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 St. John’s Basketball

Lavin’s First Expo

by 1 Comment

The exhibition game is here! Westmont comes from California for a sightseeing trip to New York. They’ll see a little Manhattan, see lovely Jamaica Queens, see a whole lot of white and red names and numbers running to the other basket, styling on dunks.

It’ll be a nice trip for them. Westmont’s coach John Moore is married to Steve Lavin’s older sister; it’ll be a nice bit of family time for them as well.

Westmont played UCLA at Pauley Pavilion and took the expected beating, but exposed some flaws in the Bruins – the 3-point shooting, and some half-court defensive issues.

DJ took his game to new heights last season scoring in a variety of ways. Will he continue to add to his scoring prowess this season? (Icon SMI)
St. John’s already comes with questions. Great change needs to be installed by the coaching staff to make this tough and plucky crew into a formidable Big East squad with real aspirations to reach the NCAA Tournament. What will change? From Gene Keady’s comment about the spacing from the NY Daily News, one hopes the questionable clumping of players that has plagued the team on fast breaks and on defense in previous years is improved.

Other questions:

Who’s going to play down low? Justin Brownlee and Dwayne Polee will get some time, as will Sean Evans. But how much for each? How about Coker?

Can Malik Boothe be effective? He had a nice stretch at the end of last season, and the toughness needs to be on full display this season – there isn’t a strong option to back him up, though Malik Stith and Dwight Hardy will get their cracks. Boothe needs to make enough jump shots to pass as an offensive threat and make plays – steals, passes that lead to shots, and getting to the line. Too often, he was a poor decoy on offense.

Can Lavin play Horne and Hardy together (along with DJ Kennedy)? Having all three on the court for stretches puts three solid offensive options out for teams to defend. Each of those players could stand to improve, as well, and play a more team-oriented style. No knock on them. But Kennedy was the man last year and created with the ball in his hands. Hardy was asked to get himself shots off the dribble. And Horne was a lesser part of the offense than he was in 2009, when he worked through screens to get shots. A team oriented game could do them all good.

And more:

What does the new offense look like?
Will they do different things on defense?
Have Malik Stith and Quincy Roberts improved?
Will Dwayne Polee make us all say OOOO?

Game Information

Tip Off: 7 PM, Saturday November 6th
Location: Carnesecca Arena
TV: Storm Tracker All-Access
Radio: WSJU Radio

Keys to the Game

Since losing an exhibition game can even happen to a team that goes to the Sweet Sixteen (Syracuse v. LeMoyne last year), winning is not the most important thing. Of course, I say that fully expecting the team to win.

Be More Talented. Westmont is an NAIA school. Enough said. St. John’s should be able to work on all the ways they can increase the pressure/ attack on offense. I am curious to see what the early offense looks like, and how long it takes the team to get a shot off in halfcourt sets. Here’s hoping it won’t be 25-30 seconds, with 8 seconds dribbling the ball past halfcourt. And how will this team react to a zone?

Don’t Get Hurt. This team, depending on who the coaching staff likes, is thin. There are bodies, but a lot of those bodies contributed to remaining in the bottom quarter of the Big East… the guys who can make a difference need to stay on the court all year.

Show the Defensive Pressure. Maybe the fans don’t need to see all the wrinkles, but the staff has talked about installing a new defense and tweaking the offense; let’s see some of those changes and work out the kinks. How will the guards look in the half court? How well do the forwards stay in position? Can the team play a competent zone defense?

Who’s Better? Not a key to winning, but the staff needs to see who can make impactful, attacking plays when the lights come on. Who has improved their game?

Protect the Ball. One of the main keys for this team will be minimizing turnovers. It was a bugaboo for Lavin’s UCLA teams, and it will be for St. John’s, a team that doesn’t have a flash-scoring gear that covers up sloppy play.

Prediction: St. John’s, 85+ points, Westmont, 50+ points.

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

Preseason News and Notes

by Leave a Comment

Steve Lavin has been the center of attention for college basketball this offseason (Redstormsports)
This offseason has brought buzz, happiness, and hope for the St. John’s Basketball community. There has been unbridled optimism as the school hired new head coach Steve Lavin, top assistant coaches, and as the staff has enjoyed tremendous recruiting success.

Two weeks from now all of this will be put aside. The season will start and the Steve Lavin era will officially begin on the hardwood, where the buzz comes from wins and losses.  Let’s hop right into the news and notes from St. John’s media day and other preseason tidbits.

“Be quick but don’t hurry”

When I asked Coach Lavin about something he’s really had to hammer to the team, I got the first John Wooden reference of the day. At Big East media day Coach Lavin admitted that he needed to adjust and tailor his coaching style for this team – meaning that he was looking to adjust what they have done rather than change the whole landscape.

“We’re trying to create the habits,” Lavin said. “Where, for instance, on every catch our players are facing, getting squared to the hoop. What I like to call taking a deep breath, that one 1,000 – to see the court, eyes on the rim, and as things unfold you’ll take the appropriate decision. Easier said then done.”

Before I could even follow up and ask Coach how this calmness he is preaching affects tempo, he answered. “Being more prudent, more vigilant, but still being aggressive because we want to play fast. Getting back to the adage of coach Wooden used to say so religiously, be quick but don’t hurry. We want to take advantage of our speed and get out in transition and get baskets, but if not we also want to be intelligent enough and play a high percentage brand of basketball where we make the extra pass, show patience, we get ball reversals, post touch before a shot comes from outside. The biggest challenge of this group is to slow down, take a deep breath, the equivalent of looking both ways before crossing the street but on the basketball court.”

Most commonly named players from Steve Lavin? Dwight Hardy, Dwayne Polee, and Justin Brownlee.

Dele Coker is Prepared

“I work on my jumpshots, hook shots, just being able to be versatile. [The coaching staff] doesn’t just want to limit me to setting screens, blocking shots, rebounding. I work a little bit on my offensive game, its not a priority for me. I know my role is to set screens, block shots, and rebound. But when the opportunity shows itself, I’m ready.”

Dwight Hardy is being prepped to be unleashed against the Big East this year. Expect him to see significant minutes at the PG position. (Icon SMI)

Dwight Hardy “MTP” Most Talked About Player

It really didn’t matter the question that was being asked the answer was Dwight Hardy, Dwight Hardy, Dwight Hardy.

“Dwight Hardy has come in with a mindset and a work ethic that communicates to me that he is ready to have the best season of his career,” Coach Lavin said with confidence.

Dwight will play a lot of minutes at the point guard position this season. Malik Boothe will enter the season as the starter, but Dwight is expected to play major minutes at the position, which would allow he, Paris Horne, and DJ Kennedy on the court at the same time. Don’t be surprised to see all four of these players on the court at the same at points this season running “small ball” as some of the players described it.

Justin Brownlee Expanded Role?

“[Coach Lavin] wants me to be aggressive on both ends of the floor, make plays, rebound, and be one of the top go to guys,” Brownlee told me.

Where does he see himself playing?

“Coach told me I could potentially play four different positions this season. I think I can do that with the offseason workouts that I’ve gone through. I worked really hard and I’m stronger. I think my natural position is playing the three but I don’t mind playing inside.”

The NCAA isn’t only team goal, Brownlee says. “Our biggest goal is NCAA tournament but another goal is winning the Big East. We really want to win the Big East, its our conference and we want to bring it back to St. John’s. I can’t tell you how long it’s been but we want it back.”

Kevin Clark on the New Coaches

“Their knowledge of the game,” Clark says when asked what is different from previous years. “They do things repetitively and it makes you understand the game that much more. They just know so much. It really opens your eyes up and makes the game that much easier.”

When I asked about which coach has stood out more so than other coaches with their practice style, all the walk-ons were giggling when Kevin Clark said without hesitation, “definitely Coach Dunlap. He’s so intense, so passionate about the game. His analogies and one liners will have you laughing for days.” I asked for an example and no one would budge. I sensed some fear that if word got out maybe next practice wouldn’t be so good for the walk-ons.

Going Out Winners

Every senior has nearly the same answer when asked how they wanted their legacy at St. John’s to be remembered.

1. Hard Working
2. A team that went out winners

It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Lavin’s Board

The popular offseason story has been Coach Dunlap’s bat but who knew about Lavin’s board? Coach Lavin has weekly areas of focus in the team’s locker room. The first message was “Listen” – to listen to what the coaches were telling them. To listen in the beginning of practice, to listen when they’re tired, to listen to learn. The most recent message was “Always set good screens” which can be the difference between scoring two/three points or coming up with an empty possession. The players are always checking the board, and since the first message, they’re always listening.

Please check back daily for more stories from media day which will be posted over the course of the week.

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

One Bat, One Team, One Goal

by 2 Comments

Much has been written and said about the nine seniors on this 2010-2011 St. John’s roster. Coming up on their final season together, the last and telling test lies ahead, one that will dictate what history says became of this highly-touted Class of 2007.

Being that the majority of these players have been together for three years, working in the same system, going through the same ups and downs as a single, solidified unit, team chemistry is not a problem. “We’ve all been fighting to [make it to the NCAA Tournament] since Day 1,” said senior guard Paris Horne.

The team's brightest moment last season beating UConn at Madison Square Garden at the Big East Tournament. Can they use last season as a stepping stone? (Icon SMI)

Now, with a new energy, in part rooted in the hiring and recruiting success of Steve Lavin, this collection of veterans is poised for a run. With the same mix of attractive charisma and authoritative coaching knowledge that has paid off on the recruiting trail, Lavin seems to have this entire team on the same page and in pursuit of a top seed in the Big East this season. “They’re giving us more responsibility and teaching us how to be men and win,” said senior swingman DJ Kennedy of Coach Lavin and the rest of his staff.

But, with as much business as there has been to get ready for this season, that is not the only thing that has brought them together.

St. John’s fans got their first taste of this newly re-energized and charismatic team at Red Storm Tip-off when senior forward Justin Burrell emerged from the tunnel for his introduction, pointing to the sky and bobbing his head to “What is Love?”, a techno song made famous in the 1998 comedy Night at the Roxbury, much to the delight of his laughing teammates waiting at half court.

With a smile, recalling Burrell’s flawless performance at Tip-off, Paris Horne explained, “We’ve always joked around; I think it’s just that people never got to see it. We have fun but, at the same time, we focus and work hard.”

That “focus” has been at the center of a message from the assistant coaching staff, that of which includes Mike Dunlap and Rico Hines, both of whom have coaching experience in the NBA, along with Tony Chiles, a respected assistant at the Division I level with Drexel and Iona. It is a “focus” on team unity finally translating the personal chemistry they have off the court to positive results in games.

The first symbol of unity that has emerged for this team is what has come to be known as “Coach Dunlap’s Bat”. (#coachdunlapsbat)

The team lost the bat for a minute, we won't point fingers, but Sean @Shizzy5 Evans found it. #coachdunlapsbat (Twitter)

Though little more than a red aluminum bat with some peeling batting tape around the handle, what it symbolizes for this team is much more.

Each player has signed the bat with a marker, officially entering themselves into what DJ Kennedy has called “a brotherhood”. “We all signed it, which means we agree to work as a unit and we all have one goal.”

This bat, as simple as it may seem, embodies something much more profound and is one of the basic building blocks for a new culture of St. John’s basketball. In games last season against top-tier teams like Villanova and West Virginia, where St. John’s held a sizable first half advantage, it appeared to be a lack of cohesiveness that lead to compounded mistakes and second half breakdowns.

What Coach Dunlap’s Bat metaphorically strives to do is to bring all of these players together so they fit into one system and one scheme and stop the late-game runs that sank the team so many times last season.

As jokingly as it has been discussed, it is no laughing matter. Every three days, a new player must carry the bat everywhere they go and return it at the end of that period. And what happens if Dunlap’s Bat goes missing? As senior point guard Malik Boothe plainly put it, “You don’t wanna know.”

This culture shift for the Red Storm is not only in how they play, but how they present themselves as well. Just as Coach Lavin is always clean shaven and well-kept, he expects the same from his players. This means no more facial hair, turning back the clock for some players, back to their baby-faced high school days.

So with all this newly-found need to shave, what kind of products do the 2010-2011 Johnnies prefer? With a smile on his face, Malik Boothe answers quickly, “I never put a razor to this face. That’s my barbers job.” Boothe, who says he has gone to the same barber since 7th grade, instills the same trust in him as his teammates do when he runs the floor on gameday.

So, with a new focus, a new coach, and freshly-shaven faces, these nine seniors will take the floor on November 16th on the big stage, on ESPN against nationally-ranked St. Mary’s.

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

Big Play Media Day

by 2 Comments

As he turns his head to left side to answer a reporter’s question, the text becomes just visible above his buttoned shirt collar. In darkly-colored, flowing script about an inch and a half above his collarbone are two words: “Big Play”. To anyone who could not live up to the nickname, it would have been a mistake to tattoo such a moniker on one’s skin. But, for DJ Kennedy, it more so serves as a warning, a way of letting the defense know what he is capable of any time he touches the basketball.

“Big Play” DJ Kennedy is sitting alongside his fellow senior teammates Malik Boothe and Paris Horne, answering questions at Big East Media Day at Madison Square Garden. It is interesting to note how cool, calm, and collected Kennedy appears, leaning slightly forward with his fingers laced on his lap. He carries himself with the composure of a seasoned businessman, explaining his answers with a subtle but sure confidence, his speech peppered with evidence of the accent of his hometown, Pittsburgh.

DJ Kennedy is looking to rise in the Big East and into the NBA. (Icon SMI)

Most of today’s questions revolve around new head coach Steve Lavin and the rumored “rebirth” of St. John’s Basketball. Kennedy’s answers are explanatory and well thought-out, responding to each in a few sentences, the product of three solid years of media exposure. But, with one question, it seems his guard is let down, as if he is speaking from the heart of a true ballplayer who wants to make sure the point is driven home. When asked about the new culture developing amongst the fans after the big turnout at Red Storm Tip-off, Kennedy makes a shift. No more long explanations, he is short and to the point. He answers in just one sentence, four words.

“The buzz is here.”

As a member of the Class of 2007 that has been the strong foundation of this St. John’s program the past three seasons, Kennedy fully came into his own last season as a junior, leading the team in scoring, minutes, rebounds, assists, and 3-point percentage. Using his bulky, muscular 6’6” frame, he has become a versatile swingman and realized the true potential that he carried with him since coming to St. John’s.

After averaging 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game last season as a junior, he comes into this season with the prestigious honor of 2nd team All-Big East and the star of a team projected to finish 6th in the conference, ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­its highest preseason ranking since 1999.

Not only are there high expectations for this squad of nine seniors, but, with new head coach Steve Lavin, they will be forced to make a transition to a new system and coaching staff day-by-day as the season progresses.

For this to be a seamless transfer of power, one player must step up and be the leader, and Kennedy seems to be the man to do it. As the focal point of the team last season, and possessing all the qualities and evident maturity he needs coming into this season, this is his time.

One of the biggest questions that faced this team in the wake of Norm Roberts firing was how these nine seniors, recruited by and coached by Roberts for three seasons, would respond to a new staff with new personalities and new coaching styles.

DJ Kennedy has become a name everyone in the Big East knows about. (Icon SMI)

“[The transition] has been pretty easy,” Kennedy said of the past six months. “They’re giving us more responsibility and teaching us how to be men and win.”

It seems now more than ever that this team, and Kennedy in particular, understands what it takes to be successful. By shoring up the top of the program, there has been a trickle-down effect to guys like DJ Kennedy who are now more cognizant of their roles as leaders and how they can change games with this new found leadership.

“Listening to coaches alone is making people better. They talk about the little things like guarding screens and hitting open shots.” Kennedy explained at media day. ” We feel like those close games that we lost last year, we can put away now.”

It is this deeper understanding of the game and increased basketball IQ that will change him from simply a very talented player, to the star and emotional leader who leads his team by example. “This summer was all hard work. No vacations, no days off.”

Some draft outlets project DJ Kennedy to be selected late in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft, but, with increased production (perhaps over 20 points per game, 7 rebounds)and leading St. John’s to their first NCAA since 2002, he could conceivably sneak close into the late first round.

With Coach Lavin having recruited and developed such NBA talent as Jason Kapono, Earl Watson, and Baron Davis at UCLA, Kennedy realizes how much Lavin could help improve his game. “He brings a lot of experience in working with NBA guys and we’ll all continue to work and see what we can do.”

But, much work lies ahead before any talk of an NBA future for Kennedy. The 2010-2011 season for St. John’s has all the makings of one of the most successful in a number of years.

Taking one final question, Kennedy, in full confidence, sums up the sense of urgency that exists within this team.

“No one in the conference wants it more than we do.”

The Gospel According To Lavin

by 1 Comment

Steve Lavin has been preaching since the moment he’s been hired… well, even way before that. Lavin has been omnipresent in the media, bringing exposure the St. John’s via to a wide variety of news outlets. St. John’s fans feel like he’s been a gift from God, especially after referencing the 2011 recruiting effort as building Noah’s Ark (having two of every kind of player). So far, he is delivering, getting 5 verbal commitments before he’s coached a game. .

He’s been a miracle worker so far in building a dream team coaching staff, bringing a real midnight madness back to Queens, and recruiting on a more national level than St. John’s fans have ever come to expect. I’m sure St. John’s students are going to ask him to turn water into wine pretty soon.

Steve Lavin is swarmed by the media from the moment he sat down at Big East Media day. (Dave Krupinski)
So of course, at Big East Media day St. John’s table was swarmed prior to Coach Lavin’s arrival. As he sat, it was like the starting gun of a horse race, with reporters jockeying for position and yelling for coach’s attention. Lavin was thoughtful, patient, and of course, articulate with every answer to questions he received.

I could tell some reporters were getting tired holding their recorders in the air waiting for their turn as Lavin wasn’t giving quotes – he was preaching homilies.

After he was asked for the 100th time who was in his starting lineup, he turned and looked at me. I came out firing and asked Coach Lavin, “What type of brand or even characteristics do you expect to put into a Lavin coached team?” He then gave me the on-court gospel according to Lavin:

“Well, you know, we always want to be tough defensively and [have] a flexible offense – that is vital. We have to be able to adapt to our personnel. We want to run, but we want to fastbreak off of our defense. So if you’re not solid defensively you can’t talk about fast breaking. You can sell that in recruiting, and you can have bumper stickers and slogans about it, but until you get stops defensively you’re not going to be able to run out.

“In the history of the basketball you look at the great Celtic teams, the great Laker teams … you look in college basketball, the great Duke teams, UNLV, and Kentucky teams – they all ran off of their defenses. So if you’re not getting stops or shut outs you’re not going to get run outs. While we want to force the tempo offensively, we’re going to do that through being solid defensively.”

So I followed up and asked him if he was implementing his entire system with this current team or does he need to modify things to tailor to this group of players?

“We’re trying to balance implementing a system, but also moving forward in a deliberate methodical way so we don’t give our players too much. In other words: at times less is more. We’d rather master blocking and tackling of basketball in terms of our stance defensively, our principles on the defensive end. In our staff meetings we discuss that challenge.

“How do we implement a system to get ready to play for St. Mary’s, yet not undermine the natural progression and the natural laws of learning? And that means you need time. I’m confident because we have a great team of teachers and highly accomplished individuals in the game of basketball. Our staff meetings are very lively and productive and I think our players will benefit.”

These two answers took almost 5 minutes in recorded time. I could feel bodies pushing up behind me like I was front row at a Bruce Springsteen concert. I had another question but 20 reporters yelled “Coach” after he finished speaking and his attention was diverted. I ducked under the out stretched arms of the crowd knowing I’d see Coach Lavin again soon enough. Lavin was busy spreading more of his good news to the rest of the world.