Ambiance: Johnny Horton, North to Alaska (video)
A solid second half of basketball on both ends saved St. John’s from what could have been an eyebrow-raising loss to the Columbia Lions. As it was, the team seemed to struggle to mark and defend 3-point shooters in transition. Also interestingly, the inside play was mediocre; the Lions feasted on offensive rebounds, collected mostly by their undersized yet burly forwards.
Are slow defensive starts and poor rebounding a theme with this starting lineup? We’ll find out more tonight/ tomorrow morning as St. John’s starts a three-game stint in the Great Alaska Shootout with the Ball State Cardinals from Muncie, Indiana.
The exempt tournament is hosted by the Division II Anchorage-Alaska Seawolves. Coach Lavin plans on taking the players exploring; I hope they brought the heavy coats. It won’t be too cold, with highs in the mid 30s through Thursday; then the weather dips toward lows in the single digits. And there should be snow.
The Johnnies are one of the two marquee teams in the tournament. The other is Arizona State, the Pac-10 squad that was a #1 seed in last year’s NIT. The lost in the first round to Jacksonville University, but more on them if both teams reach the final game. The ESPN talking heads are predicting that final, but that St. John’s will lose to the Sun Devils.
But first, St. John’s has to win two rounds of basketball at late night start times. The first opponent, Ball State, returns 4 of their 5 starters from last year’s team. The improving Cardinals could be a tough test for the Johnnies.
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Team Reviews
Ball State (2-1)
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Ball State coach Billy Taylor is a former Notre Dame basketball player who has also coached at Lehigh. Despite his losing record overall, he has had competitive teams in the Patriot League and guided the Cardinals to a .500 record in conference and a preseason pick as winner in the Mid-American Conference West division.
His team crushed their first two opponents, Indiana State and Eastern Illinois, but ran into a Butler team that took out their aggression on the Cardinals with inside play. Ball State’s interior players were ineffective, with Matt Kamieniecki and Malik Perry picking up fouls on defense and star forward Jarrod Jones stifled.
The Cardinals look to start their offense inside with Jarrod Jones. They have started games looking to get him his shot, and he takes the highest percentage of shots while on the floor. He has also been an excellent rebounder – both last year and this year. He needs to be bodied up as the Johnnies go for offensive rebounds. Though he hasn’t turned the ball over much, he also hasn’t been that accurate from the floor or the free throw line yet.
Like last year, hometown guard Jauwan Scaife – a cousin of Ball State star Bonzi Wells – is the second fiddle. He looks like a slasher, taking most of his shots inside the arc despite having a better percentage from the outside with limited shots. He shot well from beyond the arc last year.
Randy Davis is the point guard, and has posted gaudy assist numbers in his time at Ball State (averaging 6.7 assists per game). He also scores a bit (and was a solid outside shooter last year), and is tied for third on the team in scoring per game with Jesse Berry, a freshman shooter off the bench who focuses more on outside shooting. Berry was recruited to the University of Dayton but was released from his letter of intent after shoplifting and assault charges; he had looks from high-majors and offers from high-mid-majors.
Pierre Sneed starts but won’t score much; the Chicago native (and cousin of former DePaul star Steven Hunter) is considered one of the Cardinals’ best perimeter defenders. If Matt Kamienecki’s name sounds familiar, it might be because you know his father, former Yankee pitcher Scott Kamieniecki. Matt hasn’t shot much and focuses on rebounding. Malik Perry’s size is apparently not a misprint. He’s a wide body who seeks out offensive rebounds from Jones’ misses.
St. John’s (0-1)
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So far, St. John’s has looked like a team trying to get a handle on what the new staff wants them to do. But so far, the Red Storm have had a fairly hot start from the outside of the arc, shooting over 36% from distance – much better than the 33% they shot last year. The team is taking 3′s at a higher rate, and that’s without the contributions of Justin Burrell and DJ Kennedy (2 three-pointers attempted between them).
On the other hand, the team has struggled to defend 3-point shooters in transition in both games. Both opponents played similar styles, so perhaps it’s a style of offense that’s primed to attack this kind of zone or that the St. John’s players just aren’t good at defending. Either way, this has to improve. The defensive rebounding is a point of concern as well, especially from the zone; St. John’s needs to clear out the other teams’ misses.
Keys to the Game
Don’t Let Them Get Confident. The Cardinals will fight to make the game slow and ugly; this is one of two chances to knock off a Big East opponent (they play DePaul on December 11th). The Red Storm can’t leave shooters wide open and let the great equalizer, the three-point shot, keep Ball State closer than they should be. The defense has to find the guards (and Jarrod Jones) in transition.
Defend the Paint. Stopping Jones and any slashing guards, and keeping the beefy but undersized frontline in check on both ends of the court are related. The Johnnies have to find a way to maintain a strong post presence.
Hot Shots in Alaska. The scoring from the Red Storm has to continue – preferably aided by efforts from the frontcourt. Ball State might play less zone against the Red Storm; if so the Johnnies have to attack with ball movement, set up the shots, and knock them down. Preferably with some trips to the free throw line; the Ball State team is not particularly deep.
No Thanksgiving Day Parade. The team has to play passionately, but in position; fouling the Cardinals and giving them free points with the clock stopped is a way to let the poor shooting team from Muncie right back into the contest. The Cardinals have paraded to the free throw line so far this year, and it helps make up for their sometimes wayward shooting.
Smart Play. St. John’s has to continue to play in control, keep turnovers to a minimum, and get their shots; they are not yet offensively good enough to let possessions slip away.
Prediction: 68-60, St. John’s win.
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