Arizona - Pregame Links

More than 2,500 miles separate Arizona and St. John’s.

The Wildcats and the Red Storm play in different conferences, have different histories and employ different styles of play.

But despite the list of differences, head coaches Sean Miller and Steve Lavin actually find themselves in more similar situations than expected.

“We’re a new team, we have lots of newcomers and are very young,” Lavin said on the 2k Sports Classic conference call on Monday. “We like the skill and quickness that our team has exhibited to this point, but we don’t have the depth of size in terms of front line, and overall we’re a bit thin in terms of our rotation.”

Sound familiar?

http://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/index.php/article/2011/11/st._johns_arizona_in_similar_situations

So Arizona might be staring into a mirror on Thursday. The St.John's Red Storm is a young yet talented squad trying to find their way in the harsh world of NCAA basketball. Meanwhile, the No. 15 Wildcats face their first legitimate big conference school. Pico Dulce from Rumble in the Garden reached out to us to preview the match-up.

I think it's safe to say that there's a lot of questions for both teams going into this one. Pico's calling it a toss up, and I really can't disagree, as the athleticism of the Johnnies could be too much for Arizona to handle.
 
Arizona Desert Swarm: St. John's is a really young but talented team, and from afar it looks like they've been up and down to begin this season. What can you make of how well the chemistry is on the court and how far away are you guys from developing individual roles?


Rumble in the Garden: The on-court chemistry is going well, considering the players have only been on the court in competitive situations for five games now. With six newcomers and a holdover who logged 12.2 minutes per game in 26 contests, there are going to be some miscues. Some of the turnovers, for St. John's have come from miscommunications; the players can't anticipate their teammates' moves quite yet.

The players already have individual roles, and those roles will expand. Nurideen Lindsey is there to attack and put pressure on the defense; God`sgift runs the floor and gets rebounds; Maurice Harkless (Moe) is the versatile talent, D`Angelo Harrison is the shooter; Sir`Dominc Pointer is all defense; Malik Stith is the veteran; only Phil Greene doesn't have a strongly defined role, though he's a bit of a shooter/ slasher type.

The team is doing a lot of learning on the fly, and sometimes it's ugly.

http://www.azdesertswarm.com/2011/11/16/2565716/q-a-previewing-arizona-and-st-johns-with-rumble-in-the-garden

http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/111611aaa.html

Freshman Forward Moe Harkless
On whether there will be more nerves for the first MSG game:
"I think a lot of the guys are really excited, so I think we're going to come out in the beginning a little nervous. Especially since we're young, and it's almost everyone's first game in the Garden, it's going to be really exciting. Hopefully we can just stay calm and play."

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7241520/the-king-court-takes-look-nation-college-basketball

Three best freshmen thus far (non-Kentucky version)
1. Brad Beal, Florida -- Last year's Gatorade National High School Player of the Year is the best player on the Gators' roster.
2. Quincy Miller, Baylor -- The 6-9 forward is averaging a team-high 18 points in Perry Jones' absence.
3. Moe Harkless, St. John's -- Harkless has helped key the Red Storm's 3-0 start by averaging 16.7 points, six boards and two steals.


-----
Thoughts from press row
3. Considering its roster is composed almost completely of newcomers, St. John's deserves tons of credit for its 3-0 start. The thing that stands out to me the most when watching the Red Storm is the chemistry and passion the players show. This is an unselfish team whose players really seem to like one another. Thursday's game against Arizona could be a good one.

The tournament's name says it all: 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
A two-day event at Madison Square Garden is part of an initiative to raise money to help fund research and awareness of a disease that affects so many.
When No. 19 Texas A&M meets Mississippi State and No. 15 Arizona faces St. John's on Thursday night, two coaches and a player will have feelings besides the usual pregame jitters.
Steve Lavin of St. John's had prostate cancer surgery on Oct. 6. He was back on the bench just over a month after the surgery, and Arizona will be his third game on the bench this season. He's become even more involved in Coaches vs. Cancer than he had been for more than two decades.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/st_john_lavin_has_special_tie_to_HC5hZwxhj20F8X4fWjzfhP#ixzz1dv2zpNHe

After two games that went closer to the wire than most had hoped, St. John’s got the comfortable win it was looking for this past Sunday, erasing an early seven-point deficit to defeat UMBC in a victory that proved the Red Storm were more than just a second-half team.

The hangover from a rout has worn off, however. Standing in their way is the 15th-ranked team in the country, one who poses as much a challenge as the several Top 25 programs the Red Storm toppled on the way to the NCAA Tournament. Below, JohnnyJungle.com prepares you for the semifinal matchup of the 2K Sports Classic, pitting the Red Storm against Sean Miller’s Arizona Wildcats.

http://johnnyjungle.com/columns/calm-before-the-storm/st-johns-makes-garden-debut-against-no-15-arizona/

Arizona's not beating us tomorrow. 

http://www.redstormsports.com/blog/2011/11/stj-basketball-coach-lavins-pregame-presser-gets-interrupted.html

St. John's coach Steve Lavin shocked an ill-timed caller who was trying to reach a 1010 Wins reporter during a press conference on Wednesday.

The phone, on the table in front of Lavin, was being used as a recorder - but the reporter had forgotten to turn off the call function.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/steve-lavin-answers-reporter-s-phone-st-john-s-basketball-press-conference-article-1.978817#ixzz1dvf5QQh2

When they were being recruited, many of the six new St. John’s players were taken on a tour of Madison Square Garden. They walked the hallowed halls, stood on the historic court and felt the history. Tonight is the night they’ve been waiting for.

The Red Storm (3-0) makes its first Garden appearance of the season against 15th-ranked Arizona (3-0) in the second semifinal of the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The first semifinal is between No.19 Texas A&M (2-0) and Mississippi State (2-1) at 7.

“I just can’t wait. I feel like it will be real exciting, electric,” said freshman Moe Harkless, who grew up a Knicks fan in Queens . “Ever since I started playing basketball, every kid dreams of hearing their names called in the big arenas. For New Yorkers it’s always been the Garden and the Knicks.”

“As far as environment, there is nothing like Madison Square Garden,” said sophomore Nurideen Lindsey, a junior-college transfer. “I’ve seen games there. . . . Now I get to play my games there. It’s great.”



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/st-john-basketball-set-open-season-madison-square-garden-coaches-cancer-game-15-arizona-article-1.978929#ixzz1dy5kMvUq

Over three decades of coaching basketball, Mike Dunlap has developed a reputation as an X’s-and-O’s whiz who specializes in defense.
He’s also pretty experienced at adaptation.
When head coach Steve Lavin left the St. John’s basketball program to undergo surgery for prostate cancer Oct. 6, Dunlap took over. Then he shifted gears in much the same way that he did in October 2008, when Lute Olson announced his sudden retirement for the Arizona Wildcats.


Read more: http://azstarnet.com/sports/basketball/college/wildcats/arizona-wildcats-basketball-cats-to-see-familiar-face-against-st/article_10106bce-10bc-11e1-8b2a-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1dy6cJM7f


http://azstarnet.com/sports/basketball/college/wildcats/arizona-wildcats-basketball-cats-to-see-familiar-face-against-st/article_10106bce-10bc-11e1-8b2a-001cc4c03286.html

Kevin Parrom speaks about the past year of his life — a life so fraught with tragedy — in a detached monotone as if the story he is telling is not his own.
Every now and then — as he opens up about his older brother’s incarceration, the death of his grandmother to cancer, the shooting that almost ended his basketball career and the death of his mother, also to cancer — Parrom, an Arizona junior forward from The Bronx, absentmindedly touches the thick, pink, rubber bracelet on his left wrist that is embossed with the word, ‘‘Strength.’’
“If one of these things happened to someone, it’s an incredible story of a young man fighting through,’’ Arizona coach Sean Miller told The Post yesterday. “But three, four of these things have happened. You have to hope the rest of his life is tragedy-free because I know I’ve never been around something like this. And, to be honest, I hope I never again am around something like this.’’


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/play_for_life_RSxejotax2pzEUIBpntjQN#ixzz1dy6h6ssa

Lotta story lines here fo a November game.

Lav playin coaches v cancer after all he been thru.
Coach Dunlap facin off against the school that didnt want him.
Kev comin home after all he been thru.

Titanic.

Great job assembling the links jj. Your feature is the place to start when Johnny fans do their own prepping for the game.

http://www.redstormsports.com/blog/2011/11/stj-basketball-coach-lavins-pregame-presser-gets-interrupted.html

St. John's coach Steve Lavin shocked an ill-timed caller who was trying to reach a 1010 Wins reporter during a press conference on Wednesday.

The phone, on the table in front of Lavin, was being used as a recorder - but the reporter had forgotten to turn off the call function.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/steve-lavin-answers-reporter-s-phone-st-john-s-basketball-press-conference-article-1.978817#ixzz1dvf5QQh2

fyi...it was mark ernay's phone...

Lotta story lines here fo a November game.

Lav playin coaches v cancer after all he been thru.
Coach Dunlap facin off against the school that didnt want him.
Kev comin home after all he been thru.

Titanic.

Re: Dunlap.   Arizona DID want him.   They offered him the interim job when Lute left - he turned it down (think he had a sneaking suspcicion Lute would make a comeback).

Quote from: Choz4Life on November 17, 2011, 08:57:00 AM

Lotta story lines here fo a November game.

Lav playin coaches v cancer after all he been thru.
Coach Dunlap facin off against the school that didnt want him.
Kev comin home after all he been thru.

Titanic.

Re: Dunlap.   Arizona DID want him.   They offered him the interim job when Lute left - he turned it down (think he had a sneaking suspcicion Lute would make a comeback).

If I remember correctly he didn't take it because they wouldn't offer him the full-time position.  The school basically told him that they were going to do a nation-wide coach search after the season and that he would be considered but they wouldn't guarantee it (i.e. you can finish the season as the head coach but after that we will part ways).

QUEENS, NEW YORK- St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin brought his players into the film room this week, as he always does, in preparation for their Thursday night game against Arizona at Madison Square Garden.

But with six first-year players on his roster, he tried to create the atmosphere that they would encounter when they step on the floor in Manhattan, with the lights of national television shining on them.

http://johnnyjungle.com/game/st-johns-matchup-with-arizona-about-experience-and-awareness/