Dave Krupinski

St. John’s tips season off against Wagner

November 13, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

No more DII opponents. No more 0-0 record. This time it’s for real.

St. John’s will tip off the Mullin era against cross borough foe Wagner College. Wagner is definitely no a cupcake game and will prove to be a tough challenge for St. John’s.

Wagner still has players leftover from the Hurley era and they play with the same aggressive, hard nosed style under Bashir Mason. This means non-stop on ball pressure with hard hedges on every screen trying to force teams to speed up their play.

This will prove to be an interesting matchup for St. John’s since they will be without projected starting point guard Marcus LoVett who was recently ruled ineligible by the NCAA. Federico Mussini struggled last game with on ball pressure committing two offensive fouls for pushing off his defender.

While Wagner will challenge defensively, they aren’t very intimidating on the other side of the ball. This is the primary reason why they are picked 6th preseason in the NEC.

Key Matchup

Yankuba Sima vs Mike Amen

The battle of the boards will be an underlying storyline to two teams with anemic offensive attacks. Amman’s calling card has always been his ability to bang on the boards and pose as the enforcer down low. How will Sima respond when he gets back of a bow to the gut? Will he be able to stay out of foul trouble? Will he be able to get to the line offensively? Can Aaman get some hustle points for the Seahawks? Keep some offensive possessions alive?

Keys to Victory

Start off hot– An old cliche but one that is imperative for a young team at home against a hungry opponent. St. John’s needs to establish their dominance early and eliminate any hope Wagner has of pulling the upset. St. John’s will also find comfort playing with a lead instead of playing tight from behind.

Take care of the basketball– It’s no surprise that a young team that doesn’t have a primary ball handler has struggled early on with turnovers. However this is no longer the preseason and the team needs to put a strong emphasis on valuing the ball. No careless entry passes, no forced drives, and no bad shots.

Get to the rim– Perimeter shooting is not going to be a strength of this team. If this team shoots more than 10 threes a game that spells trouble. The solution is get to the rim and make a living from the free throw line. Would like to see Durand Johnson get to the line minimum of 6x tonight.

Close out and board– Wagner is not a very skilled offensive team. They are going to be chucking all night and last thing you want is for them to get hot. St. John’s will need to close out hard and eliminate them getting open looks. Taking care of the defensive glass will be the secondary focus to eliminate hustle points and 2nd chance points.

NCAA rules Marcus LoVett a partial qualifier

November 11, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

St. John’s has been waiting for weeks on the NCAA to clear Marcus LoVett eligible for competition. Finally the school received word today and it wasn’t what anyone had hoped for. LoVett was ruled as a partial qualifier meaning he would be unable to play in games this season. Basically another way of saying he’s an academic redshirt. The university released this statement earlier today:

QUEENS, N.Y. (Nov. 11, 2015) – St. John’s freshman guard Marcus LoVett (Fort Wayne, Ind./Morgan Park) has received partial qualifier status from the NCAA. The University was notified by the NCAA of its final decision after exhausting the appeals process. LoVett will remain enrolled at St. John’s, but must complete a year of residence at the University before participating in game competition. He is permitted to practice with the team as he works toward meeting NCAA continuing eligibility requirements.

“The University disagrees with the NCAA’s decision and the process it used in reviewing Marcus’ initial eligibility waiver request,” said St. John’s interim athletic director and general counsel Joseph Oliva, Esq. “We have engaged in several conversations with the NCAA to express our concerns that their process may have violated Marcus’ legal rights. Unfortunately, it appears that the NCAA elected to disregard these concerns. We have advised Marcus and his family to consult with appropriate legal counsel about the options that may be available to challenge the NCAA ruling and the standards it applied in this process.”

“Marcus and his family have been patient throughout this lengthy process,” said St. John’s Head Coach Chris Mullin. “Marcus deserves to play and has done everything asked of him. Our staff is here to encourage Marcus as he continues to work hard on and off the court to be prepared to compete next season.”

LoVett is a four-star, consensus top-25 point guard who attended Morgan Park High School in Chicago. The 6-foot southpaw was a First Team All-State selection by the Chicago Tribune. He finished fourth in the statewide vote for Mr. Basketball in 2015 after averaging roughly 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game. LoVett led his team to a third place finish at the state tournament in 2015 and set an Illinois Class 3A playoff record posting 45 points on 20-of-27 shooting in the semifinals.

Prior to Morgan Park, he lettered two seasons at Providence High School in Burbank, Calif., where he averaged over 30 points per game. LoVett spent his junior season at San Gabriel Academy in San Gabriel, Calif. He received the 2014 Wooden High School Player of the Year Award for CIFSS Division V averaging approximately 22 points and six assists.

St. John’s takes care of business against Sonoma State

November 7, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

St. John’s rebounded against Sonoma State to get their first win of the preseason. There was never really doubt in this game as St. John’s jumped out early and never looked back. While this victory doesn’t give you a ton of confidence heading into the regular season, it doesn’t make everyone hit the panic button 100x.

Lets head right into the game notes:

Positives:

Christian Jones earned the start.
Chris Mullin rewarded Jones for playing well.
Yankuba Sima showed some stuff offensively that got everyone excited.
Both starting bigs finished the game with double doubles.
Sima can block shots!
Darien Williams flashed some serious potential. His length and skills will prove to be very valuable.
Mvouika and Holifield provided spark off the bench.
Mullin showed ability to adjust and trust his bench.
Only giving up 46 total points.

Negatives:

Mussini had a rough day failing to make a shot to go along with 5 turnovers.
Mussini committing two offensive fouls handling the ball.
St. John’s really not having a backup point guard option.
Durand Johnson still not looking like that go-to guy.
Only scoring 64 points.
Malik Ellison committing 4 turnovers in 14 min.
Going 1-12 from three.
Relying on a walk-on to lead you to victory.

Overall

St. John’s is still struggling to find their identity, which was expected this preseason with so many new players. However they found a way to win. An ugly win is still a win. This team sorely needs Marcus LoVett and Felix Balamou back in the lineup. Fingers crossed.

St. John’s looks to bounce back against Sonoma State

November 7, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

While this may be another game that doesn’t count, it certainly matters for the Red Storm. After getting beat by STAC in their first exhibition, St. John’s needs a win. St. John’s will still be without Marcus LoVett, Felix Balamou, and Kassoum Yakwe who are battling injuries and awaiting clearance from the NCAA on their eligibility.

Bottom line: no excuses.

This game will not only be telling for St. John’s players but also head coach Chris Mullin. Last game coach Mullin let the boys take their whooping while being mild mannered on the sidelines. Perhaps coach wanted to see the resolve of his players but today he needs to step up and lead his team to a victory.

Game Info

Date: Saturday, November 7, 2015
Location: Carnesecca Arena
Time: 4:00PM est
TV: ESPN3 (watch ESPN app)

What to look for

Can Durand Johnson and Ron Mvouika be dependable scorers? I was really looking for these guys to be more of go-to guys on this team. The bad shots, turnovers, and poor decisions were expected from freshman but not from 5th year seniors. After last game the only place to go is up. Johnson needs to score the ball in a variety of ways but should not be shooting more than two threes a game. As for Mvouika he needs to get into open space and score off the catch. Play to your strengths.

Better defensive rotation and close outs. It may take some time for guys to find themselves offensively but the good thing about defense is it can be built on a foundation of sweat and hustle. Far too often guys didn’t close out against STAC and it cost them. Would be great to see the team play with more urgency and suffocate Sonoma State today.

How to get Williams going?A lot of people assumed that when Williams was committed to Iowa St. then to St. John’s he’d be the 2nd coming of George Niang. Well not quite. However Williams is a good player but he needs to figure out his role. He shares some characteristics to former Johnny Orlando Sanchez. He isn’t a true post but he isn’t a small forward. What are some plays that can get him the ball in his sweet spot? He can be a matchup problem but can’t have him freelancing above the three point line.

Can St. John’s take care of the basketball? The biggest struggle for incoming freshman is realizing they can’t get away with stuff that worked in high school. Coming into the season I felt Malik Ellison would suffer from this the most. In high school Ellison could get deep in the paint, pump, and finish but in college that window doesn’t exist. DJ Kennedy went through these growing pains too. St. John’s needs to value the basketball in both ball handling and shot selection. Goal should be to have less than 13 turnovers.

Can Christian Jones run with high motor again? Jones has a nice soft touch within the paint. He’s always shown that but where he’s struggled is defensively showing little awareness and hunger to use his athleticism to rebound and block shots. The latter is what he’ll need to do to earn minutes, and when he earns minutes he’ll gain confidence.

St. John’s loses exhibition to Division 2 St. Thomas Aquinas

November 5, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

Growing pains were expected this season but a 32 point slaughter wasn’t in the blueprint. It didn’t take long for St. Thomas Aquinas to get into a full court press which is a staple of Tobin Anderson coached teams. It didn’t appear that the young St. John’s squad was prepared to handle the full court pressure. STAC took a commanding lead early and never looked back.

The loss will certainly grab headlines, produce some angry fan tweets, but ultimately this game doesn’t count. This is a good measuring stick for the new look Red Storm team. It will be interesting to see how the team responds in their next exhibition game.

Here are some post game notes.

Positives

Mussini can handle the ball, make good decision off pick and roll, and hit an open jumper from beyond the arc.
Sima blocked shots without getting into foul trouble.
All of St. John’s big men have some pick and pop potential.
Christian Jones spin move and finish at the rim.
Christian Jones recording a double double after sitting most of 2nd half.
Malik Ellison earning the start and looked capable spotting minutes running the point.

Negatives

Durand Johnson didn’t make a shot. (0-7) from the floor.
Mussini defense was suspect. Had trouble keeping players in front which had him backing up and guys started pulling up.
Defense lacked hustle and awareness. From reaching to rotation it was a mess.
Turnovers on inbounds.
Turnovers period.
Darien Williams setting sloppy ball screens.
Mvouika committing more turnovers than he had points. 5:4
Mullin failing to stop the bleeding.
Coaches and team didn’t play for the win in the 2nd half.
Alibegovic had 3 shots and 2 of them were from 3. He didn’t make any of them.
Team settled for way too many jump shots instead of going to the rim. Shooting 26 threes is too much and making 6 confirms that.

Overall

Mussini is going to be a really good player for this team as will Williams, Ellison, and Sima. You witnessed the worst of the growing pains today (lets hope). The real disappointment in this game came from Durand Johnson and Ron Mvouika who couldn’t have had worse debuts combining to go 1-12 from the floor. The lone bright spot came from Christian Jones who could become a spark plug forward off the bench this season.

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