Posh Alexander’s time has come. The third-year guard is stepping up as one of the leaders of the St. John’s Men’s Basketball team amid an upcoming season with high expectations within a competitive Big East Conference. 

Julian Champagnie, the Red Storm’s face for the last three seasons, was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2022 NBA draft, leaving a gaping hole in both team leadership and performance. The team also lost seasoned veterans, Aaron Wheeler and Stef Smith, but gained key transfers Andre Curbelo and David Jones.

In his freshman season, Alexander was named the Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Big East Freshman of the Year. Alexander was All-Big East Honorable Mention during his sophomore season and was ranked 11th in the nation in steals, averaging 2.3 per game.

Alexander was selected for the All-Big East preseason team for the first time, rounding out his achievements playing for St. John’s. “I’m excited that [the coaches] picked me to be an All-Big East first team [selection],” Alexander said. “But my main focus is at practice, working with my teammates, getting better every day and just focusing on us and getting through the season.

Even though Alexander has been viewed as an on-court leader since he came to the Red Storm, he isn’t doing it alone. Senior center Joel Soriano is taking steps in a leadership role as well. “I feel like I’m sharing the leader role with Joel Soriano,” Alexander said. “And it is an honor to share it with him.”

St. John’s head coach Mike Anderson has tracked Alexander’s progress through the offseason, and predicts he’s ready to lead this year’s squad. “I think he is changing his body and taking all of the things that happened and trying to come back, be a better player and be a leader for our basketball team,” Anderson said. 

Alexander recounts a similar view of the offseason, citing improvements and tweaks to his game. “I think working hard this entire summer has led me up to this point,” Alexander told The Torch at St. John’s media day. “I feel like the work is going to continue and I won’t let up.”

Despite the success, the guard is still looking to improve his game. Alexander suffered long droughts last season when he could not convert on three-point attempts, which was his focus on his training over the summer. 

“That was my main focus the whole summer, to try and shoot the three-ball better,” Alexander said. “I felt like that was something I was weak at and I feel like I got better over the summer.”

Fans received a preview of what to expect from Alexander over the summer through the team’s trip to the Dominican Republic. The Johnnies won two out of three matchups, with Alexander starting all three contests. The point guard put up 21 points during the first game, eight assists during the second game and 13 points in the final matchup against the Dominican Republic national team. 

The Johnnies will travel to Alexander’s home court in Brooklyn for the Empire Classic on Nov. 21, held at the Barclays Center. The team’s first hurdle will be against Temple University. After playing Temple, the Johnnies could play either Richmond or former Big East rival Syracuse.

“It’s big for me because I’m from Brooklyn and I get to play back in Brooklyn,” Alexander said. “It’s good for my teammates playing on an NBA floor. We just have to go out and try to win.” 

Alexander started for both of the Johnnies’ exhibition games. He led the team to an 85-55 win against Adelphi and an 82-41 win against Southern New Hampshire University. Alexander put up a record 10 assists against Adelphi and 11 points with 3 rebounds during Southern New Hampshire’s game. 

The Red Storm’s first regular-season contest is slated for Monday, Nov. 7 when the Johnnies take on Merrimack at 7 p.m. in Carnesecca Arena.