At 5 feet 10 inches, Elijah Ingram is easy to miss. But rest assured that the St. John’s men’s basketball freshman point guard will soon be recognized all over the Big East.

Guard play is expected to dominate the conference this season, and the addition of the 2002 New Jersey State Player of the Year to a backcourt that already features senior Marcus Hatten gives the Red Storm one of the Big East’s best duos.

‘(Ingram’s) a winner,’ St. John’s head coach Mike Jarvis said. ‘He’s got great speed and quickness.’

Ingram, from Orange, N.J., attended St. Anthony’s High School (also the current school of SU recruit Terrence Roberts). Under head coach Bob Hurley, Ingram led St. Anthony’s to back-to-back state titles in 2001 and 2002. Last season, he averaged 18 points and was named a McDonald’s All-American.

‘Playing for (Coach Hurley) was a great learning experience,’ Ingram said. ‘It helped me prepare for the challenges of the next level.’

Both Ingram’s grandfather, Herman Ingram, and Hurley said Ingram has always been ahead of other kids his age.

“When he was a little kid, he was already playing with the middle-school boys,’ Herman said.

Added Hurley: ‘He was a four-year starter. Only a handful of kids have done that (at St. Anthony’s).”

“He’s extremely quick,’ Hurley said. ‘He’s got a city point guard’s game. You can’t press him because he’s a great dribbler, and he can shoot the three on you.’

Ingram was hampered in the preseason by a hand injury, but Jarvis does not expect that to slow his progress. Jarvis said Ingram will start and share ball-handling responsibilities with Hatten.

After sitting out the Red Storm’s first preseason game, an 86-61 loss to the Harlem Globetrotters, Ingram debuted in last Friday’s 77-64 win over an Israel pro team. He led the team with 15 points.

‘It felt good, especially after having only practiced a few days prior to the game,’ Ingram said. ‘It made me feel like I deserved to be out there and could contribute right away.’

Said Jarvis: ‘He came back very quickly from his injury. He made a few freshman mistakes, but he won’t make them again in the future.’

Both Jarvis and Hurley agree that Ingram’s only weakness is his lack of strength, but Jarvis said that won’t slow Ingram.

‘He’s going to play, and play a lot,” Jarvis said.

Ingram’s game should only improve from spending time in the backcourt with Hatten, who ranked fourth in the Big East in scoring last season with 20.1 points per game.

Said Ingram: ‘(Hatten’s) experience and leadership will make me better.’

Family support has also been critical to Ingram’s success. His grandfather said a large group always turned out to see Ingram’s games at St. Anthony’s. Given the proximity of the Ingram’s home to St. John’s, Ingram should continue to get lots of family support. About 80 of his family members made the trip for Ingram’s SJU debut.

‘I always know where (my family) is in the crowd,” Ingram said, “and it gives me a feeling of comfort when they come to my games.”

Ingram can expect similar family support for his regular-season debut against Stony Brook on Tuesday. Hurley thinks that game could launch Ingram’s successful college career.

‘He’s a good passer and uses his hands very well,’ Hurley said. ‘Most kids at his age think they invented the sport, but Elijah doesn’t think like other kids.’

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No more ‘Nova

Syracuse wasn’t the only Big East team to fall in last week’s Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden. After the Orangemen lost to Memphis, 70-63, last Thursday, Villanova fell to Marquette, 73-61, on Friday. Both the Tigers and Golden Eagles are in Conference USA.

‘I don’t like to talk much about the conference thing,’ Villanova coach Jay Wright said. ‘I think it’s overrated. (Memphis and Marquette) are both very good basketball teams.’

The Wildcats grabbed 31 offensive rebounds but shot just 30 percent. Freshman guard Allan Ray led Villanova, scoring 16 points despite missing 6 of 7 first-half shots.

Wright attributed the Wildcats’ poor shooting to good defense by Marquette and the inexperience and poor execution of his own club.

‘I’m watching the tape for the 10th time, trying to figure things out,’ Wright said. ‘They played very good defense, but it was a great learning experience for us.’

Villanova is not done with preseason tournaments. On Thanksgiving weekend, the Wildcats will participate in the Great Alaska Shootout.

‘All these tournaments have a great atmosphere,’ Wright said.

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Globetrotters surprise Storm

Usually, coaches schedule preseason games against weaker teams that tour the country and are composed mainly of former college players. Jarvis figured he’d give his Red Storm team a challenge against the Harlem Globetrotters.

He got more than he bargained for.

The Globetrotters easily defeated St. John’s, 86-61, in the Nov. 8 exhibition contest. After jumping to an 11-0 lead, the Red Storm faded and was dealt a rare preseason defeat.

‘Their players were just better than ours,’ Jarvis said.

Hatten led St. John’s with 17 points. Senior forward Anthony Glover added 11 points and seven boards.

Jarvis said the Globetrotters team that tours the country and performs crazy antics is different than the group that tours to play college teams. This Globetrotters team features former NBA players such as Cedric Ceballos, Olden Polynice and Todd Day. Former Baylor standout Aundre Branch led the Globetrotters with 22 points.

‘They don’t clown around when they play college teams,’ Jarvis said. ‘The loss wasn’t a surprise at all. We expected them to compete.’

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This and that

Coming into this season, Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun and Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim rank ninth and 10th on the NCAA all-time victory list, respectively. Calhoun sits at 624 victories, while Boeheim starts the season with 623. … This past offseason featured only one conference coaching change. John Beilein grabs the reigns at West Virginia after compiling a 100-53 record in five seasons at Richmond. … Last season, the Big East led the nation in non-conference victories, posting a 138-55 out-of-league mark. So far this year, the conference has compiled a 3-2 mark. The SEC came in second last season with 127 non-conference victories. …Only two Big East teams start the year in the preseason Top 25 polls. Pittsburgh ranks fifth in the Associated Press poll. UConn stands No. 15. … Villanova senior guard Gary Buchanan, known for his jump shot, will miss two to three weeks after undergoing arthoscopic surgery on his knee Sunday.

Published on November 19, 2002 at 12:00 pm