Games of the Week: George Mason 92, Rhode Island 90 OT
It was a wild one in at the Patroit Center on Friday night. With both Jamil Wilson of Rhode Island (38 points) and Ryan Pearson from George Mason (28 points, 12 boards) were in a groove offensively, the two teams saw the lead change hands 22 times -- with 17 ties thrown in for good measure -- in an exciting, back-and-forth game. Mason erased a 10 point first half deficit to tie the game at the half. After opening up a five point lead early in the second half, GMU saw Rhode Island go on a 12-2 run to go ahead by five. The Patriot responded with a 9-1 spurt of their own.
George Mason eventually took an 80-77 lead with 39 seconds left when sophomore Sherrod Wright cleaned up a miss by Vertrail Vaughns. But at the other end, Jonathon Holton -- who was 0-5 from long range at that point in the game -- buried a three to force the extra period. In overtime, GMU scored six of the first seven points, taking an 86-81 lead, but Wilson responded with a 7-1 run of his own. Pearson game GMU the lead back and after trading baskets, he hit a free throw with 11 seconds left to take a 92-90 lead. URI used their hot hand Wilson as a decoy, but Orion Outerbridge missed a would-be buzzer-beating three.
Evansville 80, Butler 77 OT: Butler somehow always seems to be involved in games with weird endings. Everyone will remember the strange finish to Butler's upset of Pitt in last year's NCAA Tournament, but do you remember when Butler beat Xavier when the clock stopped for 1.2 seconds? Believe it or not, Butler may have topped that with the way they lost to Evansville on Saturday evening. After blowing a 12 point second half lead, Butler fouled Colt Ryan with 0.9 seconds left and a one point lead. But Ryan missed the first before making the second shot, tying the game.
On the ensuing inbounds, Butler threw the ball the length of the court to Andrew Smith who made the catch and laid the ball in at the buzzer. The only problem? The refs said the lay-in came after the buzzer, but that he was fouled with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. Smith would proceed to miss both free throws and Evansville won the game in overtime when Chrishawn Hopkins failed to get a shot off to try and tie the game. For a more in-depth look at the controversy involved in the finish, we wrote about it here.
Player of the Week: Nurideen Lindsey, St. John's
St. John's may not have played a murder's row schedule in the first week of the season, but the youthful Johnnies were tested. They dug themselves a big hole against William & Mary and a bigger hole against Lehigh before coming back and winning both of those games. Lindsey played a huge role in both of those comebacks, getting 15 of his 19 points in the second half against W&M and finishing with 15 points against Lehigh. Lindsey's best game of the week came against UMBC. He finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 15 points, 10 boards and nine assists.
For the week, Lindsey finished with averages of 16.3 ppg, 4.7 apg and 4.7 rpg. He also added 3.3 spg while shooting a crisp 50% from the field. Lindsey is a slippery penetrator. He's got a crafty handle and while he doesn't have blazing speed, he's quick and understands how to change speeds. He's a good finisher when he gets into the paint and, at least against some mid-major competition, was able to avoid getting his shot blocked while drawing fouls. He still has plenty of room to improve -- Lindsey turned the ball over 10 times in the three games while shooting 0-7 from three and just 15-27 (55.6%) from the line -- but what makes him so important to the Steve Lavin's team is he is one of the only guys that is capable of getting his own shot.
The All-They-Were-Good-Too Team
- G: Tray Woodall, Pitt: The talk of the Panthers coming into the season was their front line and Ashton Gibbs, but Woodall was the star of the first two games. He averaged 21.0 ppg, 10.0 apg and 6.5 rpg while committing just six turnovers and hitting 9-17 from beyond the arc.
- G: Nate Wolters, South Dakota State: Wolters may have had the single best game of the week, putting up 32 points and 11 assists -- without a turnover -- in a win over Western Michigan.
- F: Dominic Cheek, Villanova: Cheek is an important piece for the Wildcats if he can become a consistent scorer on the wing. We know about his defensive acumen (he had three steals), but his 27 points and 5-8 shooting from beyond the arc was a pleasant surprise for Nova fans.
- F: Ryan Pearson, George Mason: The Patriots big man went for 28 points and 12 boards in an overtime win over Rhode Island on Friday night.
- C: John Henson, North Carolina: In a 2-0 week for the Heels, Henson finished with averages of 16.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 5.5 bpg while shooting 66.7% from the floor. He even showed off a turnaround jumper in the win over UNC-Asheville.
- Bench: Nathaniel Lester, Hofstra (33 points in a win over Long Island; Jamil Wilson, Rhode Island (38 points in a loss to George Mason); Trae Golden, Tennessee (29 points, 9 assists in a win over UNC Greensboro); Robbie Hummel, Purdue (21 points in his return to the court); Eric Atkins, Notre Dame (27 points, 6 assists, 6-7 FGs, 12-12 FTs in a win over MVSU); Dorian Finney-Smith, Virginia Tech (10 points, 16 boards, 5 assists, 5 blocks in Tech debut); CJ Wilcox, Washington (20.5 ppg in a 2-0 start); Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State (16.3 ppg, 12.7 rpg in three games this week); J'Covan Brown, Texas (28 points, 8 assists, 1 turnover in a win over Boston U.); Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (15 assists, 1 turnover against UNC-Asheville); Allen Crabbe, Cal (22.5 ppg in a 2-0 week)
Team of the Week: Cleveland State
The Vikings were a bit of an afterthought heading into this season. That's generally what happens when you are a mid-major program and you lose a player as talented and important to your team as Norris Cole. But Gary Waters' team did a fine job introducing themselves to the country on Sunday afternoon, as they went into Memorial Coliseum and bullied Vanderbilt into a 71-58 victory. D'Aundray Brown led the way for the Vikings, finishing with 18 points and 8 boards, but he got plenty of help, as five of his teammates scored between seven and 11 points.
But the offensive end of the floor isn't what won this game for Cleveland State. It was their defensive pressure. Vanderbilt, a top 10 team known for having a powerful offensive attack, had more possessions end in a turnover (20) than in a made field goal (18). John Jenkins, the Commodores all-american, was hounded the entire game, shooting 5-14 from the floor (2-8 from three). Jeff Taylor had just nine points, shooting 3-8 from the field and turning the ball over six times. All in all, it was an impressive performance from the Vikings, one that will likely get them into the conversation -- along with Butler and Detroit -- for the favorite in the Horizon.
Teams deserving a shoutout:
Akron: Akron made a statement on Wednesday night, as they went into Starkville and handled Mississippi State fairly easily. Quincy Diggs led the way with 19 points, but it was an all-around team effort that got the job done. Much like Cleveland State's win over Vanderbilt, it was work on the defensive end that got the job done.
Cal: The Bears looked quite impressive in their two games this week. After running through UC-Irvine with a dominating first-half performance, Cal used a 21-0 run to close out the first half against George Washington on Sunday night. Jorge Gutierrez and Allen Crabbe have been as good as advertised, but it was the play of Justin Cobbs (16 points, five assists on Sunday) and Brandon Smith (seven points, six assists on Friday) that was promising.
St. John's: The Johnnies went 3-0 this week, and while all three games were against overmatched opponents, there is reason to be excited about this team. They are young and, obviously, will go through some growing pains, but the fact that they were able to come back from halftime deficits twice was promising. God'sgift Achiuwa and Moe Harkless have been promising up front and when the Johnnies press is clicking, they are a dangerous team.
Five Thoughts:
- The SEC stinks again?: Vanderbilt was supposed to be a Final Four contender this year, but they were manhandled by Cleveland State at home on Sunday. Mississippi State was a team that everyone thought could finally turn the corner this year, but with Renardo Sidney still out of shape -- and now injured, apparently -- that looks like wishful thinking. The loss to Akron on Wednesday confirms that. Now to be fair, those are the only two league teams that lost this week and Cleveland State and Akron are both legitimate contenders to make a run at an NCAA Tournament bid this year. But to get an idea of the significance of two of the league's top five teams having a mark in the loss column right now, only three other high-major teams do as well -- Michigan State (who lost to North Carolina), Oregon (who lost to Vanderbilt) and UCLA (who lost to Loyola Marymount).
- Good start for the MVC: Missouri State is in full-on rebuilding mode this year. That's what happens when you lose six of your seven rotation players and overhaul the coaching staff. But that doesn't mean the Bears won't be competitive in the Missouri Valley this year. On the one hand, they bring back Kyle Weems, the reigning MVC player of the year. On the other hand, they opened the season with a 22 point win at Nevada. Making the win even more impressive? Weems had four points on 2-12 shooting. Northern Iowa was impressive as well. Old Dominion is in a bit of a rebuilding year as well, but the Panthers went into Richmond and beat the Monarchs by 17 despite the semi-surprising return of Kent Bazemore. Now if we could only forget about the loss Southern Illinois suffered against (wait for it) Ohio Dominican. Yeah, they're D-II.
- UConn's strength is their back court?: That's at least the way that it looks after UConn's first game against Columbia. Jeremy Lamb lived up to the all-american hype, putting up 30 points on 11-17 shooting, while Shabazz Napier was just as good, finishing with 21 points, eight assists and six boards. The two combined for six steals. Alex Oriakhi and Andre Drummond, on the other hand, combined for just two points and nine rebounds. Drummond attempted a single shot in 12 minutes. As good as Napier and Lamb looked, they played a 36 and 38 minutes, respectively, against Columbia. The Huskies are going to need more balance -- and depth -- this season.
- Duke and Belmont: Duke has some major issues they need to address this season. Austin Rivers is ridiculously talented but will make plenty of freshman mistakes this year. Seth Curry is a knockdown shooter, as if Andre Dawkins, but the best point guard -- and perimeter defender -- on the roster is Tyler Thornton. How does Coach K get him into the lineup? Duke's big men have put up some solid numbers early, but are we ready to assume that the Plumlees are more than just the Plumlees and Ryan Kelly is better than a sixth or seventh man? But more than anything, what you should have taken out of Belmont's one-point loss to Duke at Cameron Indoor is that the Bruins are going to be a team to reckon with in March. In other words, Belmont is legit. Memphis, you have been warned.
- Who is the best team in the Pac-12?: It certainly doesn't look like UCLA at this point. The Bruins looked awful in a loss to Loyola Marymount, as Josh Smith is clearly not in shape and their guards look better suited to playing at Cal. State Northridge. Arizona is dealing with their fair share of issues as well. They struggled against Valparaiso and Duquense before having to come back from a double digit deficit against Ball State. The Wildcats lack an interior presence and are trying to identify their go-to scorer and starting point guard; Josiah Turner lost his starting job after missing a shootaround and didn't play on Sunday against Ball State. Oregon's loss at Vanderbilt looks worse after Vandy lost to Cleveland State, and Washington has struggled against two inferior opponents. That leaves Cal. So are the Bears really the favorite in the Pac-12?
Matchups of the Week (all times eastern):
- 11/14 7:00 pm: UCF @ Florida State
- 11/14 8:00 pm: Oakland @ Alabama
- 11/14 9:00 pm: Detroit @ Notre Dame
- 11/14 10:00 pm: Nevada @ UNLV
- 11/15 12:00 am: Washington State @ Gonzaga
- 11/15 12:00 pm: Belmont @ Memphis
- 11/15 2:00 pm: SDSU @ Baylor
- 11/15 7:00 pm: Champions Classic -- Duke vs. Michigan State and Kansas vs. Kentucky
- 11/15 8:00 pm: Florida @ Ohio State
- 11/15 8:00 pm: Bucknell @ Vanderbilt
- 11/16 9:00 pm: Long Beach State @ Pitt
- 11/17 1:00 pm: Purdue vs. Iona
- 11/17 7:00 pm: Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State
- 11/19 2:00 pm: Louisville @ Butler
- 11/19 6:30 pm: Vanderbilt vs. NC State
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Monday, November 14, 2011
11/14 College Hoops Week in Review: And we're off! |
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Thursday's Shootaround: Our first upset of the year |
This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.
No. 16 Arizona 67, Duquesne 59: Josiah Turner showed up late for a shootaround Wednesday afternoon, and that gave Jordin Mayes the start over him. That decision would end up being a blessing in disguise for Arizona, as Mayes scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half and sparked a late 12-0 run that gave Arizona a 61-48 lead. The Wildcats would go on to win 67-59, but the lead certainly wasn't safe; Arizona had one stretch where they turned the ball over on four straight possessions while trying to put the game away.
In fact, Arizona finished the game with 21 turnovers, the most they've had in a game since February of 2010. And that's where there conundrum of Jordin Mayes comes into play. For the second straight game, Mayes provided Arizona with the spark they needed to blow the game open; on Monday, he scored eight straight points to give the Wildcats control against Valparaiso. The problem? Mayes isn't a pure point guard. After Wednesday's game, Mayes now has one assist and three turnovers in Arizona's first two games. Last season, he averaged just 1.2 apg despite playing 14.3 mpg.
He may be the best option at the point right now. Josiah Turner has loads of talent, but he has even more learning -- and maturing -- to do before he gets to the point that he can maximize that talent. Decision-making is not Turner's strong suit. (Seriously, how do you show up late to the shootaround for the second game of the season?) Nick Johnson is talented and can be a playmaker, but he's not a point guard. Kyle Fogg is the leader for this team, but he, too, is not a point guard. Mayes is the best option, but if Turner is able to put it all together this year, it will be interesting to see what, exactly, Sean Miller does with his back court rotation.
St. John's 78, Lehigh 73: You would have thought that the surprising return of Steve Lavin, who is still recovering from treatment for prostate cancer, would be enough of an emotional boost to get St. John's to come out on all cylinders on Wednesday night. Instead, it was Lehigh that had the hot hand early, knocking down their first five three pointers and eventually surging to a 32-16 lead. But like they did on Monday night, the Johnnies used a pressuring defense to create turnovers and get opportunities in the full court, where their athleticism took over. A 12-0 run cut the lead to 60-58 with five minutes left before God'sgift Achiuwa gave the Johnnies the lead for good with a running hook with under two minutes remaining.
Achiuwa finished with 21 points and eight boards -- going 6-6 from the field and 9-9 from the free throw line -- and Nurideen Lindsay and Moe Harkless both chipped in with 15 points.
This win was a good sign for St. John's. Lehigh is not a bad basketball team. They have one of the best mid-major players in the country in CJ McCollum and came out completely unphased by St. John's pressure. The Johnnies were able to regroup, made a comeback and then made enough plays in crunch time to win the game. No one -- not even the most die hard St. John's fan -- should truly expect this team to contest for an NCAA Tournament bid this season. I don't care is this game was at home and against an over-matched opponent, seeing such a young team rally from 14 points down and win a game when they didn't play well for 30 minutes is a good sign.
Akron 68, Mississippi State 58: I touched on Renardo Sidney here, but there is more to this loss than just The Big Enigma.
Arnett Moultrie grabbed 15 rebounds (seven offensive), which was nice, but he shot 2-13 from the floor, many of which were shots around the rim. Granted, a lot of that can be attributed to the defensive presence of Akron's Zeke Marshall, but that shooting percentage is still a problem. Dee Bost also had a tough game. He finished with 13 points, he was just 2-9 from the floor and 1-6 from three, he had four of Mississippi State's 19 turnovers and he played far too quickly for a guy that is a point guard on a team with a terrific front line. And all you have to do is search Rick Stansbury on twitter to get a feel for his coaching job.
But the biggest thing you should take away from this game? Akron's pretty good, bro! They played very well defensively, forcing Mississippi State into some ugly offensive possessions. They not only forced turnovers, they created 'pick six' turnovers -- jumping passing lanes and making open court steals that led directly to easy buckets at the other end. Zeke Marshall made things very difficult in the lane before he fouled out, Alex Abreu was a terror defensively (six steals), Quincy Diggs scored 19 points and made a lot of plays in transition and Nikola Cvetinovic made a lot of little plays that don't show up in the score book.
Akron is a well-coached, experienced team coming off of a trip to the NCAA Tournament. This loss is not a good sign for Mississippi State, but its also not as bad as it looks on paper.
No. 19 Texas A&M 81, Liberty 59: This game was over early. Despite playing without head coach Billy Kennedy, who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's, the Aggies were stifling defensively early on, holding the Flames to just 14 first half points. They shot 65.4% from the floor for the game and cruised to the win. Ray Turner was great, scoring 20 points on 9-11 shooting while Elston Turner and David Loubeau chipped in with 16 and 14, respectively. The best news? The Aggies were this impressive despite getting only 10 minutes from Khris Middleton, who left the game with a hamstring injury and is currently day-to-day.
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Monday, November 7, 2011
11/7 Monday's Pregame Beat: And so it begins... |
Tonight is the night.
While Marathon Madness is still a week away and the marquee games and teams won't be suiting up for a few more days, tonight we have actual college basketball games that actually count on actual records actually happening. Actually.
What's more interesting is that all three of the games taking place tonight have interesting plot lines behind them. I'm sure I'm not the only one that will be watching the early games of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic with a keen eye on a few things.
7:00 pm: William & Mary @ St. John's: We all know the plight of St. John's by now. They have a second-year head coach currently battling cancer, which means that assistant coach Mike Dunlap will be coaching the team tonight. That team that Dunlap is in charge of will be short-handed as well. Not only is the roster made up of, essentially, all newcomers and walk-ons, but 1/3 of the Johnnie's vaunted recruiting class was ruled ineligible by the NCAA's Clearinghouse.
So the question becomes just how good are these newcomers? Will this be a team that's capable of competing in the Big East this year? Moe Harkless has looked good in their exhibitions, and guys like Nurideen Lindsay -- who has one of the most compelling back-stories of anyone in college hoops -- and God's Gift Achiuwa should provide some veteran stability. (Well, as much veteran stability as a JuCo transfer can offer).
I'm actually going to predict that the Tribe knocks off the Johnnies tonight. William & Mary has a talented back court -- led by Quinn McDowell, a potentiall CAA Player of the Year -- and runs a system that is difficult to prepare for. Think John Beilein's system cross-bread with your typical Princeton-style offense. The Tribe finished just 4-14 in the CAA last season, but they were a young team that lost a number of close games and really came on strong late in the year.
8:00 pm: Eastern Kentucky @ Mississippi State: I don't need to explain why this game is so intriguing, do I? I mean, its the first time that Renardo Sidney -- a new and improved Renardo Sidney, if you are to believe Rick Stansbury -- will be taking the court since spending the summer working out with John Lucas. Remember, Sidney was forced to make a second trip back to Houston to work out with Lucas while the Bulldogs went on their tour through Europe.
What makes the condition that Sidney is in, both physically and mentally, so important is that the Bulldogs actually have a chance to be pretty good this year. Arnett Moultrie has the ability to average 12 points and eight boards and, ideally, would form one of the top three front lines in the SEC with Sidney. Combine those two with the criminally underrated Dee Bost running the point, and Stansbury has what should -- I repeat, should, with insane amounts of emphasis -- be a tournament team.
9:00 pm: Valpo @ No. 16 Arizona: This is also an incredibly interesting matchup. Arizona has quite a bit of hype heading into this season. They have a loaded recruiting class and return a number of key pieces from last season. But they are also heading into the year with a very young team that will be without Derrick Williams, Momo Jones and, at least until his gunshot would heals, Kevin Parrom.
Those vaunted expectations -- the top 20 rankings, the Pac-12 championship predictions -- looked silly last week when Arizona lost to Seattle Pacific in an exhibition game. I will be looking for two things as they take the floor tonight: 1) Will Josiah Turner and/or Jordin Mayes provide the Wildcats with a steadying force at the point and 2) Will anyone -- Angelo Chol, Sidiki Johnson, Kryrl Natyazkho, Jesse Perry -- be able to provide a scoring, rebounding and/or defensive presence in the paint?
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Thursday, September 15, 2011
Three ineligible freshmen at St. John's, not as bad as you think it is |
When Steve Lavin made the decision to take the St. John's job back 18 months ago, he knew he had to bring in a loaded 2011 recruiting class.
That's what happens when you take a job coaching a program with 10 seniors on the roster. So while St. John's made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 last season, Lavin knew back on March 31st, 2010, that his program would essentially be starting from scratch with his crop of 2011 recruits.
To Lavin's credit, he did just that, bringing in a nine-man class that ranked right behind Duke and Kentucky's as one of the best in the country. But since he was in a bit of a desperate position, Lavin had to take on a couple of risks, namely Jakarr Sampson, Norvel Pelle and Amir Garrett. Today, St. John's got the news that all three of those recruits -- who sit at 38th, 57th and 76th, respectively, in our Consensus Class of 2011 rankings -- would be ineligible for at least the first semester. 
"The NCAA Eligibility Center informed us this afternoon that after a review, these three PSAs cannot qualify at this time," said Director of Athletics Chris Monasch said in a statement. "The University has been proactive and diligent in assisting in the reviews for each of our incoming men's basketball student-athletes. We will continue to review what avenues the student-athletes may have to achieve their initial eligibility."
"We will continue to work with the NCAA in an effort to review Amir, Norvel and JaKarr's cases regarding their eligibility. Our student-athletes and their families have been patient and cooperative throughout this review process," added Lavin. "We are hopeful that Amir, Norvel and JaKarr will be able to join us on the court this winter, and in the classroom when the 2012 spring semester begins."
What happens from here is unclear. The official statement is that all three players will try and earn their eligibility for the second semester, but whether that actually happens is a different story. Garrett has a contract with a $1 million signing bonus to play baseball in the Cincinnati Reds' organization, a sport where he may actually be a better prospect. Sampson has yet to enroll at St. John's, so there is talk that he will head back to Brewster Academy for another season and try to enroll at St. John's in 2012-2013. As far as Pelle is concerned, the rumor that made its way through twitter this evening is he may never suit up for St. John's.
Let's assume the worst case scenario -- none of the three ever set foot on the St. John's campus. While it will damper some of the expectations of St. John's fans heading into the season, this is not as bad of a result as you think. Simply put, talented recruiting class and all, the Johnnies were headed for a long season full of growing pains. Even with those three in the fold come Big East play, finishing in the top half of the conference and making the NCAA Tournament would have been a very impressive feat for a team that literally returns a single player. Winning with freshmen is not an easy thing to do. When UConn overhauled their roster following the 2006 season -- when they lost their top six players from a team with a seven-man rotation -- the Huskies brought in a loaded recruiting class and promptly finished 11th in the Big East.
The 2011-2012 season was about laying the groundwork for the future of St. John's basketball under Steve Lavin. Without Sampson, Pelle or Garrett, Lavin's uphill battle gets just that much steeper.
But that doesn't change the fact that he is still bringing in six talented recruits. And those six kids, who are going to be thrown into the fire from the first time they put on a Red Storm uniform, will have to grow up quickly. Its not ideal, but Lavin will still get the foundation that he needs to build his program on.
And in the end, that is what this season was supposed to be about in the first place.
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Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Amir Garrett gets signed |
Amir Garrett is a rare commodity these days -- a two-sport star.
Not only is the 6'5" lefty a top 100 recruit on the hardwood, he was picked in the 22nd round in the MLB Draft. He was picked almost solely based on potential -- read here for some of the background -- seeing as Garrett spent the last school year playing basketball at Findlay Prep.
Well, the Reds like what they've seen out of Garrett:
The Reds have managed to woo Amir Garrett away from playing basketball at St. John's. The 22nd-rounder had impressed scouts in workouts even though he hadn't played much baseball in the past two years. The Reds gave Garrett $1 million, but it's spread over five years as a two-sport deal.That's a lot of money.
And the best part is that it won't effect his collegiate eligibility.
But here's the question: if the Reds are going to be investing $1 million in this kid, is he still going to be able to play basketball during the winters?
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Monday, June 6, 2011
Amir Garrett may end up going pro in baseball |
Earlier today, we put together a post on why St. John's fans should keep their expectations in check this season.
The focus of our post was on the fact that the Johnnies, while bringing in a talented recruiting class, will still be in rebuilding mode while those freshmen acclimate to the collegiate level. We weren't specualting about whether or not that recruiting class would be intact by the time October 15th rolls around.
For starters, there is concern over Maurice Harkless. Back in 2010, the NCAA instituted the "package deal" rule. If a college team is going to hire someone from the high school or AAU ranks, there needs to be a two-year window between the signing and a player he coached enrolling at the school. Harkless played in a couple of AAU tournaments with the NY Gauchos, a team for which new St. John's assistant Moe Hicks served in an administrative capacity.
Even more concerning, however, is the fact that Amir Garrett now appears to be seriously considering becoming a professional baseball player.
Garrett, a 6'5" lefty, was a highly-regarded pitching prospect during his younger days, but last summer transferred to Findlay Prep in Las Vegas to pursue basketball. But according to the article that SI's Luke Winn penned on Garrett, baseball is his first true love. And thanks to some exhaustive training that he has gone through over the last two months, Garrett is going to be picked high in baseball's amateur draft, which starts today. He's hitting 96 on the radar gun, but he hasn't pitched competitively since last June, when he walked seven batters in 4 1/3 innings at a high school all-star camp.
Garrett has options. Depending on where he gets picked, Garrett has a shot of getting a seven-figure signing bonus. If the money he is guaranteed in baseball isn't enough, he can always 'fall back' on that scholarship offer to St. John's, where he can also play on the school's baseball team. According to Winn's article, 'enough' will be $1.5 million.
The thing that is great -- and confusing -- about his decision is that Garrett can take the money to become a professional baseball player and still be eligible to play college hoops. If he is more serious about baseball, he can do what CJ Henry did -- Henry, Xavier's younger brother, signed with the Yankees out of high school, but the Yankees were forced to pay for Henry's education when he did end up going to college. If Garrett ends up deciding that basketball is where his future lies, he can either play baseball with the St. John's team in the spring or spend his summers cashing paychecks in the minors.
Garrett has plenty of options.
His best course of action right now -- don't limit them. There's nothing wrong with being a two-sport athlete.
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St. John's fans would be wise to temper their expectations for next season |
Steve Lavin has recreated an atmosphere of hope around the St. John's basketball program.
Last season, the first-year head coach led them to a tie for third in the Big East regular season standings, turning Dwight Hardy into a first-team all-conference player and Justin Brownlee and DJ Kennedy into a legitimate NBA prospects. A disappointing performance in the postseason -- they were beaten by 15 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament -- may have played out differently if it hadn't been for a torn acl that Kennedy suffered in the Big East Tournament.
What was unique about St. John's last season, however, is that their roster was almost entirely made up of seniors. Sophomore Malik Stith and freshman Dwayne Polee were the only players to crack the rotation that weren't in their final year of eligibility. With Polee opting to transfer closer to his California home, Lavin will have the services of just one returnee during the 2011-2012 season.
St. John's fans have reason to be hopeful, however. Lavin has pulled in one of the best recruiting hauls in the class of 2011. 
Lavin is bringing in seven freshman -- Sir'Dominic Pointer (32nd in our consensus recruiting rankings), JaKarr Sampson (38th), Maurice Harkless (40th), D'Angelo Harrison (52nd), Norvel Pelle (57th), Amir Garrett (76th), and Phil Greene -- and two JuCo transfers -- Nurideen Lindsay and God's Gift Achiuwa. By any metric, its an impressive feat.
And while there is no doubt quite a bit of talent and potential that will now be flowing through the St. John's program over the next four years, this recruiting class is no guarantee that the Johnnies will be a contender in the Big East next season. In fact, if Steve Lavin can coach this group of youngsters up to simply being a factor in the conversation, he will have done an excellent job.
Two years ago, Luke Winn did a study looking at freshmen in the age-limit era, and what he came up with will likely be scary for St. John's fans to read. Essentially, he determined that the average top ten recruit would have an impact similar to that of Spencer Hawes at Washington. Hawes averaged 14.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, and 1.7 bpg in his one season with the Huskies.
But Lavin isn't bringing in any top ten recruits. The six players that cracked top 100 lists sit between 32nd and 76th in our recruiting rankings. Winn determined that the average freshmen ranked in the 31-40 range would have an impact similar to that of Raymar Morgan, who averaged 11.7 ppg and 5.2 rpg at Michigan State. For players ranked 41-50, the average expectation should be JaJuan Johnson, who became an all-american as a senior but averaged just 5.4 ppg as a first-year player. Doug Wiggins of UConn was the comparison for players ranked 51-60 and Markieff Morris was the average for 61-70.
Even more alarming is the fact that Winn found players ranked outside the top 40 rarely cracked the starting lineup, which was confirmed by Drew Cannon's study for ESPN's Insider Recruiting blog last week. Of ESPN's top 100 freshmen in the class of 2010, just 32 wound up being starters. Only one (Jared Sullinger) was an all-american, although Harrison Barnes lived up to his preseason all-american hype for the last three months of the schedule. Only eight of the top 100 were named all-conference in BCS leagues.
In other words, it is quite rare for a player ranked outside of the top 10 or 20 to have a major impact on a high-major program as a freshman. The Kevin Durant's and Derrick Rose's of the world are far from the norm.
That doesn't mean that there isn't potential on the St. John's roster. There is.
But players don't live up to their potential overnight.
And just because St. John's will be bringing nine blue-chip recruits into their program next season doesn't mean they won't spend a year or two rebuilding.
Continue reading...
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Saying Goodbye: DJ Kennedy |
In this world of NBA Draft early entry and one-and-done freshman, it is difficult to become attached to a college star. They simply don't hang around long enough. But when they do, that player becomes the fan favorite. There is nothing like watching a kid develop from a overwhelmed freshman into star as a senior. Those are the players that the fans connect with.
We reached out to some of the blogosphere's best, and over the next couple of weeks we will be running a series of posts saying goodbye to some of the country's best seniors.
Our fourth installment of "Saying Goodbye" comes courtesy of Daniel Martin, a contributing writer for Johnny Jungle, the ever-popular St. John's basketball blog. You can hit them up on Twitter at @JohnnyJungleSTJ
Over the past four seasons, if there has been one mainstay for the St. John’s, a face of the program who has been the centerpiece of Red Storm basketball, it has been Pittsburgh native DJ Kennedy.
When David J. Kennedy first stepped onto the St. John’s University campus as a freshman, he was six months removed from winning a Pennsylvania Class AAAA state title with his Alma Mater, Schenley High School. Alongside teammate and current San Antonio Spur DeJuan Blair, Kennedy helped avenge a 2nd-place finish his junior year to win the championship in his senior season.
Arriving in Queens, Kennedy did not start out as the focal point, either. After an impressive freshman season by forward Justin Burrell, Kennedy looked to be the swing-man complement to another dominant big man down low. In his freshman year, Kennedy played 27 minutes per game, averaging nearly 8 points and 6 rebounds.
But, after a facial fracture sidelined Burrell, Kennedy had to step into the spotlight in his sophomore season. Playing seven more minutes per game, Kennedy nearly doubled his scoring output, averaging 13 points and almost 7 rebounds. He also began to show his ability to fill up every area of the stat sheet, adding 3 assists per game.
When the dawn of his junior year came, hopes were high and expectations, even higher. Coach Norm Roberts added four quality recruits to the existing class, including two juniors, Justin Brownlee and Dwight Hardy. Kennedy was cut out to be the leader from the outset and, though the team fell short of expectations, the 6’6” swing-man had the best season of his college career.
Averaging 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, he gained a reputation as one of the most versatile players in the Big East. His length allowed him to not only attack the basket to score points, but he shot a career-high 38% from 3-pt range. When a first round loss to Memphis in the NIT ended the Johnnies’ season, Norm Roberts, who recruited Kennedy and the rest of this large senior class, was fired. Former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin was brought in to replace him.
Under the new Lavin administration, Kennedy moved from the spotlight to a complementary role, alongside Dwight Hardy and Justin Brownlee. His greatest contributions did not come in a starring role, but being a player who was a more-than-viable third option in Lavin’s offense.
His most impressive game came February 10th at Madison Square Garden against UConn, when he scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in an 89-72 victory.
Unfortunately, in the Big East Tournament against Syracuse, Kennedy went down with a knee injury early in the first half, an injury that cut his season short. The Pittsburgh native had successful surgery to repair the knee and now begins the 8 month rehab to come back.
Though he had to watch his team take part in the NCAA Tournament from the sidelines, DJ Kennedy’s mark on this program will be indelible. During the season, he passed St. John’s legend Walter Barry on the Johnnies’ all-time scoring list. He will be put down as one of the integral pieces that helped turn this St. John’s program around. Without David J. Kennedy and the rest of these seniors, the national Red Storm brand would not be what it is today, on its way toward the most recognizable in the country.
More from "Saying Goodbye"
2011: JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
2011: Matt Howard, Butler
2011: Keith Benson, Oakland
2011: Preston Knowles, Louisville
Continue reading...
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Refereeing in St. John's-Rutgers overshadows a great finish |
NEW YORK - Yesterday, Gil Biruta picked up his fifth foul in overtime when he was called for a technical for swinging his elbows.
It was a tough call for Mike Rice to swallow, no doubt, but his response -- "That's a tough call. Big East referees are the best in the world. I'm going to trust that they were right. In overtime that's an unbelievable call." -- was professional, classy, and what we like to call taking the high road.
What are the odds that on Wednesday, just 24 hours after the call against Biruta, Rutgers would once again would be on the wrong end of a tough call late in the game. Only this time, the officials didn't get it right.
First, the video:
As you can see, with time still left on the clock, Justin Brownlee traveled with the basketball and stepped out of bounds before throwing the ball into the stands. The travel or the out of bounds call should have given Rutgers the ball with 1.6 seconds left on the clock.
Andy Katz spoke to the head of NCAA officiating, who told him that the officials decision not to referee the game until the final buzzer was "unacceptable".
Rice agreed. Kind of.
"Was there a mistake? I saw it on youtube. There was a mistake made," Rice said. "I'm sure they'll say it. But that's just the way it is."
"Circumstances ... it is what it is. Its not what happens, its how you respond to it."
Sure enough, the Big East did admit it. The conference released a statement saying "the Big East acknowledges that two separate officiating errors occurred at the conclusion of the St. John’s vs. Rutgers game. Both missed violations should have caused the game clock to stop and a change of possession to occur prior to the end of the game. Neither error is reviewable or correctable under NCAA playing rules."
And while Rice went out of his way to commend the officials, repeatedly saying those are great officials and that the Big East has the best crews in the country, its clear that he was holding back.
"Those are three great officials — I’ve had ‘em all throughout the year, impeccable reputation," Rice said. "There's going to be blood coming through my tongue."
For the Rutgers seniors, this is a difficult way to end their careers. Nothing was expected of this team, but they bought into what their new head coach was saying. They fought hard. They pulled off a couple of upsets. They won a game in the Big East tournament. And while their season and career comes to a disappointing close (they are under .500, so they are not eligible for a postseason tournament, according to Rice), this team is not exactly disappointed.
"I can't even be mad at how the game ended because of how hard we fought," James Beatty said.
Its a shame that the refereeing is what has taken center stage talking about this game, because it overshadows what was another terrific finish in the Big East Tournament.
Continue reading...
Friday, March 4, 2011
VIDEO: Steve Lavin got ejected |
Jeremy Hazell had 31 points and Fuquan Edwin went for 19 as the Pirate knocked off the Johnnies 84-70 at the Prudential Center. The loss really hurts St. John's chances for getting one of the top seeds in the Big East Tournament. If Louisville beats West Virginia and Syracuse can knock off DePaul at home, Steve Lavin's team will end up as the fifth seed.
But that isn't the most exciting part of last night's game. Lavin got himself ejected (h/t bubbaprog):
"I'm not proud at all of the poor display of conduct on the sidelines, and I apologize to our players and St. John's and our fan base and basketball fans at large," Lavin said in the locker room after the game. "I set a bad example."
The Johnnies were unhappy with a lot of calls. The game was chippy, it was physical, and it was everything you would expect out of New York vs. New Jersey. So while Lavin didn't exactly set the best example, he did prove to his players that he has their backs when calls aren't going their way.
That wasn't the end of the nastiness, however.
With less than 10 seconds left, Seton Hall got a steal and Justin Burrell fouled a player going in for a dunk very hard. He was called for an intentional and then thrown out of the game when he glared at the player he had hit after the fact. The two teams had to be separated following the incident.
"I'm very encouraged, not disappointed whatsoever," Lavin said. "My message in the locker room was that ... it's a great wake-up call, like smelling salts or getting punched in the mouth. And that's the beauty of sports -- that if you don't bring it every night, if you don't bring the brass knuckles and the A-level effort, you're gonna get beat."
I've never liked the idea of a team "needing a loss." You can learn just as much from a win as you can from a loss.
But Lavin's reaction to the loss was perfect. His ejection is going to be what folks are talking about (see this post as an example). And he will use it as a teaching point -- 'see what happens when you are too nonchalant?' -- to drive home to his players that they must come to play every single day.
There is no such thing as a good loss. Teams don't "need to lose." In this blogger's humble opinion, that idea is a myth.
But that doesn't mean a coach can't use a loss to drive home a point.
Continue reading...
Friday, February 18, 2011
Friday's Pregame Beat: Previewing your college hoops weekend |
UPSET ALERT
Sat. 12:00 pm: No. 4 Pitt @ St. John's: The Big East is a heaping pile of similarity this season. Pitt has a two game lead on Notre Dame who as a two game cushion in second place. After that? There are eight -- yesm eight! -- teams with five or six losses, all fighting to try and earn the three and four seeds in the Big East Tournament.
One of those eight teams is St. John's, who are slowly creeping their way up seed lines in the mock brackets that are coming out. The biggest reason for the Johnnie's ascent to hoops relevancy has been their ability to defend their home court. Georgetown, Notre Dame, Duke, and UConn have all fallen at the Garden. On Saturday, the Panthers try their hand at winning in the basketball Mecca.
Now, Pitt isn't exactly a great matchup for St. John's. The Panthers are a terrific offensive rebounding team, and their ability to clean up their own misses with second chance points is why they are such an efficient offensive team. The Johnnies are tough and they are physical, but they haven't exactly proven to be a great team on the defensive glass. St. John's also doesn't matchup that well of the offensive end of the floor. Pitt is not a elite team defensively in terms of efficiency, but a big reason for that is that they don't gamble for a lot of steals. They don't force turnovers. Instead, they play tough, quarter court defense, force a tough shot, and get the rebound. Offensive execution is key against the Panthers, and St. John's is not exactly Notre Dame.
That said, the reason that I can legitimately see the Johnnies pulling another upset is their press. Steve Lavin has athletes at every position on the floor, and when they are active and aggressive that press can be lethal. Pitt is susceptible to being pressed. Neither Brad Wanamaker or Ashton Gibbs are great ball handlers, and Travon Woodall actually has the highest turnover percentage on the team.
If the press is effective, it negates both of Pitt's advantages -- offensive rebounding and a stalwart half court defense. Playing in front of a home crowd that is sure to be fired up, I fully expect the Johnnies to be flying all over the court.
UPSET SPECIAL
Sat. 1:00 pm: No. 7 Notre Dame @ West Virginia: I am not yet convinced that the Irish are a great road team. And I know that Notre Dame beat Pitt on the road. But Notre Dame happens to matchup incredibly well with the Panthers, and with their 'burn' offense, they continually give the Panthers trouble. West Virginia hasn't been great this season, but when Denis Kilicli and Casey Mitchell are both playing well and guys like Kevin Jones and John Flowers are getting to the offensive glass, this is a good basketball team.
Sat. 1:45 pm: No. 2 Texas @ Nebraska: Nebraska has been a pesky team this season. They slow the game down, they defend, and they get to the defensive glass. The Huskers have knocked off Texas A&M this season and given Kansas and Missouri all they could handle on the road. No one in the country is playing better than Texas right now -- especially on the defensive end of the floor -- but I think that the Huskers matchup fairly well with the Longhorns.
Sat. 4:00 pm: Boston College @ No. 19 North Carolina: Two years ago, BC went into Chapel Hill and handed a North Carolina team we all thought had a chance to go undefeated their first loss of the season. This year the situation is quite different, as the 2011 Tar Heels are a far cry from the 2009 team. But Boston College is rated as the seventh best offensive team in the country, headlined by the ACC's best guard that doesn't play for Duke in Reggie Jackson. They are also the 256th best defense, which means that North Carolina will probably be able to score at will. The Eagles are fighting for their tournament lives, however, and a win like this on the road would do wonders for their profile. Will they play enough defense to win?
Sat. 6:00 pm: Washington @ No. 13 Arizona: Both Washington and Arizona handled their business of Thursday night, meaning that the Huskies, who are two games behind the Wildcats in the Pac-10 standings, will be playing to keep themselves in the Pac-10 regular season race. Washington's struggles on the road are not a secret, but this team also has a lot of the same parts as last year's team, which really came together down the stretch of the season. If they can find that magic again, Washington will be right back in the mix for a Pac-10 title.
Sat. 9:00 pm: No. 17 Texas A&M @ Oklahoma State: I am not a fan of Texas A&M. Don't get me wrong, they are a solid basketball team, but they are not the 17th best team in the country. Oklahoma State is a team fighting for their tournament life, and they have also beaten everyone on their home court that is not a Longhorn.
BEST MATCHUPS
Fri. 9:00 pm: No. 12 UConn @ No. 16 Louisville: As we mentioned in the discussion of the St. John's-Pitt game, the second tier of the Big East is as muddled as a mojito. Both the Cardinals and the Huskies are right in the middle of that mess, and both have a very good shot at earning one of the top four seeds in the Big East tournament. Back in January, Peyton Siva torched UConn down the stretch as the Cardinals beat the Huskies in double overtime on the road. But Kemba Walker also struggled a bit in that game, especially down the stretch, when he became a relative non-factor. Expect another game just as exciting.
Sat. 2:00 pm: Georgia @ Tennessee: Georgia is on the tournament ropes right now. They are 6-5 in the SEC with a number of close losses, including one that came on a Brian Williams buzzer beater in Athens last month. With road trips to Florida and Alabama left, the Bulldogs are legitimately looking at a situation where they could end up at 8-8 in the SEC. Tennessee is in a similar boat. They've been unable to close out close games all season long, and it resulted in some ugly losses during the non-conference season. The Vols have less breathing room than Georgia as result. This may be the most important bubble matchup of the day.
Sat. 5:00 pm: Vermont @ Charleston: In one of the more intriguing games of the BracketBusters weekend, the Catamounts, who have already clinched the America East title, head down to South Carolina to take of the Cougars, who currently have a comfortable two game cushion in the SoCon. Andrew Goudelock and Evan Fjeld are going to get the publicity heading into this one, but keep an eye on statsheet stuffer Brian Voelkel. A poor man's Draymond Green, the 6'6" freshman is averaging 6.6 ppg and a team high 9.9 rpg and 4.8 apg.
Sat. 7:00 pm: UNLV @ Colorado State: Right now, the MWC looks like a league that is only going to get two bids to the NCAA Tournament barring an upset in the conference tourney. But if someone is going to steal an at-large bid, in all likelihood it will be the winner of this game. UNLV has been a bit of a disappointment this season, as they are a team with a number of talented players that have not been able to put the pieces together. Colorado State may actually be exceeding expectations right now. The Rams have an excellent front court duo in Travis Franklin and Andy Ogide, who will be a tough matchup for the Rebels.
Sat. 9:00 pm: No. 24 Utah State @ No. 23 St. Mary's: This is, by far, the most important game of BracketBusters weekend. Its also the only BracketBusters game that may actually have an effect on the NCAA Tournament field. Both the Aggies and the Gaels have impressive records, but neither of them have done it against quality competition. Utah State has only played two teams rated higher than 123rd in the RPI, losing to both Georgetown and BYU, while also losing to Idaho in a game that seriously damaged their at-large hopes. St. Mary's has beaten St. John's and Gonzaga, but their loss to San Diego on Wednesday night made this a must-win. This is an eliminator game -- the loser is going to have to win their conference tournament to get in.
Sat. 9:00 pm: Illinois @ Michigan State: I doubt that anyone would have believed you if you said in the preseason that the loser of this game would be in serious danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State has looked better in their last two games, smoking Penn State at home before putting up a good fight in a loss at Ohio State. Illinois, on the other hand, has struggled through Big Ten play. Demetri McCamey looks like he is mailing in this season, and no one else on the team has been able to pick up the slack. Is it too early to call this an eliminator game as well?
Sun. 1:00 pm: No. 3 Ohio State @ No. 11 Purdue: Ohio State embarrassed Purdue in Columbus earlier this season, beating the Boilermakers by 23 points. But as we all know, home court is everything in college hoops, and Mackey Arena is as tough a place to play as you will find in the Big Ten. Purdue already avenged one loss this week, as they took care of business against Wisconsin on Tuesday. If they are to do the same against the Buckeyes, its going to fall on JaJuan Johnson's shoulders. Can he defend Jared Sullinger in the post? Can he take advantage of the mismatch he will have at the other end of the floor?
BEST STORYLINES
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Continue reading...
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
POSTERIZED: Justin Brownlee brown-bags Marquette defender |
St. John's got a big road-win on Tuesday night at Marquette. Senior Justin Brownlee got the Johnnies out of a early second-half slump by slaming home a nice posterization on a fast-break.
It's a good dunk. It's not great. But it's good. Brownlee has thrown down some monster thunder-dunks in the past, so it's hard for me to get up for something like this when I know he's capable of much, much more.
Nonetheless, it's a worthy posterization.
But was it as good as one of these?:
POSTERIZED - Tyrone Johnson
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Ross, Washington
POSTERIZED - Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Andre Roberson, Colorado
POSTERIZED - Durrell Summers, Michigan State
POSTERIZED - Phillip McDonald, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Kyle Kuric, Louisville
POSTERIZED - Anthony Nelson, Niagara
POSTERIZED - Cory Joseph, Texas
POSTERIZED - Will Sheehey, Indiana
POSTERIZED - Tom Pritchard, Indiana
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - John Holland, Boston
POSTERIZED - Keith Gabriel, VMI
POSTERIZED - Travis McKie, Wake Forest
POSTERIZED - Jefferson Mason, Minnesota State (D-II)
POSTERIZED - Tyler Johnson, Fresno State
POSTERIZED - Justin Williams, UNC-Ashville
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Hollis Thompson, Georgetown
POSTERIZED - Darnell Wilks, Cincinnati
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette
POSTERIZED - Darrius Garrett, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Travis Cohn, Jacksonville
POSTERIZED - Ramon Galloway, South Carolina
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State
POSTERIZED - John Williams, UNC-Ashville
POSTERIZED - Kevin Smith, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Mitchell Watt, Buffalo
POSTERIZED - Chandler Parsons, Florida
POSTERIZED - Kenny Gabriel, Auburn
POSTERIZED - Paris Horne, St. John's
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Laurence Bowers, Missouri
POSTERIZED - Drew Gordon, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
POSTERIZED - LaMarcus Reed, UT-Arlington
POSTERIZED - Marcus Morris, Kansas
POSTERIZED - Jared Cunningham, Oregon State
POSTERIZED - Langston Morris-Walker
POSTERIZED - Chris Wright and Juwan Staten, Dayton
POSTERIZED - D.J Stephens, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Reeves Nelson, UCLA
POSTERIZED - Kendall Marshall and John Henson, UNC
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas
Continue reading...
Friday, February 11, 2011
St. John's and UConn trending in opposite directions |
St. John's has been one of the more pleasant surprises of this season.
After Thursday night's 89-72 drubbing of No. 9 UConn, the Johnnies are now sitting at 14-9 and 6-5 in the Big East. Those records aren't overly impressive, I know, but the Red Storm does have an impressive list of victims. The win over UConn came just 11 days after they smoked Duke, which came on the heels of wins over Georgetown and Notre Dame. All three of those teams are currently ranked in the top 11.
The problem?
All four of those wins came at Madison Square Garden. (I think we may have found the Big East Tournament favorite.)
Now, the Johnnies still have some work to do. They haven't won away from the Garden since January 1st at Providence. With losses already coming to St. Bonaventure and Fordham, and a less than stellar non-conference resume, St. John's can't afford any more bad losses. That said, if they beat the teams they are supposed to beat, pick up a win at Cincinnati or at Marquette later this month, or even if they just beat Pitt at home, Steve Lavin looks like he will be dancing.
The bigger question coming out of this game, however, is what to think about UConn.
The Huskies have now lost three of their last four games, with the lone victory requiring a 13 points comeback against Seton Hall in the final five minutes. Kemba Walker is struggling mightily to find consistency with his shot (he was 4-16 tonight), Alex Oriakhi is hit or miss, and Jeremy Lamb seems to finally be coming back down to earth. Shabazz Napier and Roscoe Smith also appear to have hit their freshman walls.
I don't like taking too much out of a single loss -- hey, Duke got run out of the gym here as well -- but UConn has just not looked like the same team the past two weeks.
Because they looked like a Final Four team two weeks ago. They had just won at Marquette, which came only days after beating Villanova and Tennessee.
The Huskies get Providence at home on Sunday. Hopefully, they will right the ship against the Friars, but the rest of UConn's schedule is brutal
Continue reading...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
An explanation of St. John's win and what it means |
St. John's beat Duke 93-78 this afternoon in the Garden.
Seriously. They did. What makes it all the more surprising is that for much of the second half, the Johnnies were up by more than 20 for just about the entire second half. This wasn't just a win for St. John's. It was a beatdown. A mollywhopping. A poleaxing.
So what happened?
St. John's press forced Duke into way too many turnovers. The Blue Devils couldn't hit a shot from three. The Johnnies got to the rim at will and dominated Duke in the paint. Essentially, the Johnnies had a favorable personnel matchup and played damn near a perfect game while Duke played about as poorly as a team with two all-americans on their roster is capable of playing.
It was a perfect storm.
And the game was over by the half.
What does the win mean for St. John's?
Its huge.
Back when the Johnnies started a string of eight games against top 25 teams in Kenpom's rankings with a win then No. 9 Georgetown at Madison Square Garden to move to 3-0 in the Big East, we said that we would reevaluate St. John's when that stretch of over. The final tally -- 3-5 with wins over the Hoyas, Notre Dame, and Duke, all at home. Throw in a win at West Virginia, and the Red Storm have stockpiled some pretty impressive wins.
They also have some ugly losses, namely to Fordham and St. Bonaventure.
This win doesn't solidify a tournament bid. The Johnnies, like every other team on the bubble, still have quite a bit of work to do. But picking up a win like this out of conference this late in the year does wonders not only for St. John's, but for the Big East in general, in the computer rankings.
What does it mean for Duke?
It affirms a number of suspicions that we have all had for quite some time.
There is no question that Duke is one of the top ten teams in the country, but they look far from unbeatable, like many speculated early in the season. I still maintain that Duke's biggest issue is their lack of interior strength, but with every passing game Kyrie Irving's absence becomes more and more glaring.
Not only did the Blue Devil's stud freshman create easy scoring opportunities for his teammates, particularly the Plumlees and Ryan Kelly inside, he made Duke's back court that much more versatile. Nolan Smith is a great player, but he's not necessarily a true point guard; he's more of a scorer that happens to be able to handle the ball and create.
Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins are both very good at what they do, but they don't do much more than catch-and-shoot. With Irving and Smith on the floor together, Coach K had two perimeter players that were capable of doing everything you as of a guard. Now they have one.
Without Irving, this offense becomes much less dynamic.
The question now becomes where Duke will get seeded in the tournament. They don't have any impressive wins -- Kansas State and Michigan State are far less impressive than they were when the games were played. Same thing with Butler. Marquette and Maryland aren't top 25 teams. In fact, Duke doesn't have one win over a team that is currently ranked. That's not exactly the kind of resume you expect to see from a No. 1 seed.
What does it mean for the ACC and the Big East?
Nothing that we didn't already know. The Big East is really good. The ACC is pretty bad.
But wins like this happen all the time. Seton Hall beat Syracuse by 22 in the Carrier Dome. Drexel, a middle of the pack CAA team, beat Louisville, who sits a game out of first in the Big East. Fordham, who is at the bottom of the Atlantic 10, beat this same St. John's team. No one is claiming that those wins mean anything more than, well, those wins.
If you take anything out of this win, think about what it means for St. John's playing in the Garden. They have some impressive home wins and are now attracting bigger and bigger crowds.
This is the same arena where the Big East Tournament is played.
Sleeper, anyone?
Continue reading...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
POSTERIZED: From Paris With Love |
St. John's Paris Horne had a solid poster-dunk tonight on Louisville's Gorgui Dieng. The Johnnies may have lost by 25, but at least they have a highlight reel dunk to show for their efforts.
It was basically S.O.P (Standard Operating Posterization). It good. Not great, but good.
Nonetheless, I could never have done that, so it's worthy of a mention.
But was it as good as one of these?:
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Laurence Bowers, Missouri
POSTERIZED - Drew Gordon, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
POSTERIZED - LaMarcus Reed, UT-Arlington
POSTERIZED - Marcus Morris, Kansas
POSTERIZED - Jared Cunningham, Oregon State
POSTERIZED - Langston Morris-Walker
POSTERIZED - Chris Wright and Juwan Staten, Dayton
POSTERIZED - D.J Stephens, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Reeves Nelson, UCLA
POSTERIZED - Kendall Marshall and John Henson, UNC
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas
Continue reading...
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Tuesday's Shootaround: Georgetown, Florida State, and Butler all go down |
St. John's 61, No. 13 Georgetown 58: See here and here.
Auburn 65, Florida State 60: See here.
No. 19 Michigan State 65, Northwestern 62: This is a good Northwestern team. They proved that tonight, competing with -- and nearly completing a 13 point comeback in the final 3:51 -- a far more athletic and talented Michigan State team despite shooting just 31.6% from the floor and getting 11 points (and just one field goal) from Big Ten leading scorer John Shurna, who is battling an ankle injury.
The Wildcats had a furious rally sparked by Juice Thompson late in the game, but a missed box out (Draymond Green put back a missed free throw with 12 seconds left) and a poorly designed in bounds play (the Wildcats ended up shooting a two at the buzzer down three) cost them late. It was a moral victory for the Wildcats, but for a program trying to erase a history of moral victories with their first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, nothing less than a win on the scoreboard will do. Northwestern, who is now 0-2 in the league, has to turn around and head to Illinois on Thursday.
Milwaukee 76, Butler 52: So much for Butler being back. Kaylon Williams had 10 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists as the Panthers lit up the Bulldogs. Shelvin Mack had three points and shot just 1-7 from the floor as the Bulldogs allowed Milwaukee to hit 11 threes and shoot 55.3% from the floor.
No. 11 Kentucky 86, Penn 62: Tyler Bernardini was hot early, scoring 16 points in the first 16 minutes as the Quakers opened up a 31-19 lead in the first half. For the final 24 minutes, Kentucky, well, played like Kentucky is supposed against an Ivy League team. Brandon Knight had 22 points while Josh Harrellson added 12 points and 11 boards.
No. 16 Texas A&M 66, Nicholls State 55: The win wasn't as impressive as the defensive job the Aggies did on Anatoly Bose, who had just six points on 1-12 shooting.
No. 17 Kansas State 92, Savannah State 61: Jacob Pullen had 24 points and 5 assists, including a 7-8 shooting performance in the first half (three threes), as the Wildcats rolled. Wally Judge continued his hot play, finishing with 13 points and 14 boards.
Florida 84, Rhode Island 59: For the second straight game, the Gators put together an impressive performance as they rolled over the Rams just four days after they went into Xavier and knocked off the Musketeers. Can I get any consistency out of the SEC this season? Please?
Iowa State 72, Northern Illinois 63: The Cyclones won again, this time doing so with a six man rotation as Scott Christopherson and Jordan Railey were both out of action.
CAA play starts: Old Dominion picked up their first league win of the season with a 51-47 win over Towson and George Mason improved to 2-0 with a win over Delaware, but favorites Drexel (a 75-69 loss to Hofstra) and VCU (a 76-66 loss at Georgia State) had disappointing nights.
Other Notable Games:
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