Andre Curbelo feels right at ‘home’ at St. John’s

Andre Curbelo didn’t hesitate. He didn’t pause. He didn’t even have to think momentarily when asked why he opted to transfer to St. John’s.

“Home, man, home,” the talented point guard, who spent his teenage years in the New York City area, said on Wednesday, before the Red Storm’s final practice prior to leaving for an exhibition tour of the Dominican Republic. “It’s home — home is always good. Being around my whole family, my support circle, my people. Just that feeling of coming home, it makes it even better when you’re coming to a place where everybody is excited about you.”

Now, there were a lot of appealing factors about St. John’s, from coach Mike Anderson’s uptempo style to Curbelo’s familiarity with the coaching staff that recruited him prior to his commitment to Illinois out of Long Island Lutheran High School. But No. 1, by far the overriding reason he chose to come to Queens, was comfort.

The presence of high school teammates, Drissa Traore and Rafael Pinzon. His close proximity to guardian and former AAU coach Jay David, along with his host family from his days at Long Island Lutheran. The New York City area is where the Puerto Rican-born, 6-foot-1 Curbelo made a name for himself as a top-50 recruit, and it was the spot he felt that was best for him after a mostly lost sophomore season at Illinois.

Upon entering the transfer portal, Curbelo heard from a host of high-major schools, such as Gonzaga, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech and Clemson. But he knew where he wanted to go.

“For me, if you’re not mentally right, you’re not really going to perform the way you want,” he said. “Coming home and having that right support system I think is going to help me go out there every night and feel like my family is always in the stands.”

Very little went right for him last season, after he was named Sixth Man of the Year in the Big Ten as a freshman. He suffered a concussion that cost him two months, and he was clearly not the same player upon returning. His numbers dipped. The departure of assistant coach Orlando Antigua to Kentucky created a void in his life — the two were very close — and his play suffered.

“I felt alone out there,” Curbelo said.

That’s no longer the case.

His eyes lit up when discussing the up-and-down style St. John’s plays. He can react and not overthink, let his natural gifts take over. No more walking the ball up. It’s run, run, run.

If there was any uncertainty he had made the right decision, Curbelo was certain he had after arriving on campus and meeting the team. There were Traore and Pinzon to show him around. The face of the program, fellow point guard Posh Alexander, greeted him warmly.

How the two will play together could end up determining St. John’s season. They are two pass-first players used to playing with the ball in their hands. But Curbelo doesn’t anticipate any issues — not in this system — and feels the two have already developed chemistry in the offseason.

“Listen, I get it, he’s running. He gets it, I’m running,” he said. “We’re getting along really good, and it makes it easier when the guys are welcoming. Everybody knows I’m happy.”

Curbelo added: “We can definitely do something special.”

St. John’s will play Temple and Syracuse will face Richmond in the Empire Classic at Barclays Center on Nov. 21, it was announced Wednesday afternoon. The winners and losers will play the following day. Former Big East rivals and headliners of the event, St. John’s and Syracuse last played each other in 2017. The Johnnies have won the last three matchups in the storied rivalry.