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The Perfect Storm Rages On

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St. John’s finally takes the court for the first time in the 2010-11 season thirteen days from now when they tip off against St. Mary’s to officially commence the Steve Lavin era. However, as only its New York City locale can do, the hoopla surrounding the Johnnies and the first seven months of the Lavin administration continues to reach crescendos that had been unknown by the program since its 1999 Elite Eight appearance. The most honorable aspect of this additional media attention, you might ask? Lavin and his young charges have refused to let the publicity go to their heads for the most part, and their 46-year-old head man credits the pragmatic approach employed by world-renowned UCLA coach John Wooden and newly minted special assistant Gene Keady as the primary reason why he and his team has remained so humble.

Jaden Daly gets quotes from Coach Steve Lavin at Big East Media Day. (JohnnyJungle.com)
“We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made,” gushed Lavin during our interview two weeks ago at Big East media day inside Madison Square Garden, an event where Lavin was the center of attention for over two hours. Lavin and his staff have approached their maiden voyage at the helm of the Johnnies as one where they are taking the baton from predecessor Norm Roberts and continuing along on their climb to the top of the Big East, a journey Lavin talks about in a spiritual context.

Game number one, which comes against a St. Mary’s team that reached the Sweet 16 a year ago and returns four of their five starters from last season (only center Omar Samhan has left) will go a long way in determining just how far the Johnnies have come this offseason. “I thought it was vital that we play a tough road game before we step into the Big East,” Lavin remarked, adding that leading a team relatively untested into conference play, “would be considered a mistake in our preparation.” St. John’s also matches up with reigning national champion Duke at the Garden, and heads to Pauley Pavilion on February 5th for the much-anticipated Lavin homecoming at Westwood against UCLA, but Lavin and his players are still preparing for their exhibition game Saturday night against Westmont College, whose head coach John Moore is Lavin’s brother-in-law, married to Steve’s sister, Rachel.

When I asked Lavin about the daunting task the schedule appears to be on the surface, he was brutally honest with me, and indirectly admitted that although he takes it one game at a time, the Red Storm’s ledger this season might be a little ambitious for a younger team. “This will be the most difficult schedule that I’ve ever prepared a team for in my career,” said Lavin. “I wouldn’t want to play this schedule next year when we have eight freshmen and ten new players coming into the fold.” Having ten seniors is no typical cup of coffee in college basketball, and Lavin has already been encouraged by what he has seen in practice from his fourth-year players, who are, according to their coach, “so galvanized in their pursuit of trying to finish on a high note.”

Dwight Hardy is expected to play a lot of PG this upcoming season. Can he be an effective scorer with the ball in his hands? (Icon SMI)
While Lavin is still undecided about who will ultimately be part of his starting five, he was quick to rattle off the names of players who have really impressed him thus far. Not surprisingly, team leader D.J. Kennedy was the first name dropped by the coach. Although the size and skill of Kennedy has elicited praise from Lavin, the coach and his staff would like to amplify his contributions at the defensive end of the floor. Lavin also compared sharpshooter Dwight Hardy to Jason Kapono who Lavin coached at UCLA and eventually sent to the NBA. Lavin described Kapono, the former NBA 3 point champion, as having Reggie Miller like range. Lavin admitted that Dwight might not have the same range as Kapono but he is just as good of a shooter who is much more versatile of a scorer with his play off the bounce.

To use one of Lavin’s favorite words, the coach remained pragmatic when addressing the fact that most, if not all of his team, needs to have a career year to make the Johnnies’ dream of climbing the ladder into a reality.  While Lavin insisted more than one player needs to be at his personal best all season, he singled out Justin Brownlee as a player capable of having a breakout season. Lavin’s testimonial didn’t stop there, as he lauded the former junior college standout as being one of the more gifted players on the squad; adding that Brownlee and promising freshman Dwayne Polee as being able to play four positions on the hardwood.

Not only does Lavin need his players to have career years, he needs the revitalized St. John’s fan base to step its game up as well. “Any program that starts to make a move up the ladder to become more competitive needs the energy and support of their fan base,” said Lavin at St. John’s media day this past Tuesday. “It puts the wind at your back and it makes young people feel appreciated. That’s important when you’re 18-22 years old. So we want our fan base energized. We talk about needing all hands on deck and that includes all the constituencies of the St. John’s fan base.”

At Big East media day, Marquette coach Buzz Williams appropriately described Lavin’s arrival in Queens as a “perfect storm.” Only two weeks following that quote, the storm is as intense as ever; and appears to be gathering steam with each passing day.

ATTENTION RED STORM FANS: Vote for Dave Krupinski on Volvo’s Big East Contest help make him and St. John’s #1

Lavin A Johnny Rocket

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Steve Lavin, shown here with ESPN's John Anderson at Red Storm Tip-Off, was center of attention at Big East media day. (Photo courtesy of Jaden Daly)

When Steve Lavin replaced Norm Roberts at St. John’s seven months ago, anyone who was remotely affiliated with St. John’s basketball realized immediately that positive changes were in store. Yesterday morning’s Big East media day proved no exception to the recent status quo in Queens, as Lavin was surrounded by hundreds of reporters, radio personnel and various other media members at Madison Square Garden for well over an hour. In fact, Lavin’s massive popularity kept him at the St. John’s table for an extra twenty minutes after his radio and print media session ended; and although late for the TV portion of the event, the extroverted head coach continued to stop and engage anyone who came within his field of vision on the way up the stairs.

Although there were more than enough nuggets from Coach Lavin himself to fill this post, (I’ll have some of those in a future edition of the Daly Dribble) the comments provided to me from Lavin’s sideline counterparts were just as beneficial in shedding some light on the increased expectations the Johnnies are now seeing for themselves.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright and UConn’s Jim Calhoun were the first to herald St. John’s experience. Calhoun said it would “carry them a long way. Always has, always will,” while Wright said the Johnnies “know what it takes to win,” and thinks “they’ll be a very good team.”

Mike Brey, the Notre Dame coach whose Fighting Irish team has lost to St. John’s in each of the last two years, was somewhat relieved to be welcoming the Johnnies into the Joyce Center in South Bend. Brey praised Lavin’s arrival and said he “inherits a team of experienced guys,” and that “he’ll do a very good job.” Brey also stated what Red Storm fans feel to be obvious when he proclaimed that there was “new life around the program.” West Virginia head man Bob Huggins complimented Lavin’s past recruiting record, which was on full display this past weekend with newcomer Dwayne Polee, who has made quite an impact since coming to the Queens campus.

Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, whose Orange squad heads into the Garden to tip off against the Johnnies on January 12, praised Lavin’s experience as well. “I think Steve’s going to do a great job. He’s got a lot of veterans, which is going to help him.” Boeheim also commented on Lavin’s marquee status being able to draw fans into the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” a venue that usually serves as a de facto home game for Syracuse. “When we play St. John’s here, there probably won’t be so much orange,” said Boeheim after I reminded him that nearly every Syracuse game at the Garden provides a sea of orange as the backdrop in the stands.

The most interesting and brutally honest commentary came from Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who created somewhat of an added buzz when it was revealed that he was the one coach who picked the Johnnies first in the Big East preseason poll, a vote won by Pittsburgh. “I’m just trying to throw something against the wall and hope it sticks,” gushed Pitino, who gave the story more juice by saying he “made that pick before Steve (Lavin) came along, and now that he’s come along, I’m happy with my pick.” Pitino emphasized the talent, experience and style the Johnnies have employed over the years as the reasons behind his rather surprising vote, as well as the hunger on the team considering that no St. John’s player has made the NCAA Tournament.

Fellow Big East newcomer Kevin Willard of Seton Hall spoke of creating a culture with Lavin and Rutgers head man Mike Rice that could draw high school kids to the New York area and not have them leave.

Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin went through a situation in his first year with the Bearcats similar to what Lavin will experience next year, one where almost every player graduated.  Cronin did provide this great quote about Carnesecca Arena when I mentioned his team’s recent success there. “It takes the kids back to their high school days. It reminds them where they came from. It warms up pretty quick, but that doesn’t make it any easier to win,” stated the underrated Cronin, picked 12th in the Big East preseason poll.

Marquette coach Buzz Williams lauded Lavin as a “really good person” with great energy, calling his arrival a “perfect storm.” I’m not sure if there was any pun intended by Williams when he told me that, but fans of St. John’s are thinking the exact same thing.

One Small Step for Lavin One Giant Leap for St. John’s

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It’s been a question plaguing the St. John’s Red Storm faithful for about a decade now, when will this team finally turn the corner? A team that once upon a time was considered a threat, has recently been regarded as one of the doormats of the Big East Conference.

All that seemingly washed away when the St. John’s hierarchy made an enormous splash hiring Steve Lavin as the 19th head coach in team history. As talks of change began to simmer, Lavin assembled a top-notch staff around him and hit the recruiting trail hard. In the eyes of St. John’s fans just the players that he was talking to and or putting out feelers to were impressive. The morale amongst the fan base for a positive 2010-2011 season was beginning to boil.

The old outdated locker rooms should be made into the new janitors' closet. No wonder why the Knicks could never pair another marquee name next to Patrick Ewing.
While Coach Lavin is still in the process of recruiting players, he is on separate mission to put his stamp on this program early on. As first reported by the New York Post, Lavin would like to use the New York Knicks locker room when the Red Storm play at their second home, Madison Square Garden. But that’s not all, reports say Lavin is also asking for the locker room to be tailored to his team with a red St. John’s carpet, installing players nameplates above the lockers and the use lush chairs. While this might seem like small potatoes to the average Joe, a minor upgrade in amenities might serve as a stepping-stone in the grand scheme of things for this team.

Now while Lavin has said that this little project of his is to take playing at MSG to another level others within the organization feel slightly different. “I don’t think it would do anything but give the team a more professional feel,” said a source close to the team. “Then again it’s not going to help us win games.”

The thing is, in previous years the team has been using an auxiliary locker room, which I have been in and it’s not the prettiest sight you’ll ever see. An upgrade in locker room can mean several things from the player perspective;

  • We are no longer second rate, we are in the New York Knicks locker room and that is our name on the floor and our names above the lockers.
  • Since this team is being treated to first class service they can once again play like the first class organization they are and were known to be.
  • A move like this puts even more faith and confidence into Coach Lavin by his players because they see that he is taking that extra step and is doing something for the team that their previous coach did not. It’s a small thing to a giant, but the implications of the act could reap large rewards.

The new MSG NYK state of the art locker rooms will have a St. John's feel to it for their home games thanks to Coach Steve Lavin. Hello 5 star recruits?
Well how large can these rewards be you may ask yourself, how about top flight, five star recruits. Not only does Lavin have the track record to get big name players, but a small upgrade like this boosts his sales pitch even more. Let’s say he is in a player’s living room or the recruit is on an official visit, he takes him first to Carnesecca Arena and tells him, “but wait there’s more.” He then drives to the Garden and gives him the grand tour. The last two stops being inside the now St. John’s locker room followed by showing him the infamous hardwood at the Mecca of basketball.

“In previous years, looking back as the [Mike] Jarvis era, St. John’s and MSG weren’t really synonymous with each other,” says college basketball insider Jon Rothstein. “Doing this might help build the home court feel and it might help slightly in recruiting but ultimately it’s about the wins and losses column.” Although Rothstein acknowledges that Lavin has taken the right steps so far during his St. John’s tenure, and this certainly adds to them. “Steve is a very likeable and personable guy, he knows what will resonate with the people,” said Rothstein. “What he said at the introductory press conference about rebuilding and re branding St. John’s, that’s what he needs to continue to keep in mind.”

The way you have to look at this gesture is this; it’s an upgrade that will only help, not hurt this team. Coach Lavin has put his best foot forward and already has been receiving praise from all over the St. John’s and college basketball community. Should this get done the next step is the most important one. Take the positivity that comes with a small win like this, and get the bigger and more meaningful wins on the court.

They’ll Be Lovin’ Lavin A Long Time

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When St. John’s athletic director Chris Monasch made the decision to hire former UCLA coach Steve Lavin as the Red Storm’s newest leader this past March, there was more to the decision than just finding a marquee name to replace Norm Roberts, who had guided the Johnnies through six years marked by returning the integrity to a once-elite basketball program.

Lavin put Monasch’s vision on full display at his introductory press conference, and one could surmise that St. John’s had someone that wanted to be there and knew how to succeed in charge of the Red Storm program; a feeling that had been lacking on the corner of Union and Utopia since the 1990s, a decade that started under the great Lou Carnesecca and ended with Mike Jarvis guiding the Johnnies into the Elite Eight in 1999.

Steve Lavin was all smiles after being introduced as St. John's newest head coach. (Photo courtesy of redstormsports.com)
So what exactly does Lavin bring to the bench and the press room?  Well, experience is definitely one of his best qualities.  Not just experience in a major commercial market, but also experience at the helm of one of the most-respected college basketball programs in the nation.  Upon taking over for Jim Harrick one year removed from UCLA’s most recent national championship in 1995, Lavin led the Bruins to six NCAA Tournaments during his tenure, reaching the Sweet 16 in all but one of those appearances.

Lavin also managed to recruit NBA-caliber players, some of whom are still playing professionally.  Players like the Clippers’ Baron Davis (who was recently on the St. John’s campus) and the Rockets’ Trevor Ariza both starred under Lavin at Westwood before trying their hands at the next level.  Moreover, Lavin’s experience belies his tender age of 45 (he will turn 46 on September 4th). He was just 32 when he inherited a UCLA program rooted in success going back to their near-two-decade run as the best in the land under the great John Wooden.

Lavin also brings the ability to see the game from multiple angles, acquired from his seven-year stint as a color commentator and studio analyst for ESPN and ABC.  Lavin’s pairing with Brent Musburger allowed him to break down the game astutely while explaining its nuances in a simple fashion for his audience.  This particular view of the action (one I can personally relate to being a play-by-play announcer) should help Lavin and his players immensely as they battle in the Big East in 2010-11 campaign.

Lavin’s recruiting ability is another strength. St. John’s fans caught a glimpse of it earlier than expected when he was able to swoop in and sign Dwayne Polee of Westchester High School in Los Angeles.  The Johnnies are also in the running for fellow West Coast prospect Remi Barry, who has St. John’s firmly entrenched in his top three.

Lavin’s recruiting style can be described as sometimes unorthodox.  A source close to the UCLA program  told a great story of Lavin’s aggressive recruiting of Aaron Brooks, who now plays for the Houston Rockets.  Lavin made it a point to tell Brooks he was only coming to see him play, and it was something the coach publicly emphasized; riding an exercise bike before Brooks’ game while one of his assistant coaches sat in the stands.

Brooks ultimately signed with Oregon, but this unusual pitch did not diminish Lavin’s penchant to find creative ways to sell players on what he and his program had to offer.  He has managed to remain the center of attention regardless of where he is, and this desire to be in the limelight will only help St. John’s grow as a program and a brand in the college basketball world dominated by media, perception, and advertising.

Finally, Lavin brings one thing that anyone associated with St. John’s basketball has been clamoring for since Jarvis was dismissed.  Everyone – from the administration, to the staff, to men’s basketball SID Mark Fratto, to the media, and most importantly the fans – have been hoping for St. John’s to succeed once again and return to a spot among the nation’s elite.  Despite not having coached a game in any arena the Johnnies may play in over the next few years, Steve Lavin has already brought hope back to a program that has been craving it for some time.  That has helped him become the biggest thing to happen to St. John’s since Lou Carnesecca returned from his brief stint with the New York Nets in the old ABA.

With a team that returns all but two of its players from a season ago, including nine seniors, the next stop on the road to success may very well be the NCAA Tournament.  If Lavin is able to get there, he will almost certainly be deified by Red Storm fans.

They say hope springs eternal, and the vision to return to the promised land is probably the greatest asset that Steve Lavin brings with him to St. John’s.  The “Lovin’ Lavin” headlines that have been created throughout the New York metropolitan area over the past several weeks should have a long and prosperous shelf life as St. John’s continues to drive the long and winding highway back to redemption.

Jaden Daly is currently a freelance broadcaster and the former play-by-play voice of St. John’s basketball on WSJU Radio from 2007-2009. You can also find Daly on his own blog A Daly Dose of Hoops and Twitter at, @JadenDaly.

Big Storm Holiday

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Ambiance: Dizzee Rascal, Holiday (club swagger music from Britain, Not quite SFW; pops up in new window)

Ambiance: The Office’s Andy Bernard. He went to Cornell, you may have heard of it. (pops up in new window)

Monday evening is the Holiday Festival, championship game, where St. John’s will try to hoist the trophy for the first time in years.  Cornell, however, stands in the way.

Dwight Hardy. By Dean Legge, DawgPost

The championship game of the 2009 Holiday Festival pits the two favorites, St. John’s Red Storm and the Cornell Big Red. It was almost not to be; both games required strong late-game efforts for the teams to advance. St. John’s fought off a determined and scrappy Hofstra team – one that had not been to the NCAA Tournament for much of the decade but nonetheless has won many games against lower-level competition (see what I did there? Responded to Hofstra’s athletic department smack talk) – with relentless and tenacious late-game defense.

Meanwhile, Cornell coasted for a while, went cold, and the crafty Davidson Wildcats slinked in with clutch shooting and excellent ball movement. Missed free throws allowed Cornell to take the game into overtime. Davidson still couldn’t be shaken until a 30 foot jump shot from Ryan Wittman at the buzzer brought the Cornell players onto the court and made the Cornell fans’ hearts start beating in the proper rhythms once more. A fantastic finish to a fantastic game.

On the season, Cornell has brought their excellent offensive attack to Alabama, U Mass, and Syracuse; they have played a home game against Seton Hall as well.  The Big Red have combined great and consistent offense with a permissiveness on defense that allows teams like, say, the 3-8 Davidson back into the game.  The Big Red can beat St. John’s, if the Red Storm allow them to score freely and put up offensively offensive performances like today’s against Hofstra.  But the Red Storm’s swarming defensive ability and shot blocking can really help erase many of the other inefficiencies.

Heckle the Cornell fans at the fantastic Cornell Basketball Blog.  And you may know that Cornell forward Jon Jaques wrote blog posts for the New York Times’ sports blog, the Quad.

Tip Off: 9:00 PM (or 30 minutes after Consolation game ends), Monday, December 21
Location: Madison Square Garden
TV: MSG
Radio: Bloomberg 1130/ WSJU

Team Review

Cornell (8-2)

12 PG Louis Dale SR 5’11 180: 10.1 ppg* 5.2 apg* 3.3 rpg* 1.9 spg

3 G Chris Wroblewski SO 6’0 180: 11 ppg* 3.1 apg* 43.5% 3PT

20 F Ryan Wittman SR 6’7 215: 19.1 ppg* 1.1 spg* 2.4 apg* 3.2 rpg* 41.8% 3PT

25 F Jon Jaques SR 6’7 220: 3.6 ppg

1 C Jeff Foote SR 7’0 265: 13.5 ppg* 9.4 rpg* 2.2 apg* 1.6 bpg* 55% FG

Bench

15 G Geoff Reeves SR 6’4 180: 20.6 mpg* 7.9 ppg* 47.4% 3PT

33 F-C Alex Tyler FR 6’7 235: 16.3 mpg* 3.7 ppg* 2.2 rpg* 2.7 fouls/g

24 F Adam Wire JR 6’5 222: 14.5 ppg* 3.8 rpg* 2.9 apg* 58.8% FG

Cornell is led by 6’6″ small forward Ryan Wittman and 7′ center Jeff Foote.  Wittman is a great shooter; they often run him off of screens for shots at the top of the key. His stat lines over the 4 years at Cornell have been almost disturbing in their similarity.  He takes a good deal of shots, and gets most of his points from beyond the three-point arc (but is a very good jump shooter inside the arc). He takes the occasional free throw, gets the occasional rebound, and doesn’t foul much (perhaps because his defense is not physical).  I think he is talented enough the get a look from the NBA, but that might be just my opinion. Errick Peck plays on the wing as well; he has some athleticism and talent, and I would expect him to get some time against St. John’s.

Up front, Jeff Foote sees a lot of action.  He is tall and went off for 20 points in St. John’s win over Cornell in last year’s preseason NIT.  Foote also continues to score at a solid clip.  His rebounding work and shot blocking are commensurate with his size, but he could stand to turn the ball over less.  His stats don’t show it but he’s not a bad passer.  He’s not fleet of foot. Mark Coury gets some time up front, he can rebound and score efficiently.  Also playing in the post is Alex Tyler, whose job seems to be to foul and hit people; he’s hit 4 of 21 field goal attempts.  The aforementioned Jon Jaques is a willing shooter but doesn’t play many minutes.

The backcourt starts with Louis Dale, one of the few players who will be new to St. Johns;  Dale was injured last year when the Big Red and Red Storm met last year.  He can create space and is a gifted passer, though he seemed a non-factor for much of the game against Davidson. Shooting guard Chris Wroblewski is a solid shooter and scorer, and if Wittman is bottled up, he can hit a number of shots.  Geoff Reeves plays a 3-point shooter role when he’s on the court, and he can hit well from distance.

St. John’s (9-1)

3 PG Malik Boothe JR 5’9 188: 5.7 ppg* 2 apg* 1.3 spg* 2.6 rpg* 78.3% FT

23 G Paris Horne JR 6’3 191: 8 ppg* 2.9 rpg* 1 spg

1 G-F DJ Kennedy JR 6’5 215: 16.7 ppg* 6.6 rpg* 3.5 apg* 1 spg* 49.5% FG* 36.1% 3PT

15 F-C Dele Coker JR 6’10 252: 2.2 ppg* 2.2 rpg* 1.9 bpg* 66.7% FG

5 F Sean Evans JR 6’8 255: 8.6 ppg* 7 rpg

Bench:

12 G Dwight Hardy JR 6’2 187: 22.7 mpg* 10.5 ppg* 37.8% 3PT

32 F Justin Brownlee JR 6’7 232: 21.6 mpg* 8.8 ppg* 5.9 rpg* 1.2 spg* 1.4 bpg

St. John’s is receiving much love from the local papers after dispatching the pesky Hofstra Pride. And some love from popular national basketball columnists, listing the Red Storm as part of their top 25 (Goodman, Parrish). It’s great to get some publicity, but St. John’s struggled a little with the physical Hofstra Pride, only taking the lead when they buckled down and held Hofstra to a single point over the last 6 and a half minutes. The Pride aren’t great scorers, but they had their moments. Facing actual jump shooting, sharp-cutting ballers in Cornell is a different kind of task, requiring defensive dedication, especially on the perimeter.

Once again, Kennedy just made plays. He was joined by Justin Brownlee; once he got his 2 bad shots out of his system, Brownlee was a defensive and rebounding force, being big, long, and blocking shots. Malik Boothe made some nice moves on offense, and helped to get Chaz Williams in foul trouble; the little Hofstra guard was putting up points despite Boothe and crew’s defensive efforts. Dwight Hardy also had a very good game; in extended minutes, he showed the form that makes him a real find for the staff, defending credibly and scoring with crafty drives and the outside jump shot.

Playing Cornell will require a strong effort on both sides of the ball; but the team will need to score. Last year’s game featured a bout of efficiency from the Red Storm up at Boston College’s home arena, with Boothe (14 pts/ 9 ast), Kennedy (22 pts/ 6 reb), Mason (24 pts), and Burrell (11 pts/ 11 reb) all scoring in double figures. Even Dele Coker, Phil Wait and TyShwan Edmondson scored a pair of points each. This year, Brownlee and Coker will have to replace the production of those missing players and Burrell, while doing a better job on center Jeff Foote (20 points last year), while someone will have to replicate the defensive effort of Mason and Kennedy on Ryan Wittman, who shot 9-24 from the field in the prior meeting. It takes a team to stop a great shooter – constant attention, regular bumping, and never letting him square up on the secondary break or off of the screen.

Keys to the Game:

Bother the Shooters. Ryan Wittman, in particular, needs to have a”bodyguard” with him at all times, bumping, bothering, and dislodging him from the places on the court where he wants to get comfortable shooting.  But Wroblewski can shoot as well, Louis Dale is a threat. This team may look like old covers of the Hardy Boys books (I keep expecting to see a player on the roster named “Chip”), but they are shooting assassins.

Counter the Droughts. Letting a team with excellent offensive players and three-point shooters hang around is a recipe for disaster.  The Red Storm have to counter the droughts with defense, traps, turnovers, and they have to get running the other way to draw fouls with their quickness.

Ball Protection.  The sloppy ballhandling allows crappy teams to hang close in too many ballgames.  Cornell is not very good at forcing turnovers, and this means that the Red Storm have to make sure not to give them any with errant passing, bad drives into the teeth of the defense, or sloppy ballhandling.  If the Johnnies can thief the ball and make this game a track meet, all the better for them.

Like a Window Washer. Clean the glass.  Sean Evans and Dele Coker, among others, have to maintain position and own the glass on both ends. That kind of ugly play can really make this game the kind of mudwrestling match St. John’s can win.

Holiday Parade. A healthy does of getting to the free throw line – which requires good ball movement and aggressive drives – will go a long way to making this win.  Conversely, not hitting shots and/ or putting Cornell on the free throw line will go a long way into crafting a disappointing loss.

Prediction: St. John’s 75, Cornell 70. Cornell makes the Red Storm sweat but the Johnnies pull it out with a mid-game run. There is a certainly a risk of a loss here, but this team is different, and Cornell’s defense is indifferent.