Dave Krupinski

St. John’s Tips Off Season with Detroit on ESPN 24 Hour Marathon

November 12, 2012 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

Photo by: Jim O’Connor-US PRESSWIRE

For the second straight year, St. John’s will tip off its season on ESPN’s 24 Hours of College Basketball. This game will mark the return of head coach Steve Lavin after his battle with prostate cancer.

The Red Storm has heightened expectations this season, returning a majority of their minutes played from last season and adding seven new scholarship players. They will be looking to avenge their loss from last season against the Horizon League’s defending champions, the Detroit Titans. The Titans won 22 games last season and represented the Horizon League in the NCAA tournament, losing to Kansas in first round, 65-50.

St. John’s played in the ESPN 24 Hours of College Basketball two seasons ago and coincidentally made a run to the NCAA tournament. St. John’s fans hope history will repeat itself.

Game Information

Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Location: Carnesecca Arena- Queens, New York
Time: 2:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN (John Saunders, Fran Fraschilla & Chris Mullin)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org

Detroit Titans (1-0, 0-0)
Head Coach: Ray McCallum

The Detroit Titans return leading scorer Ray McCallum, who is one of the more prolific scoring guards in the country. They run a very balanced attack and have 5-6 guys capable of scoring in double digits. While the Titans play mostly man-to-man, expect them to play some zone against St. John’s just as they did last year. The Titans have already played their first regular season game, but they’ve spent extra time in the film room studying up on the new look St. John’s team. The Detroit coaching staff was very pleased to access to film of both St. John’s exhibition games, due to the fact they were televised nationally on ESPN 3.

While Ray McCallum and Doug Anderson will shoulder a bulk of the scoring, Juwan Howard Jr. and P.J. Boutte are two complementary scorers. Calliste is a gunner from the outside who isn’t shy about putting up shots. A forgotten player on the Titans is Nick Minnerath, who was arguably their best post player a season ago before suffering a gruesome knee injury. He’s not 100% yet, but he’s worked his way back into the starting rotation and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Projected Starting Lineup:

F Doug Anderson
F Nick Minnerath
C Juwan Howard Jr.
G Ray McCallum
G Jason Calliste

St. John’s (0-0, 0-0)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

While St. John’s has plenty of familiar faces returning, there is still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the young Red Storm. Incoming players Orlando Sanchez and Marc-Antoine Bourgault are still awaiting initial eligibility rulings from the NCAA. God’sgift Achiuwa and Felix Balamou are expected to redshirt. D’Angelo Harrison is the dog house and will be replaced in starting lineup.

However, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for St. John’s this season regardless of the outcome of the first game. JaKarr Sampson, Chris Obekpa, and Christian Jones all look like they’re capable contributors day 1, Jamal Branch will be eligible to play in December, and Phil Greene looks poised to breakout in his sophomore season.

St. John’s has shown different looks in the preseason. Most notably, their defensive philosophy has switched from zone to man-to-man. Will the Johnnies go back to match-up zone or with more bodies to spare this year go with a pressure man-to-man?

While many questions are left to be answered, Detroit will be a great measuring stick for St. John’s in the first game of the season.

Projected Starting Lineup:

F Amir Garrett
F JaKarr Sampson
C Christian Jones
G Phil Greene
G Sir’Dominic Pointer

Keys to Victory

Protect Your Glass- St. John’s rebounding efforts in the preseason were alarming. The Red Storm will need to limit Detroit to one shot per possession. Having strong defensive rebound effort will also allow St. John’s to play in transition where they thrive. If this game is regulated to a half-court game, it’s going to be a long day for the Johnnies.
Shutdown McCallum- When McCallum is scoring the ball efficiently, it opens up opportunities for their complementary scorers. Wouldn’t be surprised to see a mix of Sir’Dominic Pointer, D’Angelo Harrison, and Amir Garret defend McCallum.
Shot Selection- Last season there was a strong emphasis on valuing the basketball. St. John’s would run what is called a “False Motion” taking 20 seconds off the shot clock per possession to limit opponents from getting more shot opportunities. D’Angelo Harrison is the only player on Red Storm who has the ultimate green light shooting the ball. New players will have to show good judgement in the shots they take because this game will come down to a matter of 1-3 possessions.
Set the Tone- St. John’s doesn’t want to play from behind in their own arena. The crowd needs to be involved early and often making it hard for Detroit to call out their sets. Look for St. John’s to really attack the basket early trying to get to the free throw line often.

Final Prediction: Detroit Wins, 67-61

Exclusive: Norvel Pelle Decommits From St. Johns, Will Open Up Recruitment

November 16, 2011 by Dave Krupinski 7 Comments

And another chapter in the saga of Norvel Pelle’s recruitment has been written.

The 6’10 California native, who was ruled ineligible by the NCAA this Fall, was thought to be signing this November and joining the Red Storm in 2012.

But that may no longer be the case.

Multiple sources have told JohnnyJungle.com that Pelle has decommitted from St. John’s and will reopen his recruitment.

Touted as one of the top big men in the Class of 2011, academic questions have been raised since the latter part of Pelle’s high school career. After taking summer classes in an attempt to qualify, Pelle enrolled at The Phelps School, outside of Philadelphia.

A source also tells JohnnyJungle.com that Pelle’s involvement with the team has been limited at Phelps, despite being healthy.

At 6’10” tall, Pelle’s signing in the Fall of 2010 was thought to bring size and shot-blocking ability to the St. John’s frontcourt. His absence, along with the absence of fellow decommitted forward JaKarr Sampson, has left the Red Storm thin on the front line.

There are no immediate indications as to possible schools where Pelle may land, along with no word on where St. John’s stands in his recruitment.

Steve Lavin Announces Fall "Junior Johnnies" Camps

October 18, 2011 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

Red Storm head men’s basketball coach Steve Lavin announced a new Junior Johnnies Camps and Clinics program called the “Basketball Breakfast Club,” coming to Taffner Field House on the St. John’s campus this fall.

Beginning on Oct. 22, boys grades 1-6 can improve their basketball skills by learning from the St. John’s men’s basketball coaching staff. Campers will improve shooting, ballhandling, defense, conditioning and agility. Activities for Junior Johnnies Basketball Breakfast Club participants include daily games, contests and drills.

Junior Johnnies Basketball Breakfast Club
Open to any all boys grades 1-6
Attend multiple sessions and save!
Camp Staff includes St. John’s University men’s basketball coaches.
Top area coaches help staff the camp.
Campers are grouped by age and ability level – Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.
NCAA Educational Session.
Clinics are fully insured.

Steve Lavin Basketball Camps & Clinics – Junior Johnnies Basketball Breakfast Club
Taffner Field House
St. John’s University
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, N.Y. 11439
$30/session or $200/eight sessions from Oct. 22 to Dec. 17

For More Information Call: 718-990-6225

Campers may also be interested in joining the Junior Johnnies Kids Club. Find out more information here: http://www.redstormsports.com/ot/kids-club-landing.html.

St. John’s Freshmen Garrett, Pelle, Sampson Ruled Ineligible by NCAA

September 15, 2011 by Dave Krupinski 2 Comments

Before Steve Lavin took over as St. John’s head coach in May 2010, the Red Storm had been out of the national spotlight for nearly a decade.

But, with a team assembled by his predecessor, Norm Roberts, the Red Storm went from a 13th place in the Big East in 2009-2010 to 5th place in Lavin’s first season as a head coach. This aided Lavin in signing a nine-man recruiting class that was ranked #3 in the country by ESPN. St. John’s will appear on national television seventeen times this upcoming season.

When you’re in the national spotlight, you have to take the good with the bad.

In a report filed today by Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News, St. John’s freshman Amir Garrett, Norvel Pelle, and JaKarr Sampson have not been academically cleared by the NCAA, making them ineligible to play for the Red Storm in the fall semester of the 2010-2011 school year.

Over the summer, all three players attended Northeast Prep in Philadelphia, taking classes, in a attempt to gain eligibility from the NCAA. St. John’s staff is hopeful that the NCAA can resolve any eligibility issues and allow them to attend the school by the spring semester, which could be as early as December.

“We will continue to work with the NCAA in an effort to review Amir, Norvel and JaKarr’s cases regarding their eligibility,’’ Lavin said in a press release. “Our student-athletes and their families have been patient and cooperative throughout this review process. 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.”

But, as new as this case seems, history can be the wisest teacher.

In 2007, Norm Roberts had two incoming players, Derwin Kitchen and Rob Thomas, who were initially deemed ineligible by the NCAA. Thomas eventually qualified by the spring semester, while Kitchen waited nearly two years before the NCAA granted him permission to play college basketball with Florida State. Roberts coached St. John’s for six seasons and is highly regarded for cleaning up the St. John’s program and bringing in kids with great integrity.

More recently, other high-major programs have been burdened by the same problem.

Kansas, Arizona State, Ohio State, DePaul, and Maryland all have players who were not cleared by the NCAA. Kansas’ Ben McLemore, Jamari Taylor and Braeden Anderson all have eligibility question marks, along with highly-touted Arizona State point guard Jahii Carson.

Amir Garrett’s father, Darrow Garrett, told CBS’s Jeff Goodman that his son fully intends to enroll at St. John’s, saying, “Mark my words. [Amir] will be eligible.”

The futures of Norvel Pelle and JaKarr Sampson are still taking shape.

Check back on JohnnyJungle.com for more news, as this story develops.

God’s Gift’s Interest in St. John’s Rises on Easter

April 24, 2011 by Dave Krupinski 1 Comment

With Phil Greene signing on April 20th to become the 8th recruit for Steve Lavin in 2011, St. John’s 2nd-ranked recruiting class is one piece away from completion. So far, this is a group heavy with athletic wingmen, and the final scholarship is expected to be given to a player whose size can bolster the front court, moving into next season.

God's Gift Achiuwa Erie Community College — Gods Gift could become the 9th member of the 2011 recruiting class for St. John's University. He is expected to announce his college choice sometime this week. (ECC)

Recently, all attention has been focused on JUCO All-American God’s Gift Achiuwa. The 6’9″ big man visited the St. John’s campus this weekend and walked away with heightened interest. “The visit went great. He liked it a lot and really connected with the coaches,” his coach at Erie Community College, Alex Nwora, said in a phone interview.

“He’s a good leader who leads by example. The first one in the gym and the last one out,” Coach Nwora said, praising Achiuwa. “He’s a good kid, always makes eye contact, [and] he’s very coach-able.”

Achiuwa’s leadership and experience would be beneficial for this young Red Storm team next season, a team that will feature eight first-year players, including seven true freshman. Achiuwa was named to the NJCAA Division II All-American First Team, averaging a double-double, with 13 points and 13 rebounds per game.

Achiuwa wants to put the recruiting process behind him, according to his coach. He is expected to announce his decision within the week.

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