important for the present of St. John's basketball. The team is winless on the Big East season; and though this is a developmental year, wins are the fuel that help keep development going.
The side game along the basketball game involves the number of top recruiting targets the Red Storm are bringing to the game - players who they hope will drink in the atmosphere of potential around Chris Mullin's unit, which includes three seniors and a junior.
Here is a list of recruits slated to be at today's game, as mentioned by the NY Post's Zach Brazier (all information compiled by Katherine Acquavella and Jack Manning):
Shamorie Ponds
Ponds, the first 2016 commit under Chris Mullin and his staff, is the 41st ranked player on ESPN's top 100 recruiting list for 2016.