St. Francis

St. John’s makes Garden debut at Madison Square Garden for Holiday Festival

December 6, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

QUEENS, N.Y. (Dec. 4, 2015) – Chris Mullin will make his head coaching debut at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” on Sunday when St. John’s meets St. Francis Brooklyn in the MSG Holiday Festival. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. kicking off a college basketball doubleheader at The Garden that also includes Hofstra and Appalachian State.

A national telecast will air on FS1 with Jason Knapp and Ron Thompson on the call. The broadcast is also available through FOX Sports Go. St. John’s IMG Radio broadcast with John Minko and Vin Parise will air on 970 AM WNYM and through the TuneIn app.

St. John’s (4-3) is making its 49th appearance in the Holiday Festival. As a player, Mullin led St. John’s to three Holiday Festival championships when it was a two-day event and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player in 1981. Now patrolling the sidelines, Mullin looks to lead the Red Storm to the program’s sixth straight Holiday Festival victory.

After playing the past four contests on the road, the Red Storm begins a five-game home stretch on Sunday with St. Francis Brooklyn. St. John’s youthful roster will go for the program’s 1,800th win after coming up short of reaching the milestone on Wednesday at Fordham. Felix Balamou (Conakry, Guinea) matched a career-high with 14 points and Christian Jones (Arlington, Texas) added 11 points, but the Red Storm shot 39.5 percent from the field and couldn’t overcome a 16-point halftime deficit.

St. Francis Brooklyn (3-4), led by former St. John’s assistant Glenn Braica, brings a two-game win streak to Madison Square Garden for the 78th all-time meeting between the programs. The Terriers picked up a pair of road victories at Hartford (Nov. 29) and Lafayette (Dec. 2). Senior guard Tyreek Jewell, one of the top returnees from the 2014-15 squad that advanced to the National Invitation Tournament, is the team’s leading scorer with 11.0 points per game.

St. John’s holds a 73-38 all-time record in the MSG Holiday, having regularly appeared in the event since 1952.

About the Series with St. Francis Brooklyn

· St. John’s owns a 65-12 all-time record against St. Francis Brooklyn.
· St. Francis Brooklyn is currently St. John’s ninth-most frequently played opponent with the Red Storm holding a .844 win percentage in the series.
· The Red Storm has won 32 of the last 33 meetings, including the last six contests dating back to 2005.

St. John’s Returns Home, Renews Rivalry With St. Francis

November 21, 2011 by Jaden Daly 1 Comment

If you’re a fan of St. John’s basketball, chances are you have a bitter taste in your mouth from the two heartbreaking losses the Red Storm suffered this past week at Madison Square Garden, falling to Arizona and Texas A&M on consecutive days in the final minutes.

Tuesday night, St. John’s returns to Carnesecca Arena to host St. Francis for the first time in almost three years.

The last time these two schools met, back on December 1, 2008, St. John’s struggled to put the Terriers away, despite taking a 19-point halftime lead into the locker room.

The Red Storm fended off a few St. Francis comeback attempts on the way to a 69-61 victory. In fact, both of the last two meetings between the schools have been decided by eight points, as St. John’s won in 2007, 72-64.

Despite the personnel changes, Brooklyn meets Queens once again, and JohnnyJungle.com will get you caught up on the latest installment of this intra-city rivalry with the information below.

Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Location: Carnesecca Arena; Jamaica, New York
Time: 9:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN3 (espn3.com) via STJ-TV (Tony Luftman, Tarik Turner)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org (Tim Dimas, Jon Perez)
SFCAthletics.com (Seth Cantor, Jaden Daly)

St. John’s Red Storm (3-2)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin (2nd season, 24-14; 169-92 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Nurideen Lindsey (6-3 So., 15.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 50% FG, 58% FT, 3.8 APG, 2.2 SPG)
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 5.4 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 59% FG, 67% 3pt, 71% FT, 1.2 APG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 14.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 39% FG, 33% 3pt, 77% FT, 1.6 APG, 2.0 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 12.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 62% FG, 77% FT)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 14.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 43% FG, 58% FT, 1.4 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.8 SPG)

Key Reserves:
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 4.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 57% FG, 67% 3pt, 40% FT, 1.0 SPG)
G Phil Greene (6-2 Fr., 5.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 42% FG, 38% 3pt, 67% FT, 1.4 APG, 1.2 SPG)

Keys To Victory:
– Get in transition. St. Francis has turned the ball over 45 times through their first three games, including 23 in their season opener against Seton Hall, who, like St. John’s, competes in the Big East. Most of the Terrier miscues came late in the second half while St. Francis was trying to put the game away against a Pirates team that they had outplayed, to that point. St. John’s is an admittedly better team in the final twenty minutes, so if they can get St. Francis flustered on the offensive end after the opening tip, the conditions on the court will be in their favor from start to finish.

– Defend the perimeter. Look for sharpshooters Stefan Perunicic and Ben Mockford (more on them later) to get a lot of open looks early for the Terriers given the matchup zone that Steve Lavin will employ to start the game. The real key is whether or not the shots will fall, but if the Red Storm can get to the three-point line and contest most of the opportunities beyond the arc, it could be a long night for St. Francis.

– Make use of the size advantage. St. Francis starts two forwards that are significantly undersized in Travis Nichols and Akeem Johnson, and no player on their roster is taller than 6-8. This gives God’sgift Achiuwa and Moe Harkless the opportunity to establish themselves under the boards on each defensive possession for the Red Storm. In addition, don’t be surprised to see a lot of Sir’Dominic Pointer in this game, as the Red Storm can use their athleticism to their advantage against a smaller St. Francis lineup.

Making the trip from Brooklyn for the first time since 2008 are the St. Francis Terriers.

St. Francis Terriers (0-3)
Head Coach: Glenn Braica (2nd season, 15-18)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Dre Calloway (6-0 Sr., 10.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 37% FG, 60% FT, 3.7 APG, 1.3 SPG)
G Ben Mockford (6-2 So., 11.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 31% FG, 30% 3pt, 75% FT, 1.0 APG)
G Stefan Perunicic (6-6 Sr., 9.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 37% FG, 32% 3pt, 60% FT, 1.0 APG)
F Travis Nichols (6-4 Jr., 17.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 61% FG, 62% 3pt, 80% FT)
F Akeem Johnson (6-6 Jr., 7.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 50% FG, 46% FT, 1.7 BPG)

Key Reserves:
G Brent Jones (5-10 So., 3.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 26% FG, 3.7 APG)
F Kevin Douglas (6-5 Fr., 3.7 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 38% FG, 33% 3pt, 100% FT)
F Jalen Cannon (6-6 Fr., 2.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 30% FG, 50% FT, 1.0 SPG)

Keys To Victory:
– Experience. Whereas no one on the St. John’s staff has any intimate knowledge of St. Francis except for director of basketball operations Maurice Hicks, (who coached Dre Calloway at Rice High School) the Terriers boast two players in Stefan Perunicic and reserve guard Justin Newton who played against St. John’s the last time the two schools met in their freshman year of 2008. In fact, Perunicic started that game. Moreover, head coach Glenn Braica returns home in a way after spending six seasons as the top assistant on former coach Norm Roberts‘ staff before being hired by St. Francis in the spring of 2010. In addition, you can expect St. Francis to play at least ten (maybe even eleven) players throughout the night, allowing Braica to frequently make use of his bench (in other words, Norm Roberts 2.0) and wear the Red Storm down.

– Good things come in small packages. Travis Nichols is listed at 6-4, (he’s actually more like 6-3 1/2) but he has come into his own this season as the Terriers’ starting power forward. Nichols has already demonstrated he can hold his own against Big East competition, as evidenced by his career-high 25 points and 14 rebounds in the season opener against Seton Hall, where he was matched up against a far bigger and superior talent in Herb Pope. Nichols is also a surprisingly gifted shooter, and can hit from anywhere on the court, (he comes into Tuesday’s game shooting 61 percent from the field and 62 percent from three-point range) creating a matchup problem for any opponent who draws him.

Shot selection. St. Francis is a very streaky team when they shoot the ball. When they’re hot, as they were against Seton Hall when they shot 46% (12-for-26), it could be troubling for their opponents. However, when they’re cold, as they were in recent losses to Lafayette and Hofstra, it gives opposing teams more of a shot, though the Terriers don’t go away on either side of the ball. Glenn Braica will have his team fighting on each possession, so the game will be close no matter what. If St. Francis can play smart and limit their mistakes offensively, we could see something similar to the Seton Hall game last Saturday.

So, Who Wins?
Nothing comes easy at Carnesecca Arena, and the close proximity of the fans to the court may actually favor St. Francis, being that they are used to small crowds being vocal at their home court at the Pope Center. St. John’s has also been no stranger to the early nonconference trap game (think St. Bonaventure and Fordham last season) both under Steve Lavin and before the coach’s arrival in March of 2010. Another interesting dynamic will be watching how the Red Storm recover from the heartbreaking loss in their most recent game Friday, when Nurideen Lindsey missed two free throws that would have won the game for St. John’s. On the other side of the court, the Terriers come in having lost their first three games by just 14 points combined. St. Francis will come out firing right away, and the Terriers definitely have the talent to stay with the Red Storm for forty minutes. It will be close, and in the end, the more experienced team posts the upset, righting the ship for St. Francis; and causing some additional grief for Red Storm fans before the Red Storm return to the court against Northeastern on Saturday.

Final Score: St. Francis 68, St. John’s 65

Happy Festivus

December 22, 2010 by Jaden Daly 1 Comment

Justin Brownlee showed off a little coast to coast last night against Northwestern. (Icon SMI)

Christmas may still be three days away, but for St. John’s fans, a trophy was placed under the tree last night thanks to what was arguably the best and most complete forty minutes played by the Red Storm this season.

Despite trailing by three at halftime, the Johnnies (7-3) used a near-perfect second half and a resurgence from two of their bench players to put up 48 points over the final stanza, defeating Northwestern 85-69 to bring the Holiday Festival championship back to the corner of Union and Utopia for the first time since 2005. St. John’s shot 80 percent (16-for-20) from the field in the final period, and ended the night with a 76 percent clip (16-for-21) at the free throw line that was a welcome sight for players, coaches and fans alike; along with the 60 percent effort from the field overall. (31-for-52)

“I feel like we’re ready for the Big East,” said Justin Brownlee, who scored 21 points and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Brownlee hit the shot that virtually iced the championship for the Red Storm, a 3-pointer that put his team up 73-62 with 3:48 remaining in regulation. Said Brownlee of the shot: “I felt like that was a dagger for them.”

Only four other players joined Brownlee in the scoring party, with Dwight Hardy’s 24 leading the way for St. John’s. However, one of the most impressive totals came from freshman Dwayne Polee, who added 10 points in just 17 minutes. “I took my lumps earlier in the season. Now, I’m just trying to get adjusted,” remarked the rookie on his resurgence. The biggest renaissance came from Justin Burrell, who turned the clock back to his dominating freshman form with 17 points and 9 rebounds on a perfect night (6-for-6) from the field. “Our staff is pleased for Justin,” head coach Steve Lavin said in his postgame press conference. “It’s a breakthrough for his ability to influence the game on both sides of the ball.”

Northwestern (8-1) suffered their first loss of the season just 24 hours after a 92-61 rout of St. Francis in the semifinals. The Wildcats picked up 28 points from forward John Shurna, who was named to the all-tournament team along with teammate Drew Crawford, who managed to score 17 in the losing effort.

Dwight Hardy also received all-tournament honors for St. John’s, who will get to enjoy the holidays with some new hardware to admire before making the trek to Morgantown to commence their Big East slate one week from tonight against West Virginia.

A Hardy Day’s Night

December 21, 2010 by Jaden Daly 1 Comment

It’s becoming standard practice for St. John’s lately. If the game is still up in the air inside the final minute, turn to Dwight Hardy. Fortunately, the Bronx native delivered once again with another unflappable performance resulting in a Red Storm win.

Hardy’s 12 points, including three free throws in the final 16.8 seconds, provided just enough cushion for the Johnnies (6-3) to defeat Davidson (5-4) 62-57 in the Holiday Festival semifinals at Madison Square Garden. Next up for St. John’s will be undefeated Northwestern, (8-0) who dominated St. Francis in a matchup that the Terriers started strong in before Northwestern asserted themselves on the way to a 92-61 victory that continued the Wildcats’ best start in 17 years.

While Hardy was the go-to guy in the clutch, there were other players instrumental in the win for St. John’s, which snapped a demoralizing two-game skid caused by losses to St. Bonaventure and Fordham. D.J. Kennedy turned back the clock with a vintage performance from “The Hitman,” scoring 17 while falling just one rebound short of a double-double. “It took us a while to get over the Fordham loss,” stated Kennedy. “I took it personally to step up and get a win.” Joining Kennedy in the effort were Justin Brownlee, who added another double-figure game to his ledger (11 points) and Paris Horne, who made up for a six-point outing with an emphatic blocked shot to end the first half, one where Davidson led 27-24.

Brendan McKillop paced Davidson with 17 points and Jake Cohen added 14 of his own for the Wildcats, who were done in by turning the ball over 19 times. However, St. John’s committed an unusually high amount of errors themselves with 15 turnovers. Davidson stayed within reach throughout despite the numerous miscues, and were done in with 4.4 seconds remaining when McKillop missed a three that would have tied the game at 60. Hardy picked up the rebound and was immediately fouled, and his two foul shots that followed iced it for the Johnnies.

The Holiday Festival resumes tonight with Davidson and St. Francis taking the court in the consolation game that will precede the championship matchup in which St. John’s looks to not only claim its first championship in their host tournament since 2005, but also to hand Northwestern their first loss of the season.

Fumble in the Bronx

December 12, 2010 by Jaden Daly Leave a Comment

Fordham fans storm the court at Rose Hill Gym after Rams come back from down 21 to upset St. John's 84-81. (Jaden Daly)

Four days removed from a demoralizing home loss against St. Bonaventure, St. John’s got an opportunity to regroup against another Atlantic 10 school, one just a stone’s throw away from the Queens campus in Fordham University. For about 25 minutes, it looked like the Johnnies had put the deflation at Carnesecca Arena behind them. That is, until the demons of Red Storm past trekked over the Whitestone Bridge and made their way into Rose Hill Gym.

After leading by as many as 21 points early in the final stanza, St. John’s (5-3) was done in by an 0-for-11 second-half effort from three-point range and missed layups inside as Fordham (5-4) used not one, but two 16-0 runs over a ten-minute span in the final period to upset the Red Storm 84-81 for the school’s first win against their Queens neighbors in over a decade.

“To have a night like this is special for the university,” said Fordham coach Tom Pecora, who was among the names initially considered for the St. John’s job that ultimately went to Steve Lavin. “You can see how tough a place this is to play,” remarked the coach of the Rams’ home venue, which sold out weeks before the game. Fordham was led by senior guard Brenton Butler, who valiantly scored 22 points despite nine turnovers and four first-half fouls, and sophomore Chris Gaston, who posted yet another double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The mood in the opposing locker room was a stark contrast from the jubilation exhibited by the victors.

“I thought the big storyline in the second half was Fordham’s aggressiveness,” said Lavin of the Rams’ 51-point effort in the final stanza. “Down the stretch, I felt we became too perimeter-oriented,” said Lavin, who felt his players may have been overzealous in their attempts to defeat Fordham’s zone defense. Despite yet another heartbreaking loss, the Johnnies had another positive night from Dwight Hardy, who led all scorers with 30 points (19 in the first half) in his Bronx homecoming after starring at John F. Kennedy High School prior to joining the Johnnies as a junior college transfer. “You could see some breakthroughs,” was what Lavin had to say about the recent productivity from his shooting guard. D.J. Kennedy chipped in with 16, and it seemed that the senior leader was trying to win the game singlehandedly in the final minutes. “He did some really good things,” said Lavin of the player he calls the hub of the wheel. “Then, in a couple of critical possessions, he launched some shots that were ill-advised.” Paris Horne added 14, and also added his name to the history books by becoming the Johnnies’ 46th member of the 1,000 point club.

Fordham shot 52% (12-for-23) from beyond the arc for the night, with each triple being drained by the trio of Butler, (five 3-pointers) Alberto Estwick, (four) and freshman Branden Frazier. (three) The Rams also became the third team in the last four seasons to defeat St. John’s with the aid of a 16-0 run in the second half, joining DePaul (2007-08) and West Virginia (2009-10) in that category. The Johnnies had led 60-39 with 15:35 remaining in regulation before Fordham capped off their comeback.

St. John’s takes a hiatus from its schedule for finals week before once again hosting the Holiday Festival on Monday night against Davidson, with either the consolation or championship game the following night against St. Francis or Northwestern.