west virginia

Red Storm Hoping To Avoid Fifth Straight Loss Against West Virginia

January 25, 2012 by Jaden Daly 1 Comment

Once again, foul trouble reared its ugly head in St. John’s most recent game. After a career-high 28 points from D’Angelo Harrison, the Red Storm could not maintain their offensive productivity once their freshman guard fouled out, blowing a 10-point lead and losing to Villanova in overtime.

Now losers of four straight, St. John’s returns to Madison Square Garden to face a resurgent West Virginia team that has solidified themselves at the present moment among the class of the Big East. JohnnyJungle.com will get you caught up with all the important information you need to know going into this mid-week showdown.

Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Location: Madison Square Garden; New York, New York
Time: 7:00 PM EST
TV: ESPNU (Adam Amin, LaPhonso Ellis)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org (TBD)

St. John’s Red Storm (8-11, 2-6)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin* (2nd season at STJ; 29-23, 174-101 overall)
*- Assistant coach Mike Dunlap will serve as interim coach while Lavin recovers from offseason prostate cancer surgery

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Phil Greene (6-2 Fr., 6.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 33% FG, 75% FT, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 15.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 37% FG, 33% 3pt, 81% FT, 1.8 APG, 1.6 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 6.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 42% FG, 55% FT, 1.5 APG, 1.0 BPG, 1.5 SPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 15.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 46% FG, 66% FT, 1.4 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.6 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 11.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 53% FG, 71% FT, 1.0 BPG)

Key Reserves:
F Amir Garrett (6-6 Fr., 4.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 39% FG, 48% FT, 1.0 APG, 1.3 SPG)
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 2.8 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 39% FG, 77% [10/13] FT, 1.2 APG)

Keys To Victory:
– Stay out of foul trouble. This cannot be overstated after Harrison picked up his fifth against Villanova. With just two players on the bench who average only a combined seven points and four rebounds per game in a combined 36 minutes, the Red Storm need to manage their players carefully, somewhat like Joe Girardi does with the New York Yankees.

– Divine intervention. For some reason, God’sgift Achiuwa’s struggles at Madison Square Garden have continued in recent games. However, the Nigerian big man has had solid games everywhere else. The adjustment process that has plagued each of these freshmen at one point or another has come back to burn the junior college transfer in the Mecca of college basketball, and a step toward reversing that trend could turn the season around.

– Amir Garrett. The freshman got his first career start on Saturday, and seems to be turning the corner as he continues to evolve this season. After being cautiously used to start his career; Garrett is now starting to see more minutes, and has the potential to have his first big game against a small West Virginia lineup.

Making the trip from Morgantown is a surprisingly strong 15-5 West Virginia unit.

West Virginia Mountaineers (15-5, 5-2)
Head Coach: Bob Huggins (5th season at WVU; 116-47, 706-258 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Jabarie Hinds (5-11 Fr., 8.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 47% FG, 37% 3pt, 67% FT, 3.7 APG, 1.5 SPG)
G Darryl Bryant (6-2 Sr., 17.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 38% FG, 32% 3pt, 75% FT, 2.7 APG, 1.1 SPG)
F Keaton Miles (6-6 Fr., 1.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 31% FG, 36% [4/11] FT, 1.3 APG)
F Kevin Jones (6-8 Sr., 20.7 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 55% FG, 31% 3pt, 75% FT, 1.2 APG, 1.1 BPG)
F Deniz Kilicli (6-9 Jr., 11.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 52% FG, 55% FT, 1.9 APG)

Key Reserves:
G Gary Browne (6-1 Fr., 6.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 44% FG, 62% FT, 3.0 APG, 1.5 SPG)
F Aaron Brown (6-5 Fr., 5.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 45% FG, 46% 3pt, 43% [3/7] FT)
F Kevin Noreen (6-10 Fr., 2.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 57% FG, 65% FT)

Keys To Victory:
– De facto home game. – Bob Huggins has always been able to recruit the New York area well, and this game will be a homecoming for three of his starters. Shooting guard Darryl “Truck” Bryant is a Brooklyn native who played his high school ball at St. Raymond’s in the Bronx, while Kevin Jones and Jabarie Hinds are products of the powerhouse Mount Vernon High School program coached by the legendary Bob Cimmino. The Mountaineers have always played well in the Big Apple, (the 2010 Big East tournament serving as Exhibit A) and tomorrow night should be no exception.

– Mr. Jones. Not only is Kevin Jones West Virginia’s best player, he is also putting together a Big East Player of the Year-worthy season. With averages of nearly 21 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, Jones is by far the most statistically endowed player St. John’s has faced this year, which should give him the advantage in matchups.

– St. John’s, just more experienced. West Virginia’s lineup resembles that of the Red Storm, a combination of athleticism and length with enough wingspan to make Jay Bilas gush for weeks on end. What sets the Mountaineers apart is their experience, something that will be used to their advantage early and often.

So, Who Wins?
This essentially amounts to a must-win game for both sides, with the Mountaineers traveling to the Carrier Dome to face Syracuse on a Saturday afternoon where St. John’s will be entertaining Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. West Virginia has always been a matchup problem for whoever plays them, and the young Red Storm will be no exception. St. John’s can stay with Bob Huggins’ team early on; but the length and athleticism that is on the side of experience will prevail late in the second half, especially if St. John’s gets into foul trouble.

Final Score: West Virginia 69, St. John’s 56

Pop The Champagne

January 2, 2011 by Jaden Daly 1 Comment

Road game in a place they haven’t won at in over a decade. It was the same scenario to close out 2010, and St. John’s provided the same result to open 2011.

Dwight Hardy led St. John's in scoring yesterday with 21 points scoring in a variety of ways for the Red Storm. (Icon SMI)

Three days removed from a dominating win at West Virginia, the Johnnies (9-3, 2-0 in the Big East) fought off a scrappy Providence team on the way to a 67-65 victory over the Friars. (11-4, 0-2) Dwight Hardy continued his hot streak, scoring a game-high 21 points and adding six rebounds while playing all forty minutes. Justin Brownlee gave the Red Storm another solid performance; (14 points and nine rebounds) but the biggest points of the game came from Paris Horne, whose trifecta in the final minute broke a 62-all tie and gave St. John’s the lead for good. D.J. Kennedy contributed two free throws before Providence hit a three that proved inconsequential after the buzzer sounded.

The Red Storm started the game strong as Justin Burrell scored all of the Johnnies’ first eight points. Burrell finished with 16 overall as the game became a seesaw battle featuring one run after another as St. John’s took a 28-24 halftime lead into the locker room. Over the final twenty minutes, the Johnnies shot 56 percent (15-for-27) and 4-of-8 from long range to preserve the lead despite committing 16 turnovers. Although the Storm only attempted six foul shots, they were successful on all but one. Marshon Brooks continued his one-man show with 20 points to pace the Friars while point guard Vincent Council scored 14 to complement his six assists.

St. John’s returns home on Monday for a matchup with Georgetown at Madison Square Garden that will be televised nationally on ESPN2 at 7pm. The Hoyas are currently ranked ninth in the country, but that number will likely be lower after their loss at Notre Dame Wednesday night.

Crowned Country Kings

December 30, 2010 by Jaden Daly 1 Comment

Steve Lavin has repeatedly looked at this season as one where St. John’s was going to “take the baton” from predecessor Norm Roberts and continue the climb toward the top of the Big East. Tonight marked Lavin’s opener as coach in what many feel to be the strongest conference in college basketball; and on the road against a school nicknamed the Mountaineers, the climb looked steeper and a lot more difficult considering the Johnnies had not beaten the men from Morgantown in eight years.

Well, records are made to be broken; and demons are meant to be exorcised.

The Red Storm (8-3) picked up where they left off after their Holiday Festival win and were able to play a complete 40 minutes on their way to a statement win over West Virginia (8-3) by the final of 81-71. Lavin only played eight men as he is now starting to get a better feel for his rotations, with Dwight Hardy, who scored 20 points; (12 from the free throw line) leading the Johnnies while D.J. Kennedy was one of three other St. John’s players in double figures, scoring 17 points and padding his stat line with 11 rebounds in a performance that conjured up memories of “The Hitman” of old. “We definitely feel like it’s all coming together at one time,” said Kennedy of the win, the third straight for the Red Storm; one that snapped a 10-game losing streak against Bob Huggins’ West Virginia squad, one that went to the Final Four just eight months ago.

After taking a 34-28 lead out of the locker room at halftime, St. John’s continued their solid start and defensive prowess. Despite only forcing ten Mountaineer turnovers, the Red Storm outrebounded West Virginia 33-24 and managed eight steals. Defense alone didn’t win the battle for Lavin, who picked up the win in his Big East debut; as St. John’s shot 61 percent from the field. Not only that, but in what has to be the most impressive and outstanding stat line in the box score; the Red Storm were the grand marshals of a free throw parade, going to the foul line 39 times and converting on 30 of those attempts. (77 percent) Hardy (12-for-12) and Kennedy (11-for-12) were the principal contributors to the charity stripe efficiency.

West Virginia did get valiant results from their two New York area products, as Mount Vernon’s Kevin Jones led the team with 17 points; while Brooklyn guard Darryl “Truck” Bryant added 14. The Mountaineers did lead briefly on multiple occasions, and took advantage of the Johnnies’ zone defense with several open looks from the perimeter, shooting 36 percent (13-for-36) from beyond the arc.

St. John’s concludes 2010 on a winning note with this victory, and heads to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center for a New Year’s Day showdown with Keno Davis’ Providence Friars to ring in 2011 before their Monday night Madison Square Garden showdown with a Georgetown team that lost to Notre Dame tonight.

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.

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.