exhibition

St. John’s looks to bounce back against Sonoma State

November 7, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

While this may be another game that doesn’t count, it certainly matters for the Red Storm. After getting beat by STAC in their first exhibition, St. John’s needs a win. St. John’s will still be without Marcus LoVett, Felix Balamou, and Kassoum Yakwe who are battling injuries and awaiting clearance from the NCAA on their eligibility.

Bottom line: no excuses.

This game will not only be telling for St. John’s players but also head coach Chris Mullin. Last game coach Mullin let the boys take their whooping while being mild mannered on the sidelines. Perhaps coach wanted to see the resolve of his players but today he needs to step up and lead his team to a victory.

Game Info

Date: Saturday, November 7, 2015
Location: Carnesecca Arena
Time: 4:00PM est
TV: ESPN3 (watch ESPN app)

What to look for

Can Durand Johnson and Ron Mvouika be dependable scorers? I was really looking for these guys to be more of go-to guys on this team. The bad shots, turnovers, and poor decisions were expected from freshman but not from 5th year seniors. After last game the only place to go is up. Johnson needs to score the ball in a variety of ways but should not be shooting more than two threes a game. As for Mvouika he needs to get into open space and score off the catch. Play to your strengths.

Better defensive rotation and close outs. It may take some time for guys to find themselves offensively but the good thing about defense is it can be built on a foundation of sweat and hustle. Far too often guys didn’t close out against STAC and it cost them. Would be great to see the team play with more urgency and suffocate Sonoma State today.

How to get Williams going?A lot of people assumed that when Williams was committed to Iowa St. then to St. John’s he’d be the 2nd coming of George Niang. Well not quite. However Williams is a good player but he needs to figure out his role. He shares some characteristics to former Johnny Orlando Sanchez. He isn’t a true post but he isn’t a small forward. What are some plays that can get him the ball in his sweet spot? He can be a matchup problem but can’t have him freelancing above the three point line.

Can St. John’s take care of the basketball? The biggest struggle for incoming freshman is realizing they can’t get away with stuff that worked in high school. Coming into the season I felt Malik Ellison would suffer from this the most. In high school Ellison could get deep in the paint, pump, and finish but in college that window doesn’t exist. DJ Kennedy went through these growing pains too. St. John’s needs to value the basketball in both ball handling and shot selection. Goal should be to have less than 13 turnovers.

Can Christian Jones run with high motor again? Jones has a nice soft touch within the paint. He’s always shown that but where he’s struggled is defensively showing little awareness and hunger to use his athleticism to rebound and block shots. The latter is what he’ll need to do to earn minutes, and when he earns minutes he’ll gain confidence.

St. John’s loses exhibition to Division 2 St. Thomas Aquinas

November 5, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

Growing pains were expected this season but a 32 point slaughter wasn’t in the blueprint. It didn’t take long for St. Thomas Aquinas to get into a full court press which is a staple of Tobin Anderson coached teams. It didn’t appear that the young St. John’s squad was prepared to handle the full court pressure. STAC took a commanding lead early and never looked back.

The loss will certainly grab headlines, produce some angry fan tweets, but ultimately this game doesn’t count. This is a good measuring stick for the new look Red Storm team. It will be interesting to see how the team responds in their next exhibition game.

Here are some post game notes.

Positives

Mussini can handle the ball, make good decision off pick and roll, and hit an open jumper from beyond the arc.
Sima blocked shots without getting into foul trouble.
All of St. John’s big men have some pick and pop potential.
Christian Jones spin move and finish at the rim.
Christian Jones recording a double double after sitting most of 2nd half.
Malik Ellison earning the start and looked capable spotting minutes running the point.

Negatives

Durand Johnson didn’t make a shot. (0-7) from the floor.
Mussini defense was suspect. Had trouble keeping players in front which had him backing up and guys started pulling up.
Defense lacked hustle and awareness. From reaching to rotation it was a mess.
Turnovers on inbounds.
Turnovers period.
Darien Williams setting sloppy ball screens.
Mvouika committing more turnovers than he had points. 5:4
Mullin failing to stop the bleeding.
Coaches and team didn’t play for the win in the 2nd half.
Alibegovic had 3 shots and 2 of them were from 3. He didn’t make any of them.
Team settled for way too many jump shots instead of going to the rim. Shooting 26 threes is too much and making 6 confirms that.

Overall

Mussini is going to be a really good player for this team as will Williams, Ellison, and Sima. You witnessed the worst of the growing pains today (lets hope). The real disappointment in this game came from Durand Johnson and Ron Mvouika who couldn’t have had worse debuts combining to go 1-12 from the floor. The lone bright spot came from Christian Jones who could become a spark plug forward off the bench this season.

St. John’s Exhibition Pre-Game St. Thomas Aquinas

November 4, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

Finally the time has come for the next chapter of St. John’s men’s basketball to begin. Chris Mullin will be making his official debut on the sidelines. St. John’s will be facing St. Thomas Aquinas, the instate Division II. The game at Carnesecca Arena will be broadcasted live on ESPN3 (Watch ESPN app) tonight at 7:00 pm est.

Who’s NOT playing?

Transfer Tariq Owens can not participate in competition but is able to workout and practice with team for remainder of the year.
Kassoum Yakwe is not yet cleared for competition and is still waiting for NCAA clearance. This was anticipated and it’s possible he may sit out for remainder of the year.
The big question mark is point guard Marcus LoVett. He has not been cleared yet by the NCAA for competition. The school was hopeful they would have had a ruling by NCAA as soon as today which why no formal announcement was made about him being out. The reason why LoVett has not been cleared is due to the multiple transfers he had in high school. There is a lot of fact checking that requires a lot of back and forth from NCAA to high schools & teachers which undoubtably creates a lot of delays if either party drops the ball on communication. (Insert Jay Bilas rant)

Questions marks…

How much of the lion’s share will senior transfers Durand Johnson and Ron Mvouika have in the offense? There is no doubt that Johnson will be the go-to player in the offense but will Mvouika be the 2nd option? Mvouika could have a similar role as former 1 year wonder Avery Patterson which means bombs away from beyond the arc.

What kind of impact will returning players have on this team? Felix Balamou will look to carve a role for himself this year as the junk-guard dog. Defense, rebounding, and hustle points will be the key to staying on the court this year. Christian Jones needs to improve his go-cart motor and show a desire to do more than just dunk a ball but there is little confidence here he’ll unlock that potential. Amir Alibegovic continues to show some flashes he can make an impact. His decision making and play speed are the two things that kept him off the court last year.

Can Sima log over 25 min a game? There aren’t a lot of bigs in the conference who log over 20min per game due to fatigue, playing style, or foul trouble. Sima is more mobile than he showed in high school and might be best true big man St. John’s has had in over a decade.

Can St. John’s look like a superior team tonight? Far too often you’ll see a young team play to the level of their competition. Can St. John’s avoid the trap of playing down to their competition? Will be a good early test to see if the Red Storm can play disciplined and mistake free basketball. Expect some early struggles but don’t hit the panic button.