Let the Games Begin!

Ambiance link: The Shining: Here’s Johnny (pops up link in new window)

Once again, the St. John’s Red Storm starts the season off with a game against the storied Long Island University Blackbirds.  This series is a good match – the 7th winningest program in history (St. John’s) against the two-time national (NIT) national champion LIU, the public university that has proudly represented the diversity of Brooklyn, back in the days when New York was college basketball’s mecca. Those days are long gone for the Blackbirds, playing in the low Division I Northeast Conference (NEC); but they always seem to give the Red Storm a good game.

This game is not about beating an NEC squad – the Red Storm should win handily – but about showing the fans and the rest of Division I that something has changed about this team. Coach Roberts often alludes to experience in his squad as a driver of progress.  Now he has 9 juniors, 2 freshmen, a sophomore and an injured senior. What can the Storm do for you, Coach?  Can they execute? Can they defend? Will they turn the ball over?  Can they score?  Are they ready to shock the country?

The last two years have seen the Red Storm and the Blackbirds face off in matches that were more closely contested than they should be. Many teams have a squad that gives them fits; the Blackbirds are that team for St. John’s.  In particular, their all-conference star Jaytornah Wisseh has been able to put up shots and get to the free throw line, though last year’s season opener featured his backcourt mate Kyle Johnson bombing on the Storm.

The Blackbirds play an effective enough zone that they don’t find themselves being run off the court at Carnesecca by more-athletic Johnnies. Instead, they make the Red Storm confront their perimeter-shooting demons, and some players’ inability to defend quick guards without fouling. This year’s contest should be easier.  The Blackbirds have had some serious player losses (described below) in the offseason, and while scrappy, their talent and experience level has taken a hit.

Game Information
Tip Off: 7:00PM
Location: Carnesecca Arena, Queens NY
TV: Storm Tracker All-Access
Radio: Bloomberg 1130AM and WSJU Radio

Team Previews

Long Island (0-0)

22 G Jaytornah Wisseh SR 6’1, 180 lbs: 15.2 ppg* 4.4 apg* 3.7 rpg* 1.6 spg* 37% 3PtMade* 80% FTMade

23 G Michael Culpo SO 6’1, 180 lbs: 6.2 ppg* 37% 3PtMade

24 G David Hicks JR 6’1, 195: 8.3 ppg* 3.8 rpg* 1.1 apg

21 F Arnold Mayorga SO 6’7 225: 1.7 ppg* 1.2 rpg* 27% 3PtMade

32 F Kenny Onyechi FR 6’7 225: DNP 2008-2009

6th man: 00 G Kyle Johnson SR 6’5 210: 13.8 ppg* 5.2 rpg* 33% 3ptMade

In the Blackbirds’ preseason game, former starter Kyle Johnson came off of the bench. He may get a starting slot in place of Culpo, or even one of the forwards. The Brooklynite Wisseh is the team’s star – he’s all conference in the Northeast Conference’s preseason coaches’ poll and is a solidly efficient player, even with his turnovers. Johnson is his running mate in the backcourt, an accurate bomber.

But the Blackbirds got a lot of bad player news over the summer.  Forward Aurimas Adomaitis went back to Lithuania. Guard Lucas Faggiano returned to Argentina to be with his sick mother. Forward Julian Boyd was diagnosed with a heart murmur before practice started. Adomaitis and Boyd were slated to be starters and were the team’s best returning rebounders. Taking their places will be sophomore forward Arnold Mayorga and freshman forwards Kenny Onyechi and Jamal Olasewere. Mayorga can shoot from distance, and is a decent rebounder for his team. But the shots start and stop with Wisseh, Johnson, Culpo, and Hicks.

St. John’s (0-0)

3 PG Malik Boothe JR 5’9 188: 6.4 ppg* 4.4 apg* 3.1 rpg* 1.5 spg

23 G Paris Horne JR 6’3 191: 14.6 ppg* 3.4 rpg* 1.6 spg

1 G/F DJ Kennedy JR 6’5 215: 13 ppg* 6.6 rpg* 3 apg* 1.5 spg* 73% FTMade

24 F Justin Burrell JR 6’8 235: 9 ppg* 4.5 rpg* .8 bpg* 36.4% 3PtMade

5 F Sean Evans JR 6’8 255: 10.3 ppg* 7.1 rpg* 1 spg* 51.4% FGMade

The 5 returning starters played most of the minutes against LIU last year. Anthony Mason started and put in 36 minutes, and blocked 3 shots as well. The game also featured a lot of errant shooting from Mase and Paris (a combined 4-21, 0-10 from beyond the 3-point arc) but some effective play from Kennedy (8-14, 5-7 on free throws, 2-6 from 3-pt, 7 rebounds) and Sean Evans (11 rebounds, 13 points). The Johnnies will likely play Dwight Hardy, Malik Stith, and Justin Brownlee as the first players off the bench.  It will be their first game action that counts towards the standings for the Johnnies.

It will be important for the Red Storm not to settle for perimeter shots, especially if the Blackbirds play mostly zone.  With that said, it’s about time that they bomb from outside both to build some distance between them and the teams they are playing against, and to show that zones will no longer work on this team. Or that they have a way of attacking the zone with slashing players. In truth, it may not come to that.  If St. John’s can get stops and run the ball, they may not have to attack the zone that much.

Here’s hoping they get to work both on pressure defense and zone busting; shoring up the problems in both aspects of the game will go a long way towards giving the faithful confidence that this team can beat expectations and get to at least the NIT postseason tournament.

Keys to the Game:

Stop Wisseh. Jaytornah Wisseh is the focal point of the team. The past two games against LIU have featured him and Kyle Johnson imposing their will to make the game closer than it should be.  The defense has to focus on taking Wisseh out of the game, preferably with one guy and occasional traps for turnovers; neutralizing his ability to drive and pass will be key to a big victory.

Zone Buster. I would expect the Blackbirds to play some zone, since it’s been effective in the past against the Red Storm. This is a longstanding problem.  Norm Roberts’ teams have been inconsistent at best in attacking the zone with player movement, quick passing, and mid-range shooting. If they can get their athletes to the rim against LIU – or if the forwards can consistently hit some mid-range shots –  the game will be over pretty quickly.

Establish Speed. The point guards have to set the tone, harassing LIU into shots they don’t want to take. The wings have to make life difficult on the interior. And the forwards have to clean the glass and whip the ball forward for the outlet. The Storm have to watch for sloppiness; last year’s game was fast-paced, but the guards weren’t effective in stopping the LIU attack. The Johnnies poured salt on the wound by taking perimeter shots that missed, playing into the Blackbirds’ hands.  Even though Blackbirds would obviously have wings… too many metaphors.

Defend Without Fouling. The coaching staff often has forwards come out to the perimeter to confuse and hopefully trap opposing guards.  Some defenders are better than others at getting back into the paint; and St. John’s interior defense suffered for it. A good defense’s objective is to first and foremost make the other team miss; and while doing that, keep the other team from piling up free throw attempts. Last year’s team didn’t make opponents miss and also could have been better in not putting the other team on the line. It is imperative that the fouls 30 feet from the basket are reduced to a minimum. The defenders need to be in good defensive positions with respect to their man and the ball.

Be Efficient. With an experienced squad, a backup point guard, healthy players, and a pair of dynamic junior college players, it’s about time the Red Storm win some games efficiently. Fans have been patient.  But they deserve to see some pretty basketball – an offense that flows, takes high-percentage shots, and plays intelligent basketball.  It’s been hard-nosed basketball in the past 5 years, and certainly not pretty. Put some lipstick on it, Johnnies!

Prediction: I think the Red Storm will have this one in hand. Red Storm 77, LIU 52.

Transplanted New Yorker and now Midwesterner Peter  is a/k/a Pico. He writes for the East Coast Bias and the Church of Bracketology. He’ll be doing the Calm Before the Storm posts, just like last year.