stj vs niagara

New post at the East Coast Bias-- pre-game quotes from the ST. John's Red Storm, who play Niagara at 4 PM Eastern time.

Niagara Purple Eagles at St. John's Red Storm this Saturday

New post on the upcoming St. Johns vs. Niagara basketball game at THE East Coast Bias, your source for Red Storm news, pregame information, and recaps.

Game #5: St. John's 47 at Miami Hurricanes 66

It was an ass-whoopin', clean and clear. More notes on the game later, but basically, Miami's bigger athletes overpowered the Johnnies. The first half was ugly but St. John's tied the game at the half. Then they came out and got abused in the second half by Anthony King, who was Tyler hansbrough for one small stretch of his life. That will be his highlight reel to eastern European teams when he's done with this, his 6th year of eligibility.

The Red Storm looked confused, out of sorts; Larry Wright couldn't hit the sidewalk with his shot; Burrell was handled on both ends of the court; and the coaches had no good answers.

Game #5: St. John's at Miami Hurricanes

So this is what passes as a big game this year-- St. John's at Miami, the first road test for the young Johnnies. I can't say i know what to expect, exactly; under Coach Roberts, the team has not been a road warrior:

Including St. John's Super Bowl Sunday win at Cincinnati on Feb. 4, 2007, the Red Storm owns four road victories since the dawn of the Norm Roberts Era...

4 victories in 4 years? Well, that's a trend to turn around, isn't it? Coupled with the Vegas point spread (not that I bet or condone betting), which has MIA favored by 10 and a 135 point over under, there are less-than-positive indicators for the Red Storm men's basketball squad. Part of that has to be the amount of information we just don't know about this team. There will be one player on the court who received significant minutes last year in Eugene Lawrence. i don't know how Norm Roberts is going to coach the game-- will Sean Evans get lots of time? Will Larry Wright play half the game? If it were me 3 or 4 guys would be playing 35 minutes each.

Miami is 6-0, seems pretty effiecient and solid defensively. They've beaten Providence College. They rebound well, especially on the offensive side, shoot quite a few free throws, and depend on their three point shooting, because their two-point shooting is suspect. Statistically, they play a little slower than St. John's. The teams that have hung close with the Hurricanes seem to shoot the ball well. They play man to man, physical defense, kind of like St. John's (but sometimes the Johnnies aren't really getting in guards' grills). Norm and Justin Burrell on the Miami squad:

Norm:

"The other thing they do a great job is getting to the offensive glass. What's going to be a huge key for us is our ability to rebound the ball and defend the first shot and get open looks. The big guys all hit the glass, they all have double figure offensive rebounds in the six games they played."

Burrell:

"We're definitely going to need a big team effort to rebound this weekend. Their three big guys have about 50 rebounds together so far, we're going to need Dele Coker, Tomas Jasiulionis and Sean Evans and our guards as well to rebound in order to get it done.

This afternoon, the Miami team may be without starting guard Jack McClinton, but will start their top freshman Eddie Rios, who has had a pair of 2-10 shooting games recently. Anthony King weighs in at 246 lbs and 6'9"; the rest of the team is strong but not tall.

Some notes from the Miami Herald:

The Hurricanes didn't just improve in the paint, they also made their free throws. After going 8 of 21 from the line Saturday, they went to the free-throw line a season-high 42 times and converted 31 attempts.

Something else got better, too, Wednesday -- attendance. There were 2,339 fans at the game -- 600 more than Saturday's game. More are expected Sunday, when UM faces former Big East rival St. John's (4-0). It is expected to be UM's stiffest test before it plays at Mississippi State on Dec. 13.

Haith hopes to have co-captain Jack McClinton back by then. McClinton, the team's leading scorer, missed his second consecutive game because of an injured left thumb. Haith said he is hopeful McClinton will be able to play Sunday.

''I know Jack is anxious, he wanted to get back tonight,'' Haith said. ``. . . I think we're looking to take the cast off in the next couple days. I think we want to see what it looks like, feels like, and we'll go from there.''

Freshman point guard Eddie Rios got his second consecutive start in place of McClinton, and again shot 2 of 10 from the field.

But he showed positive signs running Miami's offense, finishing with 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and three turnovers in 35 minutes.

Keys to the game:

Composure. Not that those 3000 fans are going to be overwhelming. The Red Storm play in front of about that many people at home games against crap teams, and Miami has historically had bad attendance for their basketball games. But being on the road for the first time as freshmen, and on national television will certainly get a few players to press, to try to impress. Burrell, especially, has to concentrate on his game and not imagined fouls or the fouls that will be called on him as he goes against the veteran Anthony King defensively. The talent is there to win, but the team has to try not to play above their heads.

Mano-a-mano. This is obviously the most talented team the Red Storm has had to play defense against, and they have to be up to the challenge early. In other games, the defense on the guards has been more lax than it needs to be, and while they have been able to step it up in the second half, this is a different weight class. The 'Canes have some strong guards, and that will favor Eugene Lawrence on defense, hopefully. St. John's will need to screen to get Larry Wright free, and Burrell will have a chance to show what he can do on offense and defense with his incredible quickness and skill around the basket. If Coker (and Jasiulionis, if he plays) can stay on the court, they may be difference makers. And DJ Kennedy will slip inside and make plays.

Make it Ugly. Paris Horne and the other guards need to force turnovers, keep them out of rhythm-- especially if freshman guard Eddie Rios is starting. And collect the rebounds.

Big Time 'Em. Burrell, Kennedy, here's your showcase. Go get them.

Game #4 Quick Hits: St. John's 68, LIU 56

- Dele Coker got the start. He played some minutes... and picked up 4 fouls. The rotation in general was highly "experimental," with Cavataio coming in during the first half but only taking one shot, Sean Evans coming in and giving some minutes, Larry Wright not playing enough time. And Jasiulionis played also!

- Justin Burrell and DJ Kennedy were pretty masterful, shooting well, rebounding, stealing the ball...

- Anthony Mason Jr's defense was credible but his shot (air-ball) was NOT. And then he rolled over an LIU player's ankle, hurting it again... Norm's postgame comments sound cheery but somehow I think the result will not be as sunny.

- Ugly effing game. No one shot, Larry Wright got bumped/ hurt a little, but scored some crucial points late for 10 in total.

- Lawrence and Horne shot bricks... and I believe they had 15-20 turnovers. More when I get my hand on the box scores and news on Mason's condition.

Game #4, LIU Blackbirds at St. John's

Tonight, the St. John’s Red Storm faces the Long Island University Blackbirds, 7.30 ET at Carnesecca Arena. For some reason Long Island University is in Brooklyn, a borough whose residents never think of themselves as “Long Islanders.” I know I didn’t when I lived there. I should have some affection for the team; they’re Brooklyn, they were a mile from the old Brooklyn home, they’re across the street from Junior’s.

Let me stop selling them short though. Unlike Fairleigh Dickinson (aka Fairleigh Ridiculous) they have won some games—albeit against Army (who can’t score against their early-season competition), Canisius (who really can’t score against the early competition), and Columbia (the Ivy league hasn’t been semi-capable in a few years). LIU has also lost to Notre Dame. Actually, they got tore up by Notre Dame, 82-50. As an aside, LIU has a rich basketball history back in the 40’s and 50’s, when they were coached by Hall of Famer Clair Bee with stars like William King. Plus, the team includes transfer Ron Manigault, cousin of NYC streetball/ hoops legend Earl "The Goat" Manigault, famed for grabbing quarters off the tops of backboards, a feat that's up there with Dwight Howard's sticker dunk (photo) for pure unadulterated illness.

LIU is regarded as perhaps the best of the Northeast Conference competition. LIU’s two leading scorers, senior Kellen Allen (14.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and freshman Kyle Johnson (14.2 ppg, 6 rpg, 45% 3-pt) come off the bench. From the news recaps, it seems that LIU has some good scoring runs in them, and they are regarded as a pretty good squad

Ken Pomeroy’s rankings have the Blackbirds a bit higher in terms of offensive efficiency (259) and defensive efficiency (98) than the other NEC squads that St. John’s has played; but St. John’s is also capable offensively (32) and defensively (22). Note that the numbers are all raw and St. John’s isn’t actually that good. But they have been solid.

So, tonight’s the night, like Redman said—Anthony Mason Jr. returns from his high ankle sprain to get some playing time before facing “the U” aka the University of Miami this Sunday. Rumor has it that center Tomas Jasiulionis will be held out of this contest after aggravating his tendonitis; this isn’t official word so we don’t know if Coach Roberts will start DJ Kennedy, Dele Coker, or maybe even Paris Horne (I would consider getting his defensive presence in the game).

Keys to tonight’s game:

- Don’t overlook the competition. I know the team is probably feeling all good about itself but I am sure Norm Roberts is reminding them that they had to grit out an opening game win against St. Francis, and FDU was up on them at halftime. The Red Storm needs to come out with the defensive intensity—success for this team starts with the defense, and they need to build good habits before the Sunday game in Miami.

- Mason, Mason, Mason. Fans have been anticipating his return for a long time and wondering about chemistry and whose minutes get cut. But damn, a little depth is good to have; and will prove very good when the team faces better competition. For his part, Mason has to play that complementary role at times and know when to look for his offense. At times last year, he took shots like a superstar at his coming out party, but he’s not going to be a superstar that way; his mid-range and outside jumpers aren’t so great that he can continue to jack up shots when there are capable and creative options in Wright, Burrell, and perhaps Kennedy. Mason has to rebound, drive, drive-and-kick. And perhaps he will be more effective with fewer shots.

- Rebounding. If Jasiulionis is out, this is an opportunity for Burrell, Coker, Mason, and Kennedy to really get after the ball on defense and on the boards. Cleaning the windows means this team can run; and with the athletes out there, this team should look for all of the easy fast break shots and putbacks it can.

- Keep up the Pace. This team needs to get Malik Boothe more time to make plays and make this team run. Eugene Lawrence needs to keep his excellent play going, and Larry Wright needs to further establish himself as a threat—no nights off for anyone on this squad.

Game 3: Final Score St. John's 92, FDU 67

A little tight until the beginning of the second half, but a 15-4 run will wipe some grim off the game. Larry Wright hit 6 three-pointers, Burrell blocked a few shots and brought down 13 rebounds, I think, and Paris Horne used his defense to harass the FDU guards. DJ Kennedy and the rest played major minutes and was very good, even shot well. Larry Wright also played solid defense. And Lawrence shot well, dribbled well, passed well-- I think 9 assists along with 20 points. The bigs didn't play much because FDU played small and they had foul trouble... At the end, a nice game.

Tonight - 7:30ET: Game 3, FDU Knights at St. John's

Photo of Larry Wright taken from Red Storm Sports.

Tonight, St. John's Red Storm has another home contest at Carnesecca Arena against a Northeast Conference (NEC) opponent, Fairleigh Dickinson University from Teaneck. The fans are feeling pretty good about this St. John's team, with their convincing victory over Connecticut's Sacred Heart University, also from the NEC. Dickinson is 1-3 on the season, and have allowed 88 points per game. This seems like a fairly easy game for the Johnnies...

But with 7 freshmen, and Anthony Mason still out with his high ankle sprain, no team can be overlooked. The FDU Knights play a three-guard lineup, and thus far in the season, have shot well from beyond the arc. They have also been blown out by every team they have lost to. According to Ken Pomeroy's basketball efficiency statistics (based mainly on effectiveness per 100 possessions) the two teams in terms of national Offensive and Defensive efficiency rank (the adjusted numbers take into account the quality of the opponents):



It's early, of course, and St. John's hasn't played a team that has really challenged them, but by all metrics, FDU is a really bad defensive team, but offensively, not bad. Again, a lot of this may be their hot shooting from beyond the arc, with senior Manny Ubilla shooting 44% (12-27), senior forward Eric Hazard at 53% (9-17), senior Bernell Murray lagging with 31.6% shooting (6-19) and Sean Baptiste contributing with 66.7% (8-12) shooting. They also have freshman John Galvin manning the middle.

Last week, the Red Storm played extremely well. The second game found the freshmen playing better, rebounding well, and holding the lead. Paris Horne didn't take many unnecessary/ ridiculous shots, Justin Burrell was a decent offensive and defensive force, Dele Coker was effective with his minutes.

This week, I would like to see:

A more effective Malik Boothe and Tomas Jasiulionis. In 18 minutes against Sacred Heart, Malik missed all three field goal attempts and had a single assist. He needs to get some minutes and push the pace of this team, but not to the point where they are out of control. TJ should look for his shot more, especially from mid-range (though I am sure we still won't see that) and continue to block shots and use his height defensively. It would be nice to see more rebounds, but there is little indication that he is going to be a beast on the boards.

Continued hot shooting from Lawrence and Wright. They have been effective in their spots, with Larry Wright looking for his shot and Lawrence knocking down open attempts.

Better overall play from Burrell, Coker, and Kennedy. Burrell needs to get easier attempts and really use his athleticism to go off. Kennedy's shooting has been mediocre but he has made up for it by moving the ball, rebounding, and making plays; his dribble/ ball handling will hopefully show improvement. Coker just needs to see more time and cut down on the fouls; hopefully Coach Roberts will give the kid some run.

Defense of the three. The three-pointer is the great equalizer. It would be great to see the Red Storm guards stifling the outside shot and putting pressure on FDU's ballhandlers. This is the kind of game where Paris Horne and Malik Boothe should shine. I'll assume the FDU Knights will draw Burrell out of the defensive paint with Hazard; this will be a test of how well Burrell can defend in space.


Props to the team on their work last Wednesday, serving turkey dinners at the Bread and Life Soup Kitchen in Brooklyn.

News Articles on Last Night's Game

New York Post (Lenn Robbins):

The only thing St. John's lost last night was a tooth.

Sophomore Larry Wright would have pumped in more than the 16 he did in a 76-49 rout of Sacred Heart in Carnesecca Arena were it not for the front tooth he lost to an accidental elbow.

The Red Storm (2-0) took a 10-0 lead and never lost it. St. John's never lost its intensity, which was a problem that plagued it last season.

Today the team will not lose the meaning of the university's mission when it serves Thanksgiving Day dinner to some 1,200 less fortunate at the St. John's Bread and Life Soup Kitchen in Brooklyn.

"It will probably be the best day they have," said St. John's coach Norm Roberts.

It won't be great for Wright, who will have to pay a visit to the dentist. It won't be great for center Tomas Jasiulionis, who took a knee to the knee that exacerbated tendinitis, and he sat the last 18 minutes and 16 seconds....

Burrell posted his first double-double (15 points, 11 boards) but he must break the habit of lobbying for calls.

"Coach Q [Fred Quartlebaum] and Coach Roberts told me I don't want to get a reputation," said Burrell, who along with the other six freshmen accounted for 41 points and 34 boards.

Senior Eugene Lawrence had a team-high 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field to go along with eight assists and two turnovers. Lawrence has 13 assists and no turnovers in two games.... Roberts said he didn't think Jasiulionis' injury was serious, but that was the initial call on Mason, too.

Mason's injury already has proven to be more problematic than initially assumed.

"You could say that," said Roberts. "High ankle sprains can be hard to get back from quickly. He's responding to treatment, so that's good. It gives everyone else a chance to step up."

NY Daily News (Roger Rubin):

This time there would be no last-minute scare. No crisis of confidence, no late scoring drought and no mistake-prone stretch either. St. John's was everything it is supposed to be last night.

Larry Wright made a pair of three-pointers as the Red Storm opened against Sacred Heart with 10 unanswered points in the first two minutes and then overpowered the Pioneers for a 76-49 win before 3,403 at Carnesecca Arena.

The game played out pretty much exactly as it should when a Big East team takes on a mid-to-low major. The Storm was clearly a cut above in every aspect of the game.

"Larry kind of got me excited when he came out," said senior Eugene Lawrence who finished with 17 points on 5-for-5 shooting and eight assists. "He made a big steal, he hit two big shots. He kind of set the tone for this....It was a good win for us."....

In the second half, St. John's never allowed Sacred Heart closer than 22 and got the lead as big as 76-44 on a jumper by Mike Cavataio with 1:21 to play. At the end, Roberts had played each of his 12 scholarship players at least 10 minutes.

New York Newsday/ AMNY (Joseph Staszewski):

As Wright's shooting helped St. John's control the game early, Burrell's play in the paint did so for the rest of the half. The highly touted newcomer almost had a double-double (10 points, eight rebounds) before the halftime buzzer. Lawrence found him for an easy lay-in for a 48-21 lead at the half. That may have been Burrell's easiest basket. His 6-8 frame moved through packs of Sacred Heart defenders to grab rebounds for putbacks.

The Red Storm tried to work the ball inside to Dele Coker and Burrell to start the second half, but started just 1-for-6 from the field. Then Wright made two free throws and a beautiful reverse layup, and Lawrence hit a three from the left side to put St. John's back up 25 with 12:55 left. Burrell was not as sharp in the second half, missing his first five shots.

Game #2, Sacred Heart Pioneers (49) at St. John's (76)

Sacred Heart	21	28	49
St. John's	48	28	76

- St. John's got off to a quick lead in this one, with Eugene Lawrence and Larry Wright hitting from beyond the arc. The team ended 8-15, 53%, and even DJ Kennedy and Paris Horne sunk one each.

- The quick beginning gave way to the freshmen, but they played decently; seemed as though fast break defense is going to be an issue with this team. With Big East games in a month-- Louisville, U-Cons, Seton Hall, and Marquette come to mind as teams that will run the fast break all day long on a team.

- Coker was active, though he had 4 fouls. I'll take the 5 rebounds. Strong rebounding from DJ Kennedy again (9) and from Burrell (11 to go along with his 15 points). Sean Evans scored 4 and pulled down 5 rebounds.

- Sounds like Burrell missed some bunnies-- finish hard, big man! Like Walton likes to say. I didn't see them because the game was radio only... Speaking of bunnies, 57% free throw percentage won't cut it. And the turnovers could be improved upon-- 4 by Burrell and 3 by Kennedy, but he lost his handle more often than that.

- Mike Cavataio and the senior walk-ons, Otaja Abit and Liam Biesty both got burn! Only Cavataio scored, and his time on the floor made me think that perhaps he should be redshirted.

- Lawrence passed well, with only a couple over-aggressive flings in his 8 assist, 2 turnover line. Boothe played well but hardly showed up in the box score. Is that like a tree falling in the forest?

- Larry Wright is quickly becoming a favorite. 5-8 shooting, 3-6 from beyond the 3 point arc, 3-4 from the free throw line, 16 points. With 3 steals, 2 assists, and defensive effort. And a chipped tooth.

- The Pioneers got some easy baskets in the second half, and the game was generally sloppy after the blowout first half... but we'll take it. Coach Roberts commented on the transition defense, so hopefully he'll get that sorted.

- Tomas Jasiulionis seemed to hurt his shin in the second half... and never came back. Hope he's okay.

Tonight-- St. John's vs Sacred Heart, 7.30 ET

It's good to see that the New York Post, in their fact and spell checking wisdom, can't spell the name of St. John's leading scorer and returning scholarship player, Larry Wright. They report Anthony Mason is out for tonight's game with a high ankle sprain that worries the fans more with each missed practice and contest.

Supposedly the athletic Mason, who the Johnnies are supposed to be built around might return by Sunday's game against Fairleigh Dickinson, but this is the paper that can't spell the players' names right, and is known for their half-truths and scraped from the bottom innuendo, so we'll see Mase when he's on the court.

Also, there was a rumor flitting about that freshman guard from Queens Mike Cavataio would redshirt... but Coach Roberts denies that report. He may be keeping Cavataio active until the team knows when and how well Anthony Mason returns.

They keys to the game are basic. Sacred Heart is supposed to be a quality NEC team, come on, it's Sacred Heart! It's the NEC! This team has to be able to whoop up on them.

- Rebounding. A smaller St. Francis team beat the Red Storm on the boards, despite the supposed rebounding prowess of freshman Justin Burrell and the size of Tomas Jasiulionis and Dele Coker. DJ Kennedy pulled down 14 rebounds last week.

- Holding the lead. This one was all coaching, as Norm Roberts put 5 freshmen on the floor at different times, and the lead trickled away. The freshmen need to get their minutes, for sure, and if Justin Burrell is sidelined with foul trouble, his backup is raw. But the kids have to hold the lead, or get out and score.

- Shot selection, especially from Paris Horne. He likes to jack up threes, but in the exhibition and in the opener, I think he's hit 1 of 8. His shot is flat. He's a fast, active athlete, and needs to use that to his advantage rather than take Nate Robinson ill-advised-shot practice.

DJ Kennedy, despite not shooting well, was phenomenal. Here's one of his drives.

St John's Preview from Basketball Prospectus

A preview from Basketball Prospectus, from one of my favorite places for basketball news and stats. The St John’s entry for the Big East Team profiles is ¾ down the page.

The summary:

1- St. John’s changed their style of offense from an interior oriented offense to the 3rd most 3-pt attempts in Big East conference play. As mentioned, this is partly because the team had an actual shooter (who had the green light) and Anthony Mason (who always has a green light) and perhaps reflects a tendency by both to not drive inside for the higher percentage shot and foul shot opportunities.

2- Despite early results, Lawrence’s outside shooting was the best among last year’s starters; but he only attempted 100 attempts because he was always on the floor. Also, he turns the ball over, but all St. John’s fans know that part.

3- The team will be young (we KNOW that) and author John Gasaway notes that Burrell will be looked to be a star; Mason shot with the frequency of a star but without stellar results (his effectiveness was mercurial like the moon); and Jasiulionis is a shot blocker but will be able to show what the rest of his skills look like.

4- And the team is going through a complete roster turnover, which bodes for rough times in Queens.

Box Score: St. John's vs St. Francis (NY)

Sports Illustrated box score from last night's game.

St. John's 72, St. Francis (NY) 64 Recap

A win is a win, especially without star player Anthony Mason. A fuller analysis to come once some site puts up the full box score with steals, assists, turnovers, and rebounds. But from what I heard from the radio feed:

- This game was too close for comfort. Even though all kinds of Division I teams had opening game troubles, this team had some sloppy stretches, turnovers, and ill advised shots.

- On defense, St. Francis got some run up and down the court, and their forward Robert Hones went off for 19 points and 12 rebounds (I think).

- St. John's had some solid offensive stretches, ran a little bit, converted turnovers to points, mostly on Paris Horne's effort.

By player:

Starters

(-) Eugene Lawrence left a bit to be desired. Having the senior leader jack up three pointers early in the shot clock is not by design.

(++) DANG! Larry Wright was on like Donkey Kong! In fact, I wonder why he didn't get more minutes; Coach Roberts chose to play 5 freshmen for stretches, especially in the first half. It's a good time to get them acclimated but Wright, who had a 1-4 shooting day outside the arc, hit 12 footers and drove the lane (6-10 inside the arc), and took a crucial charge.

(+) DJ Kennedy played like a man on a mission. Some of that mission was to make turnovers, and his handle was at times reckless or too high, but the rest of the mission was nice-- 14 rebounds from the small forward and 9 points, along with some nifty defense and interior passing.

(-) It's tough to call Justin Burrell a negative. By the radio accounts he was playing hard and making solid moves to the basket but the result only had 2 rebounds. This team needs him to be a monster on the boards. He'll be nice on putbacks from missed Anthony Mason bricks, but he has to rebound on defense as well. Burrell was in foul trouble much of the evening, and if he were a more foul-free factor, the team would have been in better shape.

(?+) Tomas Jasiulionis was active early on the offensive glass and scored 6 points, but only had 5 boards. He seemed to handle the ball well, but he was not a huge factor in the second half.

Bench:

(+) Boothe was reckless once in a while but excellent at getting to the hoop and hitting shots. Nice defense, also.

(+) It's hard to call Paris Horne a positive. Well, in the first half. He came in the game and jacked up two terrible sounding threes. But he got himself under control, scoring on two breakaways off of his own steals, disrupted passes, and got to the rim. A work in progress, but it'll be an energetic work.

(+) Dele Coker was iffy early but a revelation late, scoring with a little touch around the basket, pulling down some rebounds, blocking a shot (leaving the shooter on the floor) that started a 3 on 2 fast break.

(--) Sean Evans. Let's just say he was kind of a disaster on the court. He will learn.

Coaching-wise, these guys need to learn to start the offense earlier in the shot clock and to stop with the terrible threes. The playing time rhythm, hopefully, will come. But some guys need to get more minutes.

Anthony Mason Out for St. John's Season Opener

Anthony Mason Jr.—the leading returning scorer and centerpiece of the Red Storm basketball team— is out for tonight’s season opener against St. Francis (NY):

Swingman Anthony Mason Jr. suffered a high ankle sprain in practice and missed an exhibition game against Molloy. He was going to try to get about 40 minutes of practice yesterday, but Roberts said he would not rush back his most versatile player.

Aw, crap. DJ Kennedy, 6’6” freshman swingman out of Schenly High in Pittsburgh should get the start, along with fellow freshman Justin Burrell (PF), junior Tomas Jasiulionis (C), sophomore shooting guard Larry Wright, and senior captain (and Big East’s returning assist leader) Eugene Lawrence. It’s St. Francis, but with the freshmen playing their first game—the aforementioned pair and likely Malik Boothe (PG), Paris Horne (SG), most likely Dele Coker (C), and possibly forward Sean Evans and guard/ forward Mike Cavataio—this could be an interesting game.

game #0, exhibition: vs Molloy College @ Carnesecca Arena

Wednesday night's St. John's exhibition game win against Molloy was a great moment for Red Storm fans... than again, it was an exhibition... against a Division II team... that isn't very good. The game was a chance to see the 7 freshmen (freshman number 8, Rob Thomas, the self-proclaimed "next great basketball star" redshirted last year) in game action. No more speculating over high school stats, grainy promo videos, 3 word phrases on recruiting websites, or firsthand practice accounts on message boards.

It's not quite ON yet. But the Red Storm season is close.



Observations from grainy online video:

- Boothe was nice. Quick, solid passer, good sense. Even nailed a couple of open outside shots, which is the most exciting part-- this team is going to need all the offense it can get.

- DJ Kennedy is a pretty skilled player, even as a freshman. Good ball movement, good drives to the basket. Better defensively than I thought he would be.

- Larry Wright looks more aggressive. It might be because he's actually on the court. I'll wait to say more, but it looks like he's trying to expand his game.

- Geno Lawrence looked under control, but the defensive competition was not high caliber. Still, his shot looked good, and he will be counted on to hit open outside shots.

- Paris Horne was aggressive-- maybe too aggressive. His outside shot clanged the front of the rim like a bell in the second half, but it seems like he has more sense to constantly shoot that shot. His quickness was impressive, but again-- against weak competition. But it looks like he'll be able to hang with D-I competition, and play some good defense, too.

- I didn't see much of Jasiulionis.

- Justin Burrell looked decent, got his shot off. But if he's going to enjoy a diet of turn around jumpers, I'll comment after he does it against defenders who are his height. But he is quick and agile.

- Mike Cavataio aka Mikey Cavs moved well, but like shooters sometimes do, even when given screens, he looked like he was pressing to make his shot.

- Dele Coker and Sean Evans are not ready for prime time. Maybe Coker was feeling shy; but those long jump shots are not why the team brought in the 6'10", 270 pound center. I hope he rebounds and, well, rebounds. Evans blocked a couple of shots, even hit a three (which would be great for spacing with this team; 3-point shooting is NOT going to be a strength), but looked like he was in the wrong place every time. Along with his turnovers... the guy needs a year to study basketball.

Here is a favorite quote from the Sports NY recap:

Boothe and Horne were diving on the floor with their team up by 30 and less than two minutes left in the game.

"It's something that you must do in basketball if you want to win," Burrell said.

Is that something Roberts stressed before the exhibition?

"Coach didn't have to say it," Boothe said. "We already knew that."

Red Storm Preview

For my money, I don't think St. John's will be as bad as advertised, if only for the simple fact that no matter the losses the team had, they didn't play defense well, especially in terms of stopping dribble penetration; Lamont Hamilton couldn't finish at the rim, and Aaron Spears didn't play enough, and neither was a tremendous rebounder. The big scoring loss was Avery Patterson who was solid in the non-conference portion of the schedule, including 22 points against Texas, but was awful in the conference games, topping 15 points at DePaul and in a volume shooting effort at Georgetown (4-13 from beyond the arc). Qa'rraan Calhoun was an up-and-coming talent in the Big East and chose to transfer; the lithe forward was effective near the glass, especially on offensive rebounds and was developing a solid 3-point shot.

Frontcourt
Hamilton will be a bigger loss; his steady scoring paced the team and dictated their style of play. This year, will they play fast? Will they try to make newcomer Justin Burrell a post presence? No one knows; but the personnel would seem to dictate a faster style. Anthony Mason is better in transition than in making shots; in half court sets he falls in love with his outside shot, which isn't pretty enough for that kind of dedication.

His running mates will be Justin Burrell, who the Red Storm hope will be a freshman of the year candidate. He's quick, athletic, a strong and tough leaper who is offensively raw. Here's hoping he turns out to be an excellent rebounder on the offensive end. Also in the frontcourt is likely starter Tomas Jasiulionis, who is widely panned as a bust. I think he falls victim to Coach Roberts' unwillingness to let players run, make mistakes, and learn. In limited time Tomas has not put up great statistical output but he does one thing I love in a collegiate big man-- he knows he's nearly 7 feet tall. Years ago, I watched Georgia Tech's Luke Schenscher and his slow feet simply put his hands up and become a defensive presence. Tomas moves his feet and is effective in this role; he does, however, have a pair of stone covered hands when it comes to rebounds and putbacks. That skill isn't easy to learn, so i don't expect that to improve.

The other newcomers are Dele Coker, a strong powerful center who should come in handy for his shot blocking presence. he is also raw offensively, and is rumored to be a hard and eager fouler. Sean Evans is a less-heralded recruit from the Philadelphia area, where he was a noted defensive end and raw but effective basketball player. Redshirted last year, Rob Thomas may play a factor after recovering from a knee injury and when academically eligible in January. He provides some mid-range shooting, size, and inside scoring at 6'6', 220. Otaja Abit is a walk-on that I have seen little of, but may see some time this season.

Backcourt
Eugene Lawrence is where the story of the backcourt begins. He was the assist leader in the Big East in the 2006-07 season. And he turned over the ball almost as much as he assisted on baskets. Some were errors of aggression, and some were simply poor ballhandling. Lawrence, or Geno, as he's known, has been a tough defensive stalwart for the Red Storm for 3 years, and entering his senior year, will give up his body for the team. Now he'll do it with breaks from freshman Malik Boothe (Rosedale on the map! Like Flavor Flav once said), a slick-handling true point guard from catholic school power Christ the King HS. Boothe is the future of the point guard position for the team, though he's known as a questionable shooter and stands at 5'8". With Boothe in the lineup, St. John's will probably play Lawrence at the 2-guard for stretches, where his lack of quickness may be less evident and his tough, physical defense will be an asset. Additionally, on a team that will be desperate for players who can score, having Lawrence look for his shot will be a plus. Former walk-on Liam Bietsy may also get some playing time this year.


At the 2 guard position, second-year player Larry Wright will be the likely starter. He showed flashes of potential last year and shot 40% from beyond the arc, yet Coach Roberts played Avery Patterson over him. This year, the job his his; he will have to improve his 2 pt shooting, which was 28% (13-46). He will face some challenges to his playing time from the deep group of guards/ wings recruited for this year-- Paris Horne, DJ Kennedy, and Mike Cavataio. Paris Horne is a slashing, high-flying guard who teamed with Justin Burrell at prep school. Early reports indicate he may be a solid defender, which the Red Storm would welcome. DJ Kennedy is touted as a do-everything forward and aggressive scorer; though when I hear "do-everything" I think "do nothing particularly well." He may prove to be the glue guy on this team this or next year. Cavataio had a great year at Queens' St. Francis Prep, and was known as an active athlete and excellent shooter. He may need a year or two to contribute heavily to the team's effort.

Coaching

Norm Roberts has not yet imprinted a certain offensive style on this team. He is, as listed above, on the "hot seat," which is not a good place to be with 7 incoming freshmen and no incoming players for the 2008 season (he has 2 scholarships to use). His teams had been solid defensive teams but took a step back last year, in part due to injury to Daryll Hill and to terrible play from Avery Patterson and some of the bigs. Defense alone won't win games; the team has to score and this team is inefficient at best and unbelievably bad at worst, such as the 45-44 overtime win over Boston University. Lamont Hamilton was the offensive rock last year. This year, Coach Roberts must get the ball into the hands of Anthony Mason and Eugene Lawrence, and find easy shots for the freshmen, especially Justin Burrell. The defense must be stout for this team to exceed expectations.

Player retention is the other issue; last year Qa'rraan Calhoun looked to be a great running mate for Anthony Mason but transferred. Avery Patterson, after two years of junior college and one in the Big East, transferred. Ricky Torres, once seen as a star out of the NYC high school ranks, also chose to transfer since he hardly got the sniff the sweat on the court. Added to the transfers over the years of players who may not have been, talent-wise, ready for Big East play, player retention seems to be a problem. I don't know why; but other coaches deal with their players with less turnover. Whether it is a recruiting or character issue, or a coaching issue, this must be resolved. The revolving door of players has made it hard to build consistency and continuity.

But I think that a number of Big East teams are not as good as advertised; and while pundits compare the 7-member class as a recipe for disaster a la U Conn's team last year, it does not have to be so. Those U Conn players looked confused and offensively challenged; whereas St. John's has an offensive pecking order set up-- Mason first, Lawrence as the distributor, Wright as the outside shooter, Burrell as the inside guy. If St. John's can stay out of the bottom four of the Big East conference, they will make the Big East conference tournament again, and that will be seen as a positive sign.

st john's previews

November is here! College basketball season is up and going! Preseason games are afoot-- College teams are beating up on Division II and NAIA talent (except for #8 Michigan State who obviously have some kinks to work out), getting the fans excited, getting the freshmen on to the court, getting the upperclassmen in game rhythm, and dreaming big dreams of upsets and conference championships. Hope springs eternal... unless you're a basketball writer reviewing St. John's. Here are some indicative tidbits:

[Coaches on the] Hot seat:

3. Norm Roberts, St. John's
Roberts enters his fourth year with the Red Storm carrying a 37-48 record, including a 15-33 mark in Big East play. His conference high-water mark was last season when St. John's finished 7-9. The problem is the team loses its No. 1 scorer and rebounder, Lamont Hamilton (13.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg), and it was one of the worst scoring (63.5 ppg, 15th in the Big East) and worst rebounding teams (minus-2.1 rebounding margin, 14th in the Big East) in the country. Shooting guard Avery Patterson (10.4 ppg, 72 3-pointers) added to the bad news by transferring. If you can't make your conference's postseason tournament you won't be playing anywhere else in the postseason either.

Team on the decline:

Team on the decline
St. John's. It has been a while since the Red Storm was heard from in the Big East. It has won three, five and seven Big East games in the past three seasons. It's steady, if mild, progress, but there isn't much reason for optimism this season. The trend will not continue. The team loses its No. 1 scorer and rebounder, Lamont Hamilton (13.4 points, 6.5 rebounds), and it was one of the worst scoring (63.5 points per game, 15th in the Big East) and worst rebounding teams (minus-2.1 rebounding margin, 14th in the Big East) in the nation last season. The league remains quite powerful among the top eight to 10 teams, so it figures to be another long season for the Red Storm.

Big East:

15 (of 16). St. John's

The good: Anthony Mason Jr. is back after averaging 11.9 points last season. And if that's not impressive on its own, consider that the junior averaged 17.4 points in his final five games, which included a 17-point performance in a win over Providence.

The bad: Outside of Mason and Eugene Lawrence, there just isn't much Big East talent on the roster. The off-season transfer of Avery Patterson, who averaged 10.4 points last season, didn't help things.


The bottom line: It's a shame the New York-area schools aren't succeeding in a league that revolves around New York. But the reality is that this is a game made of players, and without them it's tough to flourish.

From the Daily News:

"You can't win in this league if you don't have depth or talent," Roberts said. "I think we are more talented from 1 to 13. We are going to score better, going to create our own shot. We're more athletic and have more talent."

other previews:

From SI.com:

As much as Norm Roberts knows that St. John's fans have grown weary of hearing that the program is still in a rebuilding mode, he's hoping that last year's modest success will give the faithful a reason to be a little more patient.

It wasn't much: a 16–15 overall finish and the Red Storm's first Big East tournament appearance since 2003. But Roberts hopes people take it for what it is: a sign of real progress. "It shows we're doing what we set out to do — and that's to improve every year," said the Johnnies' fourth-year head coach. "There were two, maybe three, Big East-caliber players when I got here. Now there are 10."

One problem: with only two returning starters and seven incoming freshmen, growing pains may be unavoidable. But Roberts' latest recruiting class is far and away his best, and the reason for that, he said, is because he and his staff can now go after top talent on equal footing without the specter of NCAA sanctions.

"Even if we have to take a small step back because we’re young, I think people can see we’re getting better and we have more talent," said Roberts. "We're not trying to make this work for one year. We’re trying to build a program that will have success for a long time."....


FINAL ANALYSIS

Even though Roberts is again preaching patience, he will be able to do so this time while dangling the promise that his highly rated seven-player recruiting class offers. But as UConn found out last year, this is a tough league in which to win with mostly sophomores and freshmen. A realistic goal would be a season similar to last year’s, with the Red Storm flirting with .500 and making the Big East tournament. The youth makes that difficult but not impossible.

From foxsports.com:

Strengths: Anthony Mason Jr. is as good as anyone in the Big East. The recruiting class brings a much-needed talent infusion to the program.

Weaknesses: This is still a team that can play some brutal basketball when the shots aren't falling. Shooting is a concern, and Mason is a bigger offensive threat when he can drift out onto the wing and not stay anchored in the paint.

Scouting the newcomers: D.J. Kennedy could see early minutes on the wing, and Malik Boothe and Paris Horne will push incumbents Eugene Lawrence and Larry Wright for minutes in the backcourt. Ayodele Coker and Justin Burrell are both strong candidates to win minutes in the paint, and one of them will likely be starting before long.

Program direction: Descending slightly. The offseason transfer of Avery Patterson, though not a great surprise, is a significant loss of talent. Even with Anthony Mason Jr. and Eugene Lawrence, this team will struggle to finish .500.


Also:

College Hoops Net

Big East Basketball Blog

q calhoun gone. st johns closer to a losing season?

I have been holding off on St John's Red Storm basketball posts all summer, so as not to shoot my basketball wad too early. I've amused myself with reading the message boards on the team at redmen.com and at big east basketball, where posters can hit apocalyptic in 2 posts flat. There's been a lot of debate about the quality of the coach's recruiting and game planning, his ability to keep players in the fold, and the players coming in. It's a young class-- 7 incoming players:

PF: Justin Burrell
C: Dele Coker
G/F: DJ Kennedy
PG: Malik Boothe
G: Paris Horne
F: Sean Evans
G: Mike Cavataio

And these players will be discussed in a later post. But I'm sitting at home, chatting with Dor about language on cover letters when I see this.

Red Storm Sports News
Forward Qa’rraan Calhoun Withdraws From St. John’s

Coach Norm Roberts Published: August 20, 2007
QUEENS, N.Y.
St. John’s head men’s basketball coach Norm Roberts announced that rising sophomore forward Qa’rraan Calhoun (Hazlet, N.J.) has withdrawn from the University and plans to transfer to another institution for the 2007-08 season.

“Qa’rraan and his family have made the decision for him to transfer,” said Roberts. “He leaves the team in good academic standing, and we wish him the best of luck with his decision.”

“This has been a difficult decision to make,” said Calhoun. “But I feel it is what is best for me and my family right now. I want to thank Coach Roberts and the coaching staff for the opportunities they gave me here at St. John’s, and my teammates as well.”

Calhoun played in all 31 of St. John’s games in 2006-07 as a freshman, and drew 10 starts, averaging 5.9 points per game and 4.0 rebounds in 22.5 minutes.

What.

The.

F*&%^$%#%$^.

This guy had the chance to be one of the centerpieces of the team-- a speedy and lithe forward, always working the offensive glass, occasional shots from 3-point range, and excellent on backdoor cuts and playing above the rim. he was listed as a probably breakout candidate this year. The team was going to have to run and press, and he was the perfect forward for that.

Instead, he withdraws from school a week before class?

This after the transfers of last year's leader 3-point chucker Avery Patterson and Coach Norm Roberts' first big-ish recruit in the city, Ricky Torres? On top of the injury to last year's academic non-qualifier, Rob Thomas (not the guy from Matchbox 20) and the academic fail-to-qualify of Derwin Kitchen? Along with transfers from Jermaine Maybank, Cedric Jackson, and Dexter Gray? It's only been 4 years-- how can this many players leave a program?

While I am not predicting the apocalypse, Calhoun was a hell of a player and a big loss to a team with only 5 returning scholarship players.