Marcus LoVett, St. John's
(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

In what should come as no surprise to anyone, St. John’s announced that guard Marcus LoVett has officially left the program.

All season long, St. John’s fans have wondered how good the team would be if they had Marcus LoVett play with Shamorie Ponds for a full season. LoVett was ruled out for the year back in January due to a knee injury. Saturday morning, the university announced that he will no longer be a part of the program. Here is what LoVett said in the school’s press release:

“Right now I feel it is best for me to return home, get healthy and explore all options for my basketball future. It has always been a goal of mine to play professional basketball, so I am committed to working hard to position myself for the best available opportunity. I enjoyed my experience at St. John’s and appreciate all the support from Red Storm fans.”

Before the knee injury, LoVett was having a good start to the 2017-18 season, averaging 14.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. He scored in double figures in seven of the eight games that he appeared in, including a 23-point outing in the season opener against New Orleans.

After missing the 2015-16 season due to being ruled ineligible to play in games, LoVett averaged 15.9 points and 3.8 steals per game in his first season in Queens last year. He scored 20 or more points in a game on nine different occasions and he was one of four players on the team to make at least 50 three-pointers.

It’s been clear the Red Storm have missed LoVett’s ability to frustrate opposing guards defensively and his 38.2 percent shooting from behind the arc.

If the team had him in Big East play, you would think St. John’s would be better than the 3-11 record they have in conference play right now as one or two shots by LoVett could have made the difference in a few games at the very least.

The LoVett news continues a rough week for St. John’s in terms of news after J’Raan Brooks officially de-committed from the program on Thursday. But, the Red Storm still have two expected newcomers in their backcourt next season in Greg Williams and Quinnipiac transfer Mikey Dixon.

Despite the rough week off the court, Chris Mullin‘s team is currently on a four-game winning streak and is starting to turn their season around with four games left in the regular season. They have found a way to win without LoVett, as Ponds has been scoring at will against some of the toughest competition in the country.

That being said, if LoVett does decide to turn professional, then that is his decision and the Red Storm fans should wish him all the best in what happens with his basketball career.

I graduated from St. John's University with a degree in sports management. I previously wrote about the Johnnies at Rumble In the Garden.