I thought the kids looked a little nervous and rightfully so. That atmosphere was something I've never seen before at St. John's. I was hyped.
I thought the guys played with more intensity than I expected. Defense wasn't absent.
Individually I thought Lovett looked like Lovett. He's gonna handle the ball better than anyone could last season. He'll make some amazing plays and he'll have a few head scratchers. I'm hoping the good outweighs the bad. Additionally I'm hoping guys play with ready hands because he'll whip some passes in tight spaces.
Mussini looks very comfortable doing what he does. His pull up looks like an instant replay every time. That's a sign of repetition. He's also so good at laying the ball in. I'm hoping the added weight will help him finish absorbing contact.
Yakwe releases the ball higher than Sima. It's crazy he plays like a 7 footer. He's gonna be a consistent 7,7,3.
Amar isn't expected to crack rotation but I have a feeling he's gonna find his way on the floor. I really don't mind seeing him pull the trigger from the outside. He's also added on size. A mature body down low is gonna be needed. The other thing is the kid plays with energy all the time. Great spark plug to have.
Elijah Holifield grew maybe 3 in. He'll never see the floor but great practice body. He can be a tremendous asset playing scout team.
Sima looked like Sima
Richard Freudenberg was a lot taller than I expected. His stroke is pure. Game is a little fast for him right now but damn the potential is there. Need to put him in positions to succeed and develop confidence early on.
Shamorie Ponds didn't show off his ability to score. I thought he did a great job of passing and being a pest on defense. I loved to see his interaction with teammates too. Lovett, Mussini, Ellison were all bro'ing it up.
Tariq Owens looked bigger and he can potentially be a good energy guy. I'm hopeful they'll use him sparingly because I think he'll be more efficient in short sprints and he'll get sloppy in extended minutes.
Justin Simon and Marvin Clark will be impact players next year.
Nice analysis. Simon and Clark looked really good.
Our best bet would be to stick with eight players with the others finding minutes in laughers. Lovett is as good as advertised. 20 wins isn't far fetched with him at the point. Mussini also impressed. He and Amar look much improved. As long as we keep Mussini off the point, he'll be great. Amar had a strong resemblance to the guy who showed up at the Syracuse game.
Yakwe is a stud. He should keep Sima on the bench until his game catches up with him.
Ponds is also a stud. Bashir looked good...not great as advertised. Freudenberg will need time. Right now he's Hooper with better skills. Williams looks good enough to earn minutes. Same with Owens.
The team will be a lot better if they run plays rather than chucking up threes. Leave that to Amar, Mussini and Freudenberg. ONLY.
I also hope the team is working on free throws. I'm surprised Freudenberg missed one of two... I hope it's not a portend of what we can expect. I see top half of the Big East and 20+ wins if they hit free throws and chuck fewer threes.