The Road to St. John's Basketball: Dwayne Polee Before the Red Storm

The 2nd installment of 13 part series looking into the players from last year's roster before they came to the Red Storm.

http://johnnyjungle.com/2010-2011/the-road-to-st-johns-basketball-dwayne-polee-before-the-red-storm/

I hope Polee blossoms into the player we saw flashes of last year (e.g., St. Mary's and Gonzaga games).  However, I think he needs to come out of the gate peforming at a higher level (e.g., 8-10 ppg, 5-8 rbs) in order to maintain his playing time with this group.

One thing we're going to find out about this group is how they react to competition, not 2 - 3 times a week against the opponent but everyday in practice against their teammates. Remember the days when our best players couldn't get pushed in practice. That had to hurt their development compared to the top teams who were getting pushed by players of equal ability. Now that luxury will be ours. I don't think we recruited any shrinking violets here. If we did they'll ride the pines. 

If I were Dwayne I'd be hitting the weight room this summer and come in ready to mix it up with what looks like a fearless batch of newcomers.

I was at the St. Mary's game and thought this kid can play.  I immediately thought of another St. John's freshman, the original "Amityville Horror",  and a great game (blocked shots, rebounds, scoring, etc.) he had at MSG in his first year.

While Dwayne had a typical freshman year with ups and downs, I feel strongly that with more work, beef, and confidence he will be a major team contributor.  His natural skills are so impressive.  And with our coaching staff, he will only get better.