St. John’s gets some muscle, adds grad transfer Arnaldo Toro

After losing the Kevin Marfo sweepstakes to Texas A&M, St. John’s head coach Mike Anderson added another 6-foot-8 forward to the roster.

There is some good news for St. John’s basketball in the midst of our coronavirus shutdown. The Johnnies finally got another big man. St. John’s added 6-8 forward, Arnaldo Toro, as a graduate transfer from George Washington University. Last season for the Colonials, Toro averaged 6.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 24 games. It was a big improvement over his junior season when the Hormigueors, Puerto Rico native was limited to the first seven games of the season after he sustained a hip injury.

Toro is excited to be part of the Red Storm program and is looking forward to playing in the Bigeast. Per Adam Zagoria of ZAGSBLOg:

"“I think the coaching staff is great and I was able to build a relationship with them and I like the mentality they have,” Toro said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to play against great competition in the Big East and I’m excited for the challenge. I can bring toughness, rebounding, expanding the game [by] playing with each other’s experience and leadership. [We are] trying to make a run to the tournament.”More from Empire Writes BackCaesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!Last Chance Caesars Promo: Claim $1,250 Bonus for ANY MLB Bet!Caesars New York Promo Code Gives TWO Chances to Win Betting on Your Yankees!PointsBet New York Promo: FIVE $100 Bonus Bets to Back the Yankees or Mets!Caesars NY Promo: $1,250 Bonus to Celebrate the Return of Judge!"

The power forward is no stranger to the local basketball scene. He played his high school ball locally in New Jersey at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark. Behind a 32-2 record, Toro helped guide his team to the 2016 New Jersey State Prep A championship, according to his bio on the George Washington athletic website.

While GW hasn’t been a powerhouse in the Atlantic-10 basketball conference, Toro’s prior championship experience, even if it is high school, does mean something. St. John’s is poised to contend in the Big East next season.

With everyone set to return for the Red Storm, pending LJ Figueroa’s NBA pre-draft decision, Mike Anderson’s squad can use Toro’s aggressiveness on the glass. He does need to improve from behind the arc, Torro comes to Queens with a whopping  .237 career three-point shooting percentage.

Time will tell, but Toro’s addition looks like a solid pickup for an emerging St. John’s program that lacked big bodies in the paint. SJU has championship aspirations in the near future and needed the banger under the basket.