Dave Krupinski

Kicking It with Malik Stith

June 4, 2009 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

Malik Stith just got off the phone with Norm Roberts.

Coach Roberts asked his Class of 2009 recruit to fill him in on how the first day of classes went, as well as how the first team workout played out.

The newly-minted St. John’s University guard explained that this type of workaday loyalty, from a coach who seems to treat his team like a surrogate family, played a significant role in his decision to attend St. John’s.

Stith narrowed his laundry-list of potential Division-I suitors down to St. John’s and La Salle.

He enjoyed a productive visit to La Salle and maintained a strong relationship with the coaching staff.

So, harkening back on the recruiting process, Stith said it was a tough decision to write off La Salle–a team which gave UConn a run for Jim Calhoun’s money during the Paradise Jam.

South Carolina, who attended Stith’s high school games as if they were season ticket holders, was also being considered by Stith and his family. They were an afterthought following Stith’s visit to SJU.

After establishing himself on campus, getting all settled in to his new dorm room, attending his first few classes, and already joting down notes and cracking the books open, Stith has no regrets.

He says he is focused, excited and would not change his decision for the world. So, the 5-foot-11 freshman from Long Island will look to provide balance in the backcourt.

He has the build of a strong, waterbug guard. Stith also has solid handle and can slash with the best of them.

The kid sports a shallow mid-range sling shot and loves to snake along the baseline and take it to the tin on big men.

Stith played at East Mecklenburg HS in North Carolina, where he led the squad to a state championship his senior year.

A fifth-year player, Stith prepped at Bridgton Academy in Maine.

So, Roberts plucked Stith from the same venue as SJU starters Justin Burrelland Paris Horne.

Stith sat down with Johnny Jungle Monday night…..

Q: During the course of high school your career, who did you like to get up to play for?

A: Man, my biggest rival in school would have to be Demontez Stitt. He’s the point guard for Clemson right now. He was always tough, definitely the toughest guard I played throughout my career.

Seth Curry, from Charlotte Christian, he was another big matchup for me.

I remember, we (EHS) lost by four to his team in the best game I played in high school. I remember it was during the Christmas tournament. Tough loss. Seth played on my AAU team, the United Celtics. I actually just talked to him the other day…

He had a good year at Liberty. He said it was too easy. He’s looking forward to playing for Coach K at Duke.

Q: Do you think Seth fell through the cracks a bit, recruitment-wise?

A: You know, he got hurt his senior year. He was playing on an injury. It was that

summer going into his senior year, during his AAU season, when he got injured. Bad timing. He was hurt coming up, so he didn’t get the looks that he wanted or the looks that he should have.

Q: A coach who’s been inspirational throughout your career?

A: Dom Ryan. He was my coach growing up. He groomed me, he taught me a lot… My father was really my first coach, but then he began to work with the younger group. So Coach Ryan was with me for most of my career. He’s an older coach, so he’s smart. He’s been around and he helped mold me into the player I am today. He helped me get my IQ up.

Q: Why St. John’s?

A: Why not St. John’s? (Laughs)

It was just a good fit.

My visit was lovely. It was a Friday, so campus was kind of live.

I got to see all the players and we all hung out. We went to the Garden, both Quincy (Roberts) and myself we watched the Jordan Brand Classic. It was a real nice time. We went and watched Omari (Lawrence) play, we were supporting him.

It was nice to be with the guys and support another future teammate.

Q: How did you narrow down your choices?

A: Over the course of the year. Around the Christmas tournament , Texas, Florida State were starting to call. I had some A-10 schools looking at me also. My intentions were to wait and see who was going to be loyal. SJU was loyal throughout everything…

Q: Your feelings on Coach Roberts?

A: Coach Roberts is a real players coach, a real down to earth type of dude. Off the court, you don’t have to talk just about basketball with him.

You can talk about whatever, whatever’s going on you can talk to him about. He’ll listen, which is important. It’s a good relationship to have with a coach.

Q: Your down by two points with five seconds to go, do you go to the cup and send the game into overtime, or go for the three-point dagger and end it?

A: Three-point dagger.

Q: What jams are in your Ipod right now?

A: (Candian rapper) Drake. All Drake songs.

Q: If you won powerball, how would you spend the money?

A: Take care of my family first.

Q: Favorite movies?

A: Above The Rim, 300, Little Rascals.

Zach Smart is an award-winning freelance sports journalist whose work has been featured in a number of sources–Big East Basketball Report, Hoopsaddict.com, Hoopville, in addition to being a regular contributor for JohnnyJungle.com. For more of his work check out Z Smart’s Sports Blog

St. Johns @ Marquette

February 14, 2009 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

“It was really just the plays coach was calling. He got me open on a lot of cross screens from the guards. I don’t think St. John’s knew we ran those plays.”
– Yancy Gates On Making First Eight of Nine Shots

“[Marquette has] a terrific team so we’re going to really have to execute and take care of the basketball in the beginning of the game. They play so hard on every single play and we have to match that to compete with those guys.”
–St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts on playing Marquette

This has to be a down period for both St. John’s players and coaches. So many things go wrong in each game, it’s hard to cover them all. Or know how this team can win. It’s got to come from consistent defensive effort first, the kind that frustrates the other team and forces missed shots. And then, the team has to not put forth their second worst offensive performance of the year.

From reading the play-by-play, it seems that St. John’s gave a great effort in the second half, executing in all the ways they needed to to win. But great effort in the second half does not compensate for a blown first half. I didn’t see the game, but Yancy Gates’ quote above, combined with allowing the highest shooting percentage for any St. John’s opponent all season, and combined with the fact that it took until the second half for the team to start playing hard, speaks volumes about the effort. Or maybe the Bearcats were, to paraphrase Norm Roberts, just hot on the night they were playing. Whatever that means. I guess the Bearcats’ offense was an Act of God.
Saturday, St. John’s travels to Milwaukee to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles, losers of two straight to South Florida and Villanova. Marquette is an incredibly efficient offensive squad – the most efficient in conference, in fact – who gets their best scorers shots inside the arc, refuses to turn the ball over, gets to the free throw line an impressive amount off of slashing plays and good team passing. For good measure, they actually rebound the ball well on both ends considering they nearly never are on the court with a player taller than 6’8″. Lazar Hayward – the Golden Eagles’ best rebounder – will come up in the “personnel” section. All of this against a St. John’s team that is coming off a woeful defensive performance, is mediocre at forcing turnovers and keeping the opponent off of the free throw line.

On defense, Marquette brings the pressure, with active perimeter defenders and an ability to steal the basketball. If a team can get into their sets, Marquette can be scored on; but being that one of St. John’s problems is ball handling, they will have to be perfect with the rock to make this game not a blowout. And note that with any pressure defense, it works a lot better if the defensive team is also making shots; defense against Marquette will help St. John’s offense.

Date: Saturday, February, 14
Time: 9:00 PM EST
Location: Bradley Center
TV: SNY (video feed also on JohnnyJungle.com)
Commentators: Justin Kutcher and Jack Armstrong
St. John’s Radio: Bloomberg 1130 AM
In the Booth: John Minko and Tarik Turner
Marquette Radio: ESPN Radio 540

Marquette Golden Eagles
Overall: 20-4
Big East: 9-2
RPI: #24
SOS: #76
Their big three have been together forever, but Jerel McNeal has found himself a next gear. McNeal will be in the running for Big East Player of the Year, and it’s easy to see why: his style is impetuous, his defense is impregnable, he’s just ferocious. And he will have your heart. His steal rate AND block rates are higher than average at 6’3″; he scores with mechanical efficiency; he takes a lot of shots; he plays a lot of minutes; he rebounds a little; and he passes almost as well as Dominic James. Dwyane Wade comparisons keep popping up (but he’s a wee bit short for that, isn’t he?).

Wes Matthews and Dominic James are no slouches. At 6’5″ and 215lbs Matthews sticks mostly to scoring, and leads the team in attempts at the free throw line. He’s pretty strong. Dominic James has crazy hops but his shooting touch has deserted him; he’s shooting 28% from the three and 43% from the free throw line
(he was in the mid 60’s his first three years). Maurice Acker and David Cubillan are backups and their years have been nothing to sing about.

At forward, the Eagles look short. But Lazar Hayward plays with unparalleled effort and mans up against bigger opponents. His defensive rebound rate is in the nation’s top 100; his offensive boarding is very good as well. he scores efficiently, isn’t at all afraid to take a three-pointer, hits his foul shots, while shooting a decent amount and logging around 31 minutes per game. How can a 6’6″ forward be a short team’s rebounding force? Smarts, spacing, and hustle. Joining him on the “front” line are Dwight Burke, Jimmy Butler, and Patrick Hazel. None of them shoot frequently, but they’re efficient. 6’10” Chris Otule is around in case of blowouts.

St. John’s Red Storm
Overall: 12-12
Big East: 3-9
RPI: #140
SOS: #75
St. John’s has struggled tremendously in the past few games shooting the ball. Shooting an embarrassing 19-61(31.1%) against Louisville and 21-65(32.3%) against Cincinnati. We should start taking bets on the site here starting the over/under at 39% What do you think?

Against Marquette St. John’s should search for the recipe of success they had and have yet to duplicate against Notre Dame. St. John’s looked to turn the corner this season when they beat the #7 team in the country at the time but have lost 8 of their last 10 since.

Defensively the Red Storm matchup pretty well against the small Golden Eagles. Malik Boothe will matchup against Dominic James, Paris Horne on Jerel McNeal, and DJ Kennedy on Wesley Matthews.

It will be interesting to see how Coach Norm Roberts rotates his big men. Many fans have been calling for playing time for the extremely efficient Rob Thomas but at the expense of who? Justin Burrell or Sean Evans? Then there is the wild card of the group Dele Coker who has
been an intimidating presence off the bench. Dele has 10 blocked shots in the past 6 games only averaging 11 minutes per game.
5 Keys to Victory
The Basics: Shoot Better, Stop Them From Shooting- Dayton won by speeding up Marquette’s pace and forcing them to shoot under 45% effective field goal percent (39% from the field overall). Tennessee held them to 43.8% eFG (37.5% from the field), and South Florida held them to 42.6% (38.9% from the field) in a slow-paced game. So holding them under 40% from the field overall, and not letting those include a high percentage of made three-pointers is key. Getting the ball out of Jerel McNeal’s hands and stifling Lazar Hayward is a start.

Less Helter and Less Skelter- St. John’s must obviously hold on to the basketball. But in addition to that, St. John’s must be intelligently aggressive – they can’t play faster than their pace, they have to control the runouts both from Marquette and from themselves; if the opportunity is not there, better to wait instead of coughing up a possession.

Fast In The Right Spurts- On a related note, the Golden Eagles would love to get their athletes into space and make plays, draw fouls, and blow this game out early. St. John’s has to expect that; make Marquette take long jumpers as often as possible, and take those rebounds and run it down their throats. They are good defenders, but St. John’s has athletes as well.

Offensive Rebounding- St. John’s misses a lot of shots. Second chance opportunities are one of the things the Red Storm actually does well; and shooting the way they are in conference, third and fourth chance opportunities might be needed.

Get Burrell and Horne Clicking… Which Means Running Your Offense. Get shots for Burrell. Get Evans shots in transition. Less DJ Kennedy shooting, less Boothe shooting bailout shots, and more Paris Horne.

Prediction: 82-59, Marquette.

For more on the game please visit Marquette’s Unofficial site Cracked Sidewalks
Pico Dulce is a midwest guy with east coast roots. He enjoys watching his sports via satellite TV because you aren’t catching too many New York games in Chicago bars. PIco is a diehard Mets and St. John’s fan and yes he does have an East Coast Bias. You can email him at pico.dulce@gmail.com

St. Johns @ Marquette

February 14, 2009 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

St. John’s went into their Saturday night matchup with Marquette reeling; having lost their last four games, and five of their last six. The Golden Eagles would give them no relief however; as they made quick work of the Red Storm, winning 73-59.

It started off well enough for the Red Storm, who were able to keep the contest close for much of the first half. Lackluster shooting from both teams kept the scoring to a minimum during the early onset of the period. But with the score tied at 24 with 3 minutes to go in the period, Marquette went on an 8-0 run to go into half up 32-24.

The Golden Eagles picked up where they left off in the first period, starting off the second half by padding their lead some more. St. John’s could not find an answer for the tough play of the Golden Eagles; who played up to their #10 ranking during the run that gave them the lead for good. Marquette went up by as much as 19, taking advantage of Red Storm turnovers and turning them into points. St. John’s looked like they might be able to go on a run that would draw them closer, but Marquette did a good job of keeping the Red Storm at bay, winning 73-59.

Coach Norm Roberts went with a somewhat different starting lineup against Marquette, sending Rob Thomas, DJ Kennedy, Sean Evans, Paris Horne, and Malik Boothe out to face the Golden Eagles. Curiously missing from the starting lineup was Justin Burrell, who came off the bench against Marquette.

Paris Horne was the only St. John’s player to score in double digits, scoring 23 points on 8-15 shooting. Horne was electric from deep, going 6-10 from beyond the three point line. The sophomore also contributed with 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

DJ Kennedy put up solid numbers against Marquette, scoring 9 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Kennedy shot 3-13 from the field and 2-4 from three point range on the game. In addition to leading the team in rebounding, Kennedy also led the Red Storm in assists, tallying 7 against the Golden Eagles.

Rob Thomas saw himself in the starting lineup for the first time this season against Marquette. Thomas ended up with 6 points on 3-4 shooting from the floor. While Thomas only played 17 minutes in the contest, he made his presence felt down low, on both the offensive and defensive end of the court.

Sean Evans got into foul trouble, and saw his role limited against Marquette. Evans saw 16 minutes of playing time on Saturday, and finished with 3 points on 1-2 shooting from the floor. The Philadelphia native struggled mightily against the Golden Eagles, turning the ball over 5 times in the loss. Marquette was able to counteract Evans’ size and athleticism; making him mostly ineffective.

Malik Boothe also struggled against Marquette, turning the ball over 8 times in the loss. Boothe, who played all forty minutes of the contest, scored 6 points on 2-5 shooting. The Queens native had a hard time against Marquette guards Jerel McNeal and Dominic James; who both played stifling defense against St. John’s.

Because of Sean Evans’ foul trouble, Dele Coker saw his role grow against Marquette. Coker had his best game of the year, scoring 8 points on 4-5 shooting from the field. Coker, who played 19 minutes in the loss; also contributed by scooping up 4 rebounds.

As always, the JohnnyJungle.com provides you both pre and post game analysis. In the Breakdown I like to see if the team was reading the pre-game column, Calm Before the Storm. Here I will give the Johnnies a school grade for each key to victory to see if they paid attention in class.

The Basics: Shoot Better, Stop Them From Shooting- St. John’s kept it close for much of the first half, due mostly to the fact that Marquette could not find their rhythm shooting the ball. But once Marquette got their shot established, it was over. The Golden Eagles shot a solid 50% for the game, including 20% from three-point range. Lazar Hayward and Jerel McNeal combined for 38 points on 14-30 shooting, enough to sink the Red Storm. St. John’s did not have a terrible offensive day themselves, shooting 45% on the day. But there propensity to turn the ball over hurt them emmensly, especially during the runs that Marquette made.

Grade: D+

Less Helter, Less Skelter- St. John’s turned the ball over a season-high 24 times against Marquette, which basically handed the game to the Golden Eagles. The Red Storm were the victims of the Marquette guards swarming defense, which stopped St. John’s in their tracks. Marquette took advantage of these mistakes by turning them into points, scoring 24 points off turnovers in the contest.

Grade: F

Fast in the Right Spurts- Marquette’s athleticism was really on display Saturday night. The Golden Eagles are a squad that thrives on the other team’s confusion, and they had the Red Storm scratching their heads by the end of the game. St. John’s played their type of game early in the contest, settling for a slower-paced affair with less scoring. But, with time Marquette was able to dictate the tempo; and it killed the Red Storm. Marquette put St. John’s on the run and never looked back.

Grade: C-

Offensive Rebounding- St. John’s is one of the worst shooting teams in the league, so in order for them to be successful; they need to convert second chance opportunities. One thing St. John’s has had some degree of success at is getting offensive rebounds when they need them. But against Marquette, the Red Storm were unable to establish dominance down low, as they could not scoop up enough offensive boards for it to have an effect on the game. The Golden Eagles were able to keep the St. John’s big men from putting the ball back up after a missed shot, and St. John’s was kept to one shot and done on almost all their possessions.

Grade: C-

Get Burrell and Horne Clicking… Marquette certainly saw plenty of Paris Horne, who was the St. John’s offense; scoring 23 points in the loss. As for Justin Burrell, it is any one’s guess. Burrell was strangely missing from the starting lineup, and he was held to 4 points. St. John’s would have loved to run their offense, but Marquette put the pressure on and forced the Red Storm to turn the ball over before they could get anything going.

Grade: C-

Final GPA: 1.28

Dan Bart is a sophomore at St. John’s and has long family ties to the University. He and site founder, Dave Krupinski, both attended Christian Brother Academy in Lincroft, NJ. Dan is a diehard Jets fan and is currently enjoying life living off campus. Dan is a 2nd year staff writer for JohnnyJungle.com. You can email Dan with you comments, questions, and for his female fans his phone number. danbart@JohnnyJungle.com

Bob Oliva of Christ of King

January 26, 2009 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

How many Christ the King players have you coached that have played on a Division 1 level?

Around seventy maybe.

How many to St. John’s?

Let’s see. One, two, three, four, five. (Carl Beckett, Jayson Williams, Erick Barkley, Omar Cook, Malik Boothe)

What is the main difference between recruiting styles of Fran Fraschilla, Mike Jarvis, and Norm Roberts?

The hole that was left behind for Norm put him in a tough situation to recruit. … Once they changed the situation with the dorms they killed everything.

What can you tell us about Malik Boothe that we may not know?

I don’t think there’s anything you don’t know. He’s a great leader, and he needs players around him.

Do you think his jump-shot will improve and that he’ll be a Big East caliber starting PG as a senior?

Yeah, I think so.

Sophomore center Roland Brown [on Christ the King] seems to have a lot of potential. But what does he need to improve to be a Division 1 player?

His quickness.

Do you believe Brown will improve partially with the graduation of Erving Walker and Ryan Pearson, making him a main option?

I don’t know if he’ll be the main option. I don’t think that, but I think he’ll improve.

What colleges are interested in him so far?

I think it is too early to say.

Bill Mitaritonna of Hallow Hills West

January 25, 2009 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

What are Tobias Harris’s strengths?
Excellent competitor, very skilled offensively. Can go 1-on-1. Very high basketball IQ.

What does he need to work on to succeed in D-1 ball?

Two things: quickness and strength. Tobias already knows about these two things and we feel he can be stronger then Durant when all is said and done.

What separates Harris from the other star players at Half Hallows West Hills?
Not sure. He’s a normal guy who just happens to be a great basketball player. I believe in the past 10 years he is the best player on Long Island, better then Frazier [Villanova] and Green at UNC. His dad taught him the game. He absorbs information from his dad and coaches very well. The other players always look for him on offense.

From looking at Harris’s box scores, I see him as a bit inconsistent from the free throw line. He had games like 14-14, 6-7, and 10-12, but also some games where he went 3-6, 5-10, and 7-12. Why do you think this is? Is his lack of concentration a concern?
It comes down to points being double teamed:.31 ppg. Box 1 or double teamed. A sophomore in high school will be exhausted physically and mentally. He can penetrate and score with this back towards the basket.

What role will you play in the recruiting process?

Under NCAA rules, college coaches can only talk to me. Tons of schools have emailed me, texted me, and called me. It’s unbelievable. To name some of the ones who have been after him the most: Hofstra, St. John’s, Arizona, Florida, Rutgers, Indiana.

What is your opinion on St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts?

I was a senior at Archbishop Molloy when Norm was the assistant. We developed a great friendship. He’s a great guy, who demands success on and off the court. He has very morals.

Do you have any other comments that you might like to share?

Harris’s favorite player is Durant. I compare him to Bernard King. He can score at will. Harris’s first cousin is Channing Frye. He’s the nicest person I’ve ever coached.

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