Madison Square Garden

Say It Loud, I'm Red + I'm Proud

December 17, 2009 by Pico Dulce 1 Comment

Ambiance: N.O.R.E. aka Noreaga, Nothin‘ (video link, pops up in a new window) – NSFW but good swagger music*.

Coker block vs UGA — Dele Coker gets that s**t outta there. By Dean Legge, DawgPost

The first game for St. John’s in the annual Holiday Festival pits local Hofstra against St. John’s. This is the biggest game of the year! Well, maybe for Hofstra, who would love to beat St. John’s as they did the previous meeting of the two schools.

I mean, read this bulls*** from their official release:

The Pride has a four-game winning streak in the series after defeating the Red Storm in four straight seasons from 2003-04 through 2006-07, all of which were by double-digit margins. The final meeting came in the championship game of the 2006 Holiday Festival, which Hofstra won 63-51. St. John’s was a perfect 19-0 in the series during the 1900’s, but Hofstra is now 5-2 this decade, including wins at four different venues (2000-01 at Nassau Coliseum, 2003-04 and 2005-06 at Carnesecca Arena, 2004-05 at Hofstra’s Mack Sports Complex and 2006-07 at Madison Square Garden).

Hofstra is also finishing off a decade in which it has been by far the winningest program in the metropolitan New York area. The Pride has 188 wins since January 1, 2000, 17 more than the next-best team in the region (Manhattan with 171). St. John’s is sixth with 150 wins (150-153) in that span, also trailing Seton Hall (165), Rider (164) and Wagner (154).

That is one particularly pointed presser. It is high time the Red Storm put those lions on their backsides… and move on to beating Cornell or Davidson, and tune up for Georgetown, a game the national media might give a damn about. It’s true – Hofstra beat St. John’s in the 2006 Holiday Fesitval, and also in 2005, 2004 (at Hofstra), and 2003.

It’s embarrassing. You can’t hang your head high after losing to Hofstra.

St. John’s has enjoyed a solid year so far, garnering votes in the Coaches’ and AP polls for a few weeks now. DJ Kennedy is emerging as a breakout star – and it’s a true emergence, not just a player getting more time. His game is sublime, and he is carrying the squad through injuries and slumps. So far, the Red Storm have been pretty good at avoiding turnovers, giving themselves chances to score. And since the St. Bonaventure game, the team’s defense has been impressive (except at Duke). The change seems to involve a bit more defensive awareness to create traffic inside – bothering shots while still keeping 3-point shooters off balance.

The Hofstra Pride have had a reasonably tough schedule, with a pair of televised games against U Conn and Kansas, a game against Charlotte, and matches against locals Fairfield and Manhattan. Hofstra has generally played a fast pace, except in the ugly, ugly game against the Manhattan Jaspers (whose final score was 44-39 – the won, if you can call that “winning”). In the losses and against Manhattan, the Hofstra scoring has been mediocre, and the team showed a tendency to settle for outside shots that weren’t falling. They shoot 32% from the three-point line, with Charles Jenkins being good at shooting and the shooting-addict Cornelius Vines being… not very good except in his streaks against Connecticut and against New Hampshire.

A Hofstra billboard on the L.I.E. near Woodhaven Blvd. Courtesy of Hofstra Athletic Communications.

Moreso than last year, the Pride show an unwillingness to get to the free throw line (except for star Charles Jenkins), while fouling the opponent a fair amount – even fouling the Farmingdales and Fairfields of the world. Defensively, the Pride will block some shots, which will be a problem for the burly yet short St. John’s forwards. And while this might speak more to the shooting skill of the opponents, Hofstra has defended the 3-pointer very well. The Hofstra defense, again, has given up a number of fouls, but they can be imposing with young strength and veteran size inside.

It should be a good game, and it means a lot to the fans if the Red Storm can dispatch their next-county rivals. Check out Hofstra blog Defiantly Dutch for some good readings on the team and players. And at the game, find a way to make fun of their loss of a football team. Or welcome them to the land of no-football, whichever you feel is appropriate behavior in Madison Square garden.

Game Information

Tip Off: 2:00 PM, Sunday, December 20
Location: Madison Square Garden
TV: MSG
Radio: Bloomberg 1130/ WSJU

Team Reviews

Hofstra (7-3)

hofstra 22 G Charles Jenkins JR 6’3 220: 19.7 ppg* 4.2 rpg* 3.9 apg* 1.7 spg* 48.6% 3PT

1 G Nathaniel Lester JR 6’5 200: 11.2 ppg* 5.2 rpg* 85.7% FT

23 G Cornelius Vines SR 6’2 190: 8.2 ppg* 4.2 rpg* 2.4 apg

2 F Miklos Szabo SR 6’9 250: 7.7 ppg* 4.8 rpg

32 F-C Greg Washington SO 6’10 215: 7.1 ppg* 5.5 rpg* 2.3 bpg* 50% FG

Bench

5 PG Chaz Williams FR 5’9 170: 25.1 mpg* 6.1 ppg* 4.1 apg* 3.5 rpg

16 F Halil Kanacevic FR 6’8 245: 24.6 mpg* 7.7 ppg* 6.9 rpg* 1.9 bpg

At some point in the game, a pair of little big men will face off in freshman Chaz Williams and St. John’s Malik Boothe. But until Williams comes off the bench, Boothe and Horne will have to contend with the linebacker-sized Charles Jenkins and Conrnelius Vines. Jenkins is a graduate of Springfield Gardens HS – the alma mater of Coach Norm Roberts and Anthony Mason Sr. Jenkins is the undisputed star; he can shoot from the outside but is solid at using his bulk to get shots off inside the arc and draw fouls. He even blocks a few shots and generates steals for good measure.

Cornelius Vines is working through a shooting addiction and a lack of conscience problem, which Coach Tom Pecora is helping him solve. Wearing the number 23 makes players feel like they must be superstars… but sometimes, discretion on the court is the better part of ballin’. Nathaniel Lester is a threat on the offensive glass as guards go. From the wing, he draws fouls, has some range on his shot, and displays flashes of good defensive ability.

The Pride’s frontcourt has potential to be excellent in the Colonial Athletic Association. Slim Greg Washington is an extraordinary shot blocker, and not a bad scorer given the chance. Miklos Szabo both shares the name of a dear old friend of mine and is a solid rebounder. Szabo – one of three members of the Pride who don’t claim New York City area as home – is an eager shooter as well when he’s in. Freshman Halil Kanacevic from Staten Island can bang + board like the other forwards, but adds some shooting ability; he can hit from the 3-point line.

St. John’s (8-1)

StJohns150 logo 3 PG Malik Boothe JR 5’9 188: 5.4 ppg* 1.8 apg* 1.3 spg* 2.8 rpg* 80% FT

23 G Paris Horne JR 6’3 191: 8.4 ppg* 2.8 rpg* 1.1 spg

1 G-F DJ Kennedy JR 6’5 215: 16.4 ppg* 5.7 rpg* 3.8 apg* 1.1 spg* 51.7% FG* 40.6% 3PT

15 F-C Dele Coker JR 6’10 252: 2.2 ppg* 2.3 rpg* 2.1 bpg* 64.3% FG

5 F Sean Evans JR 6’8 255: 8.7 ppg* 6.7 rpg

Bench:

12 G Dwight Hardy JR 6’2 187: 21.9 mpg* 9.8 ppg* 35.9% 3PT

32 F Justin Brownlee JR 6’7 232: 20.1 mpg* 8.7 ppg* 5.1 rpg* 1 spg* 1 bpg

DJ Kennedy has been a notable star on the Red Storm squad, leading the team in minutes, points, assists, and 3-point percentage. He just makes plays – or in the words of the immortal Noreaga linked above, he’s like a hammer that you hold in your hand, he makes hits. (That doesn’t make sense to me either, but it sounds good, don’t it?)

At guard, Malik Boothe has made some plays, sharing time with Malik Stith. Neither has compiled great assist numbers yet, and both could protect the ball better when driving to the hoop. Paris Horne has had an inconsistent season scoring the basketball, which is somewhat surprising since he was consistent last year. His defense is solid, and he finds ways of making plays. Dwight Hardy has been very good in his role, and has been very good at hitting shots inside the arc. With the word that Quincy Roberts will be redshirting and Anthony Mason Jr. will be out a few more weeks, Omari Lawrence has a chance to get a lot of playing time off of the bench.

Dele Coker has started two games and has shown that he is reluctant to shoot and eager to block shots. he’s been able to stay on the court so far, cutting down on his fouls per game to a level where he might play 30 minutes before fouling out. Meanwhile, Sean Evans has been steady bringing down offensive and defensive rebounds, and turning the ball over less. His shot has been blocked or bothered a lot, and that’s an issue he’ll have to deal with offensively. Justin Brownlee’s shot selection could use some work, but he’s been a fantastic jack-of-all-trades. He’s been especially strong scoring near the hoop, with some steals and shots blocked and rebound. He and Rob Thomas will need to give strong efforts replace Justin Burrell (ankle sprain) and his production.

Keys to the Game:

Defend the Guards. The scoring threat on the team is Charles Jenkins, but the other guards have the ability to go off from outside. By the percentages, the Pride aren’t great shooters; but Vines can get his confidence up and start stroking Hofstra back into the game.

Play With Energy. Hofstra will come into this game looking to make a name for themselves, looking to keep the 4-game winning streak against St. John’s going. If the Red Storm want to be the best in the city (even though Hofstra’s not in the city), they need to come with the energy of a team trying to wipe some little punks off of their apartment steps. The team has to come out strong and determined, make crisp cuts, and get to the foul line. They can’t settle for poor, off balance shots or put in a half-baked effort. They have to challenge slimmer players like Washington and Lester.

Rebound. Hofstra has a bit of size down low, and mediocre effort won’t win the rebound battles against the Pride. Dele Coker has to step his glass game up; Sean Evans has to box out; Justin Brownlee has to get those boards; Rob Thomas has to be the short-stint impact forward he’s been. One of those three needs to put a strong effort up on the glass to keep Hofstra from second chance/ garbage points from the likes of freshman Kanacevic and senior Szabo. And they have to get their own opportunities on the offensive boards.

Put Up Points. DJ Kennedy has to make scoring plays throughout the game, but so does everyone else on offense. The game might end up a grinding affair, but St. John’s needs to constantly put up points on the fast break, on the free throw line – whenever there is an opportunity to score outside of the half court sets.

The Opposite of Loosey-Goosey. At times the team has been careless with the basketball, especially with a lead. And they can’t afford that against a team that can make a comeback… and has played for stretches with Kansas and Connecticut. St. John’s has to make ball protection a priority against a squad with capable guards.

Prediction: St. John’s 72, Hofstra 65. The streak of Hofstra wins comes to a merciful end. If you beat a Pride down, are they the Formerly Proud?

Transplanted New Yorker and now Midwesterner Peter a/k/a Pico writes for the East Coast Bias and the Church of Bracketology and for Johnny Jungle, doing the Calm Before the Storm posts.

St. John's Wins Garden Opener

December 10, 2009 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

The St. John’s Red Storm basketball team always likes to instill some doubt into their ever so skeptical fans this season. So if it wasn’t enough for St. John’s to stomach not having Justin Burrell in the lineup, right before tip off it was announced that DJ Kennedy, Paris Horne, and Sean Evans would not start this game due to being late for this morning’s shoot around. Yikes! Starting four new players for St. John’s first game at Madison Square Garden this season on national television on ESPN 2. Not exactly ideal, is it? No.

The game started off with a Dele Coker foul 30 seconds into the game followed by a Malik Boothe missed three pointer on the following possession. I could see the crowd getting their torches and pitchforks ready while the people at home were cursing and swearing at their TV screens.

(Chris Trotman/Getty Images) Dwight Hardy's 12 points led a balanced St. John's attack Wednesday night.

Wait! I swear this isn’t last year’s team. St. John’s is different. Dwight Hardy for 3. Justin Brownlee coast to coast to the line for 2 (he sank them both). Blocked shot Dele Coker! Brownlee turn around jumpshot. Hardy nets a broken play. Next thing you know St. John’s scores 9 straight points to take 9-3 lead before the first media time out.

Kennedy and Evans checked in right before the break and neither came out sharp in the first half. Kennedy often struggled when driving to the basket missing his first 4 attempts. On a whole the Red Storm struggled offensively mostly due to poor shot selection and overall execution.

St. John’s came out of the gate running great motion on offense but as we’ve seen before this season the offense begins to become stagnant as the game progresses resulting in scoring droughts for extended periods of time.

St. John’s went into the locker room with a 3 point lead shooting near 30% for the first half leaving a lot to be desired for their Garden debut. Also not the most impressive showing for the 2012 recruits,Omar Calhoun, Nkereuwen Okoro, and Daniel Dingle, who were taking in the sites and scenes in the stands.

St. John’s has made a habit lately of starting games off slow and coming out looking stronger in the 2nd half. The Redstorm did just that as DJ Kennedy rebounded from his slow start and took over the game finishing with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. This game was never really in doubt as St. John’s won 66-56.

Lets take a look at Calm Before the Storm’s Key’s to Victory and breakdown how St. John’s fared to our pre-game analysis.

Keys to the Game:

Pack In the Defense. So Trey Thompkins finished with 7 rebounds and 17 points on 7-16 shooting. All in all Trey was Trey but St. John’s did a good job of forcing Georgia to shoot from the perimeter and didn’t allow many uncontested shots. One thing Sean Evans needs to learn is that he can’t allow his man to establish position down low on the block. Trey did an excellent job of sealing off Evans so that he never had a shot when he caught the ball. Keep pushing them out! As a team though Georgia shot 36% (18-50) so kudos to the guards for defending well.

Grade: B

Don’t Get Sucked In. This is the second straight game where the Red Storm have allowed their opponents to grab double digit offensive rebounds. The Bulldogs grabbed 11 offensive boards giving them too many extra possessions. This will come back to bite St. John’s eventually to a team who can actually put the ball in the hoop. Find a body and box out! There is no time to be spectators on the court. St. John’s needs to have more defensive awareness in protecting the basketball. To St. John’s defense though the more missed shots, the more opportunities Georgia has to grab rebounds but just imagine if we rebounded better. We could have ran all over them.

Grade: B-

Be The Talked-About Undercard. St. John’s certainly got a lot of praise from Bob Knight as he couldn’t stop talking about St. John’s past, present, and future. The talk of the town that night was certainly about John Wall and rightfully so. A win is a win though so St. John’s should be happy about some backpage coverage on the Post and Daily News.

Grade: C+

Protect the Ball. This is really the tale of two halves much like the Duke game. St. John’s looked dreadful handling the ball in the first half. Between fumbling passes and missing layups, St. John’s wasn’t valuing the basketball enough. In the second half St. John’s did a much better job of handling and running with the basketball. Late in the game the team had some unforced turnovers which were simply unnecessary. St. John’s needs to get better decision making out of Malik Boothe and overall play from the point guard position.

Grade: C

Don’t Settle. Well St. John’s wasn’t getting the calls but that didn’t stop the Red Storm from being in attack mode. Evans, Brownlee, Kennedy, Hardy, and Lawrence all took it to the rim strong. This opened up looks from the outside and St. John’s connected making 7-14 of their 3 point goals. Surprisingly Paris Horne knocked down 3-5 of his attempts while only shooting 1 shot within the arc. This might have been the best aspect of the game for the Johnnies.

Grade: A

Overall GPA: 2.75

Back to Manhattan

December 8, 2009 by Pico Dulce 1 Comment

Ambiance: Dennis Green – We let ’em off the hook rant (video link, pops up in a new window)

The Red Storm welcome the Georgia Bulldogs as part of the SEC/ Big East challenge doubleheader. Unfortunately, St. John’s is the undercard; Connecticut and Kentucky clash in a matchup of big programs and big coaching egos (and long-running beef between Calipari and Calhoun). In comparison, Norm Roberts and Georgia’s Mark Fox seem awfully meek by comparison.

St. John’s is coming off of a fairly competitive game against the Duke Blue Devils down in Durham, NC. Even with a loss, there were some good elements that came from the game that remind people that maybe, just maybe, some kind of surprising turnaround might be in the offing for the Red Storm. (Remember this: it is rare for a team – even one returning almost all of its minutes – to go from the kind of team that goes 5-13 in conference with 13 blowouts to one that goes 9-9 or better. St. John’s may strangely be that team.)

Dele Coker defends against Nolan Smith. AP Photo/Gerry Broome

But that loss on Saturday was still a loss. St. John’s might have led for 4 minutes, but they only came close to tying once after that; Duke had the game in control. So despite the promise, the Red Storm still have a lot to prove – including improving on defensive lapses, patience in the halfcourt offense, developing a solid third scoring threat, and cutting down more on those dogged turnovers. But credit has to be given to whatever Coach Roberts said to them at halftime; DJ Kennedy came out looking to make plays, and while Duke scored the same number of points (40) in the second half, St. John’s put up 47 to close the gap.

The next opponent is Georgia, and so far, the Bulldogs (or “Bulldawgs”) have been mediocre in new coach Mark Fox’s first month. They have lost to an okay Wofford team, a solid Alabama-Birmingham, and a decent Virginia Tech. Star forward Howard “Trey” Thompkins, who was the second-leading scorer on the USA National under-19 squad this summer, missed all 6 of his field goals and scored 5 points. But the team was actually more of an efficient scoring machine, with 7 of 15 shooting from Travis Leslie and contributions from Dustin Ware and Price.

Still, Georgia is finding their way early in the season. This is the kind of team that can be trouble – if you’re the opponent the day the game starts clicking for them, and they gain confidence and pull off a big road win. St. John’s does not want to be that victim. They are who you think they are. Don’t let the ‘Dawgs off the hook. And St. John’s needs to give the fans a reason to come out of hibernation in this, their first game in Madison Square Garden.

Game Information

Tip Off: 7:00 PM, Wednesday, December 9
Location: Madison Square Garden
TV: ESPN 2
Radio: Bloomberg 1190/ WSJU

Team Reviews

Georgia (4-3)

georgia1 10 SG Ricky McPhee SR 6’1 184: 8.9 ppg* 3.1 rpg* 2.3 apg* 37% 3-pt

3 PG Dustin Ware SO 5’11 182: 8.4 ppg* 3.1 apg* 2.1 rpg* 1.1 spg* 27.6% 3-pt

1 G Travis Leslie SO 6’4 202: 12.6 ppg* 6 rpg* 2.2 apg* 82% FT

33 F Howard “Trey” Thompkins SO 6’10 247: 13.6 ppg* 7.2 rpg* 1.7 bpg* 1.6 spg* 45.5% 3-pt* 43.2% FG

4 F Chris Barnes JR 6’8 240: 3.2 ppg* 3.8 rpg* 1.1 bpg* 46.7% FT

Bench:

50 Jeremy Price JR 6’8 264: 18.4 mpg* 8.8 ppg* 4.6 rpg* 62% FG

34 F-C Albert Jackson SR 6’11 265: 12.6 mpg* 3.3 ppg* 2.9 rpg* 1 bpg* 69% FG

41 F Drazen Zlovaric SO 6’9 210: 12.6 mpg* 31% FG

Trey Thompkins is the star of the team and the main scorer; he takes 30% of the team’s shots when he’s on the floor. Thompkins is an excellent defensive rebounder and can get shots off from all over the court… but he’s not always accurate and is prone to turnovers. Like the rest of the team. The only member of the Bulldogs who is not loose with ball protection is slashing wing Travis Leslie; he also takes a huge chunk of shots while on the floor, but plays 24 minutes per game. Leslie can draw some fouls, and foul some opponents. Dustin Ware is the lead guard; he can garner some steals and also give the ball up. He’s good at drawing fouls and hitting foul shots, but not as good at shooting in live action.

Gardner-Webb transfer Ricky McPhee is a pretty good shooter at 37% of his threes; he’s taken 70% of his shots from deep. Consequently, he doesn’t draw fouls. The rest of his game is decent; he pulls down some defensive rebounds and is willing to pass the ball. Chris Barnes is a decent rebounder and provides some blocks, but so far, that’s been it; he’s an errant shooter and a poor free throw shooter.

Albert Jackson is huge and has started 2 games. Like St. John’s Dele Coker, he’s a shot blocker who doesn’t get many minutes. Jeremy Price is also big, and is effective inside. there are two other guards who play about 10 minutes per game, but Georgia tends to go big when they go to the bench.

St. John’s (6-1)

StJohns150 logo 3 PG Malik Boothe JR 5’9 188: 5.1 ppg* 2.3 apg* 2.4 rpg * 2 TO/g* 1.3 spg

23 G Paris Horne JR 6’3 191: 7.6 ppg* 3.1 rpg* 1 spg* 25% 3-pt, 38.6% FG

1 G-F DJ Kennedy JR 6’5 215: 17.7 ppg* 4.4 rpg* 3.8 apg* 44.8% 3-pt* 55.4% FG

5 F Sean Evans JR 6’8 255: 10 ppg* 7 rpg* 49.1% FG

15 C Dele Coker JR 6’10 253: 1.2 ppg* 1.4 bpg

Bench:

12 G Dwight Hardy JR 6’2 187: 22 mpg* 10.1 ppg* 37.5% 3-pt

32 F Justin Brownlee JR 6’7 232: 19.7 mpg* 7.7 ppg* 4.4 rpg* 1.1 spg

11 G Omari Lawrence FR 6’4 215: 11.7 mpg* 3.1 ppg* 2.3 rpg* 1 apg

DJ Kennedy’s been earning for his all-around play. But what’s around him? Sean Evans made some plays, and seems to be remembering what makes him a starter and a force on this team – his aggressiveness. With a reduction in his turnover rate so far, he’s been a great #2 to Kennedy. But to this observer, it’s become apparent how much they could use Anthony Mason Jr. Or some impact play from Justin Burrell. Or for someone else to become a creative scoring force.

Of course, not only is Mase injured, but Justin Burrell is out for at least two weeks with a high ankle sprain. Georgia is the kind of team that could use another strong defender; hopefully Rob Thomas can make it back from injury to play some spot minutes. The starting job will likely go to Dele Coker or Justin Brownlee; I give the nod to Coker. Dele is more of an interior defensive presence and played a hell of a game against Duke – 19 minutes, 5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks only 1 turnover and 2 fouls. He has some learning to do, and playing against a thick-bodied, big-boned, grits-eating Georgia team is a good time to practice against similarly-sized opponents. Brownlee will get some minutes as well; he’s been very solid, and moves well without the ball.

Paris Horne made some plays, but looked like he was pressing a bit. But it was a better game from him, and the team needs his impact play. Boothe was aggressive in getting to the basket, and needs to continue that play to make an impact. Dwight Hardy had a nice stretch on the court, and knows to take some shots at the basket when the outside shot is not falling; but it would be nice to see bigger numbers in the 3-pointers made column in the stat sheet. Omari Lawrence was used on defense against Singler, and the staff seems to like his defensive ability. As announcer Jay Bilas mentioned, Omari will learn some lessons from his defensive play on Saturday.

Keys to the Game:

Pack In the Defense. Trey Thompkins is the player the Red Storm need to stop. His game is more varied than Andrew Nicholson’s of St. Bonaventure, and the Georgia offense supposedly borrows from the Lakers’ triangle offense, and Sean Evans will need to chase him around. But the only place the ‘Dawgs can do much damage is inside, even though they have averaged 13 3-pointers a game (shooting 4 per contest).

Don’t Get Sucked In. St. John’s has to rebound without the injured Burrell on the floor, and take those rebounds and run. If they are not cleaning the defensive glass, the Red Storm will find themselves in an ugly, sloppy, slow-paced game. I mention Burrell because as some posters have pointed out, he is very good at boxing out and allowing others grab the rebound. It’s smart, selfless play, and Brownlee and Coker have to replicate that. Moreover, given the lack of guard depth and the athletic ability of the Red Storm, they should be looking to run instead of guarding hefty players in the post with 3 or for credible post players. the team has to win the rebounding battles at both ends to run and control the game.

Be The Talked-About Undercard. Georgia’s just not that good. And St. John’s will enjoy their second nationally-televised game, at the famous Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately, they are the opener of a doubleheader, whose second game is the University of Connecticut vs. the Kentucky Wildcats, a game that will certainly be more exciting than anything the Garden has seen in a while. St. John’s has to put on a show, running Georgia out of the gym, playing tight interior defense, and putting a big lead (or leash?) on the Bulldogs. This Storm team has a lot to prove; they need to beat on opponents that are well-known schools and build that respect.

Protect the Ball. The Red Storm needs to remember to spread on offense on breaks, and in the halfcourt, to take good shots. Sometimes, the right shot is taken. Sometimes players get too eager and turn the ball over or take an early shot clock look while the rebounders are still setting up. While Georgia has the look of a slumpbuster, St. John’s can’t get too aggressive on the court; these are SEC players, not Stony Brook.

Don’t Settle. Even against the Bulldogs’ size, St. John’s has to look to get to the rim and draw fouls instead of settling for outside shots that will still be there later in the shot clock.

Prediction: St. John’s 70, Georgia 65. I do wish St. John’s would blow the tails off these Dawgs, but they have not yet shown that blowout instinct. If they stay focused all game long, I could see a double-digit victory.

Transplanted New Yorker and now Midwesterner Peter a/k/a Pico writes for the East Coast Bias and the Church of Bracketology. He’ll be doing the Calm Before the Storm posts, just like last year.

JJ Moore Goes to Knicks Game

November 3, 2009 by Zach Smart Leave a Comment

I was kicking it at Madison Square Garden outside the Knicks and visitors locker room, when I encountered J.J. Moore, who was with Coach Roberts prior to the Knicks/Sixers game Halloween night. The Johnnies know they don’t need ghosts and goblins in the gym to snatch the highly sought after recruit, seeing that they netted a solid recruiting class this season, underscored by Omari Lawrence and Dwight Hardy.

Still, the sight of Moore taking in the Knicks game with Coach Roberts is promising. Moore revealed to Johnny Jungle that his other visits included Louisville, amongst a few others. Moore is currently on an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh, which had much of their roster thoroughly cleansed last season (see Blair, DaJuan or Young, Sam for more on that one).

Moore is a 6-foot-6 wing who has sliced up teams on the AAU circuit this summer fall, playing for the NY Panthers. The Big East prospect plays alongside Russ Smith, another St. John’s target, at South Kent Prep (CT).

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