Game 29: Georgetown

Has there been an update on Owens's injury?

Saw his dad posted on Twitter

Renard buys houses‏@eljefe132 2h2 hours ago

@johntmc24 @Sneaky_Bounce thanks sprained ankle not to serious tender no walking boot so that's good

Yea I don't think its lack of effort.  I think its lack of focus.  I think it's coming up in the AAU scene where kids who are great offensively don't have to play defense and being in major college hoops for the first time, where you do.  I think it's simply not being good defenders yet.  Some kids are off the bat, and some kids aren't.  And I think that when so much of asked of you on one end of the floor, it is harder to learn at a young age how to bring it both ways.

Some of your favorite players at Iona have been horrific defenders, against inferior athletes and players.  You think they didn't give a s***?

Quote from: Marco Baldi on February 25, 2017, 06:09:46 PM

Quote from: prjohnnies on February 25, 2017, 05:14:20 PM

I don't understand your issue with him and Lovett.  They are the best young guard we've had here in 15+ years.  We ask them to do everything and rarely have a shot at winning if both aren't really good on offense.  We have 7 wins in the Big East - a number most didn't think we'd reach -- primarily because of them.  They easily outplayed your boy Howard - who you love -- in both games, and embarassed him the first time to the point where he couldn't bring the ball up.  And they are two of the best freshman guards in the country that every team would want right now. 

Yes, they need to get much better on defense.  I don't think their lack of defensive prowess has anything to do with effort.  It has to do with the fact that most first year players, especially ones that were great offensively in HS, aren't good defensive players off the bat.  Perhaps it also has to do with focus; when you are asked to do everything else for a team, you might lose some focus on the defensive side.

If Mussini were the lead guard on this years team, we win 1 Big East game like last year.  We have a great shot at 8 or more because of these two.

Quote from: Marco Baldi on February 25, 2017, 01:16:33 PM

Quote from: Celtics11 on February 25, 2017, 12:56:58 PM

Quote from: Marco Baldi on February 25, 2017, 12:54:41 PM

Ponds worst defensive player on the team. No effort

Maybe it's just not his thang.

Playing in March won't be his thang either

Their offense is great. The lack of effort on d is noticeable. This is the Big East, gotta play d

The Iona guys absolutely did not give a sht about defense, that's why they went there. The no d thing can work at that level when you have 5 starters who can score and guys off the bench  who can put the ball in the hole, St Johns has 3 and sometimes 1 off the bench. There's a reason why Owens has become a shot blocker

Good to get a win in a game where Lovett was mostly quiet. Mussini proving he does have some worth when he's hitting shots like he did today.

I'm not expecting us to be all the competitive @ Creighton because of how terrible we've been on the road. The game next Saturday vs Providence should be interesting as that is going to be a really really big game for Providence.

Waiting for Dave's "Ellison was brutal today but he'll be a good player eventually" post. Seems to be an every game occurrence now.

Georgetown recap: http://www.bigeastboards.com/

Over 11,000 at the game, seems like a solid crowd. There seems so good momentum and interest is being built up by the fan base. Hopefully we can have a fun ending to this season and a great season next season.

- Had one or two or five of those Bronx Pale ales for the first time that Mj always touts.
Quite refreshing!

- Ellison has misplaced his stroke and his confidence and was clearly playing better earlier in the year.  But he's lean, long, our best defensive guard and all our other guards are shetland ponies. He was a vital piece against a Georgetown team that's typically bigger than us 1 thru 5. 

Coach is smarter than youse guys and is using him appropriately.   He needs to play the 30+ he gets.  Frustrating as it may be at times.

- Da Ali B had a great 4 pt. 0 rebound 20 minute outing. Hit a nice ever rare for him off the dribble J and had that huge steal breakaway dunk. Be honest - anybody else anticipated a travel on that play?  Some of the best D without fouling he's ever shown.  His inside play, plus Darien's return,  helped neutralize the Hoya's inside advantage without To.  Was lucky he didn't get called for an intentional foul twice.

- Bash's belief system is unique.  In his mind he's a cross between George Gervin and Earl Monroe.

- The not a Be player who shouldn't be on the court that needs to transfer and can't guard a lamppost Italian sparked the win.  Oh yeah...he's a sophmore.

- Sham is in range of the third all-time leading scorer 3'lo's St. John's freshmen scoring record.  An even bigger accomplishment is that he could pass the great Avery "single game 3pt record holder" Patterson's 72 threes and move into 2nd place on the all-time list.

- Have you guys been watching the press conferences?  It has been made crystal clear, many times, by multiple players, that it is we the fans who are directly responsible for all of these home wins.

So the onus is upon us.  You want to have a winning basketball team?  Get your a$$ to the games!!!

Watching live didn't think AliB walked. On replay thought he took 3 steps. Saw it again and I'm up to 5 count em 5 steps! They were small and they were quick but watch it again see when he picks up his dribble and when he finally goes up. 5 steps!

You want to have a winning basketball team keep Ellison on the bench.

You want to have a winning basketball team keep Ellison on the bench.

Agreed. He is horrible. I get that he's a good athlete and a decent defender but every time he gets the ball I cringe. Makes horrible decisions and his jumper is completely broken.

Bashir is barley better. Guy is a forced shot/contested shot and turnover machine. He's gotta be the least efficient player in the Big East.

Hopefully Simon, Clark and whatever grad transfer we bring in turn out to be major contributors and we can play Bash and Malik a lot less. Because barring a huge turnaround for both we aren't going very far with them getting as many minutes as they're getting now.

No doubt Ahmed forces shots and they are contested, but If we call Ahmed a turnover machine, it's only fair to call Lovett out as well, despite his ability to score.

Lovett's got two less turnovers, in three less games in 68 more total minutes played

Not that far off IMO....

Name                       G    #     Avg/G   Min   
AHMED, Bashir     29     70     2.41        775
LOVETT, Marcus     26     68     2.61        843

 

- Had one or two or five of those Bronx Pale ales for the first time that Mj always touts.
Quite refreshing!

- Ellison has misplaced his stroke and his confidence and was clearly playing better earlier in the year.  But he's lean, long, our best defensive guard and all our other guards are shetland ponies. He was a vital piece against a Georgetown team that's typically bigger than us 1 thru 5. 

Coach is smarter than youse guys and is using him appropriately.   He needs to play the 30+ he gets.  Frustrating as it may be at times.

- Da Ali B had a great 4 pt. 0 rebound 20 minute outing. Hit a nice ever rare for him off the dribble J and had that huge steal breakaway dunk. Be honest - anybody else anticipated a travel on that play?  Some of the best D without fouling he's ever shown.  His inside play, plus Darien's return,  helped neutralize the Hoya's inside advantage without To.  Was lucky he didn't get called for an intentional foul twice.

- Bash's belief system is unique.  In his mind he's a cross between George Gervin and Earl Monroe.

- The not a Be player who shouldn't be on the court that needs to transfer and can't guard a lamppost Italian sparked the win.  Oh yeah...he's a sophmore.

- Sham is in range of the third all-time leading scorer 3'lo's St. John's freshmen scoring record.  An even bigger accomplishment is that he could pass the great Avery "single game 3pt record holder" Patterson's 72 threes and move into 2nd place on the all-time list.

- Have you guys been watching the press conferences?  It has been made crystal clear, many times, by multiple players, that it is we the fans who are directly responsible for all of these home wins.

So the onus is upon us.  You want to have a winning basketball team?  Get your a$$ to the games!!!

I stopped reading when I saw Ellison was our best defensive guard. The next screen he goes over will be his first--pure laziness.  He couldn't cover Baldi or any of his old St. Francis Prep teammates off the bounce. He may be the worst defensive "guard" I've ever seen at St. John's, and I put guard in quotes because he can't defend the position two years into his career.

No doubt Ahmed forces shots and they are contested, but If we call Ahmed a turnover machine, it's only fair to call Lovett out as well, despite his ability to score.

Lovett's got two less turnovers, in three less games in 68 more total minutes played

Not that far off IMO....

Name                       G    #     Avg/G   Min   
AHMED, Bashir     29     70     2.41        775
LOVETT, Marcus     26     68     2.61        843

Lovett has the ball much more and is responsible for setting up his teammates so he will have TOs from errant passes etc......no comparison, Ahmed's TOs arise from his constantly forcing the action

- Had one or two or five of those Bronx Pale ales for the first time that Mj always touts.
Quite refreshing!

- Ellison has misplaced his stroke and his confidence and was clearly playing better earlier in the year.  But he's lean, long, our best defensive guard and all our other guards are shetland ponies. He was a vital piece against a Georgetown team that's typically bigger than us 1 thru 5. 

Coach is smarter than youse guys and is using him appropriately.   He needs to play the 30+ he gets.  Frustrating as it may be at times.

- Da Ali B had a great 4 pt. 0 rebound 20 minute outing. Hit a nice ever rare for him off the dribble J and had that huge steal breakaway dunk. Be honest - anybody else anticipated a travel on that play?  Some of the best D without fouling he's ever shown.  His inside play, plus Darien's return,  helped neutralize the Hoya's inside advantage without To.  Was lucky he didn't get called for an intentional foul twice.

- Bash's belief system is unique.  In his mind he's a cross between George Gervin and Earl Monroe.

- The not a Be player who shouldn't be on the court that needs to transfer and can't guard a lamppost Italian sparked the win.  Oh yeah...he's a sophmore.

- Sham is in range of the third all-time leading scorer 3'lo's St. John's freshmen scoring record.  An even bigger accomplishment is that he could pass the great Avery "single game 3pt record holder" Patterson's 72 threes and move into 2nd place on the all-time list.

- Have you guys been watching the press conferences?  It has been made crystal clear, many times, by multiple players, that it is we the fans who are directly responsible for all of these home wins.

So the onus is upon us.  You want to have a winning basketball team?  Get your a$$ to the games!!!

Haaaa. Had 2 myself also. Very refreshing and taste even better during a win

Bash consistently getting to the line in the 2nd half stemmed each potential GTown run. He's going to be a beast next year after a full summer with Mullin and Mitch. Shot selection poor at times, but people need to appreciate what he does for this team.

Shamorie's 3 at the end of the 1st half and huge 3 to put us back up 4 in the 2nd saved us. He has ice in his veins and has a champion's DNA. He's truly special.  When talking to a fellow die hard at Blarney Rock yesterday, he told me that he thinks Shamorie will surpass Mullin as the best Johnnie in recent history IF he's stays all four years. If he keeps on scoring at this clip and does indeed stay all 4, it might be a conversation.

Mullin wasn't using Shamorie/Marcus on the floor nearly the entire 2nd half, there was a huge stretch of time with Marcus on the bench. I'm glad he got his at the end of the game.

These freshman and sophs beating GTown and @Cuse, along with the Butler upset and @Providence win has made this season very fun. Headaches in between, but the YOY improvement is apparent. Credit the coaching staff, they're doing just fine.

Yesterday officially made the BE season a success. 7 BE wins, 5 of them at home. The team should have their heads held high when flying out to Omaha tomorrow. 

Quote from: carmineabbatiello on February 25, 2017, 09:33:13 PM

- Had one or two or five of those Bronx Pale ales for the first time that Mj always touts.
Quite refreshing!

- Ellison has misplaced his stroke and his confidence and was clearly playing better earlier in the year.  But he's lean, long, our best defensive guard and all our other guards are shetland ponies. He was a vital piece against a Georgetown team that's typically bigger than us 1 thru 5. 

Coach is smarter than youse guys and is using him appropriately.   He needs to play the 30+ he gets.  Frustrating as it may be at times.

- Da Ali B had a great 4 pt. 0 rebound 20 minute outing. Hit a nice ever rare for him off the dribble J and had that huge steal breakaway dunk. Be honest - anybody else anticipated a travel on that play?  Some of the best D without fouling he's ever shown.  His inside play, plus Darien's return,  helped neutralize the Hoya's inside advantage without To.  Was lucky he didn't get called for an intentional foul twice.

- Bash's belief system is unique.  In his mind he's a cross between George Gervin and Earl Monroe.

- The not a Be player who shouldn't be on the court that needs to transfer and can't guard a lamppost Italian sparked the win.  Oh yeah...he's a sophmore.

- Sham is in range of the third all-time leading scorer 3'lo's St. John's freshmen scoring record.  An even bigger accomplishment is that he could pass the great Avery "single game 3pt record holder" Patterson's 72 threes and move into 2nd place on the all-time list.

- Have you guys been watching the press conferences?  It has been made crystal clear, many times, by multiple players, that it is we the fans who are directly responsible for all of these home wins.

So the onus is upon us.  You want to have a winning basketball team?  Get your a$$ to the games!!!

I stopped reading when I saw Ellison was our best defensive guard. The next screen he goes over will be his first--pure laziness.  He couldn't cover Baldi or any of his old St. Francis Prep teammates off the bounce. He may be the worst defensive "guard" I've ever seen at St. John's, and I put guard in quotes because he can't defend the position two years into his career.

Who's better?

Better to start Owens, Yawke, Ahmed, Ponds & Lovett. Substitute Williams/Albegovich for Owens & Yawke as needed or move Ahmed to the 4. Substitute Mussini for Ponds/Lovett. Only play Ellison when Ahmed is in foul trouble or moved to 4 position. When game is on the line ALWAYS have Ellison on the bench.

Quote from: Marillac on February 26, 2017, 09:39:24 AM

Quote from: carmineabbatiello on February 25, 2017, 09:33:13 PM

- Had one or two or five of those Bronx Pale ales for the first time that Mj always touts.
Quite refreshing!

- Ellison has misplaced his stroke and his confidence and was clearly playing better earlier in the year.  But he's lean, long, our best defensive guard and all our other guards are shetland ponies. He was a vital piece against a Georgetown team that's typically bigger than us 1 thru 5. 

Coach is smarter than youse guys and is using him appropriately.   He needs to play the 30+ he gets.  Frustrating as it may be at times.

- Da Ali B had a great 4 pt. 0 rebound 20 minute outing. Hit a nice ever rare for him off the dribble J and had that huge steal breakaway dunk. Be honest - anybody else anticipated a travel on that play?  Some of the best D without fouling he's ever shown.  His inside play, plus Darien's return,  helped neutralize the Hoya's inside advantage without To.  Was lucky he didn't get called for an intentional foul twice.

- Bash's belief system is unique.  In his mind he's a cross between George Gervin and Earl Monroe.

- The not a Be player who shouldn't be on the court that needs to transfer and can't guard a lamppost Italian sparked the win.  Oh yeah...he's a sophmore.

- Sham is in range of the third all-time leading scorer 3'lo's St. John's freshmen scoring record.  An even bigger accomplishment is that he could pass the great Avery "single game 3pt record holder" Patterson's 72 threes and move into 2nd place on the all-time list.

- Have you guys been watching the press conferences?  It has been made crystal clear, many times, by multiple players, that it is we the fans who are directly responsible for all of these home wins.

So the onus is upon us.  You want to have a winning basketball team?  Get your a$$ to the games!!!

I stopped reading when I saw Ellison was our best defensive guard. The next screen he goes over will be his first--pure laziness.  He couldn't cover Baldi or any of his old St. Francis Prep teammates off the bounce. He may be the worst defensive "guard" I've ever seen at St. John's, and I put guard in quotes because he can't defend the position two years into his career.

Who's better?

I can't stand watching Ellison but I have to give to give him credit on defense. I think
he gets it done on the defensive end.
The exception on Ellison is when he does a bonehead play on offense and quickly
gets back on defense and fouls
I attend all the MSG games and that was the most sustained noise this year. Just a great
game to be at.

Quote from: Marillac on February 26, 2017, 09:39:24 AM

Quote from: carmineabbatiello on February 25, 2017, 09:33:13 PM

- Had one or two or five of those Bronx Pale ales for the first time that Mj always touts.
Quite refreshing!

- Ellison has misplaced his stroke and his confidence and was clearly playing better earlier in the year.  But he's lean, long, our best defensive guard and all our other guards are shetland ponies. He was a vital piece against a Georgetown team that's typically bigger than us 1 thru 5. 

Coach is smarter than youse guys and is using him appropriately.   He needs to play the 30+ he gets.  Frustrating as it may be at times.

- Da Ali B had a great 4 pt. 0 rebound 20 minute outing. Hit a nice ever rare for him off the dribble J and had that huge steal breakaway dunk. Be honest - anybody else anticipated a travel on that play?  Some of the best D without fouling he's ever shown.  His inside play, plus Darien's return,  helped neutralize the Hoya's inside advantage without To.  Was lucky he didn't get called for an intentional foul twice.

- Bash's belief system is unique.  In his mind he's a cross between George Gervin and Earl Monroe.

- The not a Be player who shouldn't be on the court that needs to transfer and can't guard a lamppost Italian sparked the win.  Oh yeah...he's a sophmore.

- Sham is in range of the third all-time leading scorer 3'lo's St. John's freshmen scoring record.  An even bigger accomplishment is that he could pass the great Avery "single game 3pt record holder" Patterson's 72 threes and move into 2nd place on the all-time list.

- Have you guys been watching the press conferences?  It has been made crystal clear, many times, by multiple players, that it is we the fans who are directly responsible for all of these home wins.

So the onus is upon us.  You want to have a winning basketball team?  Get your a$$ to the games!!!

I stopped reading when I saw Ellison was our best defensive guard. The next screen he goes over will be his first--pure laziness.  He couldn't cover Baldi or any of his old St. Francis Prep teammates off the bounce. He may be the worst defensive "guard" I've ever seen at St. John's, and I put guard in quotes because he can't defend the position two years into his career.

Who's better?

Everyone. He has no ability to stop anyone's dribble. Don't be fooled by him getting a deflection or steal here and there. He's a lousy defender and he has absolutely no desire to rebound.