CW Post

 http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/colleges/post/_/id/2706/rapid-reaction-st-johns-110-c-w-post-80


Rapid Reaction: St. John's 110, C.W. Post 80

October, 25, 2011
Oct 25

9:04

PM ET


By Kieran Darcy

WHAT IT MEANS: St. John's wins its first of two exhibition games to tip off the 2011-2012 men's basketball season, defeating Division II C.W. Post 110-80 on Tuesday night at Carnesecca Arena. The game marks the debut of six new St. John's players -- four freshmen, and two junior college transfers -- and all six finished in double-figures in scoring. Head coach Steve Lavin misses the game, as he continues to recover from prostate cancer surgery -- assistant coach Mike Dunlap runs the team in his place.

THE SKINNY: The first half was very competitive -- C.W. Post actually led, 11-10 and 17-16, in the early going. But the Red Storm continued to push the ball on offense and create relatively easy buckets in transition. St. John's led by as many as 13, and took a 51-40 advantage into intermission. God'sgift Achiuwa, a 6-foot-9 junior forward, scored 14 first-half points for the Red Storm, shooting 7-for-7 from the field.

In the second half, St. John's started out with a 12-2 run, and the rout was on from there. Moe Harkless, a 6-foot-8 freshman forward from Queens, erupted for 10 of St. John's first 14 points after the break. C.W. Post never made it a game after that point, worn down by the St. John's high-speed offense and pressing defense.

WELCOME ABOARD: Of the new players, Achiuwa and 6-foot-3 sophomore Nurideen Lindsey -- the two junior college transfers -- looked the most Big East-ready. Achiuwa finished with 21 points, shooting 10-for-13 from the floor. Lindsey added 16 points and a team-high seven assists.

Freshman guard Phil Greene, one of the less heralded players in the highly touted St. John's recruiting class, performed surprisingly well off the bench -- Greene had 20 points, shooting 4-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc. And Harkless, who is probably the most talented player on the St. John's roster, finished with 14 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: This St. John's team is clearly quick, athletic, and can score. They obviously need to get more comfortable in the half-court offense. All five players are going to have to crash the glass, with Achiuwa being the only true post player on the team. And the Red Storm's biggest problem isn't even the players' fault -- it's the fact that the rotation appears to be only seven players deep right now. If Achiuwa or Harkless get in foul trouble, that spells doom.

WHAT'S NEXT: St. John's will play its second and final exhibition game on Tuesday, Nov. 1 against Division III St. Mary's (MD), again at Carnesecca Arena at 7 p.m.
 
Thanks for the updates, much appreciated. It's awesome that we have so many fans watching/caring about a pre season game
 
 Scary good for an early exhibition game. Not a bad thing to say except early game jitters and defense. This team can score across the board. Tons of talent here. Our only weakness this year will be in the post and with depth. Throw out the freshmen card...these kids are good! Gift is 3X as good as I tight he'd be. Lindsey and Greene excellent. Don't now where to begin. These kids can play. Tighten up d and a few things and we can run. Really hope we get Amir eligible for depth. I simply can't knock our talent level, we just need more bodies.
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Gotta think like a coach there is always things we didn't do well at, cant boost their ego's :) . But it is a good sign that our guys played well (from what i've heard. Although its an exhibition, it's good to get a positive feel for this team again with all the bad news we've been receiving ( ineligibles, Lavin's surgery) especially with it being a young team. Still, just an exhibition and i'm sure we'll be working on the mistakes preparing for game 1
 
I realize it was against Division II Post, but Gift showed me that he looks like he's going to break the Keita/Diakite/Coker African big man curse. No fumbles, no 15-foot jump shots, no stupid fouls, no goal-tending calls, etc. Looks like he has a real understanding of the game.

Question for anyone who attended the game: Pointer looked very long on TV, the equal (or close to it) of Harkless and Gift. At one point I asked myself, who is this guy? Was it just the camera angles, or is he bigger than initially advertised?

P.S. Lindsey looks like a real force driving to the basket.

 
 
 GG is much better than I had anticipated.
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I wrote recently the kid would be very good.
He is built like a truck, very athletic and exceptionally bright.
 
I realize it was against Division II Post, but Gift showed me that he looks like he's going to break the Keita/Diakite/Coker African big man curse. No fumbles, no 15-foot jump shots, no stupid fouls, no goal-tending calls, etc. Looks like he has a real understanding of the game.

Question for anyone who attended the game: Pointer looked very long on TV, the equal (or close to it) of Harkless and Gift. At one point I asked myself, who is this guy? Was it just the camera angles, or is he bigger than initially advertised?

P.S. Lindsey looks like a real force driving to the basket.

 
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Pointer looks like he grew a bit too. Looks a bit taller than when he played at IS8. Our fortune is getting better. Our players are growing instead if shrinking...
 
 DanielJMartin_Daniel Martin





Nurideen Lindsey on God'sgift: "[For his size] I've never seen anybody rim-to-rim, baseline-to-baseline as fast as him." #stjbb

3 minutes agoFavoriteRetweetReply
 
Question for anyone who attended the game: Pointer looked very long on TV, the equal (or close to it) of Harkless and Gift. At one point I asked myself, who is this guy? Was it just the camera angles, or is he bigger than initially advertised?

When I was with him in early August he was clearly shorter than G-d.  
 
I realize it was against Division II Post, but Gift showed me that he looks like he's going to break the Keita/Diakite/Coker African big man curse. No fumbles, no 15-foot jump shots, no stupid fouls, no goal-tending calls, etc. Looks like he has a real understanding of the game.

Question for anyone who attended the game: Pointer looked very long on TV, the equal (or close to it) of Harkless and Gift. At one point I asked myself, who is this guy? Was it just the camera angles, or is he bigger than initially advertised?

P.S. Lindsey looks like a real force driving to the basket.

 
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Pointer is 6'6 but LONG. All these guys are long. Nuri, De, Phil, Moe, Gift. Even Darrick Wood next year. Its the arm length thats more important than height.
 
First post in a while. Should really change my username since I am no longer in Syracuse (I am in the Big Apple), so I will be attending lots of games this year and hopefully meeting members of the board. Gift impressed me with his touch/hands around the rim. He seems to be very in control, and has good footwork. I see him eventually being a more polished Brownlee, as long as he can hit the 15 ft jumper consistently, and run the floor well, which Brownlee did very well.

I was very very impressed with Nuri. I think he has the makings of an excellent BE guard (not really sure if he is a concrete 1 or 2). I see him being a similar player to Hardy, in being able to take over, but the one thing I like is his handle, his vision and his unselfishness. With the other players, and the hope of getting a Pelle and a Garrett he will be scary.

The most important thing I saw (and there is a lot of work that needs to be done of course), was how all of these guys play within the system, the team, and within themselves and rack up points. Harkless had 14/14 very quietly, and Harrison quietly reached double figures. This team has 6 guys capable of filling up the stat sheet, and from what I heard (didn't watch him play) about Mullin, within the team and flow of the game.

Sorry for the long post but its good to be back posting.

PS If Phil Greene (who is bigger than I expected) can consistently shoot the 3 ball this team can become very scary, 
 
 As a fan I love what I've seen tonight. Some notes:

Lindsey can penetrate with either hand and score creatively. It's difficult to keep him out of the lane. He has decent 2-guard size with some explosiveness. He will find his teammates and has a good looking shot. He had several dunks.

Harrison has a quick release and a knack for scoring. A very polished looking mid-range game and good vision while penetrating.

Greene is very quick up the court with the ball and apparently can really shoot the 3-ball. He also looks like a good rebounder for his size. Like the other two lead guards, a crafty scorer but will share the ball freely.

Harkless has good size for a natural 3. Extremely versatile. Had a massive dunk in the lane over a defender called back due to an offensive foul. Also a good looking mid-range shot - possibly range further out as well.

Stith is a very steady ball-handler with underrated athleticism. He can get to the rim if you fall asleep on him. Tonight he facilitated the offense exactly as you'd hope he would by finding the open man without making mistakes.

Pointer is as advertised. A very intense competitor and great athlete. Some pretty fast break dunks and layups. Can shoot a bit too. Could be very effective as an intimidating point defender.

Gift is big and strong. It's difficult to tell how big and strong because the opposition is relatively small. Tonight he was a beast. He appears to have good hands and feet and can finish near the rim. He rebounds in traffic and runs the floor very well. If he is half as effective against D1 competition as he was tonight, the team could be very complete. He complements the deep offensive talent in the backcourt. A critical piece of the puzzle. Doesn't appear to have much touch from outside, but he shouldn't be shooting outside apart from foul shots.

Our strengths: We can score. The individual talent at the 2 and 3 positions is very impressive. We have great team speed, quickness, explosiveness, and ability to get to the rim. Most of the guys can get their own shots and all our guards have a polished mid-range game. These guys have the Paris Horne intensity and mentality but with more polish than Horne had as a freshman. They appear willing to play together and very hungry. This team will be fun to watch.

The weaknesses I anticipate:
We will probably give up a lot of open 3s. We saw this last year with an experienced team and will likely see more of it this year. It is a product of our defensive scheme but will lead to fast break opportunities and a fast paced game. Without depth in the front court, we have to give up something.

Individual and team defense overall was well behind the offense in terms of talent and execution. We gave up too many open shots to an inferior and undersized team. This is not a surprise at all considering the style we play and our inexperience. I am a little concerned how our short rotation could affect defensive intensity. The guys will want to take a breather during the games with such a short rotation and that could make our defense less effective. I do think we have the length and talent to be a great defensive team, but it will take time.

I think we could get hurt on the glass (especially on the defensive end). Apart from Gift, we don't have any big bodies capable of dominating the glass. We have great athletes but we lack size down low. Offensive rebounds and second chance points could be a problem.

We might not block a lot of shots. One game is not enough to judge, and we have the athletes to do it, but I did not see a lot of natural shot blockers in action. The guys want to try to stay out of foul trouble too, so they might not be as aggressive challenging shots as they could be.

We have a lot of high skill players in the guard positions, but there is some redundancy in what they offer. They clearly have the desire to play as a cohesive unit, but the individual skill sets don't perfectly complement each other. If you turned Stith into Steve Nash and get the non-qualifiers in here, we would have a team that could compete for a national championship.
 
Question for anyone who attended the game: Pointer looked very long on TV, the equal (or close to it) of Harkless and Gift. At one point I asked myself, who is this guy? Was it just the camera angles, or is he bigger than initially advertised?

When I was with him in early August he was clearly shorter than G-d.  
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Zagoria's recap made it seem like GGA was about 6'5.5"
 
I have not seen this kind of talent here since the Mullin years. These kids are the real deal. I have never seen a St. John's team score 110 points! "Defense? We don't need no stinkin' defense!" ( :silly: ). Seriously though, I was shocked by the level of talent I saw tonight. We are in for a fun year!
Lindsey was splitting defences beautifully. Gift is the big man we haven't had here in a long time even though some of the shots he made tonight are going to be blocks in the BE. Mo seemed quiet then I look up at the board and he's got a bunch of points. Greene was shooting lights out 3's. Pointer came alive in the second half and couldn't NOT score. D'Angelo seemed quiet like Mo and the next thing I know he's got a bunch. This team is going to be a lot of fun!
Thanks coach Lavin. Get well soon! 
 
Can anyone give a solid analysis of stith tonight?? Not too much was mentioned on him tonight, and judging by what I've heard on the performances of some of the other players, could easily see him sort of get lost in the shuffle a bit.....thanks
 
I know it was CW Post, but take into account what you guys saw tonight, and imagine that Sampson, Pelle, and Garrett were eligible...
 
Can anyone give a solid analysis of stith tonight?? Not too much was mentioned on him tonight, and judging by what I've heard on the performances of some of the other players, could easily see him sort of get lost in the shuffle a bit.....thanks
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He seemed to play up to his abilities. "Pops" made good decisions and only made a couple of mistakes. He's not going to score a lot especially with this group. He held his own.
 
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