6th Man of St. John's Basketball

St. John's Red Storm => In The Jungle... => Topic started by: apesNapes on November 01, 2014, 12:42:28 PM

Title: First Exhibition!
Post by: apesNapes on November 01, 2014, 12:42:28 PM
Regardless of whatever drama may have happened over the offseason, this is still a pretty exciting day. It will be interesting to see what the lineups look like, how Jordan has progressed, what jones can do, etc.

The game is on espn3 too.

Any thoughts on what to look for or what we could possibly take away from this game?
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: 0404 on November 01, 2014, 12:55:00 PM
I want to see:

A more aggressive Rysheed
Better offensive half court sets, perhaps getting open shots off passes for Harrison and Greene
Obekpa having more of an impact in the offense

And of course the reserves to see how they look.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: 0404 on November 01, 2014, 02:08:27 PM
Obekpa looks thinner
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: 0404 on November 01, 2014, 02:49:06 PM
Everyone looks terrible except for Obekpa...
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: redstorm212 on November 01, 2014, 02:51:23 PM
Brutal.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Celtics11 on November 01, 2014, 03:06:42 PM
I've seen this movie before. SOJ  same old Johnnies!
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: cjfish on November 01, 2014, 03:08:57 PM
just tuned in at the half, WTF.  Obekpa needs more pizza, needs to date an Italian girl. :laugh:
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: 0404 on November 01, 2014, 03:11:06 PM
He's playing great. There's few, if any, more athletic big men in the country.

Everyone else truly is playing terrible and unmotivated.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: apesNapes on November 01, 2014, 03:18:59 PM
After first half: playing man, but collapsing in the paint, which has led to a failure to close out on some jump shooters. Playing a soft full court press after most made shots. Obekpa is looking good on both sides, especially on offense. The team also ran a nice play in the halfcourt (that worked!) with obekpa cutting through the paint. Jordan has been pressing and out of control on offense. Dlo is doing his thing. Dom should not be taking the ball down  the court, but he has attacked the rim and drawn fouls, I think he will have a real bounce back year in this better defined role. Jones hit a mid range jumper but was lost on d and didn't do much else, he looked a little shooken up after some contact. Branch played some minutes but made little impact expect a charge when he failed to get the ball to dlo on a fast break. Green missed his shots, and doesn't offer much more than that. Felix and alibegovic played some minutes but didn't have much of an impact.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: upstate32 on November 01, 2014, 03:19:37 PM
Wow...CO 7-8 from the line in the first half + 8 blocks! 

Not happy being down 1 at half!!
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: paultzman on November 01, 2014, 03:21:34 PM
Yielding 45 points to a D2 team in a half is not a positive .You can see if Obekpa ever has to sit out with foul trouble we have a problem. Kudos to him for his improvement.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: cjfish on November 01, 2014, 03:21:39 PM
just saw the stats, CO hit FTs, amazing, love it, hope it lasts
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: QuanMan on November 01, 2014, 03:46:50 PM
Amar is seeing major minutes.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: redslope on November 01, 2014, 04:27:15 PM
how about CO paying respect to Chris Mullin today :).  Quite a sight as he tried to make the big pants into the short shorts of days gone by. 

Come on UnderArmour/SJU--make him a pair of throw back shorts.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: cjfish on November 01, 2014, 04:27:28 PM
Where is ADR, are we looking at redshirt?  I hope not.  Very sloppy but loss of Thomas undoubtedly had its effect on readiness.  Italian kid moved ball but showed nothing else, finding his way.  CO looked great but D2 opponent with D2 size makes it meaningless.  Still think he needs more weight.  Can we pump 20lbs of ADR's middle into him? :laugh:
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: paultzman on November 01, 2014, 04:34:19 PM
Amar is seeing major minutes.

Adonis hurt or just on the pines? Was hoping to see him "shock the world". 😉
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: QuanMan on November 01, 2014, 04:41:25 PM
Lol Paultz, we could definitely use his rebounding. I hope he gets some floor time next Saturday.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: paultzman on November 01, 2014, 04:46:42 PM
Lol Paultz, we could definitely use his rebounding. I hope he gets some floor time next Saturday.

We could.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: paultzman on November 01, 2014, 04:47:43 PM
St. John's shot 25% from outside the arc on the day and 62% from inside the arc - but only 42% in the first half against the undersized Lumberjacks.

The Johnnies also turned the ball over on almost a quarter of their possessions (21 turnovers, 24% of possessions) and gave up 20 offensive rebounds (38.5% of Humboldt State's misses).
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: paultzman on November 01, 2014, 05:20:28 PM
Lavin after being asked why Adonis did not play, noted after game that;

@HowieKussoy:  Lavin said his conditioning isn't there yet and he doesn't know when it will be.

Kussoy writes for NY Post.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: simplyred on November 01, 2014, 05:30:41 PM
Very sloppy first half.  They just ran up and down the court with no semblance of an offensive scheme.  The pressure D in the second half opened the lead a bit.  D'lo was D'lo.  He knows how to score. 

Unlike some of the posts I read during the game, I like what I saw from Christian Jones, considering it was his first game action in more than a year.  Branch played under control.  Dom contributed positively.  I didn't see all the mistakes that posters complained about.

The negatives are that we gave up a lot of 3's and we had a few defensive breakdowns that allowed them to score inside.

Lavin played a 9 man rotation.  Isn't that what everyone was calling for?  I'm sure if we had opened up a big lead, others might have seen some minutes.  We never got more than 11 or 12 pts ahead, and they closed that quickly.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Wods317 on November 01, 2014, 05:31:39 PM
Lets see the team play in a regular season game before we freak out. We played sloppy today and we are thin on front line yes but let this thing play out a bit. This is the first game the guys have played in a while, if after NJIT we still look this sloppy and poor on defense then commence with the freak outs but for one exhibition game I think we looked okay overall but were obviously deficient in some key areas. Excited to see how about Obepka looks against D1 players, he needs a big year for us.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: ras on November 01, 2014, 05:40:13 PM
That's great to hear after Thomass loss. It's comforting to hear ADR isn't even in good enough shape to play in an exhibition game. You can cross him off the list  for helping us fill the void from the Thomas debacle.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Poison on November 01, 2014, 05:57:40 PM
Terrible defense today. Except for Obekpa. He's going to have a great season. I expected us to have depth this year. Today, the only player who came off the bench and gave us anything was Branch.

Jordan was out control and not passing at all in the first half. In the second half, he did better playing off the ball.
Harrison was Harrison.
Greene did almost nothing.
Pointer was pretty good overall. We need a big year from him.
Jones was terrible on defense, and he needs to finish stronger on offense. I'm not sure there is one player on Humbolt state that he could guard.
Alibegovic looked like a deer in headlights.
Balamou was invisible.

Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play. Stewart and Henderson didn't play, which was disappointing.

Overall, it was a pretty disappointing effort. They just don't play hard enough.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: HowCouldUBeSoHarkless on November 01, 2014, 06:12:57 PM
I mean this is what the preseason games are for. You really aren't world beaters in your first game, if you remember last year they won their first preseason game by 2 then blew out Humboldt.

Couple of notes from the stands:

Jordan had a terrible first half then played strong on offense in the second. His defense was real bad though, hope that was just a preseason thing.

Obekpa triple double won't be an aberration. Dude looks ready for the big time.

Harrison is what he always is, was or ever will be.

Jones looked bad on defense as well, should have tried more on offense he could take those guys. But 6 and 4 off knee surgery is fine.

Balamou and Alib were pretty much nothing which was disappointing. Again though PRESEASON!

I wonder how Delarosa is supposed to get in game shape if he doesn't get to play in a meaningless game.

Greene was apparently had a muscle problem so he only played 17 minutes. Branch looked good though playing 26 minutes. 5 points, 5 assists, 3 steals is cool with me.

Hopefully next week they play better. PRESEASON!!!
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Marillac on November 01, 2014, 06:14:35 PM
Very sloppy first half.  They just ran up and down the court with no semblance of an offensive scheme.  The pressure D in the second half opened the lead a bit.  D'lo was D'lo.  He knows how to score. 

Unlike some of the posts I read during the game, I like what I saw from Christian Jones, considering it was his first game action in more than a year.  Branch played under control.  Dom contributed positively.  I didn't see all the mistakes that posters complained about.


Christian Jones and Dom Pointer were both burned all game long on defense.  Dom made at least six bonehead plays.  Jones dropped nearly everything that touched his hands. 

Out of the two, Dom has a chance due to his athletic ability alone.  If Jones plays more than 10 mpg, we've already lost.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: simplyred on November 01, 2014, 06:17:25 PM
Marillac, get over your Dom thing.  He didn't play badly.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Marillac on November 01, 2014, 06:34:18 PM
Marillac, get over your Dom thing.  He didn't play badly.

He played terrible.  His only saving grace is that he is twice as athletic as every player on Humboldt and that allowed him to get away with several bad decision.  It's not a "Dom thing."  He's a dumb player.  He makes a good layup and runs down the floor and grabs the Humboldt player 30 feet from the basket?  Is this his first game?  We go on a run and he throws the ball away and then let's three consecutive guys get wide open shots.   He rotated poorly all night and got blown by several times.  He drove the ball well on offense against D-2 PFs when they were in man...that is the strongest part of his game.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: sju61982 on November 01, 2014, 06:45:36 PM
Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play.

Joey Delarosa not eligible to play until the end of the first semester.  Mid-season transfer rules.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Marillac on November 01, 2014, 06:56:48 PM
Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play.

Joey Delarosa not eligible to play until the end of the first semester.  Mid-season transfer rules.

His addition might be huge.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life.  He could barely get up and down the court when he first started college.  We need someone to give us 10 mpg.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: paultzman on November 01, 2014, 07:37:12 PM
I mean this is what the preseason games are for. You really aren't world beaters in your first game, if you remember last year they won their first preseason game by 2 then blew out Humboldt.

Couple of notes from the stands:

Jordan had a terrible first half then played strong on offense in the second. His defense was real bad though, hope that was just a preseason thing.

Obekpa triple double won't be an aberration. Dude looks ready for the big time.

Harrison is what he always is, was or ever will be.

Jones looked bad on defense as well, should have tried more on offense he could take those guys. But 6 and 4 off knee surgery is fine.

Balamou and Alib were pretty much nothing which was disappointing. Again though PRESEASON!

I wonder how Delarosa is supposed to get in game shape if he doesn't get to play in a meaningless game.

Greene was apparently had a muscle problem so he only played 17 minutes. Branch looked good though playing 26 minutes. 5 points, 5 assists, 3 steals is cool with me.

Hopefully next week they play better. PRESEASON!!!
i

If Adonis does not practice hard and work on his conditioning, he does not deserve to play. Seize the opportunity for some minutes big guy. Lost opportunity or play for pay one day in Bolivia or somewhere.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Marco Baldi on November 01, 2014, 08:31:37 PM
How is it possible that he is out of shape?
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Marillac on November 01, 2014, 08:34:46 PM
I mean this is what the preseason games are for. You really aren't world beaters in your first game, if you remember last year they won their first preseason game by 2 then blew out Humboldt.

Couple of notes from the stands:

Jordan had a terrible first half then played strong on offense in the second. His defense was real bad though, hope that was just a preseason thing.

Obekpa triple double won't be an aberration. Dude looks ready for the big time.

Harrison is what he always is, was or ever will be.

Jones looked bad on defense as well, should have tried more on offense he could take those guys. But 6 and 4 off knee surgery is fine.

Balamou and Alib were pretty much nothing which was disappointing. Again though PRESEASON!

I wonder how Delarosa is supposed to get in game shape if he doesn't get to play in a meaningless game.

Greene was apparently had a muscle problem so he only played 17 minutes. Branch looked good though playing 26 minutes. 5 points, 5 assists, 3 steals is cool with me.

Hopefully next week they play better. PRESEASON!!!

Disagree with you about Amar and Balamou.  First, Balamou played  just seven minutes. He had a really nice assist of a wild pass under the basket.  He also set up Amar nicely for a wide open three that rimmed out. He had no turnover or mental errors and played solid d.  He also tapped a rebound to a teammate for a putback.  He signaled for Jordan twice to throw him alley-oops  when he took great angles to the basket resulting in wide open looks, but Jordan missed both--Branch would have delivered. 

Next, Amar is not star and likely never will be, but he played well for a freshman playing in his first game.  He got off a good looking three (not everything falls) and he hustled and boxed out all night.  I think the box score only shows 2-3 boards by Amar, but he really pins his man on the box outs and lets the ball bounce for the guards--not sure if it is a Euro thing?  He's gotta learn to box out and then go after those balls himself.  Now, Amar is not my type of player, but he is bigger than I expected and he didn't float on the perimeter like I thought he would.  He also played both PF and C which makes him extremely valuable. 

Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: qcredman on November 01, 2014, 08:38:31 PM
Adonis hurt his ankle at the end of the open practice and was limping noticeably. Could be that it hasn't healed yet.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Moose on November 01, 2014, 08:41:59 PM
I mean this is what the preseason games are for. You really aren't world beaters in your first game, if you remember last year they won their first preseason game by 2 then blew out Humboldt.

Couple of notes from the stands:

Jordan had a terrible first half then played strong on offense in the second. His defense was real bad though, hope that was just a preseason thing.

Obekpa triple double won't be an aberration. Dude looks ready for the big time.

Harrison is what he always is, was or ever will be.

Jones looked bad on defense as well, should have tried more on offense he could take those guys. But 6 and 4 off knee surgery is fine.

Balamou and Alib were pretty much nothing which was disappointing. Again though PRESEASON!

I wonder how Delarosa is supposed to get in game shape if he doesn't get to play in a meaningless game.

Greene was apparently had a muscle problem so he only played 17 minutes. Branch looked good though playing 26 minutes. 5 points, 5 assists, 3 steals is cool with me.

Hopefully next week they play better. PRESEASON!!!

Disagree with you about Amar and Balamou.  First, Balamou played  just seven minutes. He had a really nice assist of a wild pass under the basket.  He also set up Amar nicely for a wide open three that rimmed out. He had no turnover or mental errors and played solid d.  He also tapped a rebound to a teammate for a putback.  He signaled for Jordan twice to throw him alley-oops  when he took great angles to the basket resulting in wide open looks, but Jordan missed both--Branch would have delivered. 

Next, Amar is not star and likely never will be, but he played well for a freshman playing in his first game.  He got off a good looking three (not everything falls) and he hustled and boxed out all night.  I think the box score only shows 2-3 boards by Amar, but he really pins his man on the box outs and lets the ball bounce for the guards--not sure if it is a Euro thing?  He's gotta learn to box out and then go after those balls himself.  Now, Amar is not my type of player, but he is bigger than I expected and he didn't float on the perimeter like I thought he would.  He also played both PF and C which makes him extremely valuable. 



I'm already President of the Ali Fan Club so you're too late there.

He didn't play great today.  You're right the 3 was a nice look.  I really like his form it didn't fall.  He does box out well but he's also allergic to the ball.  I counted 3 times at least where the ball hit the ground and he didn't even lunge for it.  He's a smart ballplayer which is something we lack.  I only wish he had someone on the staff who can develop him.  Him and Jones are going to HAVE to play and god forbid Chris gets hurt or in foul trouble we might see both of them in there. 

Disappointed ADR couldn't see any time.  If he's not conditioned isn't that what exhibitions games are SUPPOSED to be for?  I totally forgot JDR misses 1st semester.  Not that he's the secret weapon but it sucks.  Always drama with this team.  Always something.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: SJUFAN on November 01, 2014, 08:46:09 PM
Looks like we're going to get destroyed on the boards this year.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Poison on November 01, 2014, 09:03:58 PM
Coming from CTK, I expect Delarosa to be well coached. I can't understand why he hasn't paid any attention to his health. The guy isn't just a little out of shape. He's a type 2 diabetes candidate. The guy needs to start taking his career, and his life seriously. Alibegovic also looks well coached in terms of ball movement and knowing where to be, but he needs to learn how to rebound. We need him and Delarosa to improve this year, or we going to get destroyed inside this year.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Moose on November 01, 2014, 09:47:56 PM
At least they shot FT's well.

What do you people want?  Perfection?????
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: JohnnyJungle on November 01, 2014, 10:34:10 PM
Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play.

Joey Delarosa not eligible to play until the end of the first semester.  Mid-season transfer rules.

His addition might be huge.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life.  He could barely get up and down the court when he first started college.  We need someone to give us 10 mpg.

 ???  ???  ???

If he plays more than 10 min all season SJU is in trouble.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: JohnnyJungle on November 01, 2014, 10:48:08 PM
This was not a great showing by any means but thought Lav did a good job of getting guys a good amount of run. Some quick yanks to have assistants talk with them and check back in.

In the beginning of the game the guys were simply too passive/unselfish which results in mistakes then they went polar opposite and played selfishly forcing the ball. I hope that the team recognizes that Harrison and Jordan need to get A LOT of touches/shots. Others need to don't need to increase their numbers just their efficiency.

I think the guy who needs to figure that out the most is Phil Greene. I'm just not convinced he ever will.

Obekpa deserves a ton of praise. Looks really fit and playing with a ton of passion & energy. Kind of excited to see him against real competition.

Alba (what Lav called him) looked like a freshman in his first game. A little nervous, a little lost, and trying his best to help out. Didn't really know where to be or when to be there but he tried to set screens and move the ball. His corner J looked smooth but didn't drop. I do see some potential for him being a step out 4. However he's going to be project this year. I didn't find it surprising that Lav played him a lot and didn't play Delarosa.

CJ- Had flashes but ultimately is a step behind mentally where he needs to be. Had a really nice pull up and a rip thru past his defender for a drive. Also a really nice pinned block but allowed too many guys to drive right past him. He's better as a post defender when he can body up and have contact.

Branch- I think he can be a great change of pace to relieve PGIV and let Harrison/Jordan go on the wings. Lav has a short leash when he makes a mistake. I wish he'd let him play through a little more.

Overall the team did well rebounding (granted it was against a small team) but the effort was there. Saw multiple guys grab and go. Everyone made free throws which was shocking.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: HowCouldUBeSoHarkless on November 02, 2014, 12:32:47 AM
I mean this is what the preseason games are for. You really aren't world beaters in your first game, if you remember last year they won their first preseason game by 2 then blew out Humboldt.

Couple of notes from the stands:

Jordan had a terrible first half then played strong on offense in the second. His defense was real bad though, hope that was just a preseason thing.

Obekpa triple double won't be an aberration. Dude looks ready for the big time.

Harrison is what he always is, was or ever will be.

Jones looked bad on defense as well, should have tried more on offense he could take those guys. But 6 and 4 off knee surgery is fine.

Balamou and Alib were pretty much nothing which was disappointing. Again though PRESEASON!

I wonder how Delarosa is supposed to get in game shape if he doesn't get to play in a meaningless game.

Greene was apparently had a muscle problem so he only played 17 minutes. Branch looked good though playing 26 minutes. 5 points, 5 assists, 3 steals is cool with me.

Hopefully next week they play better. PRESEASON!!!

Disagree with you about Amar and Balamou.  First, Balamou played  just seven minutes. He had a really nice assist of a wild pass under the basket.  He also set up Amar nicely for a wide open three that rimmed out. He had no turnover or mental errors and played solid d.  He also tapped a rebound to a teammate for a putback.  He signaled for Jordan twice to throw him alley-oops  when he took great angles to the basket resulting in wide open looks, but Jordan missed both--Branch would have delivered. 

Next, Amar is not star and likely never will be, but he played well for a freshman playing in his first game.  He got off a good looking three (not everything falls) and he hustled and boxed out all night.  I think the box score only shows 2-3 boards by Amar, but he really pins his man on the box outs and lets the ball bounce for the guards--not sure if it is a Euro thing?  He's gotta learn to box out and then go after those balls himself.  Now, Amar is not my type of player, but he is bigger than I expected and he didn't float on the perimeter like I thought he would.  He also played both PF and C which makes him extremely valuable. 



I'm already President of the Ali Fan Club so you're too late there.

He didn't play great today.  You're right the 3 was a nice look.  I really like his form it didn't fall.  He does box out well but he's also allergic to the ball.  I counted 3 times at least where the ball hit the ground and he didn't even lunge for it.  He's a smart ballplayer which is something we lack.  I only wish he had someone on the staff who can develop him.  Him and Jones are going to HAVE to play and god forbid Chris gets hurt or in foul trouble we might see both of them in there. 

Disappointed ADR couldn't see any time.  If he's not conditioned isn't that what exhibitions games are SUPPOSED to be for?  I totally forgot JDR misses 1st semester.  Not that he's the secret weapon but it sucks.  Always drama with this team.  Always something.

I like both Amar and Felix as players and as dudes. As I said though first preseason game I'm not really worried about anyone yet. Kinks need to be flushed out.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Marillac on November 02, 2014, 12:45:42 AM
Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play.

Joey Delarosa not eligible to play until the end of the first semester.  Mid-season transfer rules.

His addition might be huge.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life.  He could barely get up and down the court when he first started college.  We need someone to give us 10 mpg.

 ???  ???  ???

If he plays more than 10 min all season SJU is in trouble.

People write off bigs too fast.  He's only played like 30 games in his career. This was a four star, top 150 recruit out of high school.  When he first stepped foot on campus as a frosh (in December) he was so out of shape he couldn't even get up and down the court.  It always takes bigs longer to develop and they don't get much bigger than him.  He looks like he's in great shape.  5-10 mpg might not be out of the question.  Dudes that big change the game just by their presence--e..g., Curtis Johnson igniting the huge Notre Dame run a decade or so ago.  This kid was recruited by Xavier, Providence, Pitt, and St. John's out of high school. 

We don't need a stud...we need a bandaid
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Marillac on November 02, 2014, 01:06:55 AM
I mean this is what the preseason games are for. You really aren't world beaters in your first game, if you remember last year they won their first preseason game by 2 then blew out Humboldt.

Couple of notes from the stands:

Jordan had a terrible first half then played strong on offense in the second. His defense was real bad though, hope that was just a preseason thing.

Obekpa triple double won't be an aberration. Dude looks ready for the big time.

Harrison is what he always is, was or ever will be.

Jones looked bad on defense as well, should have tried more on offense he could take those guys. But 6 and 4 off knee surgery is fine.

Balamou and Alib were pretty much nothing which was disappointing. Again though PRESEASON!

I wonder how Delarosa is supposed to get in game shape if he doesn't get to play in a meaningless game.

Greene was apparently had a muscle problem so he only played 17 minutes. Branch looked good though playing 26 minutes. 5 points, 5 assists, 3 steals is cool with me.

Hopefully next week they play better. PRESEASON!!!

Disagree with you about Amar and Balamou.  First, Balamou played  just seven minutes. He had a really nice assist of a wild pass under the basket.  He also set up Amar nicely for a wide open three that rimmed out. He had no turnover or mental errors and played solid d.  He also tapped a rebound to a teammate for a putback.  He signaled for Jordan twice to throw him alley-oops  when he took great angles to the basket resulting in wide open looks, but Jordan missed both--Branch would have delivered. 

Next, Amar is not star and likely never will be, but he played well for a freshman playing in his first game.  He got off a good looking three (not everything falls) and he hustled and boxed out all night.  I think the box score only shows 2-3 boards by Amar, but he really pins his man on the box outs and lets the ball bounce for the guards--not sure if it is a Euro thing?  He's gotta learn to box out and then go after those balls himself.  Now, Amar is not my type of player, but he is bigger than I expected and he didn't float on the perimeter like I thought he would.  He also played both PF and C which makes him extremely valuable. 



I'm already President of the Ali Fan Club so you're too late there.

He didn't play great today.  You're right the 3 was a nice look.  I really like his form it didn't fall.  He does box out well but he's also allergic to the ball.  I counted 3 times at least where the ball hit the ground and he didn't even lunge for it.  He's a smart ballplayer which is something we lack.  I only wish he had someone on the staff who can develop him.  Him and Jones are going to HAVE to play and god forbid Chris gets hurt or in foul trouble we might see both of them in there. 

Disappointed ADR couldn't see any time.  If he's not conditioned isn't that what exhibitions games are SUPPOSED to be for?  I totally forgot JDR misses 1st semester.  Not that he's the secret weapon but it sucks.  Always drama with this team.  Always something.

I like both Amar and Felix as players and as dudes. As I said though first preseason game I'm not really worried about anyone yet. Kinks need to be flushed out.

Are you worried that Moose has come back as a villain?  Do you like him as a poster and dude?

Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: HowCouldUBeSoHarkless on November 02, 2014, 01:15:56 AM
I mean this is what the preseason games are for. You really aren't world beaters in your first game, if you remember last year they won their first preseason game by 2 then blew out Humboldt.

Couple of notes from the stands:

Jordan had a terrible first half then played strong on offense in the second. His defense was real bad though, hope that was just a preseason thing.

Obekpa triple double won't be an aberration. Dude looks ready for the big time.

Harrison is what he always is, was or ever will be.

Jones looked bad on defense as well, should have tried more on offense he could take those guys. But 6 and 4 off knee surgery is fine.

Balamou and Alib were pretty much nothing which was disappointing. Again though PRESEASON!

I wonder how Delarosa is supposed to get in game shape if he doesn't get to play in a meaningless game.

Greene was apparently had a muscle problem so he only played 17 minutes. Branch looked good though playing 26 minutes. 5 points, 5 assists, 3 steals is cool with me.

Hopefully next week they play better. PRESEASON!!!

Disagree with you about Amar and Balamou.  First, Balamou played  just seven minutes. He had a really nice assist of a wild pass under the basket.  He also set up Amar nicely for a wide open three that rimmed out. He had no turnover or mental errors and played solid d.  He also tapped a rebound to a teammate for a putback.  He signaled for Jordan twice to throw him alley-oops  when he took great angles to the basket resulting in wide open looks, but Jordan missed both--Branch would have delivered. 

Next, Amar is not star and likely never will be, but he played well for a freshman playing in his first game.  He got off a good looking three (not everything falls) and he hustled and boxed out all night.  I think the box score only shows 2-3 boards by Amar, but he really pins his man on the box outs and lets the ball bounce for the guards--not sure if it is a Euro thing?  He's gotta learn to box out and then go after those balls himself.  Now, Amar is not my type of player, but he is bigger than I expected and he didn't float on the perimeter like I thought he would.  He also played both PF and C which makes him extremely valuable. 



I'm already President of the Ali Fan Club so you're too late there.

He didn't play great today.  You're right the 3 was a nice look.  I really like his form it didn't fall.  He does box out well but he's also allergic to the ball.  I counted 3 times at least where the ball hit the ground and he didn't even lunge for it.  He's a smart ballplayer which is something we lack.  I only wish he had someone on the staff who can develop him.  Him and Jones are going to HAVE to play and god forbid Chris gets hurt or in foul trouble we might see both of them in there. 

Disappointed ADR couldn't see any time.  If he's not conditioned isn't that what exhibitions games are SUPPOSED to be for?  I totally forgot JDR misses 1st semester.  Not that he's the secret weapon but it sucks.  Always drama with this team.  Always something.

I like both Amar and Felix as players and as dudes. As I said though first preseason game I'm not really worried about anyone yet. Kinks need to be flushed out.

Are you worried that Moose has come back as a villain?  Do you like him as a poster and dude?

Of course.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Celtics11 on November 02, 2014, 01:05:38 AM
Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play.

Joey Delarosa not eligible to play until the end of the first semester.  Mid-season transfer rules.

His addition might be huge.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life.  He could barely get up and down the court when he first started college.  We need someone to give us 10 mpg.

 ???  ???  ???

If he plays more than 10 min all season SJU is in trouble.

People write off bigs too fast.  He's only played like 30 games in his career. This was a four star, top 150 recruit out of high school.  When he first stepped foot on campus as a frosh (in December) he was so out of shape he couldn't even get up and down the court.  It always takes bigs longer to develop and they don't get much bigger than him.  He looks like he's in great shape.  5-10 mpg might not be out of the question.  Dudes that big change the game just by their presence--e..g., Curtis Johnson igniting the huge Notre Dame run a decade or so ago.  This kid was recruited by Xavier, Providence, Pitt, and St. John's out of high school. 

We don't need a stud...we need a bandaid
Exactly. What we need are more Curtis Johnson's on this team. This way they can each have one good game in their college careers that we can point to and say boy did they contribute in THAT game.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Section 9 on November 02, 2014, 07:51:40 AM
Terrible defense today. Except for Obekpa. He's going to have a great season. I expected us to have depth this year. Today, the only player who came off the bench and gave us anything was Branch.

Jordan was out control and not passing at all in the first half. In the second half, he did better playing off the ball.
Harrison was Harrison.
Greene did almost nothing.
Pointer was pretty good overall. We need a big year from him.
Jones was terrible on defense, and he needs to finish stronger on offense. I'm not sure there is one player on Humbolt state that he could guard.
Alibegovic looked like a deer in headlights.
Balamou was invisible.

Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play. Stewart and Henderson didn't play, which was disappointing.

Overall, it was a pretty disappointing effort. They just don't play hard enough.


Joey isn't eligible until the second semester. 
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: paultzman on November 02, 2014, 11:52:32 AM
Terrible defense today. Except for Obekpa. He's going to have a great season. I expected us to have depth this year. Today, the only player who came off the bench and gave us anything was Branch.

Jordan was out control and not passing at all in the first half. In the second half, he did better playing off the ball.
Harrison was Harrison.
Greene did almost nothing.
Pointer was pretty good overall. We need a big year from him.
Jones was terrible on defense, and he needs to finish stronger on offense. I'm not sure there is one player on Humbolt state that he could guard.
Alibegovic looked like a deer in headlights.
Balamou was invisible.

Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play. Stewart and Henderson didn't play, which was disappointing.

Overall, it was a pretty disappointing effort. They just don't play hard enough.


Joey isn't eligible until the second semester. 

Giving credit where due, Adonis' time in NYC Marathon today was not bad.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Amaseinyourface2 on November 02, 2014, 05:38:32 PM
Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play.

Joey Delarosa not eligible to play until the end of the first semester.  Mid-season transfer rules.

His addition might be huge.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life.  He could barely get up and down the court when he first started college.  We need someone to give us 10 mpg.

 ???  ???  ???

If he plays more than 10 min all season SJU is in trouble.

People write off bigs too fast.  He's only played like 30 games in his career. This was a four star, top 150 recruit out of high school.  When he first stepped foot on campus as a frosh (in December) he was so out of shape he couldn't even get up and down the court.  It always takes bigs longer to develop and they don't get much bigger than him.  He looks like he's in great shape.  5-10 mpg might not be out of the question.  Dudes that big change the game just by their presence--e..g., Curtis Johnson igniting the huge Notre Dame run a decade or so ago.  This kid was recruited by Xavier, Providence, Pitt, and St. John's out of high school. 

We don't need a stud...we need a bandaid

Like you and Jones..;)

seriously though he didnt play great and looked a little out of shape. Kid hasnt had a real game in like 20 months and is coming off surgery. Hit a nice jumper, had two nice drives where he didnt finish one and got fouled and hit both ft's on the other. I dont understand why him or obekpa would ever guard someone 20 ft from the hoop but it seems to happen routinely. Keep them 15 ft and in.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Amaseinyourface2 on November 02, 2014, 05:39:29 PM
Great: Obekpa and free throws.

Good: Harrison

Bad: defense and rebounding

worse: Rysheed taking care of the basketball
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Tiznow on November 02, 2014, 10:15:57 PM
Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play.

Joey Delarosa not eligible to play until the end of the first semester.  Mid-season transfer rules.

His addition might be huge.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life.  He could barely get up and down the court when he first started college.  We need someone to give us 10 mpg.

 ???  ???  ???

If he plays more than 10 min all season SJU is in trouble.

People write off bigs too fast.  He's only played like 30 games in his career. This was a four star, top 150 recruit out of high school.  When he first stepped foot on campus as a frosh (in December) he was so out of shape he couldn't even get up and down the court.  It always takes bigs longer to develop and they don't get much bigger than him.  He looks like he's in great shape.  5-10 mpg might not be out of the question.  Dudes that big change the game just by their presence--e..g., Curtis Johnson igniting the huge Notre Dame run a decade or so ago.  This kid was recruited by Xavier, Providence, Pitt, and St. John's out of high school. 

We don't need a stud...we need a bandaid

Like you and Jones..;)

seriously though he didnt play great and looked a little out of shape. Kid hasnt had a real game in like 20 months and is coming off surgery. Hit a nice jumper, had two nice drives where he didnt finish one and got fouled and hit both ft's on the other. I dont understand why him or obekpa would ever guard someone 20 ft from the hoop but it seems to happen routinely. Keep them 15 ft and in.

Good point on Jones.  You don't write off a kid based on one game.  Twenty months of rust and a reported knee procedure that kept him out of practice ten days before the exhibition.  All things considered he played fine.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: carmineabbatiello on November 03, 2014, 12:40:01 AM
Great: Obekpa and free throws.

Good: Harrison

Bad: defense and rebounding

worse: Rysheed taking care of the basketball

worser: Oblockpa's shorts
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: sju61982 on November 03, 2014, 10:49:28 AM
Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play.

Joey Delarosa not eligible to play until the end of the first semester.  Mid-season transfer rules.

His addition might be huge.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life.  He could barely get up and down the court when he first started college.  We need someone to give us 10 mpg.

 ???  ???  ???

If he plays more than 10 min all season SJU is in trouble.

People write off bigs too fast.  He's only played like 30 games in his career. This was a four star, top 150 recruit out of high school.  When he first stepped foot on campus as a frosh (in December) he was so out of shape he couldn't even get up and down the court.  It always takes bigs longer to develop and they don't get much bigger than him.  He looks like he's in great shape.  5-10 mpg might not be out of the question.  Dudes that big change the game just by their presence--e..g., Curtis Johnson igniting the huge Notre Dame run a decade or so ago.  This kid was recruited by Xavier, Providence, Pitt, and St. John's out of high school. 

We don't need a stud...we need a bandaid

Like you and Jones..;)

seriously though he didnt play great and looked a little out of shape. Kid hasnt had a real game in like 20 months and is coming off surgery. Hit a nice jumper, had two nice drives where he didnt finish one and got fouled and hit both ft's on the other. I dont understand why him or obekpa would ever guard someone 20 ft from the hoop but it seems to happen routinely. Keep them 15 ft and in.

Other then Obekpa, I thought only Jones gave maximum effort in the first half.  He's also the only guy who boxes out on this team.  Unfortunately, his hands are so small, that it usually goes for naught.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Poison on November 03, 2014, 12:43:54 PM
Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play.

Joey Delarosa not eligible to play until the end of the first semester.  Mid-season transfer rules.

His addition might be huge.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life.  He could barely get up and down the court when he first started college.  We need someone to give us 10 mpg.

 ???  ???  ???

If he plays more than 10 min all season SJU is in trouble.

People write off bigs too fast.  He's only played like 30 games in his career. This was a four star, top 150 recruit out of high school.  When he first stepped foot on campus as a frosh (in December) he was so out of shape he couldn't even get up and down the court.  It always takes bigs longer to develop and they don't get much bigger than him.  He looks like he's in great shape.  5-10 mpg might not be out of the question.  Dudes that big change the game just by their presence--e..g., Curtis Johnson igniting the huge Notre Dame run a decade or so ago.  This kid was recruited by Xavier, Providence, Pitt, and St. John's out of high school. 

We don't need a stud...we need a bandaid

Like you and Jones..;)

seriously though he didnt play great and looked a little out of shape. Kid hasnt had a real game in like 20 months and is coming off surgery. Hit a nice jumper, had two nice drives where he didnt finish one and got fouled and hit both ft's on the other. I dont understand why him or obekpa would ever guard someone 20 ft from the hoop but it seems to happen routinely. Keep them 15 ft and in.

Good point on Jones.  You don't write off a kid based on one game.  Twenty months of rust and a reported knee procedure that kept him out of practice ten days before the exhibition.  All things considered he played fine.

I don't think anyone is writing off Jones. Just identifying where his game is now, and he needs a lot of work on defense. He wasn't playing any that I could see.
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: redslope on November 03, 2014, 01:07:50 PM
Great: Obekpa and free throws.

Good: Harrison

Bad: defense and rebounding

worse: Rysheed taking care of the basketball

worser: Oblockpa's shorts
But we won many more games when the team wore them--let's start a trend and wear throw back uniforms
Title: Re: First Exhibition!
Post by: Amaseinyourface2 on November 03, 2014, 02:01:27 PM
Delarosa, the freshman didn't play. Joey Delarosa didn't play either, and he was sitting behind the bench for some reason. #30 also sat behind the bench and didn't play.

Joey Delarosa not eligible to play until the end of the first semester.  Mid-season transfer rules.

His addition might be huge.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life.  He could barely get up and down the court when he first started college.  We need someone to give us 10 mpg.

 ???  ???  ???

If he plays more than 10 min all season SJU is in trouble.

People write off bigs too fast.  He's only played like 30 games in his career. This was a four star, top 150 recruit out of high school.  When he first stepped foot on campus as a frosh (in December) he was so out of shape he couldn't even get up and down the court.  It always takes bigs longer to develop and they don't get much bigger than him.  He looks like he's in great shape.  5-10 mpg might not be out of the question.  Dudes that big change the game just by their presence--e..g., Curtis Johnson igniting the huge Notre Dame run a decade or so ago.  This kid was recruited by Xavier, Providence, Pitt, and St. John's out of high school. 

We don't need a stud...we need a bandaid

Like you and Jones..;)

seriously though he didnt play great and looked a little out of shape. Kid hasnt had a real game in like 20 months and is coming off surgery. Hit a nice jumper, had two nice drives where he didnt finish one and got fouled and hit both ft's on the other. I dont understand why him or obekpa would ever guard someone 20 ft from the hoop but it seems to happen routinely. Keep them 15 ft and in.

Good point on Jones.  You don't write off a kid based on one game.  Twenty months of rust and a reported knee procedure that kept him out of practice ten days before the exhibition.  All things considered he played fine.

I don't think anyone is writing off Jones.

yea...