aliallday
Al Ragone
frankieq
St. John’s opened the 2011-12 college season with a 74-59 win over William & Mary Monday evening at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, NY. Red Storm Assistant head coach Mike Dunlap rallied his team to their comeback victory after trailing the Tribe 33-26 at the half. Head coach Steve Lavin was not in attendance for the opener as he continues to recover from the Prostate Cancer surgery he endured last month.
The new look young and raw Johnnies team opened the game with some jitters and sloppy play on both sides of the ball. It was a tale of two halves as the Johnnies forced up contested shots on offense and struggled to stop the 3-point game of W&M on defense in the first 20 minutes. However, the six scholarship new faces in Queens showed off their talents and dominated the second half to take the victory. Let’s go straight to the Good and Bad of the Johnnies first game of the season…
The Good:
–Plenty of Offense. This new Red Storm team can score at will. Seemingly everybody except junior PG Malik Stith (only returning player from last year) has above the rim game ability. Along with that deadly attribute, the majority of these new kids can put the ball on the ground and create their own shot—both from inside and outside.
-Turnover City. These Johnnies may be raw, may be a little too aggressive at times, may not play the cleanest or firmest zone defense, but this team can force turnovers often. The length of defense by these youngsters stretches pretty far. They force bad passes and within a blink of an eye have a ball-handler trapped along the baseline or in a corner. The quickness is always on display as this team can press all the way up and down the court. The Johnnies forced 21 turnovers and scored 28 points from them. Not to mention these Johnnies hold on to the ball when they have possession, only coughing up the rock four times in the opener.
-High Bball IQ. Although this is the youngest Red Storm team we have seen in a while, these players have a unique intelligence out on the court. This team draws charges, jumps passing routes and makes adjustments throughout the game. It’s one thing to have the talent but it’s even better when a team uses it’s talents to be efficient.
The Bad:
-Free Throws? New team, same result. The Red Storm shot under 50% from the line. Poor shooting from the charity stripe is something that has plagued St. John’s over the past couple years and was present again in the opener. It’s simple…practice, practice, practice.
-Size and Boards. Without center recruit Norvelle Pelle, who is academically ineligible to play this semester, St. John’s is undersized in the Big East. Although freshman forward Maurice Harkless did a nice job with Achiuwa to provide an offensive presence in the paint both scoring 17 points, there is no depth to spell both of these players. Harkless played all but five minutes and Achuwa played all but two minutes of the game. The Johnnies got out-rebounded 29-26, but did manage to get eight offensive boards. Staying fresh and grabbing boards will be a re-occurring issue for the Johnnies until Pelle can return.
-Zone Defense? We know Coach Dunlap is a mad scientist when it comes to structuring his defense. These young kids can definitively get after the ball with their aggressiveness, however they didn’t look like a solid unit on defense in the opener. What is scary is that the team forced 21 turnovers on ability and pressure alone. The zone defense was far from crisp and the team did not seem to shift back and forth as one unit. With time this should tighten up.
Honorable Player Mentions:
JC-SO PG Nurideen Lindsey– 19 points, 5 steals, 4 assists
Lindsey gives St. John’s something they haven’t had in a long time…a PG that can straight up ball. Nuri has the handles, the quicks, the shot and the throw down ability that makes him truly deadly. In the opener Lindsey showed he can take it to the hole, run the break, force turnovers and draw & convert multiple AND-ONEs. Nuri got his team going on multiple occasions in the opener by making the opposition give up the rock and burning defenders in transition.
JC-JR F God’sgift Achiuwa– 17 points, 9 rebounds
“God’s on our side!’ That’s the St. John’s faithful new chant for the Nigerian forward. Achiuwa has a knack for scoring down low and loves to throw it down as often as possible. Achiuwa’s game resembles once foe from Pittsburgh DeJuan Blair. Both are undersized forwards who play like a center. Tenacious on glass and efficient at gaining good positioning down low to convert easy baskets. Not to mention Achiuwa plays with a lot of passion and intensity. It’s not hard to see Achiuwa is a leader out on the court.
Q'd Up: The Official Blog of Frank Qasim 