Columns – Page 18

St. John’s Phil Greene: Exhibition Shows Freshman Finding His Niche With Red Storm

October 26, 2011 by Daniel Martin 2 Comments

For as much depth as St. John’s lacks in the frontcourt to begin the 2011-2012, the backcourt is made up of a strong foursome that will compete for minutes.

But, in St. John’s first exhibition, it wasn’t sophomore Nurideen Lindsey, a man challenged Wilt Chamberlain’s scoring record at Overbrook HS (PA), or freshman D’Angelo Harrison, who averaged over 30 points during his senior year at Dulles HS (TX) who stole the show.

IMAG0079-1 — Greene is finding his role on this St. John's team as a multi-talented scoring threat. (Photo: Daniel Martin/JohnnyJungle.com)

Instead, it was 6’2” combo guard Phil Greene who put up 20 points on 8/10 shooting, including 4/6 from three-point range, as a surprise spark in St. John’s 110-80 exhibition win over C.W. Post.

“I just wanted to go out and play hard,” said Greene. “My teammates got me open shots, which opened up the three. They had confidence in me, so I just wanted to play hard and play my game and let the game come to me.”

The Chicago native is showing himself to be a legitimate three-point shooter off the bench for the Red Storm, a complement to the slashing ability of Lindsey and Harrison.

“He’s a pleasant surprise in a lot of areas,” said St. John’s assistant coach Mike Dunlap, who sat in for head coach Steve Lavin, who is still recovering from surgery. “[Greene] and [freshman forward] Dom Pointer are two guys that, as the season unfolds, will just continue to ascend because they have a set of skills that are unique. But, Phil has been a pleasant surprise in practice as far as how good and mature his game is.”

Greene was impressively opportunistic in his 27 minutes, reading the C.W. Post defense and understanding where he fit.

On one play early in the second half, point guard Malik Stith led a fastbreak down the right side of the court. Greene drifted to open space on the left wing and spotted up beyond the three-point line. Stith found him with a cross-court pass and Greene knocked down the jumper.

“I shoot when it’s time to,” said Greene. “Like I said, my teammates they did an excellent job of penetrating and kicking and looking for the weak side, which got me open, so that’s how I got a lot of my shots today.”

Stith’s assist was one of the team’s 24 on the evening, to go along with just 10 turnovers.

“A big part of our offense that coach emphasizes is ball movement, swinging the basketball,” said Lindsey, the junior college transfer. “We have a lot of versatile guys that can play a lot of spots on the floor, so I wasn’t surprised at the assist number tonight.”
Greene is carving out his own niche, fitting between Lindsey and Harrison’s driving ability and God’sgift Achiuwa’s presence down on the block.

Achiuwa, himself, shot 10/13 from the field, on his way to a team-high 21 points.

“[Greene] going to get a lot of those shots because they’ve got to take care of D’Angelo and Nuri creates his own problems, so he’s going to be on the backside of the defense a lot and you’ll see that he can go unnoticed at times,” said Dunlap.

Physically, Greene says he is adjusting well to the pace of the game at this level, though he still sees room to grow.

“I kind of expected it to be the way that it was,” he said. “It’s college, so it’s going to be faster and stronger. But, we’re ballplayers and we adjust to things real fast. We just come out and compete.”

Lasting Impressions: St. John’s defeats C.W. Post 110-80 in Exhibition

October 26, 2011 by Jaden Daly 3 Comments

It was the start of a new era on Tuesday night, and if these forty minutes are any indication, it’s going to be one fun ride on the corner of Union and Utopia this season.

On a night where the new-look Red Storm took the court for the first time since losing to Gonzaga in last year’s NCAA Tournament, each of the six members of head coach Steve Lavin‘s recruiting class scored in double figures as St. John’s tallied a resounding 110-80 victory over Division II opponent C.W. Post of Long Island.

Led by God'sgift Achiuwa (left), Nurideen Lindsey (center), and D'Angelo Harrison (right), St. John's defeated C.W. Post 110-80 in an exhibition Tuesday night. (Photo: Daniel Martin/JohnnyJungle.com)

“I was pleased with the first outing,” said assistant coach Mike Dunlap, who filled in for Lavin while the coach continues to recover from successful surgery to treat prostate cancer. “The players feel pretty good about the work they put in.”

Junior forward God’sgift Achiuwa was the first to make an immediate impact, leading the team with 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting. “I didn’t expect it to come so easy,” said the Nigerian-born big man, who was serenaded by chants of “God’s on our side!” from the St. John’s student section. “That really got me going.”

St. John’s took their time trying to establish their identity early, before using their athleticism and length to wear down C.W. Post in the second half. More of what this team is all about and what to expect in the second of two exhibition games next Tuesday against Division III St. Mary’s of Maryland will be explained in tonight’s lasting impressions, which returns to this space for its first full season.

Lasting Impressions
– St. John’s was 11-2 when at least four players scored ten or more points in a game last season. Tonight, six (all six members of the new recruiting class) provided double-figure scoring efforts, marking the first time this many players accomplished this feat in Steve Lavin’s brief tenure. Included in that group for the Red Storm were three players (D’Angelo Harrison, Phil Greene, and Achiuwa) who posted 20-point performances. As a team, the team shot a staggering 66 percent (50-for-76) from the field.

– Despite only collecting 36 rebounds as a team, the big men did what they had to do to keep St. John’s in the game. God’sgift Achiuwa (21 points, nine rebounds) and Moe Harkless (14 points, 14 rebounds) provided the right mix of offensive and defensive productivity, but accumulated seven fouls between them. If Achiuwa and Harkless can stay out of foul trouble as the season progresses, (Harkless racked up two offensive fouls in the first eight minutes) St. John’s will have an inside presence to stand up to the size mismatches that will favor Big East adversaries the likes of Connecticut and Syracuse.

– Following a week of quiet confidence that established him as one of the early leaders on this young team, D’Angelo Harrison (20 points, four assists) struggled to find his shot early on. Noted for his long-range prowess, Harrison only made two of his seven triple attempts, but started to heat up down the stretch when he drained mid-range jumpers and a trifecta from the left corner late in the second half. When used correctly, Harrison could be a dangerous slasher in the Jeremy Hazell/Corey Stokes mold.

– The biggest and most pleasant surprise came from Phil Greene, who picked up the game ball with his 20 points on an 8-of-10 shooting effort that included a 4-for-6 showing from beyond the arc. Greene was quick to credit his teammates after the game for giving him open shots to set up his high offensive output. “I just wanted to let the game come to me,” the combo guard from Chicago said.

– Finally, there was something very noticeable when watching this St. John’s team run up and down the court in transition. Given their eight-man rotation, they bear more than just a striking resemblance to the 2008-09 Seton Hall squad coached by Bobby Gonzalez. That year’s Pirates team was a guard-heavy team that also ran eight men much like St. John’s, and was capable of scoring 90 points on any given night. The biggest difference at this stage is that St. John’s lacks the experience that the Seton Hall players had under their belts.

Young St. John’s Red Storm Set to Take Court for Exhibition vs. Division II C.W. Post

October 24, 2011 by Daniel Martin Leave a Comment

The way they were talking about it, one would think this is the start of the Big East season for St. John’s.

“I’m approaching this like we’re playing Syracuse,” said freshman guard D’Angelo Harrison. “I feel like this game is like the last game I’m ever gonna play. Everybody feels the same way. Everybody’s willing to put their life on the line to win this game.”

TonyChilesHarrison — Tony Chiles (right) leads D'Angelo Harrison against C.W. Post in an exhibition Tuesday night. (Photo: Daniel Martin/JohnnyJungle.com)

In fact, Syracuse is not up next, nor is Georgetown, nor Louisville, nor even Marquette. Tuesday night at Carnesecca Arena the Red Storm will be taking the court for their first exhibition game, this against Division II C.W. Post.

Post, whose campus is located in nearby Brookville, New York, is an 8,000-student school that is part of the larger Long Island University system.

They finished 21-10 overall last season, which continues a string of recent success for the program, including a 30-1 record in 2008-2009 under now-Iona head coach Tim Cluess.

As for the Red Storm, they bring their overhauled, historically youthful roster into Carnesecca Arena for the first live college action of the season and, for many players, the first of their careers.

Assistant coach Mike Dunlap has stressed St. John’s work with “dry runs” in practice, drills that use no defense, to avoid injury, but this will be the first chance the Red Storm have to put preseason work into action.

“What we want to do is see how this totally new group is going to react when playing against someone other than themselves,” said assistant coach Tony Chiles in a pregame press conference Monday night. “We need to see how they react and if they can play through their mistakes.”

In Chiles’ eyes, though this team includes six newcomers and a former walk-on, it shares some similarities with the senior-laden team that made the NCAA Tournament a season ago.

“I think it’s as important as our first game last year,” he said. “We had the same questions last year as we did last year.

“To tell you the truth, I have no idea how they’ll do. I wish I could tell you. Some days we’re out there, we look really, really good. Other days we walk out of the gym and say, ‘Whew, we keep forgetting these guys are 17 and 18 years old.”

Even the confident Harrison, with his thirty-five (yes, thirty-five) tattoos, admits that there will be something special when he takes the court Tuesday night.

“Before games, I usually listen to music and chill,” he says. “I’ll be nervous tomorrow night, though.”

St. John’s will face a Pioneers team that returns its leading scorer, senior guard Stefan Bonneau, who averaged nearly 19 points last season, on his way to winning Co-Player of the Year honors in the Eastern College Athletic Conference.

“I think they’re going to come and test their talents against a D-I team,” said Chiles. “I wouldn’t say it’s their “Super Bowl,” but they’re going to come in here and try to beat us. I expect for them to come in and really challenge us.”

Walk-ons Gerard Rivers, a 6′ freshman guard, and Samuel Sealy-James, a 6’8″ forward, will dress for the game.

Chiles says those two will are not expected to play, expect in the case of injury or fatigue in the normal rotation of eight scholarship players. The other walk-ons are still working their way through the NCAA clearinghouse.

Also not expected to be at the game is head coach Steve Lavin, who is still recovering from prostate cancer. The team continues to communicate and run practices according to Lavin’s orders, sending him video footage and corresponding via cell phone.

“Coach Lavin is in good spirits. His thumbs aren’t feeling real great because he’s been texting a lot,” said Chiles with a laugh.

As for the greater outlook on the season, it has mostly been reduced to clichés and talking points, for now. The mantras of “defense” and “practice” and “team” still abound, as this team continues to find its identity.

But there is little doubt that the confidence of these young men is not in short supply.

“I feel like the team we have now, we’ll have a spark and we can kind of bring New York back,” says Harrison, with his chin up. “Some people from the school are saying, ‘I heard three guys are out.’ And I say, “So what, I’m here, God’sgift [Achiuwa] is here, Nurideen [Lindsey] is here.’ We came here to play basketball.”

St. John’s Commit Darrick Wood: Bridgton Academy’s Constant Scoring Threat

October 23, 2011 by Daniel Martin 1 Comment

In August, Darrick Wood watched as the NCAA ruled four of his NIA Prep (NJ) teammates ineligible to play college basketball.

A few days later, the 6’3” rising senior committed to St. John’s. It was then that he knew he needed to make a change.

“[NIA Prep] was having some school issues and problems with the NCAA,” Wood told JohnnyJungle.com. “I just didn’t want to be associated with that.”

DarrickWoodTipIn — Wood will bring instant offense to St. John's as a combination guard. (Photo: iHigh.com)

Wood chose to transfer to Bridgton Academy, located in small Bridgton, Maine, for his senior season, before heading to college.

And along with that came an adjustment.

Bridgton, Maine, boasting a population of 2,751, has very little in common with Wood’s hometown of Washington, DC, and is equally as different from Newark, NJ, home of NIA Prep.

A website for the town lists “100 Things to Do In Bridgton,” among them, “#13 Hunting partridge in a quiet meadow” and “#29 Ice fishing in a bob-house on Moose Pond.”

Some call it “simpler living,” some call it just plain “different.”

But this departure from the norm has given Wood a chance to slow down and work toward his goal: playing for St. John’s.

“[Bridgton] is an all-boys school in the middle of nowhere, so you get to focus,” says Wood. “When you want it so bad, you make those sacrifices because something good is going to happen in return.”

Wood is a lanky, athletic combo guard who is ranked just outside of Rivals’ Top 100 for the Class of 2012, checking it at #104. He is a pure scorer and has the bounce to be a match-up problem against less athletic 2-guards, along with the size to create a problem for smaller point guards.

He averaged just over 14 points per game for NIA Prep last season and was part of a New Jersey Playaz team that won the iS8 championship this Fall.

Wood committed to St. John’s on August 20th, almost three weeks after his newly-found friend and fellow Class of 2012 commit Ricardo Gathers of Riverside Academy (LA) did the same.

“I liked the coaching staff. They really know what they’re doing,” said Wood on his decision to commit to the Red Storm. “I know they were there for Kyle [Anderson] too, but they were out at a lot of my games this summer and showed me love.

“My big concern was my mom being comfortable with where I was going and St. John’s felt like one big family and they welcomed me in.”

Wood says he and Gathers text on and off and they discuss where they see the program going.

“The Cinderella season they had last year showed that the coaching staff matters,” he says. “And with me and Ricardo coming, we’re going to tear it up. We’re bringing back the old St. John’s. We’re just going to be excited to be there.”

Since his move to Bridgton, Wood has put in the work on the court and in the classroom, according to his coach, Whit Lesure.

“He’s off to a good start. He’s adjusted fine academically,” Lesure told JohnnyJungle.com. “He’s a good kid, a ‘yes sir, no sir’ kind of guy. Teachers and advisors really like him.

“On the court, he flips the switch and he’s emotional and competitive, which are two great things to have as an athlete. In addition to athleticism and bounce, he has a great motor.”

Fellow St. John’s commit Amir Garrett, who was ruled ineligible to play for the Red Storm in the first semester of the 2011-2012, is also at Bridgton Academy and is working toward eligibility. The two have become friendly, of late.

“Me and Amir are cool. We played a few games together and we have that St. John’s bond,” says Wood. “He says he’ll be ready [for St. John’s] in December.”

Along with Garrett, Gathers, and ineligible center Norvel Pelle, Wood attended St. John’s Tip Off 2011, an event that he says he enjoyed.

And though he will not step onto campus and enroll in classes for at least another eight months, Wood is quickly becoming a fan favorite because of his presence on social media, where he consistently voices his support for St. John’s and his excitement to arrive in Queens.

“I made a commitment that I was going to be [a member of the Red Storm],” says Wood. “If I have something to say about St. John’s, it’s just me tweeting my excitement. I can’t wait to be in that red and white jersey.”

Realignment Talk Dominates Big East Media Day

October 20, 2011 by Jaden Daly Leave a Comment

Since last month’s bombshell announcement that Pittsburgh and Syracuse would be defecting to the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East realignment and the future of college basketball as we know it has dominated the sport’s headlines, almost daily.

At the 2011 Big East Media Day in Manhattan, realignment was not just the topic du jour; it was the story.

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who is no stranger to being openly outspoken about the state of the Big East, got the ball rolling by mentioning the tactical error former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese made in the most recent Big East expansion.

“If any mistake was made, it was not having the foresight years ago to bring in people with football and basketball,” said Pitino in reference to the addition of Marquette and DePaul. “Ten years ago, we just thought basketball, basketball, basketball.”

Pitino was only just getting started, however, as he went on to lay out his true feelings regarding the decisions of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to jump ship. “I have no problem with them leaving,” said the brutally honest Pitino. “My problem is they made a decision in 36 to 48 hours. This was not a football decision, this was a basketball decision to strengthen the ACC.”

Notre Dame head man Mike Brey, the conference’s reigning Coach of the Year, was confident that his Fighting Irish program would find a home if the Big East disintegrates, but at the same time wanted to stay where he stands.

“We’ve got a strong identity after five years of figuring it out,” Brey said. “As proud as I am of being the coach at Notre Dame, I’m as proud of coaching in the Big East.”

Brey did exude confidence when he said Notre Dame would “land on its feet” wherever the school decided to seek affiliation, and also provided one of the quotes of the day regarding the entire situation.

“You know how you’re listed ‘day-to-day’? Leagues are listed day-to-day now.”

Reigning national champion Connecticut has been the topic of speculation, as well, after reports linked UConn to the ACC, but head coach Jim Calhoun insisted his team was in the Big East for the foreseeable future.

“We’re in the best basketball conference in America,” remarked an emphatic Calhoun. “That’s where we want to play, and that’s what we look forward to doing.”

Calhoun also served up a dose of truth when approached about the role of gridiron success manipulating the massive shuffle. “It’s cleats, helmets and shoulder pads that are affecting us more than any of us would like,” Calhoun said, bluntly.

Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin, who brought the Bearcats back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years, offered this piece of candor when it was his turn to face realignment questions.

“You’ve got a whole lot of people that probably never felt so powerless in their life,” said Cronin. “We need it to solidify sooner rather than later.”

Villanova’s Jay Wright spoke from the heart in regard to coaching brethren Jamie Dixon and Jim Boeheim leaving the conference that their programs have been members of for over thirty years. “Jamie made his name in the Big East,” stated Wright. “If you make your name in the Big East, you’re a hell of a coach. Jim Boeheim, to me, is the Big East. We’re missing a lot with these guys.”

Perhaps the most refreshing analysis regarding the widespread conference movement came from the man who is just walking into the fire.

After five seasons as the head coach at Fairfield, Ed Cooley was not timid or shy in his first Big East media day at the helm of Providence College, delighting those who came to his table to get a glimpse of this year’s Friars team with his impactful sound bites and positive bravado. When realignment was brought up to Cooley, he first said that the issue was something his institution had no control over, then had this to say:

“It is a little wild, but that’s what makes it great. I think we all need wild in our life. It keeps it spicy.”

At the rate things are going, the bottle of preseason hot sauce that is spicing up Big East basketball, without a game even being played yet, is a long way from empty.

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