St. John’s 6-0 start and a convincing pair of back to back wins has run parallel with the emergence of Andre Curbelo.
Being a cerebral, poised point guard with the ability to turn in plays under heightened pressure was part of the major appeal enveloping the former Long Island Lutheran guard, a transfer via Illinois.
And so when he entered the transfer portal last spring, Curbelo was an enticing option given his proven veteran experience. Even after an irregular sophomore year at Illinois.
From Puerto Rico originally, Curbelo battled with a concussion which sidelined him for nearly half of the 2021-22 campaign. He eventually back to average 7.5 points and 3.2 assists, his numbers and minutes down from a promising freshman season.
Curbelo is averaging 12 points and 5.8 assists while shooting it at a 50 percent clip through this 6-0 start for St. John’s.
After turning in a traditional 3-point play in the final 1:15 and scoring on a hard drive during the waning moments of St. John’s gritty 78-72 win over Temple on Monday, Curbelo was the engine who propelled SJU to a 76-69 Overtime win over Syracuse in the Empire Classic at the Barclays Center on Tuesday night.
Curbelo, who won and won often during his time under John Buck at LUHI, turned in a game best 23 points along with six assists and four steals in the Syracuse win.
“It’s all about the confidence level (coaches and teammates) have been able to provide for me,” said Curbelo, who shot it at a smoking 9-for-13.
“I came into this game with confidence through the roof. It’s all because of the coaches, the staff, and my teammates. They continue to encourage me.”
Shooting has been pegged as Curbelo’s glaring weakness, while many questioned if he could knock down that outside shot.
This confidence, which may have sputtered during a rocky sophomore at Illinois before transferring, has been evident in his deep jumper.
Against Syracuse’s zone, Curbelo cited having an immense “green light.”
He shot 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and has shot 6-for-11 (54 percent) from 3-point range through the first six games.
“It’s still early, we’re still learning, we’re still getting used to each other, but it was a great team win,” said Curbelo.
Curbelo was the offensive engineer of a national level LUHI team which went 95-10 during his time there.
A hot name as soon as he hit the portal, even amid the aforementioned disappointing sophomore year at Illinois, Curbelo chose the Red Storm over Florida, UConn, Providence, Boston College, Maryland, Kansas Louisville, and a bevy of others.
