WSJU Guys

More Wins or More Recruits by Christmas?

August 31, 2010 by WSJU Guys Leave a Comment

In the newest column on JohnnyJungle.com “Over the Airwaves” the opinions of WSJU Radio personalities Dan Martin and Timmy Dzeladini-Dimas will be on display on a hot topics of debate regarding St. John’s Basketball. It’s the oldest argument of time, what came first? The Chicken or the Egg? In college basketball and more so in recent years for St. John’s it’s been wins or recruits? You need the recruits to win but you need to win to get the recruits. So the question is posed, will Steve Lavin have more wins or more recruits signed for the 2011 class by Christmas?

The decision to hire Steve Lavin at St. John’s was a multifaceted one. Not only were they looking for a talented mind when it comes to X’s and O’s, an oft-criticized aspect of Norm Roberts’ time in Queens, but also a man whose name carries weight and respect when discussed in the circles of elite recruits.

With the pieces that this 2010 roster has, a well-coached Lavin unit has the skill to succeed, while, at the same time, the Class of 2011 will provide the future of this program.

Steve Lavin is ultimately in control of which way this program goes at a very pivotal position in its history. Time, something like a Christmas deadline, might be the biggest question. Because of years of being off the national recruiting radar, this is the year to turn the boat 180 degrees and head in the right direction. Right now, all vital signs are positive. As of August 30th, ESPN Insider Recruiting lists eight recruits it its Top 100 as being “considering” St. John’s. Though “considering” is a very non-committal word, the fact that the Johnnies are on that many lists is an indication of a return to the forefront.

Unfortunately, analysts do not expect this St. John’s recruiting class to be full of these Top 100 players. Though clichéd, Rome wasn’t built in a day. To land just one blue chipper would be a huge victory, rounding the rest of the class out with solid players to build around. This year is more about putting St. John’s back on the national scene more than instantly drawing recruits like Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke do.

As far as recruits before a deadline, Steve Lavin might be just the man to bring results. Just five weeks after being hired as the head coach, he was able to lure Los Angeles City Player of the Year Dwayne Polee all the way from the West Coast to Queens. But, realistically, it won’t matter how soon the recruits commit, but moreso that they do, right?

The second front to cover is how Coach Lavin will arrange the pieces that he inherited from the recruiting work of Norm Roberts. Since they came in as freshman, the buzzword has been “time”: time to mature, time to gel, time to rise back to the top of the Big East. Last year had been deemed the year that the check would finally be cashed, but only a disappointing first round exit from the NIT followed.

Many question, and validly, what immediate difference a coaching change can make when the integral players are staying the same. With an established chemistry, there seems to be little room for innovation with such a large group of seniors. Fortunately, Lavin need not change any of those things. What he will bring is a system; a proven framework that, when the right players are inserted, brings success.

The Red Storm was notorious last season for losing second half leads and having many “Ten Minute Meltdowns”, notably against Villanova and West Virginia. That is something that an experienced and seasoned coach can stop before it happens. Game management is as much a mark of a good coach as recruiting, and it seems Lavin has “it”, something a quick look at his NCAA resume can confirm.

When Christmas comes around, it will probably be decided whether Lavin is on the naughty or the nice list of Johnnies fans. Of the ten or so games that will be played before the holiday, mostly against weaker non-conference teams, look for the Red Storm to win seven, giving them, most likely, far more wins than commits, though it is interesting to weigh with all the optimism that exists today. But, in both, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish; the difference between going to the NCAA Tournament and sitting at home on the couch, and the difference between seeing a prized recruit in Johnnies’ red or watching him come to the Garden, warming up at the other end of the floor.

Dan Martin
St. John’s 2013
@Dan_MartinWSJU

Players want to play for winners. That would be the perception by most people these days and it should be. No high school player wants to play for a school that has no history, no winning ways and nothing to build for in the future. They say in college a player plays for the name on the front of the jersey not the back. Steve Lavin must show recruits that the name on the front, St. Johns, hasn’t lost its history, its winning ways and show the recruits how they can be the build of the future. This is achieved threw winning, now and through the rest of the season.

My feeling is that come Christmas, Lavin will have more wins the recruits. I think the recruits will start to sign when they see that Lavin isn’t all talk. Players know he can be cunning and is a seller but before they want to buy they will want to be assured their investment won’t be a mistake. Lavin needs to show the players what he can do with the players he’s given now. He needs to show recruits how he can mold players. Point guards now a days love to go play at Kentucky. Why, because Coach John Calipari has produced back to back Rookie of the Year players in the NBA in the past two years. Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans played for Calipari at Memphis and won the awards. Both point guards, both benefited from Calipari and this year’s possible winner, John Wall, another point guard from Calipari’s system.

During the time of Norm Roberts, recruits didn’t seem to want to come or at least the high end talents like a Lance Stephenson who decided to play at Cincinnati because he said their coach was better then Norm. Norm didn’t appeal to the players. Norm didn’t put a single player into the NBA. Lavin has his NBA players in Baron Davis, Trevor Ariza as well as other players, but he has to prove to players like Jabari Brown, D’Angelo Harrison, Myles Mack and a slew of other players who all have St. Johns in consideration that coming to St. Johns is the best move for them. He has shown Maurice Harkless that St. Johns was a better place to be rather then UConn. That’s one big step in the right direction. Recruits lead 1 nothing to wins but I think he will have more wins before Christmas. Lavin also has one thing that Norm didn’t have, coaches around him. Mike Dunlap, Rico Hines and Tony Chiles are great assets to Lavin’s arsenal.

To quote the movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come.” To break it down, winning is what needs to be built and once that happens the recruits will come. Harkless is on board; now let’s see what kind of dreams Lavin can field with these recruits.

Timmy Dzeladini-Dimas
St. John’s 2013
@TimmyD_WSJU

Who is the Go-To Guy?

August 18, 2010 by WSJU Guys Leave a Comment

Almost like a disease, the 2009-2010 Red Storm always seemed to be struck with a sort of 2nd Half sickness, buckling at the knees late when the score tightened, and losing very win-able games.

In places where West Virginia had Da’Sean Butler and Villanova had Scottie Reynolds, the Johnnies lacked a true go-to player down the stretch.

AngryKennedyND — February 14, 2010- St. John's #1 D.J. Kennedy reacts spastically to a foul call during an NCAA basketball game between the St. John's Red Storm and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center in Notre Dame, IN (Icon SMI).

This year, as it has in years past, falls on the shoulders of 6 foot 6 inch forward DJ Kennedy. Despite being the team’s leading scorer at 15.1, many of his points came at the back end of blowout games already decided far earlier. Where Kennedy lacked was ability to take the ball in the crucial point of an important conference game and make the game “his”.

He has still not shown that, when the offense is stalling and momentum is swinging in the wrong direction, he can become the focal point and seal a game for St. John’s. Where seasoned stars rise and up and lead their teams, Kennedy has struggled to break away from the pack and be a game-changer.

But, he has all the makings of a player of that caliber. With his length at 6’6″, he can get to the basket off the dribble and, if the defense is drawn in, he can step out and knock down the three ball. At this point, it is a matter of “putting it all together”, which could be helped along with an experienced and winning coach in new arrival Steve Lavin.

By working with Lavin, the multiple facets of Kennedy’s game should be shuffled around so they fit more sensibly into the offensive mindset that is established in the half court.

That part belongs to the coaching staff, but quite a bit becomes Kennedy’s responsibility. He must learn to play more under control, limiting turnovers and realizing when to give the ball up. Problems arose last year when he tried to do too much, driving into closed lanes, forcing passes, and taking off-balance and, simply put, bad shots.

For DJ Kennedy, 2010 will be as much about maturity as it will be about results on the court. If he plays like the senior leader that he now has the chance to be, the Johnnies prospects brighten considerably.

There is a lot riding on this season for him, not just with the real possibility of an NCAA berth, but also his future at the next level. Various draft outlets bring his name up as a possible late 2nd round pick this coming year’s draft. If he puts the Johnnies on his back and carries them to the top of the Big East standings, he might just get his NBA dreams realized.

Dan Martin
St. John’s 2013
@Dan_MartinWSJU

What is a go to guy? Ask any St. Johns fans and they will say they don’t know since it’s been a long time since they’ve seen one. A go to guy is that guy that when the game starts will take the ball and start up the offense. He is the guy that will keep you in the game no matter how poor the rest of the team is performing and when it comes to crunch time at the end of the game, he is the one you want holding the ball whether it is to score or set up others.

For St. Johns it has been a problem locating that “go to guy”. Last year forward D.J. Kennedy would have been assumed to be the go to guy but he didn’t fit all the criteria that was needed. Sure he led the team in points but he couldn’t close out games and when the team got cold he seemed to get cold too.

BurrellND — February 14, 2010- St. John's #24 Justin Burrell being guarded by Notre Dame #1 Tyrone Nash during an NCAA basketball game between the St. John's Red Storm and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center in Notre Dame, IN. (Icon SMI)

In my opinion for this year to be a big year for the Johnnies, power forward Justin Burrell must be St. Johns go to guy.

In the Big East you got to play BIG. Guards can score all they want but if you don’t have a guy in the middle that can get you the easy paint points and grab rebounds you are left with missed opportunities and costly mistakes that could change the game in a negative manner.

Justin Burrell has a great build, 6-8 220lbs with raw athletic ability that if coached properly could be a great use for any team. After an impressive rookie campaign where he averaged 11ppg and 6rpg, Burrell has steadily fallen to 9ppg and 4rpg in ‘09 and 7ppg and 4rpg this past season. This year Burrell has to be a 16-17ppg and 10rpg kind of guy.

Two players Burrell needs to shape his game out to be like for this year is DeJuan Blair and Greg Monroe. Both Blair and Monroe are currently in the NBA and both players were the “go to guy” for their teams. Blair was a bulky guy down low that had amazing rebound skills and had the right skill set offensively to score. Monroe was a lengthy guy who had good post moves and even better passing skills.

Burrell has to learn to be half of what both these players were. On defense he must continuously crash the boards making sure he muscles anyone in the paint out and grabbing all rebounds. On offense he has to get down low and work his man down. If he can get an easy lay up or dunk take it. If not look for a cutting player like Paris Horne or Dwayne Polee or kick it out to the shooters Dwight Hardy and Kennedy. You win basketball inside out. Shooting goes cold, layups and dunks do not so for the Johnnies to make an impact this year in the Big East, Justin “JB” Burrell needs to size up and be the “go to guy”.

Timmy Dzeladini-Dimas
St. John’s 2013
@TimmyD_WSJU

What Should Lavin Do?

June 10, 2010 by WSJU Guys Leave a Comment

Norm Roberts left the program with a huge scholarship imbalance on the roster. When Omari Lawrence transferred out of the program it opened the door for potentially others to walk out as well. In the newest column on JohnnyJungle.com “Over the Airwaves” the opinions of WSJU Radio personalities Dan Martin and Timmy Dzeladini-Dimas will be on display on a hot topics of debate regarding St. John’s Basketball. The first assignment is what to do about the scholarship imbalance? Should anyone else transfer? Lets take a look at what they have to say.

At this point, I don’t expect St. John’s to push any more scholarship players out.Iif they were to let someone go, it would most likely be forward Rob Thomas. The Johnnies are crowded down low. They have five capable guys, though none of them can really take over a game. With Sean Evans, Justin Burrell, Justin Brownlee, and Dele Coker, Thomas seems to be the odd man out when it comes to rotation and playing time. Thomas is probably, the least “impact” of these guys, being that he is more of a “grind-it-out” player. He’ll get garbage points off rebounds, but he doesn’t demand any attention on the block. With this same lack of offensive production at the point, Coach Lavin cannot afford to have two offensive holes on the floor at the same time. He is one of the hardest working guys on the team who has overcome such adversity, but nagging injuries and inability to keep his weight absolutely in check have kept him down.

3166371377_7e973d78f9_o — Quincy Roberts the forgotten Johnny. Can he get back to form? Get minutes?

Especially if Remi Barry is brought in, Thomas’ minutes could be cut to virtually nothing because Barry is an inch taller, with more athleticism and the ability to step out and shoot the jumper. If this perfect storm comes to be, look for Thomas to be on the bench for a good deal of the 2010-2011 season.

After averaging 5 points per game his freshman year, Roberts played in four games this past season before being red-shirted. With guys like Polee and, perhaps, Barry coming in, players who would fill the same role as Roberts did, his minutes should be significantly cut. A coach brings guys in by selling a system and how that guy would fit into that system. Lavin clearly wants to use the speed and athleticism of Polee to run all game this year. In my mind, that’s not something Roberts can do.

Another point of interest on the Johnnies roster is Malik Stith. Averaging just over a single point and assist per game in eleven minutes his freshman year, he was essentially a carbon copy of starting point guard Malik Boothe. They share the same set of skills (distributor, ball-handler) and weaknesses (lack of ability to consistently get to the basket, weak outside game). To win in the Big East, you can’t have this kind of passiveness running the point. That’s why, I imagine, Stith’s heart was beating quickly when news surfaced that St. John’s was pursuing New York-born gem Doron Lamb, who has since committed to college basketball One-And-Done goliath Kentucky. Though Lamb was technically a shooting guard, he would have been more than capable of running the point.

With all of this said, it makes no sense to clean house entirely and bring in brand new recruits. Granted, there is better talent out there than what exists right now, but Lavin needs to remember that nine scholarships will open up after this season, giving him nearly free reign as to what direction he takes this program. That is why it makes sense to keep these kids around. If Malik Stith ends up being the 11th guy on your roster, you’ve got to have a pretty good team. You cannot discount the talent that exists. Every player has an upside that needs to be developed, that which I think was absent under Norm Roberts.

Dan Martin
St. John’s 2013
@Dan_MartinWSJU

I feel if Malik Stith is used properly, he can be a solid contributor off the bench. Last year, he really struggled at times to play his position but he showed also that he can get to the basket, draw fouls or create on the move at times. With playing time, he needs to be productive because if he wants to play in 2011; when Boothe leaves next year there is no guarantee that Stith gets the green light to be the starting point guard.

Quincy Roberts missed all of last season with a concussion. People questioned if he would transfer last year and that proved to be no. I don’t think he will transfer now and if I’m Lavin I don’t think I’d be trying to move players. Not the right image. He has to show he can be better then ex-coach Norm Roberts was with the players Norm had.

lavin-baron — Steve Lavin instructing his phenom point guard Baron Davis at UCLA.

Even if these players do decide to leave, Lavin needs to hold those scholarships until next year. If Doron Lamb, the Brooklyn Native point guard, was still deciding and we had this option then I’d say go after him. But he isn’t, and there really aren’t any top point guards left with Brandon Knight also signing with The Kentucky Wildcats. The field is a bit dry now that the top talents have signed to their respective schools. Right now all signs show that both players will remain with the school so unless Lavin pushes them out, which I doubt he will, they will be Johnnies next year.

I think the player with more to gain or lose of the two is Stith. Lavin will look to recruit point guards, like one of his first recruits with UCLA, Baron Davis. If Stith can be a spark plug for this team off the bench with Hardy, Polee, Roberts this team can go far. Lavin will give him a lot of playing time so he needs to take what he gets and makes sure he seizes the opportunity.

With nine seniors on this team you have a bunch of veteran leadership that knows how to play the college game. Barry and Polee can ease their development for the first year and be the faces of this team next year when the starters graduate. Lavin can groom his new players the way he wants and then next year get kids that are semi developed for the college game and won’t need too much grooming. Lavin is a showman and right now his opening act is looking as good as it could be if not great in the short amount of time and little amount of moving room he has. Next year though, will be the intro to a long act.

Timmy Dzeladini-Dimas
St. John’s 2013
@TimmyD_WSJU