Thanks For The Memories

After a nine-year period marked by transition and restoration, St. John’s finally made its long-awaited return to the grandest stage of them all last night.  However, it didn’t go exactly the way everyone had hoped it would.

Playing with heavy hearts and greater motivation than at any other point during their resurgence under coach Steve Lavin, the Red Storm (21-12) were simply unable to hold off a Gonzaga (25-9) team that shot and rebounded with equal proficiency at the Pepsi Center in Denver; as the Bulldogs used a strong presence both inside and outside to win their tenth consecutive game, defeating the Johnnies in the matchup of the No. 6 (St. John’s) and 11 (Gonzaga) seeds in the Southeast regional by the final of 86-71 and advancing to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.  Gonzaga will next face Brigham Young and Jimmer Fredette after the third-seeded Cougars overcame an early scare to emerge victorious over 14th-seeded Wofford by the final of 74-66.

St. John’s opened the game with a competitive fire that had not been seen since its road win over Villanova three weeks ago, starting out on a 5-0 run by forward Justin Brownlee,  (14 points) one of four Red Storm players in double figures.  However, the Zags shot the ball like it was going out of style in the opening stanza by providing a never-ending stream of buckets midway through the first half.  Every time St. John’s scored in the initial minutes, Gonzaga fired back.  In fact, the lead only changed once; and once Elias Harris (15 points, eight rebounds) drained a trifecta to give the Bulldogs a 15-14 lead less than five minutes into the contest, it was all coach Mark Few‘s team would need on the way to a 12-0 run that made a close game much more decisive as the Red Storm’s attempt to “do it” for injured teammate D.J. Kennedy was thwarted by the team from the Pacific Northwest that redefined the meaning of Cinderella with its magical run to the Elite Eight back in 1999.

Except for the fallen Kennedy, each of the other eight St. John’s seniors logged at least one minute in the box score.  Of the fourth-year players, Dwight Hardy (26 points on 10-of-23 shooting) fared the best, and Paris Horne added 11 of his own.  Freshman Dwayne Polee provided a look to the bright future on the corner of Union and Utopia with his impressive 12-point performance, finishing his freshman campaign strong after a decline in productivity at the beginning of Big East play.  Marquise Carter led Gonzaga with 24 points and six assists, while sharpshooter Steven Gray contributed with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Gonzaga may be moving on, but St. John’s has nothing to be ashamed of after finishing a 33-game run that no one will soon forget.  Hardly anyone expected that the Johnnies would go on a magic carpet ride the way they did over the last five months, and the boys from Queens can walk across the stage when they graduate in May knowing that they captured the hearts of a fan base desperate to embrace a winner after a long and winding four-year road to redemption.  Next year’s incarnation of the Red Storm has a very difficult act to follow, as the nine departing student-athletes have left more lasting impressions around St. John’s basketball than any that can possibly be highlighted within this space.

Lasting Impressions

• As was initially suspected, rebounding was the key last night.  St. John’s did not have the bodies or physical style to stand up to seven-footer Robert Sacre (nine points, nine rebounds) or Elias Harris, and that lack of size and brute strength was put on full display to the tune of a 43-20 domination of the glass by Gonzaga.
• The Zags also beat St. John’s at its own game by getting their bench involved.  All but four of the Red Storm’s 71 points came from its starting five, while Gonzaga picked up 16 from their substitutes who helped contribute to a stellar effort from the field, from which the Bulldogs shot 54 percent.
• Sacre may not have lit up the box score the way some thought he might, but his inside presence undoubtedly contributed to a 34-24 advantage for Gonzaga inside the paint.  The Zags will need more of the same tomorrow against an undersized Brigham Young team in order to advance to the Sweet 16 in New Orleans.
• Dwayne Polee started and ended his first season in Queens with solid double-figure scoring efforts against two West Coast Conference opponents.  Polee started his tenure under Steve Lavin with a 16-point outburst at St. Mary’s in November; and his 12 against Gonzaga last night included an impressive display that not only earned him the unsung hero game ball, but gave those optimistic to see what the future holds for St. John’s an insight into what should be a focal point of the Red Storm’s offensive attack in 2011-12, especially as the eight incoming recruits adapt to the style of play at the collegiate level.
• Finally, this season could and would not be possible had it not been for the determined and inspiring play of each of the nine seniors that comprised one of the strongest teams in the Big East.  While some may not have had many shining moments wearing the red and white, each one touched the hearts of the program and its fans in more ways than any of them ever could have imagined; and while all of us may be just a small piece of their lives, this team is a much bigger part of ours than any player or coach will ever know.