Mustapha Heron has returned to March Madness, this time with St. John’s.
Heron and the Red Storm will take on Arizona State in an NCAA First Four game on Wednesday night at 9:10 p.m. in Dayton, Ohio. Both teams are No. 11 seeds, and the winner would play No. 6 Buffalo in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Friday in a first round game in the West Region.
Heron, a junior, was one of four St. John’s players to be interviewed along with head coach Chris Mullin during a media availability on Tuesday in Dayton. Heron played previously in the NCAA Tournament with Auburn.
“Being here, having the experience of coming here is good and all, but the way I look at it is put the ball in the rim,” Heron said. “It’s been the same since we was little. Just go out and have fun, enjoy the moment, put it in the rim.”
Heron wasn’t a St. John’s guy growing up in Connecticut, but he transferred to the school from Auburn. He received a hardship waiver and was able to play for the Red Storm this season.
“I love it, the coaching staff, my teammates,” Heron said of St. John’s. “I love the university, the program, everything about it.”
Heron joked about teammate Marvin Clark III screwing up his bracket when Heron was a senior at Sacred Heart High School. Clark, who also transferred to St. John’s, was playing for Michigan State at the time.
Heron has played in 30 of the 33 St. John’s games this season, including 29 starts. He is averaging 14.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 31.7 minutes per game. Heron is shooting 45.2 from the field, including 42.1 percent behind the three-point line. He is hitting 76.4 percent of his free throws.
Headshot photo and stats compiled from St. John’s team website.
