Amir Garrett’s first field goal as a member of the Red Storm came, fittingly, on a dunk.
On a drive with just over eight minutes left, God’sgift Achiuwa drove to the basket and dished it off to the high-flying, 6-6 freshman, who then threw it down, giving him the second and third points of his St. John’s debut, a 66-61 win over Texas-Pan American on Wednesday night.
St. John’s trailed by as many as 12 in the second half, but was sparked by 12 straight points in a six minute span by freshman guard D’Angelo Harrison to get within striking distance, and eventually move ahead, avoiding an upset loss.
JohnnyJungle.com takes a look at some lasting impressions from the Red Storm’s 66-61 win on Wednesday night.
You Can See the Potential, but Garrett Needs Time
With all the rough patches that St. John’s has hit in the first half of the 2011-12 season, Amir Garrett’s debut stood as the possible shot in the arm that could revitalize this team. In 15 minutes against Texas-Pan American, Garrett had three points and two rebounds on one-of-two shooting.
He just recently stepped on campus, enrolled, and began practicing with the team. It will take time for the coaching staff to unlock and implement his full potential, but it is clear that he is built for high-major basketball. In the short-term, his ability to eat minutes will be important, considering the short bench.
Harrison Coming Into His Own
Assistant coach Mike Dunlap said, prior to Saturday’s game with Fordham, that the coaching staff was looking to develop D’Angelo Harrison in the same way Dwight Hardy was molded last season. Both known as high-scoring guards, Hardy was used as the primary ballhandler in his senior season.
With the departure of Nurideen Lindsey this season, St. John’s is looking to D’Angelo Harrison to assume that role. He showed up on Wednesday night, going 7-of-13 from the field for 21 points and one assist.
Looks remarkably similar to a strong Dwight Hardy statline, doesn’t it?
Early-Season Gift Returns
The God’sgift Achiuwa that showed himself early in the season returned on Wednesday night, as he went for 22 points and nine rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.
After struggling against Detroit and playing an efficient (but not primary) role against Fordham, Achiuwa led the way on Wednesday night and solidified the paint on the offensive end for the Red Storm.
He was back to his bullying ways, throwing his weight around down low, but also stepped out into the mid-range to hit a few jumpers. As long as he sticks with the post as his primary option, extending out into the mid-range could be another added feature to his game.
Three-Point Shooting Kept UTPA In The Game
There are no other areas of the stat sheet that UTPA led. They had only one offensive rebound (the problem against Northeastern), only two blocks (the problem against Kentucky), were -5 in the turnover margin (a key factor all season), but 10-of-24 from beyond the arc kept the Broncs in this one until the end.
At times, St. John’s looked as if chasing the ball while in the match-up zone, and even switched to a man defense to combat the cause. There were still difficulties with leaving shooters open after the ball was swung around, though, which translated into such a high percentage from distance.
Because the Red Storm were forced into the half-court and only had 66 points, the impact of the opposition’s three-ball were amplified.
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