Johnny Jungle

The 6th Man of St. John's Basketball

For the die hard St. John's fan.
The unofficial 6th man. est. '07
You are here: Home / Archives for Columns

St. John’s Looks to Build Momentum Against DePaul

by Leave a Comment


Anthony Gruppuso- USA Today

The St. John’s Red Storm will roll into Chicago feeling good after an upset win at home over #20 Notre Dame. The Red Storm will look to improve to a .500 record in Big East play as they face a DePaul Blue Demons team who has lost its last two contests.

The Red Storm finished 1-2 on their three game home stand and will look to take advantage of a softer part of their schedule coming up. Last year the Storm played DePaul in a home and home series and the Storm was able to sweep the series winning 87-81 on the road and 79-72 at home in Queens.

Game Information
Date: Saturday, January 19th, 2013
Location: Allstate Arena- Chicago, Illinois
Time: 12:00 PM EST
TV: SNY
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko)

 


DePaul Blue Demons  (10-7, 1-3)
Head Coach: Oliver Purnell

 

Coach Purnell and the Blue Demons started the season strong in the non-conference part of the schedule going 9-4 and picking up a win over Auburn. Lead by star forward Cleveland Melvin the Blue Demons are still projected to be at the bottom of the Big East at 15th in the 15 team conference.

Melvin is averaging 17.7 points per game and 7.6 rebounds in 17 games so far this season. Against Cincinnati last week Melvin has a game high 32 points and eight rebounds in a 75-70 loss. Melvin shot 14-20 from the field and can go off at any second. It will be important for the Blue Demons that Melvin have a good game.
Junior guard Brandon Young is the best of the backcourt for the Demons. Young averages 17.3 points and shoots 46% from the field. Young against Cincinnati had 18 points and four assists in the close loss but did have five turnovers.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F Cleveland Melvin
F Jamee Crockett
F Donnavan Kirk
G Brandon Young
G Charles McKinney

 


St. John’s (10-7, 2-3)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

 

The Red Storm are feeling good about them selves after a great win at home against a ranked Notre Dame team. The Johnnies were able to overcome poor shooting from behind the arc and only two made field goals by D’Angelo Harrison. Harrison’s two baskets were clutch though. Two late threes in the second half, one which gave the Johnnies the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Harrison has eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks. One block saved the game as Harrison went up and saved the game against 6’10 Tom Knight who had a wide open basket.

With Harrison’s all around game working JaKarr Sampson scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds to help pace the team. Phil Green shot 5-9 from two point range and had his best game in a long time scoring 13 points and four rebounds, Greene though did shoot 1-8 from three.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F JaKarr Sampson
F Sir’Dominic Pointer
C Chris Obekpa
G Phil Greene
G D’Angelo Harrison


Keys to Victory

▪    Free Throw Salvation- After two abysmal games from the charity stripe the Johnnies shot 12-15 from the line and was the difference in the win this time instead of the loss. Sampson shot 7-9 while Jamal Branch sank two clutch free throws in the final seconds to put away the game.
▪    The X Factor: Amir Edition- Amir Garrett can be up and down every other game but against Notre Dame, Garrett had 11 points on 5-7 shooting, three rebounds and three blocks. Garrett had some clutch baskets including one over Notre Dame star Jack Cooley for an and-1.
▪    The X Factor: Dom Edition– Sir’Dominic Pointer may have only played 13 minutes due to fouling out early with 7 minutes left in the game. But Pointers eight points on 4-6 shooting included a couple of jump shots which is good to see Pointers range expand. Pointer also played some ferocious defense that should be noted he has turned up his defensive pressure the past few games.
▪    Bench Play- Christian Jones made his first appearance in Big East play and made some important contributions. Jones had two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in eight minutes. This was good for Jones’ confidence and might earn him some of his playing time back that he lost. Chris Obekpa had his first off night, playing only 10 minutes off the bench and recording only two blocks and three rebounds.

Final Prediction: St. John’s Wins, 69-62

St. John’s Looking to Turn It’s Luck Against Notre Dame

by Leave a Comment


Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

St. John’s home stand will come to an end Tuesday night against the #20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Garden. This home stand has not been kind to the Red Storm as they have lost the first two games. One a down to the wire chess match with Rutgers and the other, an early morning blow out against Georgetown.

This game could mark one of the final times St. John’s and Notre Dame meet as both teams are leaving the Big East Conference. Last year the two teams met at the Garden and the Red Storm was able to pull the upset against the ranked Irish with a 61-58 win.

Game Information
Date: Tuesday, January 15th, 2013
Location: Madison Square Garden- New York, New York
Time: 7:00 PM EST

TV: ESPN2 (Mike Patrick, Bobby Knight)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko)


Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-2, 2-1)
Head Coach: Mike Brey

The Fighting Irish are coming into the matchup with the Red Storm after losing only their second game of the season to Connecticut at home. But even with that loss, the Irish come into the Garden as perhaps coach Mike Breys best team to date. The Irish play small with four starting guards to go along with Jack Cooley. The senior Cooley is averaging 15.1 points per game to go along with 11.1 rebounds. The big banger in the post has developed over his four years into a great player and someone to be watched.

Jerian Grant and Eric Atkins are the top guards on the team. Grant, son of Harvey Grant and nephew of Horace Grant is the teams top scoring guard as a sophomore. The fearless Grant averages 12.6 and 5.1 assists per game and is quick with the dribble and can score when he has to.

As for Atkins, he can be a pain also for opposing teams, against Connecticut Atkins brought the Irish back with six straight points in a minute to tie the game up. Atkins averages 11.6 points per game as well as 7 assists. Atkins and Grant are double threat guards who will be a handful for St. John’s.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F Jack Cooley
G Eric Atkins
G Scott Martin
G Jerian Grant
G Pat Connaughton


St. John’s (9-7, 1-3)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

A first half breakdown against Georgetown on Saturday and the Red Storm are quickly 1-3 in Big East play and looking to finally defend their home court with a big game against Notre Dame. But even with a losing week there were some bright spots, including the Big East Rookie of the Week honors for Chris Obekpa. The first time receiving this award, Obekpa is honored for his defense after averaging 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocked shots in two games. Obekpa has cleaned up the glass nicely and has helped the team rebounding efforts of the Red Storm.

Another bright spot for the Storm was Jamal Branch finally had a break out game against Georgetown. In 29 minutes Branch scored 16 points on 7-11 shooting from the field. With D’Angelo Harrison and Phil Greene struggling it could be a huge boost if Branch could score and pass the ball.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F JaKarr Sampson
F Amir Garrett
C Chris Obekpa
G Phil Greene
G D’Angelo Harrison

 

Keys to Victory

▪    They’re Called FREE for a Reason Part Deux- The new bugaboo for this Red Storm team seems to be the free throw. After going 15-27 against Rutgers they turned around and shot 6-16 against Georgetown. Even 76% free throw shooter D’Angelo Harrison went 1-4 from the line. This disease needs to be cured quickly if St. John’s hopes to play beyond their schedule.
▪    Obekpa, the record breaker- Chris Obekpa finally surpassed Walter Berry as the single season shot blocking king. Berry had 76 blocked shots during the ’85-86 season and Obekpa already has 82 through 16 games.
▪    Struggling – You expect D’Angelo Harrison to be lights out every time he takes the floor, but the sophomore guard is in a bit of a funk. Against Georgetown, Harrison shot 3-12 from the field and 0-5 from three to the tune of only seven points. Harrison went for 20 points against Rutgers but still shot poorly from the field only 5-15 and 2-8 from three.
▪    The PGIV Problem- Phil Greene has been struggling to say the least. Getting shutout against Georgetown on 0-4 shooting, recording no assists and playing only 16 minutes it is obvious there might be something wrong with Greene. Greene, who started the year as one of the most improved, hasn’t been himself lately.

Final Prediction: Notre Dame Wins, 65-55

St. John’s Looks to Storm Back Against Hoyas

by Leave a Comment


Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

It will be rise and shine for the Red Storm as their early morning game against #19 Georgetown Hoyas will be a tough and physical matchup. Coming off a brutal home loss to Rutgers on Wednesday night, 58-56. The Red Storm were so close to pulling it out but with two chances in the final seconds to win or tie the game the Johnnies came up short both times. Free throws wound up being the difference as St. John’s shot only 15-27 from the line. Including some big misses down the stretch.

The Johnnies and the Hoyas will both be looking for a big win, the Johnnies in the midst of their longest home stand of the season want to get this game against the suddenly low scoring Hoya team which is looking for their first Big East win.

The Hoyas and Johnnies have a long history with each other dating back to their huge rivalry in the in the mid 80’s and their meeting in the 1985 Final Four with stars Chris Mullin & Patrick Ewing leading their respective teams. Last year the Hoyas went 2-0 against the young Johnnies, beating them by 20 at the Garden, 69-49 and then winning at home 71-61.

Game Information

Date: Saturday, January 12th, 2013
Location: Madison Square Garden- New York, New York
Time: 11:00 AM EST
TV: ESPN2
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Vin Parise)

 

 

Georgetown Hoyas (10-3, 0-2)
Head Coach: John Thompson III

 

Georgetown has run into a little bit of trouble scoring the ball lately. In their first two Big East games at home against Pittsburgh and on the road against Marquette they are averaging only 46.5 points. Most recently against Pitt the Hoyas shot 16% in the first half and only 35.1% for the game. The Hoyas played big starting four forwards and it didn’t work out for them.

This has been a trend for the Hoyas as they have had a ton of low scoring wins before Big East play started. They won a disaster of a game, 37-36 against Tennessee in the Big East-SEC Challenge as well as winning another close one to Towson 46-40. They are learning you can’t score 40 and win in the Big East and will look to adjust against St. John’s.

Otto Porter, the sophomore forward who’s draft stock was soaring due to the Hoyas hot start to the season at 10-1 hasn’t been playing well. In his first two Big East games Porter is averaging 11 points and shot 2-6 from the floor against Pitt. If the Hoyas want any chance at a win they need Porter to be on his game.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F Otto Porter
F Nate Lubick
F Mikael Hopkins
F Greg Whittington
G Markel Starks
 

 

St. John’s (9-6, 1-2)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

 

The close losses keep on coming for Steve Lavin and the Red Storm. They are a couple of last minute baskets away from being 3-0 in conference play. But two of those games the Storm came up short and are looking at a 1-2 Big East record. The loss to Rutgers on Wednesday night can’t stick in the Red Storm’s craw for too long as they need to defend their home court against the always tough Hoyas.

D’Angelo Harrison had another up and down night for St. John’s as he shot 5-15 from the field and missed a shot to put the Red Storm ahead in the waning seconds. Harrison still had 20 points, five assists and five rebounds to lead the team. Chris Obekpa is really growing into his role on this team racking up 11 rebounds and five blocks to go along with his four points.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F JaKarr Sampson
F Amir Garrett
C Chris Obekpa
G Phil Greene
G D’Angelo Harrison

 

Keys to Victory
▪    They’re Called FREE for a Reason- Free throws have been a problem for the Johnnies all season long but it doesn’t get more noticeable then a 15-27 showing that costs you a game. You’d like to see a conscious effort from the boys to work and get better from the charity stripe.
▪    Obekpa blocks & rebounds!– Chris Obekpa has a knack for blocking a ball right into the third row at the Garden. But his last few games he has not only been blocking and tying the St. John’s all time single season record for blocks with 76 but he has been cleaning the glass. A strong rebounder is what this team has been missing and recently the rebounding problem hasn’t been such a problem.
▪    Who’s it Gonna Be? – Every night it seems to be a different guy for the Johnnies who plays that specific role of glue guy. Last time out it was Sir’Dominic Pointer who had 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench and hit 6-8 from the free throw line. Amir Garrett also plays that role and last game finished with four points and five rebounds.
▪    Pass the Olive Branch- Jamal Branch only played eight minutes against Rutgers and recorded three assists while only taking one shot. As opposed to Phil Greene IV who ran the point for most of the game and only had one assist in 34 minutes. It should be beneficial for the Storm to see if they can play Branch more at the point and Greene more off the ball where he could possibly flourish.

Final Prediction: Georgetown Wins, 55-52

Lavin Prepares St. John’s for Garden Opener Against Rutgers

by Leave a Comment

Steve Lavin
Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

St. John’s finished its biggest win of the season at #14 Cincinnati and will look to take that momentum and build on it at the Garden as they take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Red Storm who lost two disappointing games in a row to UNC Asheville and Villanova in overtime came out swinging against Cincinnati and were able to overcome adversity and pick up a huge Big East win.

This will kick off a three game home stand for the Red Storm as they play Rutgers Wednesday night. The last time Rutgers and St. John’s took the floor against each other at the Garden the Red Storm took a 65-63 win over the Knights in the 2011 Big East Tournament. That was the controversial game where Justin Brownlee went out of bounds and threw the ball up in the air with time still on the clock and the referees not calling it.

This year Rutgers and St. John’s both played and won in the MSG Holiday Festival. St. John’s defeated Fordham and Rutgers won a thrilling game over Iona.

Game Information
Date: Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
Location: Madison Square Garden- New York, New York
Time: 7:00 PM EST
TV: MSG
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Brandon Tierney)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (10-3, 1-1)
Head Coach: Mike Rice

This Scarlet Knights team is coming off a good win against Pitt at home and look to build momentum after a solid non conference part of their schedule. For the Knights their top scorer this season has been Eli Carter, the guard is averaging 17.5 points per game and shooting it at 43% in 28.5 minutes. Carter has come off the bench in recent games and is a good change of pace from other guards Jerome Seagears and Myles Mack.

Mack is averaging 13.2 points per game and Seagears is averaging 3.9 points in 22.5 minutes. Wally Judge is the big man to watch for the Knights as he is their highest averaging rebounder at 6.6 a game. A deficiency for St. John’s has been rebounding before they took the battle of the boards with a good rebounding team in Cincinnati. It will be a huge area to cover for both teams.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F Austin Johnson
F Wally Judge
G Jerome Seagears
G Dane Miller
G Myles Mack

 

St. John’s (9-5, 1-1)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

The Red Storm had a rocky first week to the Big East season. They lost their composure and an overtime game at Villanova where a win was in their grasp, wasting a career night from D’Angelo Harrison. But instead of going down without a fight against #14 Cincinnati, they were able to build a lead and keep it in crunch time. Harrison hit a huge three from almost half court and then hit the game winning jumper in the lane after not having such a great first half. Harrison is now averaging 21.6 points on 45% shooting in an astounding 35.1 minutes per game.

Harrison was on the Big East Honor Roll for the fifth time this season, the most by any player. JaKarr Sampson rebounded from his poor start to the Big East season with a 16 point, eight rebound effort against Cincinnati. While Amir Garrett continues his solid play in the post by going 3-4 from the field last game with eight points.

Jamal Branch is questionable with his eye injury that occurred in practice last Friday and there is still no NCAA decision about Orlando Sanchez’s eligibility.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F JaKarr Sampson
F Amir Garrett
C Chris Obekpa
G Phil Greene
G D’Angelo Harrison

Keys to Victory
▪    The D Factor- D’Angelo Harrison is the Red Storms MVP so far this season. He leads the Big East in scoring and he has been unbelievably clutch in situations where a normal sophomore wouldn’t be. Harrison has grown a lot in his one and a half years at St. John’s and looks to be the best player on the court at all times. The Storm will need just that against a good Rutgers squad.
▪    Obekpa Rebounds- Chris Obekpa is know for his blocks, and he should be. But he also needs to crash the glass for the Red Storm to be successful. Last game Obekpa had nine rebounds and lead the team. If Obekpa can lear to block shots and rebound he will be one of the most dangerous threats in the game.
▪    Amir – Simply Amir. Amir Garrett has been a huge factor for the Storm in their first two Big East games. Against Villanova Garrett scored 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench and then scored eight against Cincinnati. Garrett has become and efficient low post option even playing under sized at 6’6 he is a 52% shooter from the field. And he spent his summer playing baseball with the Reds.
▪    Point Guard Play- Phil Greene and Jamal Branch are the teams two point guards. If Branch plays it will be interesting to see if Greene plays off the ball more and they allow Branch to be the set up man. Greene has shown huge potential this season shooting the ball and getting to the rim but some feel he will be even better off the ball. Branch has played in two games and missed one with an injury since he became eligible, he will be an important part of this team when he suits up.

Final Prediction: St. John’s Wins, 60-59

St. John’s Hosts UNC Asheville for Ugly Christmas Sweater Night

by Leave a Comment


The third annual Ugly Christmas Sweater night comes to you from Carnesecca Arena this Friday when the Red Storm take on the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are known for their memorable NCAA Tournament game last year as they almost became the first #16 seed to upset a #1 seed. The Bulldogs lead Syracuse at halftime and part of the second half before Syracuse made a comeback and won 72-65.

St. John’s has played one game against UNC Asheville in the schools history and that was back in the 1998 Preseason NIT where they blew out the Bulldogs, 105-50. That year’s Red Storm team went on to the Elite Eight and lost to The Ohio State University, 77-74.

Game Information
Date: Friday, December 21st, 2012
Location: Carnesecca Arena- Queens, New York
Time: 7:30 PM EST
TV: ESPN3 (Tony Luftman, Brandon Tierney)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJUradio.org
UNC Asheville (4-7, 0-0)
Head Coach: Eddie Biedenbach

UNC Asheville returns most of their Tournament team from last year including four of their starters who were on last years team that almost upset Syracuse. After losing six in a row, the Bulldogs have won three of their last four games including a road victory at Northeastern on Dec. 18. Jeremy Atkinson is the top scorer and rebounder for the Bulldogs as he scores 17.7 points per game while grabbing 7.5 rebounds.

As a team, Asheville shoots it at a 45% clip and averages seven steals a game. Keith Hornsby is the top scoring guard on the team, the guard averages 13.6 points and is a 47% shooter from downtown. This Bulldogs team will look to end the curse of New York as the University has never won in the state of New York at 0-5.

Projected Starting Lineup:

F Jeremy Atkinson
F Jon Nwannunu
F Will Weeks
G Keith Hornsby
G Trent Meyer
St. John’s (8-3, 0-0)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

The story of the week for St. John’s is the debut of Jamal Branch. The point guard transfer from Texas A&M has been with the team for a year as he had to sit out due to NCAA rules and has been practicing with the team. Branch averaged 4.4 points and 2.5 assists in 19 minutes a game. Branch backed up senior guard Dash Harris but left because he didn’t get to play for the coach he committed to. Branch will try to mesh the offense together better as he is viewed as a more traditional point guard as compared to D’Angelo Harrison & Phil Greene.

JaKarr Sampson was awarded his second straight and third overall Big East Rookie of the Week honors. D’Angelo Harrison was named to the Big East Honor Roll for the fourth time in five weeks. It has become pretty standard for the Red Storm standouts to be honored by the Big East. This is St. John’s last game of 2012 and last non-conference game. The Red Storm will return to the court on Jan. 2 as they head to Philadelphia to take on Villanova.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F JaKarr Sampson
F Sir’Dominic Pointer
C Chris Obekpa
G Phil Greene
G D’Angelo Harrison

Keys to Victory
▪    Welcome to my block party- Chirs Obekpa had another ridiculous 9 blocks against St. Francis last Saturday in Brooklyn and is second in the nation in blocks per game (5.3) and actually has more than 7′ center from Kansas Jeff Withey, leading 58-50. Withey has more per contest as Kansas has played one less game than the Johnnies.
▪    Come together, right now- The win against St. Francis was an all together effort. Harrison and Sampson had big scoring games, Obekpa had the edge on blocking shots and Sir’Dominic Pointer had 12 points, seven rebounds & five assists. An all together effort equaled a cool 17 point win.
▪    +/- – In their first 11 games the Johnnies are +4.0 in turnovers. They haven’t turned the ball over much and with the addition of Jamal Branch it should improve. Branch knows for his good point guard play has been noted as a good defender also. Our first glimpse of him will be interesting to see how he can help this club.
▪    This is the end- Is December 21, 2012 going to be the end of the world? Probably not, but it is the end of the Johnnies’ non-conference schedule. The Johnnies will look to the new year and try to do better and improve their 6-12 mark from the year prior. Picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll it will be important for the Storm to win games they are supposed to and try to squeak out some upsets if they want to play in the postseason.

Final Prediction: St. John’s Wins, 66-60