2010 Position Review: SG

The first of a series of five looks at the Red Storm’s players, position-by-position.

At times this season, Dwight Hardy looked like the savior, come down from community college to shoot that round thing from distance into the orange hoop – just like St. John’s fans have seen other teams do on television. Hardy was a glorious sight in yet another season of errant shots and scrums for offensive rebounds, an impact Junior College player. And throughout the season, fans complained about how Hardy was used, that he couldn’t get his shots off without having plays run for him.

Meanwhile, Ol’ Faithful Paris Horne was trying to get to the hoop, shooting his standstill jumper from the corners, playing decent defense, and playing like he always has – a very good athlete with hops but also with creative limitations. Some fans would say Dwight Hardy should have started more games, since he was a far superior offensive option. And those same people say the stats will bear that idea out.

Those people are wrong. (Somewhat.)  The stats don’t tell that tale.

Paris Horne was actually a better scorer in Big East play (see table below of non-conference, conference, and overall shooting numbers). He had his problems – discussed below – but perhaps experience overcame whatever was ailing him (be it physical or mental with his change in role). In Big East play, he increased his efficiency inside the arc and came back from a rough early-season slump from beyond the arc to once again be a solid 3-point shooting threat.

Meanwhile, Dwight Hardy – perhaps being a point of emphasis for opponents as St. John’s One True Threat from outside – saw his percentages drop like a stone. The shooting inside the arc went from surprisingly solid for a slim guard to a struggle (48.9% to 37% in conference play). And his three-point shooting – his calling card – also struggled. He wasn’t an Avery Patterson-level liability (Patterson shot 29% in Big East play while in the red and white), but 35% is a far cry from nearly 42% outside the arc.

The Big East defenses slowed down Green Light Dwight.

[table id=116 /]

D-Buckets

To this observer, Hardy needed to have more screens set for him, set plays to free him for a shot with a passer delivering the ball on time. But in the Red Storm offense, he who has the ball gets to drive for the shot. It worked at times. And as we know, it failed at others.

But it’s not as if Hardy was cheated for shots; he has his moves to free himself off the dribble, he got shots when the Red Storm was struggling. Despite common complaints, the offense did look for him to get hot fast and put that round thing in the hoop thing like on TV. Hardy gets to the line on occasion, and can hit his free throws credibly (certainly better than his teammates). Hardy doesn’t provide much else – a few defensive rebounds, the ability to bring the ball up in a pinch, a few steals, a few assists.

But this is not just about Hardy. Hardy and Horne often traded time on the court. And Hardy’s ability to get shots off was valuable; but his sometime-deficiency in keeping his opponent in front of him was a negative. That said, Horne had defensive troubles from time to time. Horne needs to shoot off of the catch, preferably standing still; his shot off the dribble is okay, but nothing to depend on.

Paris (not Hilton)

Paris’ improvement on the season brought him closer to the solid role player he was his sophomore year. But what seemed like a conference play blip in his free throw shooting in 2008-09 has become a problem. Paris shot 61.7% from the line in Big East regular season play that year, much lower than his overall percentage of 67.8%. Then last year, Paris stayed just over 50% from the line. That’s Sean Evans territory. No one should be in Sean Evans territory. Moreover, that’s a bizarre number for a decent shooter; usually, poor free throw shooters are poor outside shooters. And Paris is not poor from outside.

Could the problem come down to rhythm and repetition? Horne didn’t have 3-6 nights, he had 1-2 games, 0-1 games, 3-5 games. He doesn’t draw fouls quite enough to get comfortable going to the line and knocking them down in game situations. I’m not saying he shouldn’t be ready to hit any free throw at any time, but sometimes, free throw shooting problems are mental along with mechanical.

As A Position

Horne and Hardy are statistically similar (holding shot attempts constant). Medium turnover guards who hand off the occasional assist, grab a couple of rebounds, could stand to get to the free throw line more. Dwight Hardy comes in the game ready to shoot, gets a few more steals, works from outside in, and can handle the ball. Horne rebounds and passes better, blocks a shot once in a while, and is a better defender.

Next Year: Both will be competing for playing time. If the offense is more wide open, both bring skills to the table; Horne as an open court dunker with defensive skills, and Hardy as a deadly spot-up shooter. I believe Hardy will get off better shots – if his teammates find him. If he can get a little stronger, work harder to get open, and improve his defensive ability, he will be a force. One hopes that the lull in his shooting is simply a result of a poorly-functioning offense, and not an inability to get shots off against quality defenses.

And if Horne can improve his quickness/ strength slightly and find ways of turning his drives into fouls and his dunk attempts into highlight-reel flushes, his athleticism will be put to good use. Paris plays within his means, and can be an excellent complementary player in his senior year.  The free throw shooting needs improvement, but overall, we know what we will get from Paris.

[table id=118 /] [table id=120 /]

[table id=117 /] [table id=119 /]

Transplanted New Yorker and now Midwesterner Peter a/k/a Pico writes for the East Coast Bias and the Church of Bracketology and for Johnny Jungle, doing the Calm Before the Storm posts. Pico is also on Twitter, @ECoastBias.