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The 6th Man of St. John's Basketball

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Who is the Go-To Guy?

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Almost like a disease, the 2009-2010 Red Storm always seemed to be struck with a sort of 2nd Half sickness, buckling at the knees late when the score tightened, and losing very win-able games.

In places where West Virginia had Da’Sean Butler and Villanova had Scottie Reynolds, the Johnnies lacked a true go-to player down the stretch.

February 14, 2010- St. John's #1 D.J. Kennedy reacts spastically to a foul call during an NCAA basketball game between the St. John's Red Storm and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center in Notre Dame, IN (Icon SMI).
This year, as it has in years past, falls on the shoulders of 6 foot 6 inch forward DJ Kennedy. Despite being the team’s leading scorer at 15.1, many of his points came at the back end of blowout games already decided far earlier. Where Kennedy lacked was ability to take the ball in the crucial point of an important conference game and make the game “his”.

He has still not shown that, when the offense is stalling and momentum is swinging in the wrong direction, he can become the focal point and seal a game for St. John’s. Where seasoned stars rise and up and lead their teams, Kennedy has struggled to break away from the pack and be a game-changer.

But, he has all the makings of a player of that caliber. With his length at 6’6″, he can get to the basket off the dribble and, if the defense is drawn in, he can step out and knock down the three ball. At this point, it is a matter of “putting it all together”, which could be helped along with an experienced and winning coach in new arrival Steve Lavin.

By working with Lavin, the multiple facets of Kennedy’s game should be shuffled around so they fit more sensibly into the offensive mindset that is established in the half court.

That part belongs to the coaching staff, but quite a bit becomes Kennedy’s responsibility. He must learn to play more under control, limiting turnovers and realizing when to give the ball up. Problems arose last year when he tried to do too much, driving into closed lanes, forcing passes, and taking off-balance and, simply put, bad shots.

For DJ Kennedy, 2010 will be as much about maturity as it will be about results on the court. If he plays like the senior leader that he now has the chance to be, the Johnnies prospects brighten considerably.

There is a lot riding on this season for him, not just with the real possibility of an NCAA berth, but also his future at the next level. Various draft outlets bring his name up as a possible late 2nd round pick this coming year’s draft. If he puts the Johnnies on his back and carries them to the top of the Big East standings, he might just get his NBA dreams realized.

Dan Martin
St. John’s 2013
@Dan_MartinWSJU

What is a go to guy? Ask any St. Johns fans and they will say they don’t know since it’s been a long time since they’ve seen one. A go to guy is that guy that when the game starts will take the ball and start up the offense. He is the guy that will keep you in the game no matter how poor the rest of the team is performing and when it comes to crunch time at the end of the game, he is the one you want holding the ball whether it is to score or set up others.

For St. Johns it has been a problem locating that “go to guy”. Last year forward D.J. Kennedy would have been assumed to be the go to guy but he didn’t fit all the criteria that was needed. Sure he led the team in points but he couldn’t close out games and when the team got cold he seemed to get cold too.

February 14, 2010- St. John's #24 Justin Burrell being guarded by Notre Dame #1 Tyrone Nash during an NCAA basketball game between the St. John's Red Storm and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center in Notre Dame, IN. (Icon SMI)
In my opinion for this year to be a big year for the Johnnies, power forward Justin Burrell must be St. Johns go to guy.

In the Big East you got to play BIG. Guards can score all they want but if you don’t have a guy in the middle that can get you the easy paint points and grab rebounds you are left with missed opportunities and costly mistakes that could change the game in a negative manner.

Justin Burrell has a great build, 6-8 220lbs with raw athletic ability that if coached properly could be a great use for any team. After an impressive rookie campaign where he averaged 11ppg and 6rpg, Burrell has steadily fallen to 9ppg and 4rpg in ‘09 and 7ppg and 4rpg this past season. This year Burrell has to be a 16-17ppg and 10rpg kind of guy.

Two players Burrell needs to shape his game out to be like for this year is DeJuan Blair and Greg Monroe. Both Blair and Monroe are currently in the NBA and both players were the “go to guy” for their teams. Blair was a bulky guy down low that had amazing rebound skills and had the right skill set offensively to score. Monroe was a lengthy guy who had good post moves and even better passing skills.

Burrell has to learn to be half of what both these players were. On defense he must continuously crash the boards making sure he muscles anyone in the paint out and grabbing all rebounds. On offense he has to get down low and work his man down. If he can get an easy lay up or dunk take it. If not look for a cutting player like Paris Horne or Dwayne Polee or kick it out to the shooters Dwight Hardy and Kennedy. You win basketball inside out. Shooting goes cold, layups and dunks do not so for the Johnnies to make an impact this year in the Big East, Justin “JB” Burrell needs to size up and be the “go to guy”.

Timmy Dzeladini-Dimas
St. John’s 2013
@TimmyD_WSJU

Past & Present Celebrate Their Future

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St. John’s basketball has long been defined by its rich and deep tradition.  It comes as no surprise when Johnnies greats are able to take their skills to the next level.  At last month’s graduation ceremony on the Queens campus, those in attendance got to see one Johnny take the next step toward a potential pro career, while witnessing a former Red Storm hero walk across the stage.

Walter Berry on the legendary cover of Sports Illustrated during the illustrious 1985 season.
Yes, Red Storm senior Anthony Mason Jr. completed his course of study. But joining him was Walter “The Truth” Berry, who helped lead the Johnnies to their most recent Final Four back in 1985.  Berry took advantage of the online classes offered by St. John’s to finish his program in liberal studies after playing professionally in Europe in a career that spanned three decades.  Berry was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1986, but became a bigger star overseas.

Mason has since worked out with the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and Indiana Pacers in the hopes of potentially being drafted or signing a free agent contract. Unfortunately, Mase’s five-year career with the Red Storm that was unfortunately marred by injuries over his final three seasons.  His statistics were not as gaudy as most Johnnies fans would have hoped, but Mason provided veteran leadership and an irreplaceable spark in former coach Norm Roberts’ lineup.

Arguably, Mason’s defining moment in a St. John’s uniform came at the end of the 2007-08 season, when his 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left gave St. John’s a dramatic 65-62 victory over Seton Hall at Carnesecca Arena; a win that became even more dramatic when Jeremy Hazell’s near-70-footer that would have tied it immediately after Mason’s trifecta gave the Johnnies the lead was disallowed by the officials.

Regardless of where the road of life takes both of these great players, Walter Berry and Anthony Mason Jr. have one thing in common that can never be taken from them: Their place in the long-standing and tradition-rich history of St. John’s basketball.

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.

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What Should Lavin Do?

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Norm Roberts left the program with a huge scholarship imbalance on the roster. When Omari Lawrence transferred out of the program it opened the door for potentially others to walk out as well. In the newest column on JohnnyJungle.com “Over the Airwaves” the opinions of WSJU Radio personalities Dan Martin and Timmy Dzeladini-Dimas will be on display on a hot topics of debate regarding St. John’s Basketball. The first assignment is what to do about the scholarship imbalance? Should anyone else transfer? Lets take a look at what they have to say.

At this point, I don’t expect St. John’s to push any more scholarship players out.Iif they were to let someone go, it would most likely be forward Rob Thomas. The Johnnies are crowded down low. They have five capable guys, though none of them can really take over a game. With Sean Evans, Justin Burrell, Justin Brownlee, and Dele Coker, Thomas seems to be the odd man out when it comes to rotation and playing time. Thomas is probably, the least “impact” of these guys, being that he is more of a “grind-it-out” player. He’ll get garbage points off rebounds, but he doesn’t demand any attention on the block. With this same lack of offensive production at the point, Coach Lavin cannot afford to have two offensive holes on the floor at the same time. He is one of the hardest working guys on the team who has overcome such adversity, but nagging injuries and inability to keep his weight absolutely in check have kept him down.

Quincy Roberts the forgotten Johnny. Can he get back to form? Get minutes?
Especially if Remi Barry is brought in, Thomas’ minutes could be cut to virtually nothing because Barry is an inch taller, with more athleticism and the ability to step out and shoot the jumper. If this perfect storm comes to be, look for Thomas to be on the bench for a good deal of the 2010-2011 season.

After averaging 5 points per game his freshman year, Roberts played in four games this past season before being red-shirted. With guys like Polee and, perhaps, Barry coming in, players who would fill the same role as Roberts did, his minutes should be significantly cut. A coach brings guys in by selling a system and how that guy would fit into that system. Lavin clearly wants to use the speed and athleticism of Polee to run all game this year. In my mind, that’s not something Roberts can do.

Another point of interest on the Johnnies roster is Malik Stith. Averaging just over a single point and assist per game in eleven minutes his freshman year, he was essentially a carbon copy of starting point guard Malik Boothe. They share the same set of skills (distributor, ball-handler) and weaknesses (lack of ability to consistently get to the basket, weak outside game). To win in the Big East, you can’t have this kind of passiveness running the point. That’s why, I imagine, Stith’s heart was beating quickly when news surfaced that St. John’s was pursuing New York-born gem Doron Lamb, who has since committed to college basketball One-And-Done goliath Kentucky. Though Lamb was technically a shooting guard, he would have been more than capable of running the point.

With all of this said, it makes no sense to clean house entirely and bring in brand new recruits. Granted, there is better talent out there than what exists right now, but Lavin needs to remember that nine scholarships will open up after this season, giving him nearly free reign as to what direction he takes this program. That is why it makes sense to keep these kids around. If Malik Stith ends up being the 11th guy on your roster, you’ve got to have a pretty good team. You cannot discount the talent that exists. Every player has an upside that needs to be developed, that which I think was absent under Norm Roberts.

Dan Martin
St. John’s 2013
@Dan_MartinWSJU

I feel if Malik Stith is used properly, he can be a solid contributor off the bench. Last year, he really struggled at times to play his position but he showed also that he can get to the basket, draw fouls or create on the move at times. With playing time, he needs to be productive because if he wants to play in 2011; when Boothe leaves next year there is no guarantee that Stith gets the green light to be the starting point guard.

Quincy Roberts missed all of last season with a concussion. People questioned if he would transfer last year and that proved to be no. I don’t think he will transfer now and if I’m Lavin I don’t think I’d be trying to move players. Not the right image. He has to show he can be better then ex-coach Norm Roberts was with the players Norm had.

Steve Lavin instructing his phenom point guard Baron Davis at UCLA.
Even if these players do decide to leave, Lavin needs to hold those scholarships until next year. If Doron Lamb, the Brooklyn Native point guard, was still deciding and we had this option then I’d say go after him. But he isn’t, and there really aren’t any top point guards left with Brandon Knight also signing with The Kentucky Wildcats. The field is a bit dry now that the top talents have signed to their respective schools. Right now all signs show that both players will remain with the school so unless Lavin pushes them out, which I doubt he will, they will be Johnnies next year.

I think the player with more to gain or lose of the two is Stith. Lavin will look to recruit point guards, like one of his first recruits with UCLA, Baron Davis. If Stith can be a spark plug for this team off the bench with Hardy, Polee, Roberts this team can go far. Lavin will give him a lot of playing time so he needs to take what he gets and makes sure he seizes the opportunity.

With nine seniors on this team you have a bunch of veteran leadership that knows how to play the college game. Barry and Polee can ease their development for the first year and be the faces of this team next year when the starters graduate. Lavin can groom his new players the way he wants and then next year get kids that are semi developed for the college game and won’t need too much grooming. Lavin is a showman and right now his opening act is looking as good as it could be if not great in the short amount of time and little amount of moving room he has. Next year though, will be the intro to a long act.

Timmy Dzeladini-Dimas
St. John’s 2013
@TimmyD_WSJU

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.

Billy Singleton to the Gauchos

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Updated 5/19/10 1:00 AM The New York Gauchos have confirmed the hire of Billy Singleton on their Twitter.

Since Maurice Hicks is taking the Director of Basketball operations job at St. John’s that leaves an opening for the New York Gauchos. The buzz around New York is that Billy Singleton is currently the favorite to take the position.

Singleton became the Director of Basketball operations under Norm Roberts in September of 2007. Singleton was a standout player for the Redstorm and graduated from the University in 1991. Singleton was a three-year letter winner at St. John’s and co-captain as a senior in 1991, playing for Hall of Fame Coach Lou Carnesecca and alongside greats such as Malik Sealy, Jayson Williams, Jason Buchanan and Robert Werdann. He played in 96 career contests, averaging 8.7 points per game and 5.7 rebounds with a .478 field goal percentage. He was a member of the 1989 St. John’s NIT Championship team, and is notably remembered for joining Sealy in carrying Carnesecca off the court following the coach’s 500th career win on Feb. 2, 1991.

Following commencement from St. John’s, Singleton enjoyed a 16-year playing career abroad, with stints in Australia, France, Uruguay, Ireland, Chile, Israel, Cyprus and most notably, England, where he remains among the British Basketball League’s (BBL) all-time scoring leaders. Singleton spent a combined 13 seasons playing in the BBL, capturing the league’s championship with the Leicester Raiders, Cheshire Jets and Scottish Rocks.

After spending one season as an assistant coach with the BBL’s Cheshire Jets, Singleton spent the 2005-07 seasons as head coach. With Cheshire, he was responsible for all on-court operations of the club, including: team selection, player development, practice and game preparation while also managing the team’s budget.

A native of the Bronx, Singleton attended Adlai E. Stevenson High School. He is the nephew of current Philadelphia 76ers television analyst Ed Pinckney, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1985 Final Four with Villanova before a 12-year NBA career.

Singleton has had long ties with the Gauchos organization so the move would make a lot of sense and would beneficial for St. John’s in the NYC recruiting wars.

Keep reading JohnnyJungle.com for all latest news regarding St. John’s Basketball.

*Singleton’s bio copied from RedStormSports.com