Detroit - Post Game Discussion

Great win, Obekpa is a beast. It will fun to watch him all season.

Agree re: Sampson.  Remember how Mo looked prior to the Providence game last year? 

Great win against a veteran, battle-tested team, good mid-major with some legit high major players.  Correct me if I am wrong, but is Detroit the favorite to win the Horizon this year?

Phil with 20 pts, 6 assists, 7 rebs
Amir with a double/double - 15 pts 11 rebs
D'lo  22 pts, 5 rebs, 3 steals
Obekpa 7 pts 9 rebs 7 blocks per the broadcast - I had him with 9.
Christian with 8pts  3 assists  - nice debut

What's great is you KNOW Sampson, 2 pts, 5 rebs,  2 blocks, 1 assist - was just nervous energy - he WILL settle down in coming games.

Sloppy, as first games are wont to be, but SO many good things to take away from it.

I have to revise one prediction - Obekpa's gonna play a LOT more than 20 minutes a game.

+1

Not adding much here but very impressed with Obepka and Jones in their debuts.  And Greene had a fantastic game, especially in the first half when no one else on the team could score.  If he and DLo can both score on a consistent basis, then they have a shot to be a good team.  And they covered (but not by much). 

great heart...great hustle....great win.  stay healthy and play deep into march. 

Great win!!! Welcome back DLo!!!

The odds makers really amaze me, especially in college sports early in the year. How the hell do you put a spread on a game where one team has this many freshman and still come close.

Good win guys. Obepka was impressive.

So what's going on with Sanchez and Marco? I thought they were just trying to determine if they were a sophomore and a junior or a junior and a senior? If that's the case how come they're not playing. I mean once their classes are determined St. Johns plans on playing them. Doesn't seem like any reason to hold them out no matter which way the NCAA decides.

Is there more to it than that? Are they still determining eligibility on these guys in whether they can play at all?

Good win guys. Obepka was impressive.

So what's going on with Sanchez and Marco? I thought they were just trying to determine if they were a sophomore and a junior or a junior and a senior? If that's the case how come they're not playing. I mean once their classes are determined St. Johns plans on playing them. Doesn't seem like any reason to hold them out no matter which way the NCAA decides.

Is there more to it than that? Are they still determining eligibility on these guys in whether they can play at all?

It's the clearinghouse. St John's will get screwed, that's a rule

Steve Lavin on guarding Ray McCallum: "We made him work, hence the 8-for-23. You're not going to shut out a player of that caliber." #stjbb

Steve Lavin: "Right now, Felix (Balamou) will play this year...we expect him to play and at this point, Gift is likely going to redshirt."

Steve Lavin on Amir Garrett: "He's starting to understand the importance of gathering himself in traffic and taking balanced shots." #stjbb

Steve Lavin: "This was similar to what teams in the postseason face in the first round." #stjbb

Steve Lavin: "I thought the players showed a collective, resilient spirit." #stjbb

Steve Lavin on Chris Obekpa: "He's unique to anyone I've seen." #stjbb

Steve Lavin: "We knew we were going to get a great test today, and we ultimately found a way to get a win." #stjbb

D'Angelo Harrison: "My job is to play basketball here. It doesn't matter who starts or doesn't start." #stjbb

Phil Greene: "Nobody knew, but I had something torn in my wrist last year...that's what made it so hard for me to shoot." #stjbb
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Chris Obekpa on eight-block performance: "It was fun, so I kept on doing it." #stjbb

Phil Greene: "Obekpa guarded the rim...he was crazy." #stjbb

D'Angelo Harrison: "We know how to fight...having our guys step up and make plays was amazing." #stjbb

Nothing is for sure. It seems that Marco is a matter of if he's a soph or Junior. Sanchez is all over the map as far as what people think. I thought it was a matter of if he's a junior or senior but some think there's more to it than that.

Chris Obekpa on eight-block performance: "It was fun, so I kept on doing it." #stjbb


LOL!!!!

Nothing bad I can say.  We started slow, but got better as the game went on.

-Phil was absolutely awesome today.  Set the tempo. 
-D'lo quiet early, then a game changer the second half.  Killer. 
-Obekpa-  as I said before the game, this kid was a huge key.  Now he is a huge problem for offenses in the post.  Kid almost had a triple double in his first game against a very good team.
-jones was solid and controlled.  Liked what he added.
-Amir I thought was quiet.  Then I found out he had 15/11

Overall this team matured a ton in one game and got better throughout..  We got contribution from everybody, even if Jakarr had an off game for him.  We did this playing several players short as well.

Finally, I thought Lavin coached a really good game.  Lavs had the kids playing good man defense which improved over the course of the game.  Made the switch to some zone that really negated what Detroit was trying to do.  In the end, we squeaked out a win against a very good quality opponent.

We snuck off the jitters, executed our plan and really improved throughout the game.  Guess Lavin can make adjustments without Dunlap.  Result is 1-0 entering Charleston Classic with a good win under our belt.

Very happy to start the year off with a win vs a team that I think can make it to the NCAA Tourney out of The Horizon League in Detroit. We really have some high flying, athletic players led by Obekpa. I don't want to get too nuts about him since God's Gift feasted early last year too but my god the athleticism....its just something else. Yeah he's raw offensively but he is already something special in post defense, its been a long time since this team has had something like him.

I think Sampson just had jitters, he was unlucky with his close up shots. Harrison was money in the 2nd half, I really do want to see him start moving forward. Just makes you wonder who'd be the 6th man, maybe Pointer?

I was convinced we'd lose this game as late as 10 minutes of the 2nd half, just seemed like a game we'd never find a way to win but we just out hustled and out rebounded Detroit in the final stage and really came out and stole the win from them. We hung in and really took the best that underrated Detroit backcourt gave and we found answers. Very happy.

Just got off work live NJ.

Fan support looks weak.

Just got off work live NJ.

Fan support looks weak.

Crowd was great IMO, even if not as big as some would like.  As big as could be for a 2 pm Tuesday game, but that hey were loud and active. 

Crowd #s were not great! But those who were there made their presence felt!!!! Student section great job again.. Place was loud! Very good win for the boys

Correct.  He could just be forced to sit a few games.  This is not over yet.

Great quotes from delusional people:
"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"-Senator Blutarsky
"Remain calm, all is well" -Chip Diller
"This is not over yet"-MCNPA

What do you know about his status bro?  Please don't be calling me out.  Last I checked we were still waiting on the NCAA to tell us something.

Just back and I do not remember ( and i go back a long time) any player having a game Like Chris to start his SJU career.  He is quite exciting and a type of player we have not had in a LONG time.  He has flaws but that is what development is about.  He really loves to block shots, probably more than he loves to score.  Watching his reaction to a block is fun.  I enjoyed seeing him hit the face up jumper late in the second half from 15 to 18 feet with nothing but net.  That is something he needs to do to open the middle.  His development is going to fun to watch. 

i had to miss the end of the game...

it's great to read how the team gutted out a win.