Johnny Jungle

The 6th Man of St. John's Basketball

For the die hard St. John's fan.
The unofficial 6th man. est. '07
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Steve Lavin Returns as Red Storm Tips Off Season with Midnight Madness

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St. John's Midnight Madness
St. John’s Red Storm held its season tip-off last night in Queens in front of a raucous crowd at Carnesecca Arena.

The excitement in the building from the 3,158 people that came out to see the 2012-2013 basketball teams introduced was electric. Master of ceremonies John Anderson of ESPN reminded fans that the last time he hosted the event, the Johnnies made it to the NCAA tourney. However talks of NCAA tournaments wasn’t the only reason why St. John’s players came out dancing.

This night marked the return of head coach Steve Lavin.

“Feeding off the players energy was an uplifting experience. It reminds you of the joy that team sports can bring.” Coach Lavin said after the event.

“You’re in that hallway, in the bowels of Carnesecca Arena, seeing those kids and how hyped they were and how happy they were, it was a palpable energy. I think our staff and myself feed off of that, it’s like shaking a present on Christmas Eve, trying to figure out what the gifts are, all those things that bring joy to young people. There can be plenty of hardship throughout a season, but tonight was about joy and celebration to tip-off our season.”

While the return of Coach Lavin may have been the feel good moment of the night, there were plenty of other highlights.

The new look Red Storm played a split squad red and white scrimmage getting students and fans excited for the start of the 2012-2013 season.

Each team had two returning players as Amir Garrett and God’sgift Achiuwa suited up for the white squad, while D’Angelo Harrison and Sir’Dominic Pointer led the red squad.

Marco Bourgault showcased his range, nailing a number of shots from beyond the arc. Chris Obekpa let everyone know that no one is safe shooting the ball when he’s in the game. The 6’8 freshman center sent one ball into the 6th row off a three point shot attempt.

After the scrimmage, Jakarr Sampson won the dunk contest as he caught a soccer alley-oop pass from teammate Orlando Sanchez. Sampson did the rest throwing down an emphatic dunk which was #4 on Sports Center Top 10.

The evening concluded with a musical performance from rap group Chiddy Bang and a ton of fans eager for November.

St. John’s Adds Former UCLA Guard Darrick Martin As Assistant Coach

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St. Johns has officially announced the hiring of Darrick Martin to replace Mike Dunlap as assistant coach on Steve Lavin’s staff.

Steve Lavin’s relationship with Martin goes back years. Lavin spoke of their relationship in the University’s official press release:

“I have known Darrick personally for more than 20 years, and our staff is pleased he has chosen to become a member of the Johnnies basketball family. With our current team being one of the youngest in school history, the timing is ideal for Darrick to join forces with our staff to assist in our efforts to return St. John’s to college basketball prominence.”

Darrick Martin seen playing for the Toronto Raptors during his NBA career.

Martin is a former guard at UCLA where he honed his craft and eventually made up to the NBA. He played on and off in the league from 1995 to 2008. He has a plethora of basketball experience that got him noticed across the NBA. Martin really made an impression on NBA Hall of Fame player, Magic Johnson;

“Darrick has a great basketball mind and is an excellent student and teacher of the game. He’s a bona fide gym rat who is dedicated to achieving greatness. If any student-athletes are serious about hitting it hard and improving their game, Darrick Martin is their man.”

While Magic words are quite an endorsement, what is most important is what Darrick Martin himself has to say.

“I am really excited for the opportunity to work with Coach Lavin, our staff and student-athletes. There is a huge comfort level for me, having played for Coach Lavin and knowing Rico Hines coming in. I have met the staff and I am looking forward to working with this talented roster, and helping the student-athletes develop on and off the court.”

In 2009 Martin was brought in as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves coaching staff in the NBA. He worked to help develop the teams back court, a role that will almost definitely be part of his job with St. John’s. Having D’Angelo Harrison and Phil Greene from last seasons back court will only help Martin adjust to his new job.

Martin’s long career in professional basketball will prove to be beneficial to a young St. John’s team over the course of a long season. Coach Lavin and fans alike will be happy to have Martin on board.

Big East Commissioner Says No To Conference Name Change

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The Big East Conference will soon have members spanning from the east coast to the west coast and everything in between. Despite being headquartered in Rhode Island and having their conference championship in New York, Commissioner Mike Aresco states the conference has no intentions of changing its name.

Aresco says that the namesake of the conference is far too important to be altered. ”There’s tremendous brand equity built up in the Big East name.”

At first it seems like this is strictly about money for Aresco and the Big East Conference. But when you look at it a bit more closely, he does have a point.

The Big East has been around since 1979, it is well over 30 years old. The main stays of the conference (teams that have been around from the very start) are St. John’s, along with Georgetown, UConn, Providence and Seton Hall. Just a year after its formation they added Villanova.

Now some of those conferences powerhouses are on their way out. Syracuse and Pittsburgh who were both in the conference for its inception will no longer be apart of the Big East.

Despite those leaving, this conference has a long and storied history. Those programs are ingrained into the Big East, and the schools have become synonymous with the conference name.

It is also important to note that some of these west and middle American schools are only switching conferences in football. The Big East covers 24 different sports, with its basketball teams predominately relegated to the east coast.

The schools coming in for basketball are Memphis, Temple, Houston, University of Central Florida, and Southern Methodist University. While it is near impossible to consider schools in Texas part of the east, the changes are not drastic enough to throw away the entire tradition of the conference.

While many may question why the conference that features teams from Texas and California is called the Big East, it is important to remember the history behind the name and not just where its members may reside.