MarkRedman
Well-known member
I think Allie's big body will be spending more time on the bench than banging underneath
2016-2017 Season Thread
- Thread starter Jack Williams
- Start date
I think Allie's big body will be spending more time on the bench than banging underneath
I third the opinion. If you remember he left the team and came back only when we didn't pick up Mr Taser.
Barring injuries to Sima, Owens, Bashir , Yakwe and Richard F, AA and Darien are out 10th and 11th men. Not expecting too much one way or the other.
redfanO10101llkkjjj
Member
If Amar comes into the game and contributes 4-5 minutes with a ton of energy, i'm all for it. Hoever, just don't have that as an expectation for this season.
stjohnschris
Active member
He has a role on this team. From practice, to bench spirit/morale/energy, to 3 - 6 minutes on the court to stir things up or spell an injury. His experience and enthusiasm are assets, far beyond what most teams get out of their 10/11 man.
redfanO10101llkkjjj
Member
I agree with most of what you said about his role on the team. I hope he contributes in some way on the court as well, just don't see it as a given using the past 2 seasons as reference.
That being said, these guys are young and i dont want to see any of them fail so I'm all for being proven wrong
I think of Lovett, Ellison, Ahmed, and Yakwe on the floor with either Amar or Darien Williams at the high post able to drive some teams crazy because we will be quicker to the ball and quicker off the floor at the 1, 2, 3, and 4 with a high post center capable of hitting 3's. At least it's a pleasant fantasy.
MarkRedman
Well-known member
Wanna buy some swamp land in Jersey?
Hope we plan another get together to watch a game this winter
Maybe we can get other South Floridians to join in
Anybody interested?
Evan Daniels of Fox BE prediction;
http://www.foxsports.com/college-ba...butler-creighton-georgetown-seton-hall-110716
Johnnies at #9 and;
Breakout Star: Bashir Ahmed, St. John’s
It wouldn’t be a surprise if junior college standout Bashir Ahmed winds up on an All-Big East team. Ahmed, of Hutch Community College, should lead St. John’s in scoring and is expected to be one of the focal points of their offense. At 6-foot-6, Ahmed is tough, aggressive and a versatile offensive scorer. He's a physical driver that plays well through contact, but he’s also a capable shooter from mid-range out to the three-point stripe.
http://www.foxsports.com/college-ba...butler-creighton-georgetown-seton-hall-110716
Johnnies at #9 and;
Breakout Star: Bashir Ahmed, St. John’s
It wouldn’t be a surprise if junior college standout Bashir Ahmed winds up on an All-Big East team. Ahmed, of Hutch Community College, should lead St. John’s in scoring and is expected to be one of the focal points of their offense. At 6-foot-6, Ahmed is tough, aggressive and a versatile offensive scorer. He's a physical driver that plays well through contact, but he’s also a capable shooter from mid-range out to the three-point stripe.
I wonder if we can also resurrect Marillac who is or was a little South of Boca Bash country, I think in Dade. As previously noted, Talia's Table on Dixie Highway just north of Spanish River Boulevard is owned by Frank Tedesco who was a second basemen for the Redmen in the mid-seventies. As for swamp land, I already have some... in Nova Scotia.
Class of 72
Active member
Here's the problem with everyone you mentioned with the exception of Bashir Ahmed, none of them have proven to be effective scorers as yet. Ellison, Yakwe and Amar didn't show anything special on offense last season. Yakwe is extremely raw except for rebounding and shot blocking. The more physical forwards on URI had a field day against them. That is why next year Marvin Clark and Zach Brown are going to be the biggest pieces of the puzzle. Our current team may be quick but they are not very physically challenging as yet. The weight room is not enough. Pasta, pizza and milk shakes is what a few of these kids need.
Ray Morgan
Well-known member
I'm in. We just need a sports bar with FS1, good wings, and some interesting beer choices. It wouldn't hurt knowing the bartenders, as I have had to make arrangements in advance to get SJU games on even 1 tv in sports bars around the state. My advice is to look at Broward County, or southern PBC. Avoid Dade County.
Ray Morgan
Well-known member
It's on the Sunshine Network. Dish Network customers can watch any channel they have at home on a laptop. Not sure what the other companies offer. Orlando has plenty of sports bars, so I would call ahead and see who has that channel.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...6/ranking-best-teams-college-basketball-1-351
Has every team ranked. We are an underwhelming 122nd. Believe this is another list which is overlooking the squad this year. Luckily we won't have to wait much longer to find out!
Has every team ranked. We are an underwhelming 122nd. Believe this is another list which is overlooking the squad this year. Luckily we won't have to wait much longer to find out!
By SEAN BRENNAN
Special to BIGEAST.com
Legendary former Marquette coach Al McGuire used to say “the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores.”
Chris Mullin might be saying that about his coaching career as his struggles in his first season as St. John’s head coach were, unfortunately, as challenging as expected. The Red Storm entered last season with a roster full of new faces and question marks and ended the season with just eight overall wins and just one in the BIG EAST.
“Your patience is tested, your day-to-day philosophy is tested because you want to speed up the process and you can’t,” Mullin said.
On paper, at least, the process appears to have been sped up quite a bit as this season’s Red Storm roster looks infinitely deeper and more talented than the one Mullin had to go to battle with last season.
The backcourt is as good a place to start as any as BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year Shamorie Ponds, the heralded lefty-shooter from Brooklyn’s Thomas Jefferson High School, will take his place alongside of Marcus LoVett to form an ultra-talented – but young – backcourt. The potential is there for points o’plenty as Ponds averaged 29 points a game and led Jefferson to the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) championship last season, the school’s first since 1954.
“Physically (Shamorie) is like a lot of kids coming out of high school,” Mullin said. “He is doing a good job working in the weight room and that will just be a natural process. I like the way he plays. He has great instincts on the court and has a natural feel for the game, both offensively and defensively.
LoVett, who was rated as a consensus top 25 guard coming out of high school, sat out last season due to academic issues but he should be a starter from day one, running the show for Mullin.
“He has so many different skills but probably the biggest are is speed and ball handling,” Mullin said. “He is really unselfish and meticulous in his preparation. He wants to execute and be efficient. He’s had big scoring nights (in high school) but he likes to pass more and get his teammates involved.”
Those two will be joined by sophomore Frederico Mussini, a bright spot in last year’s forgotten season and the only returner to average double figures in scoring at 10.7 points a game. He also led the Storm with 70 assists while playing 29 minutes a game.
“Every one of us can play both guard positions,” Mussini said of his new backcourt mates. “When we play together, any one of us can control the ball and that will allow us to run more.”
The frontcourt shows a lot of potential with the arrival of 6-7 Bashir Ahmed, 6-9 Richard Freudenberg and 6-10 Tariq Owens to go along with returners Kassoum Yakwe and Yankuba Sima. The 6-7 Yakwe was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team last year when he averaged 7.1 points, 5.3 boards and a team-best 66 blocks while the 6-11 Sima averaged 7.3 points and a team-leading 5.7 rebounds. In Ahmed, Freudenberg and Owens, the Storm are getting a nice combination of toughness, rebounding and perimeter shooting.
“Bashir is more of an old-school player,” Mullin said. “He’s a very aggressive offensive player who likes to attack the rim. He has a lot of different skills we can use, he’s working hard to expand his game and he’s mature physically.”
Ahmed was a first team JUCO All-American last year at Hutchinson Community College where he averaged 20.1 points and 8.1 rebounds.
Freudenberg, who hails from Germany, comes with a reputation as a long-range bomber and so impressed Mullin with his shooting – nearly beating his Hall of Fame coach in a game of H-O-R-S-E recently - that Mullin allowed Freudenberg to wear No. 20 this season, Mullin’s number from his glory days at St. John’s.
“He’s a really good shooter. He’s going to be able to space the floor for us,” Mullin said. “As the season goes on, you will see his game expand. He can take it to the basket and he can rebound and push it. I think you’ll see natural progression from him.”
So you see there is promise of better days up and down the roster at St. John’s. And while the Red Storm might not quite be ready to challenge for a BIG EAST title just yet, a more talented and entertaining team is ready to take the floor this season – which should mean a lot less headaches for Mullin.
“We have a bunch of gym rats that love the game,” Mullin said. “It’s fun being around guys who just had a two-hour practice and after (it’s over) they’re just shooting and hanging around the gym…After last year I packed a lot of Aleve for my headaches. But I plan on that happening less this year.”
Special to BIGEAST.com
Legendary former Marquette coach Al McGuire used to say “the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores.”
Chris Mullin might be saying that about his coaching career as his struggles in his first season as St. John’s head coach were, unfortunately, as challenging as expected. The Red Storm entered last season with a roster full of new faces and question marks and ended the season with just eight overall wins and just one in the BIG EAST.
“Your patience is tested, your day-to-day philosophy is tested because you want to speed up the process and you can’t,” Mullin said.
On paper, at least, the process appears to have been sped up quite a bit as this season’s Red Storm roster looks infinitely deeper and more talented than the one Mullin had to go to battle with last season.
The backcourt is as good a place to start as any as BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year Shamorie Ponds, the heralded lefty-shooter from Brooklyn’s Thomas Jefferson High School, will take his place alongside of Marcus LoVett to form an ultra-talented – but young – backcourt. The potential is there for points o’plenty as Ponds averaged 29 points a game and led Jefferson to the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) championship last season, the school’s first since 1954.
“Physically (Shamorie) is like a lot of kids coming out of high school,” Mullin said. “He is doing a good job working in the weight room and that will just be a natural process. I like the way he plays. He has great instincts on the court and has a natural feel for the game, both offensively and defensively.
LoVett, who was rated as a consensus top 25 guard coming out of high school, sat out last season due to academic issues but he should be a starter from day one, running the show for Mullin.
“He has so many different skills but probably the biggest are is speed and ball handling,” Mullin said. “He is really unselfish and meticulous in his preparation. He wants to execute and be efficient. He’s had big scoring nights (in high school) but he likes to pass more and get his teammates involved.”
Those two will be joined by sophomore Frederico Mussini, a bright spot in last year’s forgotten season and the only returner to average double figures in scoring at 10.7 points a game. He also led the Storm with 70 assists while playing 29 minutes a game.
“Every one of us can play both guard positions,” Mussini said of his new backcourt mates. “When we play together, any one of us can control the ball and that will allow us to run more.”
The frontcourt shows a lot of potential with the arrival of 6-7 Bashir Ahmed, 6-9 Richard Freudenberg and 6-10 Tariq Owens to go along with returners Kassoum Yakwe and Yankuba Sima. The 6-7 Yakwe was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team last year when he averaged 7.1 points, 5.3 boards and a team-best 66 blocks while the 6-11 Sima averaged 7.3 points and a team-leading 5.7 rebounds. In Ahmed, Freudenberg and Owens, the Storm are getting a nice combination of toughness, rebounding and perimeter shooting.
“Bashir is more of an old-school player,” Mullin said. “He’s a very aggressive offensive player who likes to attack the rim. He has a lot of different skills we can use, he’s working hard to expand his game and he’s mature physically.”
Ahmed was a first team JUCO All-American last year at Hutchinson Community College where he averaged 20.1 points and 8.1 rebounds.
Freudenberg, who hails from Germany, comes with a reputation as a long-range bomber and so impressed Mullin with his shooting – nearly beating his Hall of Fame coach in a game of H-O-R-S-E recently - that Mullin allowed Freudenberg to wear No. 20 this season, Mullin’s number from his glory days at St. John’s.
“He’s a really good shooter. He’s going to be able to space the floor for us,” Mullin said. “As the season goes on, you will see his game expand. He can take it to the basket and he can rebound and push it. I think you’ll see natural progression from him.”
So you see there is promise of better days up and down the roster at St. John’s. And while the Red Storm might not quite be ready to challenge for a BIG EAST title just yet, a more talented and entertaining team is ready to take the floor this season – which should mean a lot less headaches for Mullin.
“We have a bunch of gym rats that love the game,” Mullin said. “It’s fun being around guys who just had a two-hour practice and after (it’s over) they’re just shooting and hanging around the gym…After last year I packed a lot of Aleve for my headaches. But I plan on that happening less this year.”