Johnny Jungle

The 6th Man of St. John's Basketball

For the die hard St. John's fan.
The unofficial 6th man. est. '07
You are here: Home / Archives for Seton Hall

Down the Hall

by Leave a Comment

The Red Storm are improving by leaps and bounds in the latter part of the season. Their swagger is up. There’s a little more attention on campus. And the surrounding city is crazy for the story of NCAA Tournament-bound #15 St. John’s and their resurgence under first-year coach Steve Lavin.

Nearby, two other schools also replaced their head coaches. Rutgers, with new coach Mike Rice, is angling for a .500 record and just maybe inclusion in the NIT or the other postseason tournaments. Meanwhile, the team that seemed most talented of the three area schools, Seton Hall, has struggled mightily with the transition. At 11-17, they have almost no chance for postseason play, unless one of the lesser tournaments decides to take them on.

And they’ve had turmoil – Keon Lawrence and Jamel Jackson crossed the line once too often for Kevin Willard and were booted from the team for violating curfew. Jeremy Hazell broke his hand and then got shot over Christmas in a botched robbery attempt. The Pirates have integrated some new players, but one wonders of the coaching staff is simply trying to get past this year – and these players – and building something new in South Orange.

But the Pirates are still a local rival, with other New York-area players on the roster. They and St. John’s have spent years battling for position in the Big East; this game is for bragging rights. St. John’s hasn’t won at Seton Hall in over 10 years (1998, to be exact). And the Pirates’ scorers are streaky, but can be deadly from outside.

Can St. John’s keep feeding the storm with another road win?

[gigpress_related_shows]

Seton Hall (11-17, 5-11)

The Seton Hall team comes in with a nice win over the Syracuse Orange at the end of January, and a decent win over an Alabama team that might make the NCAA Tournament, back in November.

Besides that, the Pirates’ won-loss table is a list of opportunities not taken – losses at home to Dayton, Richmond, and Rutgers; neutral site losses to Clemson, Arkansas, and Xavier; and 5 Big East home losses.

The one sneaky constant in all of these games is generally tough defense. Somehow, a team that spent years being indifferent to a sustained defensive effort – especially an effort that didn’t involve a steal and going the other way for an easy score – has become one of the best defenses in the Big East, and by some metrics, maybe in the country. Seton Hall forces turnovers almost as well as St. John’s does. They play their positions fairly well (except when the players have breakdowns). They aren’t running up and down the court creating chaos for themselves while making chaos for others.

It’s hard to reconcile the good things the Pirates have done on defense and the talent they should have on offense with how unbelievably poor they have been on offense. It’s unbelievable. Personally, I’m a big fan of Kevin Willard’s – I would have wanted him for St. John’s – but his results with the Pirates have to give anyone pause.

Jeremy Hazell rises for a shot. Icon SMI

They’re a veteran team that wasn’t actually great at shooting, or shooting threes last year (volume shooters), and they’ve become utterly abysmal at hitting outside shots. And yet they still jack them up. Not at the rates that they used to, but if a team is shooting 24.7% on their three pointers, they should just STOP.

24.7%?

The Pirates don’t draw fouls (bottom of the league). They don’t crash the offensive glass for more opportunities. The slowed-down offense still comes with shots don’t seem like they would be in the flow of any offense. At least they don’t turn the ball over… but still, this is a fascinating study of how to NOT play offense. The Pirates don’t have scorers, they have culprits.

Jeremy Hazell is the team’s leading shooter. I guess you can call what he does “scoring,” but he takes so many shots to do it, he’s really just a guy chucking shots. He’s come back from his injury a lesser player; not sure if it’s injury or his chase of scoring and three-point records for the Pirates, but his shooting should be a benchable offense. He averages 35 minutes a game and he will not turn the ball over; once it touches his hands, he’s trying to do something with it. He’s hitting 23.8% of his outside shots in conference play, but is scoring better inside. Is he due for a hot streak?

Forward Jeff Robinson is another grip-it-and-rip-it player. The burly forward also takes a number of outside shots (hitting 32.8% of his three-point attempts) but can make plays inside. He’s a very good defensive rebounder and can surprise with his agility at times.

The other forward spot is mainly manned by Aliquippa native Herb Pope, who played AAU basketball with D.J.Kennedy and DeJuan Blair. Pope spent the summer in the hospital after collapsing because of a heart ailment, but he seems to be much the same player he was before. Having made 9 of 21 three-pointers last year has made Pope’s shot selection worse, though, and he is 6 of 28 from the outside (21%) and takes an inordinate number of deep jumpers. He’s still a very good defensive rebounder (and offensive glass man as well), but sometimes thinks a little too highly of his abilities. Pope has improved his free throw shooting percentage to 54.7%. And he blocks shots like a beast, hinting at his athleticism.

At the point guard position, former Gaucho Jordan Theodore thought he was ready for the lead role. His performance with the Pirates has been a mirror image of last year (check his conference-only shooting stats – they’re actually the same numbers, give or take a few attempts), but in a slower pace, with more minutes, and with more turnovers. Theodore is what he’s been – a poor outside shooter, a solidly quick handle, a non-rebounder, a decent but unspectacular assist man. Playing point at times is Mississippi transfer Eniel Polynice, who is also much of what he has always been – a tall passer in a forward’s body who can bring the ball up but is a poor shooter. He concentrates on passing with the Pirates.

The newcomers, though, are promising. Freshman swingman Fuquan Edwin starts for the Pirates. He, too, has Miss The Basket disease, but he plays hard, defends solidly, and won’t turn the ball over. Edwin has struggled to score recently. Czech freshman forward Patrik Auda brings some size to the table (6’9, 225) and a willingness to bang and play ugly. He’s a little earth-bound, but can rebound and even hit an outside jump shot. Englishman Aaron Geramipoor gets spot minutes in the post but looks to have solid hands for rebounding.

Keys to the Game

Play Red Storm defense. St. John’s needs to hassle to Pirate shooters early, because they will take head-scratcher shots under pressure… and those shots often don’t fall. St. John’s can’t let them get into a rhythm early.

Get rebounds. The game will be much uglier than the fans will think; the Hall does have some scrappy players who like to bang. St. John’s has to bring some muscle and collect the rebounds that come near them.

Patience. The Johnnies have to play within themselves and create opportunities as they have in recent games. No forcing the issue; concentration, smart shot selection, and good offensive principles should earn the win.

Watch for turnovers. The Pirates do a solid job of turning over the opponent. St. John’s has to protect the ball, make crisp passes, and attack.

Kennedy + Hardy attacking. The team needs to attack the Pirate players and make them work on defense, drawing fouls. That starts with Kennedy and Hardy’s ability.

BONUS KEY: Protect the family jewels. Herb Pope has been known to take his frustrations out on the most painful place to hit a man.

Prediction: Surprisingly close, but the Red Storm won’t backslide. St. John’s, 66-60.

Johnnies Set Sail to Take on Pirates

by Leave a Comment

Even with all the attention surrounding the #15 St. John’s Red Storm, players say only a few small things have changed.

“I’m sitting in class, the girl I’ve been interested in for the whole semester kind of gives me a smile that on a different day when I walk in, probably wouldn’t have gotten one before,” forward Justin Burrell joked. “The lunch lady gave me a couple extra fries in the bottom of the bag. Stuff like that.”

The Johnnies take their 6-game win streak on the road to Seton Hall on Thursday night. (Photo: Icon/SMI)

That relaxed, “take-things-as-they-come” attitude continues to pervade the St. John’s locker room and keep them from being caught up in the glitz and glamour that comes with being the 15th ranked team in the country.

After moving up 10 spots in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll this past week, the Johnnies are heavily favored in their two remaining regular season games, Thursday at Seton Hall and Saturday versus South Florida at Carnesecca Arena.

These two final regular season games force the Red Storm to switch gears. Coming off an important road win over #14 Villanova, the Red Storm must take care of business against two sub-.500 opponents to secure a double-bye in the Big East Tournament.

“These games are actually harder,” Burrell said. “If you see throughout college basketball when a team that…is supposed to win a game, if you see those games, it’s sometimes close because teams overlook or don’t come out with the same intensity.”

Thursday’s match-up with Seton Hall at the Prudential Center will be an interesting one for St. John’s because, though the Pirates have won just five Big East games (with four of those wins coming over DePaul, Rutgers, Providence, and USF), they traveled to the Carrier Dome in late January and beat Syracuse by 22 points.

“We’re a real mature team. In this league, anyone can beat anyone,” said senior forward Sean Evans.  “We’re going to go in there, same focus as if we were playing the number one team in the conference or the last place team in the conference.”

Senior guard Jeremy Hazell, who missed 13 games for the Pirates this year with a broken bone in his left wrist, is a volume shooter who can put points up in a hurry. Now healthy, Hazell is averaging 18.5 points per game, including outbursts of 28 points in their big win at Syracuse, and another 28 early in the year in a win over Cornell.

Last year at Carnesecca Arena, Hazell dropped 10 points on 4/6 shooting in the first 12 minutes before leaving the game with a deep cut in his right hand. Despite Hazell’s absence, Seton Hall won 59-50 behind 16 points from forward Jeff Robinson.

Along with Hazell, junior forward Herb Pope can play impact basketball on the inside, averaging almost a double-double, with 10 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Guarding Pope, who also happens to be a friend of Justin Burrell’s off the court, will be the duty of St. John’s Big 3 forwards: Brownlee, Burrell, and the reemerging Sean Evans.

“To this point, there hasn’t been any indication of a letdown,” said Coach Steve Lavin. “I think, in a lot of our losses, it was more confidence, or not understanding how to salt a victory away, or not counter-punching when a team made a run on us and the inability to come back late in a game.”

“Every game we come out, we’re going to try to win and our goal is to win a national championship, as is any other college team in the country.” -Sean Evans

It seems the Johnnies have struck a balance between a short term vision and clear recognition of long term goals. Lavin has called every game “the most important game of the year”, but the team is still cognizant of their national rank and NCAA Tournament prospects.

“We’ve worked hard to put ourselves in this position and we don’t ever want to forget the brick and mortar, the fundamentals, and the degrees of focus that it took to get to this point,” said Lavin.

And as the Red Storm rolls into Newark Thursday night, they will be bringing the brick and mortar, hoping to build their way to a national title run.

“We don’t play just to play, we play to win,” said Evans. “Every game we come out, we’re going to try to win and our goal is to win a national championship, as is any other college team in the country.”

Lavin A Johnny Rocket

by Leave a Comment

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.

Behind Every Great Coach…

by Leave a Comment

Shortly after the Big East tournament came to a close, two of the three local Big East programs (St. John’s and Seton Hall) had dismissed their head coaches, with fellow metro institution Rutgers following suit two months later when Fred Hill resigned.  Each of the three schools eventually hired new head coaches in a relatively quick fashion after announcing that the previous head men would not be back, and each has seen their own unique level of success.

The most experienced of the St. John's assistants, Mike Dunlap will be the on-court tactician of the trio. (Photo courtesy of redstormsports.com)
At his introductory press conference this past March, new St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin wanted to hire “talented, capable, hard-working and loyal assistant coaches.” Almost three months later, it is safe to say that the captain of the Johnnies’ ship has done exactly that; with three well-known men from different circles of the basketball world joining him on the Red Storm bench this season, as well as two equally recognizable individuals taking care of business at the office on the Queens campus.  Exactly what does each one bring forth to St. John’s?  You’ll find out here as Lavin’s staff is profiled extensively within this column.

Mike Dunlap– With the hiring of veteran Mike Dunlap, Coach Lavin brings even more depth and experience to an already well-rounded staff. A former assistant at Arizona and Oregon, Dunlap possesses the same Pac-10 ties Lavin has, and was also an assistant to Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl.  Moreover, Dunlap has experience at the head coaching level as well, with stints at Division II school Metropolitan State (Colo.) and the Adelaide 36ers in Australia to pad his vast resume.  Dunlap has also written several articles about basketball fundamentals that have been nationally published.

Tony Chiles– Was Lavin’s initial hire, being welcomed to the St. John’s family a week after Lavin was brought on board. A former assistant at Drexel before joining St. John’s, Chiles cut his teeth in the New York area while serving under former St. John’s head man Fran Fraschilla and Jeff Ruland at Manhattan and Iona, respectively.  Chiles has an extensive background with guards, player development and scouting reports, as noted in the press release that confirmed his hiring.

Rico Hines– A former player under Coach Lavin at UCLA, Rico Hines spent his last four years as an employee of the Golden State Warriors, working as a player development assistant under Don Nelson, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach.  Hines’ work has seen him mentor such stars as Stephen Curry, Anthony Morrow, Monta Ellis, and even fellow UCLA products and Lavin pupils Trevor Ariza and Baron Davis.  Hines was endorsed by Nelson shortly after his arrival at St. John’s as having done “an outstanding job developing our younger players,” and “matured into a great assistant coach.”  Hines will add nine seniors to the illustrious list of players that have grown under his watch, most notably D.J. Kennedy and Dwight Hardy, both of whom are regarded as potential members of the 2011 NBA draft class.

Maurice Hicks– Coach Lavin gave his staff a local feel with the hiring of Maurice “Moe” Hicks as his director of basketball operations.  Hicks is known throughout New York City for his success as the head coach at CHSAA powerhouse Rice High School, where he coached future Big East stars the likes of Andre Barrett, Edgar Sosa, and Kemba Walker before they went on to become stars at Seton Hall, Louisville, and UConn, respectively.  Before his five state championships at Rice, Hicks also won a PSAL title at Brandeis High School in Manhattan.  Hicks will replace former St. John’s player Billy Singleton in the office, and will schedule team travel, practices and supervise the assistant coaches among other things, while working closely with athletic director Chris Monasch as well.

Derrick Wrobel– Like Mike Dunlap and Coach Lavin as well, Derrick Wrobel is a product of the Pac-10, having spent the last four years at Cal, and comes to St. John’s in an administrative role.  The former basketball operations coordinator and director of external relations for the Golden Bears, Wrobel will handle student development, athletic compliance, and the administration of the Steve Lavin basketball camp as some of his many duties.  Lavin’s basketball camp will be held this August at Taffner Field House.

Now that each of the Red Storm’s new hires has been analyzed, let’s compare them to their metropolitan area counterparts, who also bring new members to the hardwood for the upcoming season.

Seton Hall-New Pirates head coach Kevin Willard didn’t go very far when he named his top assistant, tabbing former Pirate Shaheen Holloway to come to New Jersey with him as his associate head coach. Holloway spent the last three years as one of Willard’s assistants at Iona.  Willard also brought Dan McHale and Casey Stanley with him from New Rochelle, while bringing in Chris Pompey from New Mexico State to round out his staff.  Former Pirate player Grant Billmeier will work in the office alongside Stephen Sauers. Once the director of basketball operations under Bobby Gonzalez, Sauers will reprise his role under Willard.

Rutgers-New Scarlet Knights boss Mike Rice wasted little time assembling his staff after being hired last month, naming two assistants in former Hofstra deputy Van Macon, and David Cox, who remains in the Big East after serving under John Thompson III at Georgetown.  Rice just recently announced the hire of former NBA veteran Eric Murdock as the director of player development, enabling the New Jersey native to return to the Big East, where he played collegiately at Providence.

How Does Each Staff Rank?

Now that we’ve got you caught up on what Seton Hall and Rutgers have done during the offseason, it’s now time to take a look at how each staff sizes up against one another, and how each will be able to recruit for next season and the future.

1. St. John’s – St. John’s has really turned the corner with the hiring of the aforementioned individuals to join Steve Lavin in the head coach’s quest to return St. John’s to national prominence, and when compared to local and conference rivals Seton Hall and Rutgers, it can be argued that the Johnnies have the edge on the bench.  That’s not all, though, as Coach Lavin has displayed why he was lauded as an excellent recruiter with his signing of Los Angeles prep star Dwayne Polee, who was signed several weeks after Lavin came on board.  Frenchman Remi Barry is also continuing to weigh St. John’s heavily as he comes closer to making his decision.

2. Rutgers – Considering that Rice was able to get Jordan Goodman to give the Scarlet Knights a verbal for 2012 almost immediately after the coach left Robert Morris to go to Piscataway, Rutgers gets the nod over Seton Hall for the time being, as most of the Pirates’ recruits had committed before Bobby Gonzalez was unceremoniously axed.  Rice also has a reputation for being a relentless recruiter as well as a coach, something that will benefit the Scarlet Knights down the road as they look to move into the upper echelon of the Big East.

3. Seton Hall – Nothing against Kevin Willard, but as mentioned before, Seton Hall’s headlining newcomer (Paterson Catholic’s Fuquan Edwin) had committed before the 2009-10 season had even started, when Bobby Gonzalez did not have to worry about job security.  Willard did add Patrik Auda of the Czech Republic and Florida prep school standout Anali Okoloji, and while he believes that both will make an immediate impact, Seton Hall already has a talented core of players returning, led by guards Jeremy Hazell and Jordan Theodore, as well as forwards Herb Pope and Jeff Robinson.

While it has been noted that each of the three local programs have already seen their own unique success, the level of short-term improvement will vary between the schools, as each was in a different state before and after replacing its head coach.  Seton Hall made last year’s NIT, but was seen as a bubble team even with Willard leaving Iona.  It remains to be seen whether or not the Pirates can take the next step in postseason play.  Rutgers has been decimated throughout the offseason, as Mike Rosario and Patrick Jackson both transferred in the wake of Fred Hill’s resignation; and even though Mike Rice brings the promise of upward mobility within the Big East, Rutgers is still at least two years away from making waves as far as the postseason is concerned.  Finally, St. John’s was already poised for bigger and better things before falling to Memphis in the NIT, and the hire of Steve Lavin should be enough to return the Johnnies to the “Big Dance” for the first time since 2002.

Past & Present Celebrate Their Future

by Leave a Comment

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.

St. John’s 2010 Summer Basketball Camp: Two Sessions! Fundamentals and Fun!

  • For boys ages 7 to 18.
  • Attend multiple sessions and save $30.
  • Camp Staff includes St. John’s University men’s basketball coaches.
  • Top area coaches help staff the camp.
  • Campers are grouped by age and ability level.
  • All participants receive a free camp t-shirt.
  • Prizes, awards and certificates for all campers.
  • NCAA Educational Session.
  • Camp is fully insured.

Session I * Five-Day Instructional Camp
August 9-13 Session, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Tuition $255 ($150 Deposit Required)

Session II * Five-Day Instructional Camp
August 16-20 Session, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Tuition $255 ($150 Deposit Required)
Or, your child can attend multiple sessions at a $30 discount:

I and II
$480
($250 Deposit)

Location
Taffner Field House
St. John’s University
Queens, N.Y.
Daily schedule includes stations to improve skill level, drills, contests and two games per day!

For More Information Call: 718-990-6225