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The 6th Man of St. John's Basketball

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Capital Punishment

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Tell me if you’ve heard this story before: A team starts off strong, stays with their opponent through most of the first half before going to pieces heading into the locker room.  Then, in the second stanza, it’s more of the same.  Sound familiar?  That’s because it’s been the story of the St. John’s Red Storm for each of their games over the last three weeks, save for their 18-point win over Notre Dame last Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

St. John's stumbled and couldn't get past the Georgetown Hoyas on the road. (Icon SMI)
In a performance most fans would like to forget, (especially with third-ranked Duke making their way to the Garden on Sunday) the Johnnies (11-8, 4-5 in the Big East) were outplayed by No. 20 Georgetown (15-5, 4-4) in a stark contrast from the previous encounter between the two teams as the Hoyas dominated from start to finish in a 77-52 victory.  For Georgetown, the win was a measure of revenge after their loss to the Storm on January 3rd inside the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” where the Johnnies won the front end of the home-and-home series by the final of 61-58.

Georgetown shot 52 percent (26-of-50) from the field, making nine three-pointers to just four for St. John’s, who was unable to effectively close out on the perimeter.  The wide open looks received by Georgetown resulted in one trifecta after another, and the ever-expanding deficit eventually proved too much for Steve Lavin and company to overcome. Jason Clark, who scored just six points for the Hoyas in their first meeting with the Johnnies, led the way with 16 tonight on a perfect 5-for-5 night from the field.  Clark also contributed six rebounds to the cause.  Hollis Thompson was the Hoyas’ second-leading scorer, chipping in with 15 off the bench.  For the Storm, Justin Burrell was the unsung hero once again, leading the way with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Dwight Hardy could only manage 10 on 4-of-16 shooting.

St. John’s ends their run of eight consecutive ranked opponents this Sunday when Mike Krzyzewski and Duke make their return to Madison Square Garden for the first time since February 2009, when St. John’s played hard throughout in a 76-69 loss that galvanized the team for their brief stretch run that included two victories over Georgetown in a span of seven days, including one in the Big East tournament.

It’s not easy to move on from a loss like this, especially when Duke is next up on the schedule; but hopefully it can be done.  The lasting impressions that follow will hopefully make some sense of the debacle in D.C. and help prepare for the Blue Devils.

Lasting Impressions

  • The Georgetown bench only scored 23 of the Hoyas’ 77 points, and 15 of them came from forward Hollis Thompson, who shot 5-of-6 from the field.  In fact, the Hoya substitutes were responsible for the turning point of the game, a first-half rebound by Jerrelle Benimon that turned into a driving slam for Henry Sims that put Georgetown up 35-27 while in the midst of a 10-0 run that ended the opening frame.
  • Steve Lavin must be a fan of M&Ms.  Not just the candy, but his backcourt for another long stretch in the first half; as Malik Boothe and Malik Stith shared the court after Paris Horne racked up two fouls in the opening minutes.  Together with Sean Evans, Boothe and Stith bring a different dimension to the Red Storm brand of basketball, but it is unfortunately not as refreshing in conference play as it was in the early part of the season against Columbia and Wagner.
  • Georgetown’s backcourt decided to come out and play tonight, as opposed to the thousands of fans that elected to stay home due to the latest winter storm to hit the Northeast.  Jason Clark, Austin Freeman and Chris Wright, who average 46 points per game collectively, scored 39 combined tonight after teaming for just 20 against St. John’s on January 3rd.  In fact, the Hoya guard triumvirate passed their opening act with 24 points combined in the first half alone.
  • Dwight Hardy is the epitome of a streaky shooter, and he’s started to cool off lately.  The senior from the Bronx finished 4-for-16 from the field and shot 2-of-8 from beyond the arc in his 10-point outing tonight.  Hardy is reminiscent of former Knicks guard Jamal Crawford in the sense that he’s a hot-and-cold type of player; but when he’s on fire, it can be seen a mile away.
  • St. John’s took some ill-advised shots in an attempt to catch up to Georgetown right away.  While it worked early with Justin Brownlee and D.J. Kennedy running the show for the Johnnies, it proved costly as the first half wore on.  St. John’s decided to take NBA-range threes and long-range jump shots to combat the Hoyas’ long-range proficiency; and when it wasn’t working, the Hoyas reverted to their Princeton offense roots by using back-door cuts to mystify the Red Storm and send them further into a hole from which they would never recover.

Twice As Hard

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Cincinnati last paid visit to Carnesecca Arena two years ago today; and behind 21 second-half points from Deonta Vaughn, ended the game on a 31-9 run to defeat St. John’s 71-60.  Two years later, Vaughn may be gone and Lance Stephenson used the Bearcats as a middle ground for a professional career; but the core of the Bearcats returned to Queens and got the job done once again.

In a game that was the epitome of a knock-down, drag-out battle, 25th-ranked Cincinnati (17-3, 4-3 in the Big East) relied on a game-winning jump shot from Yancy Gates with eight seconds left to hand the Johnnies (11-7, 4-4) their second consecutive loss at Carnesecca by the final score of 53-51.  For the Bearcats, it was their second straight win on the Queens campus and fourth out of five against the Johnnies dating back to February 2008.  Gates led the way for Cincinnati with 13 points and eight rebounds, but his head coach shared that there was more to his team than just one man.

“We’ve got guys for starting roles that are in supportive roles,” said coach Mick Cronin, who at Big East media day in October told me that Carnesecca “warms up pretty quick, but that doesn’t make it any easier to win.”  “I think we’re getting better,” Cronin revealed after the game.  “Our team is really the sum of our parts.”  Cronin’s role players made vital contributions, with Larry Davis contributing nine points while Justin Jackson added eight points and six rebounds off the bench for the Bearcats, who took a 28-22 halftime lead into the locker room by ending the opening stanza on an 11-0 run.

For St. John’s, this was a game of what might have been.  The Johnnies failed to shoot at least 70 percent from the free throw line for the first time since their devastating road loss to Fordham last month, only converting at a 46 percent clip.  (12-for-26)  Dwight Hardy; who was one of only two Johnnies in double figures with 10 points, went to the line with 34 seconds left and the Red Storm up 51-50.  It was the only attempt of the night for Hardy, a 91 percent free throw shooter, and it rimmed out off the front iron.  “I should have made the shot,” stated a brutally honest Hardy after the game after mentioning that he had no ill effects from an apparent ankle injury suffered in Wednesday night’s loss against Louisville.  “We didn’t capitalize.”  Head coach Steve Lavin was more conciliatory in his postgame remarks, adding that his team “played so well, and that’s what makes the loss so heartbreaking.  Our better days are ahead.  We just have to bounce back.  It was the free throw shooting that reared its head tonight.”

St. John’s continues its stretch of eight ranked opponents on Wednesday night when they invade the Verizon Center for the second of three home-and-home series this season, this one coming against Georgetown.  St. John’s defeated the Hoyas 61-58 on January 3rd at Madison Square Garden for what was then their third Big East victory in as many conference games.  The Johnnies conclude the month of January at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” by hosting 5th-ranked reigning national champion Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski on Sunday afternoon at the Garden.

Continuing our new tradition, here now are some lasting impressions from tonight’s showdown on the corner of Union and Utopia.

Lasting Impressions

  • Of course, the biggest contributor to Cincinnati’s victory was St. John’s 12-of-26 performance from the free throw line.  However, the Bearcats almost handed the game away on more than one occasion themselves.  Cincinnati committed 17 turnovers which led to 20 Red Storm points; and although they outrebounded the Johnnies 39-25, the majority of those rebounds were on the defensive glass resulting from missed shots, a point reiterated after the game by Steve Lavin.
  • Lavin decided to give Sean Evans some significant minutes during the first half, and that decision had mixed effects.  Evans gutted his way to a six-point performance, but was unable to shake his free throw demons, only making four of his seven attempts.  Justin Burrell also had a productive game off the bench with seven points and ten rebounds.
  • Once again, Malik Boothe and Malik Stith were on the court together for long stretches in the first half, and Cincinnati took advantage of the shorter backcourt in the midst of their 11-0 run to close out the first half.  Some people may also be surprised that Dele Coker did not come in after Mick Cronin turned to Anthony McClain late in the opening half for Cincinnati.
  • From the opening tip, you could tell that it wasn’t D.J. Kennedy’s night.  The senior missed both of his first free throw attempts on the way to an uncharacteristic 4-for-8 night at the charity stripe.  Kennedy did drain two threes in the second half to finish with 10 points, but it was clearly not the best basketball that “The Hitman” has played in his career.
  • Finally, it may be too early to start talking about bubble teams; but if the season ended today, one team would definitely be in while the other would be a judgment call.  Cincinnati finally got another quality win that some critics will argue eluded them since their drubbing of Dayton earlier in the season, while St. John’s now loses some of the luster from their upset wins over Notre Dame and Georgetown.  Right now, the Johnnies still have the RPI and strength of schedule to get them in, but it doesn’t get any easier down the stretch.

Kentucky Fried Johnnies

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Another night, another test for St. John’s. Only this time, it came from a team that many felt were a fluke despite a coach with a Hall of Fame resume that just happened to pick tonight’s opponent to win the conference before the season even started.

In one of the more one-sided games of the season for the Red Storm, they were simply no match for 15th-ranked Louisville, (15-3, 4-1 in the Big East) who overpowered the Johnnies (11-6, 4-3) by the final of 88-63 on the Cardinals’ home court at the newly-opened Yum! Center. Preston Knowles led the way for Louisville with 25 points, while Kyle Kuric added 20 on 7-of-9 shooting (5-of-7 from three-point range) and Peyton Siva had a near-triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists and seven steals.

“Louisville beat us to the punch in all aspects of the game,” said head coach Steve Lavin. “They were aggressive on defense and they were able to turn us over. They play with great confidence on offense, they were 7-of-10 from three. They really had their way for the most part of 40 minutes and were able to win the game.”

Paris Horne was one of only three Johnnies in double figures, his 13 points good enough for the team lead, while Malik Stith added 12 and Justin Brownlee contributed 11 in the losing effort for the Storm, whose 25 turnovers led to 30 Louisville points. The Cardinals also shot 53 percent from the field in a matchup where head coach Rick Pitino was again reminded of his controversial first-place vote for St. John’s in the Big East preseason poll.

“I just think that we had a great night, and they had a bad night. It happens,” stated the brutally honest Pitino. “I wasn’t just blowing smoke on picking number one. Obviously now, I think Pittsburgh is the number one team. That being said, if you have ten seniors, that gives you a lot of experience. They’re very talented. The third thing is they’re very hungry to make the tournament. I told them when I was going down the line, `You guys can make the tournament. They have to keep playing hard. They had an off night tonight. We had a very good night.”

Fortunately for Red Storm fans, the team has shown that they are capable of being tournament team more often than not, and they will get another chance this Saturday when Cincinnati invades Carnesecca Arena in what should be an underrated, but highly competitive, conference matchup.

Finally, we’ll leave you with our newfound tradition of providing some lasting impressions about this game in the Bluegrass State.

Lasting Impressions

-The Johnnies were unfortunately much more careless with the ball tonight than they had hoped to be. A season-high 25 turnovers resulting in 30 Cardinal points and seven steals for guard Peyton Siva were the biggest factors in the margin of victory.

-Kyle Kuric went into this game as somewhat of an enigma given his erratic scoring tendencies, and just as he did last year against Syracuse, he picked the right night to show up, scoring 20 on 7-of-9 shooting while draining five trifectas.

-Don’t sleep on the Cardinals. While they may not have an elite star, (unless you feel Preston Knowles is among the best of the conference) Rick Pitino has a versatile cast of role players that are realizing that the sum of the whole is greater than that of the parts.

-Malik Boothe and Malik Stith were once upon a time an effective backcourt tandem. However, that was back in the nonconference portion of the schedule, where teams were not as competitive as the Johnnies’ Big East brethren. Needless to say, the “M & M Boys” were just as counterproductive for Steve Lavin as they were last week on the road against Notre Dame, a matchup where the Irish won by 15.

-Although St. John’s hit free throws well once again, (17-for-18) they were done in by long-range shooting. The Cardinals outscored the Johnnies 39-6 (13 shots to 2) from beyond the arc, and St. John’s yielded nine of those threes to Knowles and Kuric alone.

It’s Better The Second Time Around

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Many film enthusiasts say the sequel is rarely a better movie than the original when a second edition is produced; and despite some notable exceptions, that analysis is correct for the most part.  However, this adage does not translate the same to the hardwood; and when you play the same team twice in an eight-day span, you’re bound to get different results each time, and that’s what St. John’s did this afternoon.

DJ Kennedy paced St. John's to victory ending a two game losing streak by the Redstorm. (Icon SMI)
Just one week and one day removed from a 15-point loss contested while a blizzard was raging outside the Joyce Center in South Bend, the Johnnies (11-5, 4-2 in the Big East) controlled the storm (no pun intended) inside Madison Square Garden en route to a convincing 72-54 victory over ninth-ranked Notre Dame.  (14-4, 3-3)  In a game that was as pedestrian in its opening stages as it was exciting and revealing toward the end, two players who were lost in the shuffle in recent times stood out today. D.J. Kennedy returned to his old form with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Malik Boothe chipped in with 14 of his own to lead the charge from Steve Lavin’s bench.  While the headline will no doubt be Kennedy’s resurgence, Boothe surprised many of the fans in attendance with his offensive prowess, even draining two three-pointers.  “He’s someone that can apply the jumper cables to your team because of his ball pressure,” said Lavin of his 5-9 point guard, who was just as solid on the defensive side of the ball as he was offensively. Regarding Kennedy, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said after the game that the senior “did what a main guy who’s a senior does. I told him after the game what a great career he’s had.”

Notre Dame was unable to get into an effective rhythm in the first half as the Red Storm took a 26-19 lead into the break amid a game that wasn’t the easiest on the eyes given the low scoring and abundance of fouls. However, the Fighting Irish showed signs of life in the second half before St. John’s pulled away despite never holding a lead in this game. Ben Hansbrough’s layup with 13:20 left in regulation made it a 37-31 game; but a Kennedy three on the other end meant that the six-point deficit was as close as the Irish would get, as the No. 9 team in the country was done in by a lackluster 3-of-15 effort from beyond the arc, well below their season average as a team. “They have a chance to be extremely good,” said Hansbrough, whose 18 points led the way for Notre Dame in the losing effort.  The praise didn’t stop there, as head coach Mike Brey said the Johnnies “defended the heck out of us.  We had problems with their full and half court pressure.  They are men and they played like men, but they treated us like boys tonight.”

Already the owners of two road wins in the Big East, St. John’s shoots for a third this Wednesday when they make their maiden voyage to the Yum! Center for a matchup with Louisville.  The Red Storm got the better of the Cardinals last season at the Garden, and this matchup has a little more juice for reasons besides Louisville’s new 20,000+ seat arena.  If you remember, St. John’s received one first-place vote in the Big East preseason poll unveiled at October’s media day.  The vote came from Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino, who calmly and honestly explained his rationale by citing the Johnnies’ talent, style, experience and hunger; the last element being derived from the fact that not one player on this roster has been to an NCAA Tournament.

Now, in a reprisal of the new feature that debuted in this space following the Syracuse game Wednesday night, here are some lasting impressions from the matinee at the Garden that resulted in conference win No. 4 for St. John’s.

Lasting Impressions

  • Some people will compare this game to the Notre Dame game from two seasons ago where the Irish came in ranked No. 7 and were upset by the Norm Roberts-led Johnnies 71-65, but it looked more like last year’s Louisville game in that not many were expecting the Johnnies to do more than just hold their own against a ranked team.  St. John’s controlled the tempo from the opening tip and didn’t let up, something they also did two weeks ago against West Virginia and Georgetown.
  • When D.J. Kennedy is actively involved, it’s a completely different atmosphere on the court.  There have been times this season where Kennedy single handedly attempted to take the game over.  Although he didn’t do that today per se, his three with 12:56 remaining put St. John’s ahead 40-31 and killed any hope of a Notre Dame rally.  This shot could be considered the turning point of the game.
  • Once again, the Storm put their free throw shooting struggles to bed, making 24 of their 29 attempts in the win today.  In fact, the Johnnies haven’t shot lower than 70 percent from the line since the infamous loss at Fordham on December 11th, where they were 11-for-18 at the charity stripe.
  • For all those who feel Notre Dame has a Jekyll and Hyde complex, you may be right.  The Irish are 3-0 on their home court at the Joyce Center with wins over Georgetown, UConn and St. John’s; but 0-3 away from South Bend with losses at Syracuse, Marquette and St. John’s.
  • Finally, when Notre Dame fell to St. John’s back in January 2009, the loss started a seven-game losing streak that ultimately cost the Irish a spot in the NCAA Tournament.  Now on a two-game schneid including the Marquette loss, Notre Dame gets Cincinnati and Marquette at home (not exactly cupcakes) before traveling to the Petersen Center to take on No. 5 Pitt a week from tomorrow.  If Mike Brey’s team doesn’t stop the bleeding, they could be looking at a potential five-game slide that will be very difficult to make up.

Orange Crush Squeezes Johnnies

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The matchup was hyped as a battle for Empire State supremacy, as fourth-ranked Syracuse sought to prove once and for all that they were the face of New York college basketball, while St. John’s wanted to show the Orange and fans across the state that they have not left yet.  Unfortunately for the Johnnies, their Big Apple wasn’t as juicy as the Orange.

St. John's Justin Burrell, center, protects the ball from Syracuse's Rick Jackson, right, and James Southerland during the first half. (Redstormsports.com)
Using their world-famous 2-3 zone defense and athleticism that has become a trademark under longtime coach Jim Boeheim, Syracuse (17-0, 4-0 in the Big East) shook off a lackluster start and exerted their muscle at a venue that usually doubles as a de facto home arena for the Orange; overpowering St. John’s (10-5, 3-2) down the stretch to prevail by the final of 76-59. Four Orange players scored in double figures, led by Kris Joseph (18 points, five rebounds, three assists) and Brandon Triche. (15 points and four assists) Scoop Jardine added 14 points and six assists while his high school teammate Rick Jackson added yet another double-double to his ledger with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Despite the win, the head coach was far from ecstatic.

“We need to improve a lot,” said Coach Boeheim in his postgame press conference, and he directed that comment toward his big men, who were largely nonexistent with the exception of Jackson.  Nonetheless, Syracuse outplayed the Red Storm in nearly every aspect of the game, shooting 57 percent from the field (31-of-54 overall and 63 percent in the second half) and 45 percent (9-for-20) from beyond the arc, showing that the Johnnies still have not mastered the art of the zone defense that the Orange has perfected over the years.  Of the nine trifectas, Triche led the way with three of them.  “If he doesn’t shoot within the first ten minutes, he waits to see if we need him,” said Boeheim of the guard that he felt showed the biggest improvement on the team when I spoke to him at the Big East’s preseason media day in October.  St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin deflected more praise toward the sophomore guard after his electrifying performance at Madison Square Garden.  “Brandon Triche is a microcosm of the whole Syracuse team,” said a dejected Lavin after the game.  “You don’t notice him for a stretch and then he steps up.”

Justin Brownlee (13 points) was one of the few who stepped up for St. John’s, who were done in by a 2-for-12 performance from long range.  Dwight Hardy drained both triples for the Storm, finishing with 12 for the game.  St. John’s started out strong, leading 17-9 at one point; but things spiraled out of control for the boys from Queens shortly thereafter, as the Orange ended the first half on a 26-7 run that included the final ten points of the opening stanza.  “When you’re playing the No. 4 team in the country, you can’t get down too many points,” said D.J. Kennedy, who finished with just four points.  Teammate Justin Burrell expanded on that observation, adding that the team is “not supposed to let their emotions affect them.”  Burrell also felt the Storm missed executing a key to victory by failing to defend from outside.  “We definitely didn’t close to the three-point line hard enough,” said Burrell.  Perhaps the biggest indicator of the disparity between the two teams came on the glass, where Syracuse picked up 28 defensive rebounds to just 12 offensive boards for St. John’s, a nuance that was discussed before the contest as a potential deciding factor.

“Our counter punching wasn’t up to par for the Big East,” remarked Steve Lavin after the game, noting Syracuse’s game-breaking run going into the intermission.  However, his senior leader put a positive spin on the loss.  “We just have to go back to the drawing board,” said Kennedy. “Tomorrow’s a new day in the Big East. We just have to look forward to the next game.”  That game comes against Notre Dame, who defeated St. John’s 76-61 on their home court at the Joyce Center just four days ago. The Fighting Irish will travel to the Garden for the back end of a home-and-home matchup that concludes Sunday afternoon.

Below, in a new feature to the postgame recap, are some lasting impressions from this game; featuring insights on what developed during the game, as well as plays and players that made an impact.

Lasting Impressions

  • The Orange started to fire with eight minutes left in the first half after Kris Joseph drained a three to cut the Red Storm lead to five. (17-12) The trifecta started a 10-0 run capped off by a running slam from Brandon Triche that gave the Orange their first lead, one they ultimately held for good.
  • Speaking of Triche, his matchup against Dwight Hardy was the difference in the game. Triche emerged from this battle victorious; which he did by going 6-of-11 from the field (3-for-6 from downtown) compared to a 4-for-15 effort (2-of-7 from long range) from Hardy. Triche will be a special player (not that he isn’t already) if he stays for both of his remaining years, and is on his way to being the next Gerry McNamara for Boeheim and the Orange. In fact, Triche already has a major accomplishment after just a year and a half in an Orange jersey: He has made some fans forget about former Orange marksman and current New York Knick Andy Rautins; who, ironically enough, shared a backcourt with Triche at Jamesville-DeWitt High School in upstate New York.
  • Calling Joseph’s number again here, because he provided the icing on the cake much earlier than anyone probably anticipated with his dunk that came with 11:30 in regulation.  The slam put Syracuse ahead 52-35; and although the teams played to a 24-all tie for the remainder of the night, it effectively killed all momentum that the Johnnies had prior.
  • It seemed as though Justin Burrell was the only player getting involved on the glass for St. John’s throughout most of the second half, and the lack of rebounding initiative only helped Syracuse down the stretch on their way to picking up 28 defensive boards to just 12 on the offensive side for the Storm.
  • Shot selection is still a critical aspect of the game for St. John’s.  Many times in this game were there instances where the Johnnies chucked up mid-range jumpers and NBA-range threes in an attempt to cut into the Syracuse lead.  Maybe they would have been better served going inside and taking it to a relatively undersized Syracuse lineup, but hindsight is 20/20.
  • Finally, for those not sure of whether or not Syracuse is a legitimate contender, this game should be Exhibit A of why they are.  This clearly wasn’t the best effort from the Orange, but they showed they were the better team; and come March, that’s all you need to do.  Syracuse has yet to hit their best stride in my opinion, and could seriously be a Final Four team in two months’ time.