Red Storm Tip-Off Opens Season

QUEENS, N.Y. - Head men's coach Norm Roberts, head women's coach Kim Barnes Arico and the Red Storm men's and women's basketball teams invite all St. John's fans to the 2009 Red Storm Tip-Off, a season-opening celebration scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 22 at Taffner Field House.

A free BBQ and fan fest open the festivities at 5:30 p.m. on the courts at the state-of-the-art, four-year-old facility, with on-court activities set to begin shortly after.

During the 2009 Red Storm Tip-Off, members of both teams will be introduced, and Roberts and Barnes Arico will address the fans about the excitement of the upcoming season. The teams will hold a combined men's and women's scrimmage as part of what is sure to be an outstanding evening of contests, giveaways and performances at St. John's Queens Campus.

A four-man class of newcomers has been added to the 13 letterwinners returning to the court for the Red Storm in 2009-10, comprising Roberts' most experienced squad as he heads into his sixth season on the STJ bench. The 2009-10 Red Storm boasts six returnees with significant starting experience, and returns 97.2 percent of its scoring and 95.1 percent of its rebounding from a 2008-09 squad that won 16 games, including St. John's first BIG EAST Tournament victory since 2003. Returning scoring leaders Paris Horne (14.6 points per game, .435 field goal percentage), Anthony Mason Jr. (14.0 ppg), D.J. Kennedy (13.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and the Red Storm open their season vs. LIU on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the newly renovated Carnesecca Arena in Queens.

Fresh off its third-round appearance in the Postseason WNIT, its sixth-consecutive trip to the BIG EAST Tournament and a 19-15 record, Barnes Arico and the women's basketball team open their schedule when they travel to face Stony Brook on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. The Red Storm returns four starters and six letterwinners and features a five-person freshman class that was nationally rated in the top 15 by ESPN.com and Blue Star. Reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Da'Shena Stevens, who finished second on the team in scoring with 11.9 ppg and first in rebounding with 6.6, along with senior Kelly McManmon, who averaged a career-high 10.4 points last year and shot 38.8 percent from the floor and 39.7 from long distance, lead the cast of returning players.