Julian Champagnie’s jump shot was off again Saturday.
The St. John’s junior attempted four 3-pointers and missed all of them in a win at Butler. But unlike during his recent slump, which he snapped in the previous game, this time his faulty jumper didn’t stop him from making an impact on offense.
Instead, Champagnie went into the post. He hurt the Bulldogs in the paint and got to the free-throw line 10 times, equalling his season high.
“I had to figure it out some way. I’m 6-8. Posting up was kind of the go-to when I’m not making jump shots,” Champagnie said in a phone interview ahead of the Red Storm’s game Tuesday night at the Garden against No. 15 Villanova. “I know it’s a different look, but whatever works, works. That’s how I have to approach every game from now on.”
St. John’s made the adjustment, and not merely because Champagnie’s shot was off. As Aaron Wheeler has taken off for the Red Storm, they have gone more frequently to a lineup with Champagnie at the small-forward spot.
Teams have begun using smaller defenders on Champagnie, more athletic and quick players who can crowd him and stay in front of him. It was part of the reason he had struggled until recently, posting four straight games in single figures before exploding for 27 points in a rout of Georgetown last Thursday.
Against Butler, St. John’s used Champagnie’s 6-foot-8 frame to its advantage. He scored 21 points and added eight rebounds, making big plays close to the basket. His jump shot being off didn’t hinder him.
“You make decisions based on how teams are going to play you. You take what the defense gives you,” coach Mike Anderson said. “You got to put him in different places on the floor. That’s the versatility we talk about with a guy like Jules. He can hurt you outside and obviously he has the type of game he can go inside.”
When Champagnie opted to return to St. John’s for his junior year after testing the NBA draft waters, the plan was for him to further develop his perimeter game. His strength is his shotmaking ability as a big wing. But the Brooklyn native has always maintained winning is the most important thing to him, not merely impressing NBA scouts.
“I’m fine doing whatever is going to get me going and help my team out,” Champagnie said. “Obviously it’s a little frustrating when jump shots don’t fall, you don’t feel good shooting your jump shot. But there’s no time to sulk about it or be upset about it in-game. You gotta just figure it out.”
It has been a roller-coaster season for Champagnie. He was brilliant in non-conference play, averaging 20.3 points and shooting 43.3 percent from 3-point range, and after a bout with COVID-19, he torched DePaul for 34 points and 16 rebounds in the Big East opener. Then he struggled mightily in a loss at Providence, and after a pair of strong efforts against Connecticut and Georgetown, he went into a deep funk as St. John’s lost four of five games. At one point, he went just 4-for-28 on 3-point attempts.
“I was very frustrated. Everybody could tell I was frustrated,” said Champagnie, who is the Big East’s second-leading scorer. “Shots weren’t falling. I couldn’t really help my team on that end of the floor. … That was the biggest thing. I felt like I let my team down a bunch of times.”
But with the Red Storm’s season on its last legs, Champagnie awoke in the two road wins last week. Now, the Johnnies need more heroics from him to turn this recent uptick into a significant streak.