Here are my notes from today's practice.
First off, it was a lot of fun to watch the guys run drills, and encourage each other. Yes, this was a practice/performance, but I can share what I saw, and learned FWIW. Overall, the scrimmage was sloppy, but there were several bright points from the afternoon:
For starters:
- St.John's will look to continue this tradition of inviting season ticket holders to a practice at MSG
- You can now send someone your St.John's tickets electronically
- Isaiah Briscoe was in attendance along with another recruit (IDK who it was, anyone? Plus, some nice person actually asked coach about Briscoe. Coach can't talk about a player who hasn't signed on a LOI. Shouldn't we all know this by now?
Obekpa - Had a great attitude during practice, and really showed a genuine interest in playing on sides of the ball. He scored, passed, and of course blocked shots. I'm saying I see a double double, but 8 and 9 w 4 blocks isn't crazy.
Harrison - Also had a great attitude and seemed to really enjoy practicing in front of his fans. As per usual D'Angelo is in great shape, and scored from all over the court.
Greene - His jumper was falling from all over.
Dom - Dom looked really good. Rebounded, went strong to the basket and passed well. Amar while racing for a loose ball sent Dom flying. He was ok, but not happy about it. He reminded the kid not to do that to him.
Jones - Lavin told us he had knee surgery two weeks ago. He has not played any ball
since, and have no time table on when he will, if at all. He seamed pretty depressed sitting there on the sidelines. Hopefully, he can get back out there soon.
Balamou - He played guard in the scrimmage and looked fine. Scored a couple of baskets off the dribble, and defended well.
Jordan - He was fine. Went strong to the basket and passed well.
Branch - I can see why Lavin had such high hopes for him last year. He practices really well. He's fast, and intense in the workouts and his circus shots go down almost every time.
New Guys:
Amar Alibegovic - Those who laughed at this addition may be eating their words. He can play. He looked like a twig in the photo we saw over the summer, but he's a big man who can face the basket and stick a three, which he did BTW.
Keith Thomas - He reminded me of Ron Roberts. Even looks like him, too. He has some offensive game, but unfortunately for him Obekpa was guarding him so many of shots were blocked.
Adonis Delarosa - Looked like a cross between Shawnelle Scott and Curtis Johnson, but with Curtis Johnson's meal plan. Coach said he was impressed with him and Amar, but did acknowledge that he needs to lose weight. That much is completely obvious.
Joey Delarosa - Big dude. I didn't notice any offense, but he was holding his ground defensively, so he'll push the bigs in practice, and who knows? Even Albert Richardson had moments of glory, if not greatness.
Myles Stewart - Again, those that laughed will be surprised. He can play. This kid is big, and he's pretty fluid. I was surprised that he walked on to play at St.John's. Does he expect to earn a ship next year? If so, good move.
Jay Henderson - And again, another guy who could have gone to strong programs on a free ride came here, and I'm damn glad he did. Kid can shoot the rock, and he can put it on the floor. He hit at least 2 threes.
Mystery Big Man? There was a big man running drills with the team. He's about 6'6/6'7 or so. Looked ok. Anyone know who this is? He's a walk on.
Depth. There is tremendous depth on this team right now. Lavin has a full roster, and at least two walk ons with game. It's going to be a fun year. I might have left someone out, but that's what I got.