CW Post
- Thread starter tom in salem
- Start date
Yeah Stith can and did get a little lost, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. He will be a big part of this team no matter what since the rotation is only 7 players deep.
I thought he moved the ball up court quickly and made good passes to open teammates. He orchestrated the offense and distributed the ball in the half court set when needed. He penetrated when the opportunity presented itself and even had a pretty up and under lay in. He has great strength and is a good leaper/rebounder for his height. But his role is to set up teammates while minimizing mistakes. I thought he did that very well tonight, but he is not a stat guy. If he can hit an open 3 once in a while, that would be great too.
I thought he was our best team defender tonight. He doesn't have length, but he has experience and is a smart, fearless player.
I thought he moved the ball up court quickly and made good passes to open teammates. He orchestrated the offense and distributed the ball in the half court set when needed. He penetrated when the opportunity presented itself and even had a pretty up and under lay in. He has great strength and is a good leaper/rebounder for his height. But his role is to set up teammates while minimizing mistakes. I thought he did that very well tonight, but he is not a stat guy. If he can hit an open 3 once in a while, that would be great too.
I thought he was our best team defender tonight. He doesn't have length, but he has experience and is a smart, fearless player.
I just got back.
No shortage in the entertainment department with this team, for sure.
Gift is unreal. More athleticism then Coker ever showed. However, he might start to get a reputation for the hooking foul. He got called once for it, and seemed to get away with hooking around his man on many more occasions. We may also see the "Hack-a-God" strategy enforced at points this year. Man, were his FTs brutal. But, I'm not worried about him scoring against high-level competition, because I think he can beat the BE bigs down the floor. It's amazing how in synch his legs are with the rest of his body. That's not usually the case with freshmen big men.
Lindsey is very polished. I don't know if he's a 1 or a 2, or if his going to the basket stratagy will work in the BE, but his shot is good enough to contribute. He also passes the ball VERY well.
Greene was the biggest suprise, IMO. I didn't think his reputation was as a shooter, but he was dead-on tonight. He also looks pretty good on defense.
Pointer was quiet on offense, and still scored in double figures. If he gets beat on any loose balls, it will not be because he did not hustle for them, I can tell you that. Is also bigger then I thought, and does indeed have a tremendous reach. Also seemed to clean up the garbage really well.
Harkless went on an absolute tear the first 2 minutes of the second half. As much as rebounding is a weakness for us, it will not be a problem for him, because he can jump out of the gym.
Harrison struggled with his shot early, but never took a bad one, played within the offense, and reaped the rewards later on. His ability to shoot from the outside will be key for our team.
Stith did a good job directing the team, and he didn't do anything poorly that stood out. Seemed much more aggresive then last year. However, there is no question that, of the main 7 guys in our rotation, he is the least talented.
The three big negatives were defense (allowing 80 points to CW Post is not a good sign, although #22 for them looked like a legit D1 player), rebounding, and foul shooting.
Even conceding that we gave up some points late, they put 40 on us in the first half. That has to improve, does not look anywhere near ready. The other two concerns will be major weaknesses.
The big positive is that these guys are really fun to watch, something we haven't had around here in a long, long while. So my advice is, enjoy watching these guys play. I think we can be decent this year, then major contenders next year.
No shortage in the entertainment department with this team, for sure.
Gift is unreal. More athleticism then Coker ever showed. However, he might start to get a reputation for the hooking foul. He got called once for it, and seemed to get away with hooking around his man on many more occasions. We may also see the "Hack-a-God" strategy enforced at points this year. Man, were his FTs brutal. But, I'm not worried about him scoring against high-level competition, because I think he can beat the BE bigs down the floor. It's amazing how in synch his legs are with the rest of his body. That's not usually the case with freshmen big men.
Lindsey is very polished. I don't know if he's a 1 or a 2, or if his going to the basket stratagy will work in the BE, but his shot is good enough to contribute. He also passes the ball VERY well.
Greene was the biggest suprise, IMO. I didn't think his reputation was as a shooter, but he was dead-on tonight. He also looks pretty good on defense.
Pointer was quiet on offense, and still scored in double figures. If he gets beat on any loose balls, it will not be because he did not hustle for them, I can tell you that. Is also bigger then I thought, and does indeed have a tremendous reach. Also seemed to clean up the garbage really well.
Harkless went on an absolute tear the first 2 minutes of the second half. As much as rebounding is a weakness for us, it will not be a problem for him, because he can jump out of the gym.
Harrison struggled with his shot early, but never took a bad one, played within the offense, and reaped the rewards later on. His ability to shoot from the outside will be key for our team.
Stith did a good job directing the team, and he didn't do anything poorly that stood out. Seemed much more aggresive then last year. However, there is no question that, of the main 7 guys in our rotation, he is the least talented.
The three big negatives were defense (allowing 80 points to CW Post is not a good sign, although #22 for them looked like a legit D1 player), rebounding, and foul shooting.
Even conceding that we gave up some points late, they put 40 on us in the first half. That has to improve, does not look anywhere near ready. The other two concerns will be major weaknesses.
The big positive is that these guys are really fun to watch, something we haven't had around here in a long, long while. So my advice is, enjoy watching these guys play. I think we can be decent this year, then major contenders next year.
I didn't think Stith was very good. He slows the pace too much for this team. He was ok, but I don't think he did much to stand out. He slowedit down too much for me. Fwiw, I saw several guys, one being Lindsey, pissed that Stith didn't find them on the fat break. Stith has really poor vision for a PG. We certainly need him this season, but he was still a weak link tonight.
Class of 72
Active member
He is a good soccer player! He was at the DePaul game and was very into the game.
He is NOT a freshman and there is no similarity between him and Justin Burrell or Coker. He is more GIFTED! LOL!
Let us remember that CW Post had no center and he played against 6'5 front court tonight. Big East will be a different animal. We will need depth up front as Gift and Moe may be foul-prone when mixing it up with BE big guys.
Nice to see the walk ons get some minutes and two who made the team were on the bench but could not dress pending clearance.
Coach Casey is a classy guy. Post will do well under his tutelage.
The Harkless dunk was the highlight on ch4 news tonight and Bruce Beck said that it was a omen of things to come.
It's all been covered but I just wanted to add that I was really impressed with how well they shared the ball tonight...Always looking to make the extra pass - it was impressive for such a young team
Gift was much better than I anticipated and runs the floor so well...Great hands and feet and we need him to stay out of foul trouble
I really liked what I saw from Phil Greene...Somehow he's a bit of an underdog on this team which is crazy considering how talented he is
Lindsey, Harrison, Pointer and Harkless were all excellent...Nuri can really take it to the rim and pass the ball...Harrison was as advertised...He looked like a leader before the game when he was hyping the team up...Pointer did look bigger and played awesome defense...Moe controlling the glass with 14 rebounds was one of the best sights of the night...If he and Gift can control the glass, then this team can play with just about anyone
A very fun team to watch...It seems like it will be a fun season to watch and to see how these guys mature and get better
Gift was much better than I anticipated and runs the floor so well...Great hands and feet and we need him to stay out of foul trouble
I really liked what I saw from Phil Greene...Somehow he's a bit of an underdog on this team which is crazy considering how talented he is
Lindsey, Harrison, Pointer and Harkless were all excellent...Nuri can really take it to the rim and pass the ball...Harrison was as advertised...He looked like a leader before the game when he was hyping the team up...Pointer did look bigger and played awesome defense...Moe controlling the glass with 14 rebounds was one of the best sights of the night...If he and Gift can control the glass, then this team can play with just about anyone
A very fun team to watch...It seems like it will be a fun season to watch and to see how these guys mature and get better
i thought the beginning was a bit tentative...not surprising considering these guys are running five against zero offensive sets in practice. now they had defenders. they shot sixty something percent from the floor. six guys in double figures. what more can you ask?
here are quotes courtesy redstormsports.com...there's also a good write through there...so you should visit!!
St. John’s Assistant Coach Mike Dunlap
Opening Statement:
“We’re a new unit and you can tell we felt the game out, and our opponent did a great job at the beginning for sure. We were just trying to figure out who we were, style of play, brand new team, and I thought that our guys settled in pretty quickly. We know we need to do a better job on the defensive end of the floor, but we were trying different combinations. We had to be careful with the foul situation so that forced our hand a little bit as it will all year long. It was nice to see us come out in the second half and establish a tone where we were going to play through the paint. They (C.W. Post) had 10 points in the first 10 minutes and we had a little chat about that at halftime about not giving up the easy buckets. I was pleased with the first outing and I know the players feel pretty good about all the work they’ve put in.”
On team rebounds being equal:
“Well that is a liability and it will be a liability all year long. 36-36 was with (Moe) Harkless sitting down a lot of the time. You saw what he could do in the second half. He’s not going to shrink in the game, he’s a very long player and he can really help us on the defensive boards. He’s an important part of our scheme defensively. At least we know it’s a liability.”
On the way the team played together:
“St. John’s basketball and all the team’s plays are set by Coach (Steve) Lavin. We play a pass first brand of basketball, and we did that last year, and we convinced those guys that it would take them to uncharted waters as designated by coach. While coach isn’t here, everybody else is the caretaker of his branding. I liked the way we shared the ball, but I don’t think we shared it particularly well in the first 10 minutes. There was a flow in the second half where they relaxed and played Johnnies basketball according to Coach Lavin.”
On Phil Greene’s shooting ability:
“He’s a pleasant surprise in a lot of areas. He and Dom (Pointer) are two guys that as the season unfolds will just continue to ascend, because they have skills that are unique, but Phil has been a pleasant surprise in practice as far as how good and mature his game is. He’s going to get a lot of those shots, because their going to take care of D’Angelo (Harrison) and Nurideen (Lindsey) creates his own problems so he’s going to be on the backside of the defense a lot and you’ll see that he can kind of go unnoticed at times.”
On if he noticed any fatigue in the team:
“Fatigue will always be an issue. The regulation and the tempo from the 10:33 mark in the second half to the seven-minute mark we sat on the lead in a way that it will allow to rest them. There are certain times in the game we’re going to have to be a master of tempo. We play full-on as you can see we haven’t changed a whole lot, but there are times when we can regulate what we have going on at longer stretches. These guys are young so we have to teach them that.”
On if the team will have to rely solely on its offense:
“We have guys that can score as you can see by the balance. We’re not going to get carried away with that, but we have guys who can score and we knew that in the early days. What we have to do is take a group of scorers and just get better each game in little pieces and convince them to buy in on how important the defense is, and that takes time.”
Freshman Guard D’Angelo Harrison
On battling nerves coming into the game:
“I felt pretty good, my teammates had my back. That’s the first thing, everybody’s collective as a unit, and we were ready to move forward. Right after tip-off, we were just ready to go.”
On what they learned today:
“We learned that we can actually play together, we all came together, everybody swinging the ball, passing the ball, giving each other high fives, jumping up in the air, stuff like that. I think we came together more as a group today collectively.”
Sophomore Guard Nurideen Lindsay
On 24 team assists:
“A big part of our offense that coach emphasizes, day in and day out, is ball movement, swinging the basketball. As you all can see, we have a lot of versatile guys that can actually play a lot of different spots on the floor. Ball movement is definitely a big part of our offense. That’s really one of the main keys of our offense. I wasn’t surprised at the assist number. We’re looking forward to getting better, working at it, and getting better.”
On whether he’s seen a big guy go as quickly baseline to baseline as God’sgift Achiuwa:
“He’s an extremely hard worker. He works, so he understands that working hard is definitely an advantage. He runs the floor like a deer for his size. Like I said, he’s an extremely hard worker, and I’ve never seen anybody get from rim to rim, baseline to baseline, at his size as fast as him. He works extremely hard, so I’m not surprised at all.”
On what they learned today:
“Today’s game was obviously an exciting game for us. It’s our first game playing together. The chemistry, just seeing that the chemistry was there, seeing the way we played with each other, it was fun, while knowing that we can get better.”
Junior Forward God’sgift Achiuwa
On fans chanting ‘God is on our side’:
“That really got me going because I believe in god so much. For fans to chant that, I think that was really motivating for me to start the game.”
On the team’s overall play:
“I feel like we played good, but we have so many things to work on, on the defensive end especially. Coach emphasizes our defense, and we really have to work on defense in order to win.”
On his quick start and ease of game:
“I didn’t feel like it would come so easy, but it’s something I’ve been working on with my coaches since the summer. They’ve been telling me to run, and that’s what I did, and in the first ten minutes I ran and I got those baskets.”
Freshman Guard Phil Greene
On whether he sees himself as a scorer or a distributor:
“I just wanted to go out and play hard. My teammates got me open shots, which opened up the three. They had confidence in me, so I just wanted to play hard, and play my game, and let the game come to me.”
On whether he was as prolific of a scorer at previous levels:
“I shoot when it’s time to shoot. Like I said, my teammates did an excellent job of penetrating and kicking, and looking for the weak side, which got me open, so I got a lot of my shots that way.”
On whether he’s seen a big guy go as quickly baseline to baseline as God’sgift Achiuwa:
“I haven’t. Gift, we call him a man-child. He has the ability to run up and down the court like a guard, and we know that no big man in the country can stay with him in the full court, so he’s going to be open a lot in a lot of games.”
On whether it was what he expected:
“I kind of expected it be the way that it was. In college, it’s going to be faster and stronger, but we’re ball players and we adjust to things real fast, and we’re at the highest level, so we’re just going out and compete.”
C.W. Post Head Coach Chris Casey
Opening Statement:
“I felt we played well in the first half. The first five minutes of the second half really hurt us. They went on a spurt and got rolling. I really thought their length and athleticism hurt us. They are very talented offensively. I thought a couple times we actually guarded well, but they were so long and athletic that they could get shots over us pretty easy. They are a very talented team. I think our guys competed and played hard. I was happy with our effort.”
On playing games with seven guys in rotation:
“Fatigue is going to be somewhat of a factor. I know the coaching staff will get them in good condition. I know as a young team it’ll be more of a mental factor than a physical factor because they are freshman and they haven’t gone through a full college season yet, so it’ll wear them down a little bit. But if they stay mentally strong, physically they are talented as anybody. They are very talented and the coaching staff will get them physically conditioned to play in those types of games.”
here are quotes courtesy redstormsports.com...there's also a good write through there...so you should visit!!
St. John’s Assistant Coach Mike Dunlap
Opening Statement:
“We’re a new unit and you can tell we felt the game out, and our opponent did a great job at the beginning for sure. We were just trying to figure out who we were, style of play, brand new team, and I thought that our guys settled in pretty quickly. We know we need to do a better job on the defensive end of the floor, but we were trying different combinations. We had to be careful with the foul situation so that forced our hand a little bit as it will all year long. It was nice to see us come out in the second half and establish a tone where we were going to play through the paint. They (C.W. Post) had 10 points in the first 10 minutes and we had a little chat about that at halftime about not giving up the easy buckets. I was pleased with the first outing and I know the players feel pretty good about all the work they’ve put in.”
On team rebounds being equal:
“Well that is a liability and it will be a liability all year long. 36-36 was with (Moe) Harkless sitting down a lot of the time. You saw what he could do in the second half. He’s not going to shrink in the game, he’s a very long player and he can really help us on the defensive boards. He’s an important part of our scheme defensively. At least we know it’s a liability.”
On the way the team played together:
“St. John’s basketball and all the team’s plays are set by Coach (Steve) Lavin. We play a pass first brand of basketball, and we did that last year, and we convinced those guys that it would take them to uncharted waters as designated by coach. While coach isn’t here, everybody else is the caretaker of his branding. I liked the way we shared the ball, but I don’t think we shared it particularly well in the first 10 minutes. There was a flow in the second half where they relaxed and played Johnnies basketball according to Coach Lavin.”
On Phil Greene’s shooting ability:
“He’s a pleasant surprise in a lot of areas. He and Dom (Pointer) are two guys that as the season unfolds will just continue to ascend, because they have skills that are unique, but Phil has been a pleasant surprise in practice as far as how good and mature his game is. He’s going to get a lot of those shots, because their going to take care of D’Angelo (Harrison) and Nurideen (Lindsey) creates his own problems so he’s going to be on the backside of the defense a lot and you’ll see that he can kind of go unnoticed at times.”
On if he noticed any fatigue in the team:
“Fatigue will always be an issue. The regulation and the tempo from the 10:33 mark in the second half to the seven-minute mark we sat on the lead in a way that it will allow to rest them. There are certain times in the game we’re going to have to be a master of tempo. We play full-on as you can see we haven’t changed a whole lot, but there are times when we can regulate what we have going on at longer stretches. These guys are young so we have to teach them that.”
On if the team will have to rely solely on its offense:
“We have guys that can score as you can see by the balance. We’re not going to get carried away with that, but we have guys who can score and we knew that in the early days. What we have to do is take a group of scorers and just get better each game in little pieces and convince them to buy in on how important the defense is, and that takes time.”
Freshman Guard D’Angelo Harrison
On battling nerves coming into the game:
“I felt pretty good, my teammates had my back. That’s the first thing, everybody’s collective as a unit, and we were ready to move forward. Right after tip-off, we were just ready to go.”
On what they learned today:
“We learned that we can actually play together, we all came together, everybody swinging the ball, passing the ball, giving each other high fives, jumping up in the air, stuff like that. I think we came together more as a group today collectively.”
Sophomore Guard Nurideen Lindsay
On 24 team assists:
“A big part of our offense that coach emphasizes, day in and day out, is ball movement, swinging the basketball. As you all can see, we have a lot of versatile guys that can actually play a lot of different spots on the floor. Ball movement is definitely a big part of our offense. That’s really one of the main keys of our offense. I wasn’t surprised at the assist number. We’re looking forward to getting better, working at it, and getting better.”
On whether he’s seen a big guy go as quickly baseline to baseline as God’sgift Achiuwa:
“He’s an extremely hard worker. He works, so he understands that working hard is definitely an advantage. He runs the floor like a deer for his size. Like I said, he’s an extremely hard worker, and I’ve never seen anybody get from rim to rim, baseline to baseline, at his size as fast as him. He works extremely hard, so I’m not surprised at all.”
On what they learned today:
“Today’s game was obviously an exciting game for us. It’s our first game playing together. The chemistry, just seeing that the chemistry was there, seeing the way we played with each other, it was fun, while knowing that we can get better.”
Junior Forward God’sgift Achiuwa
On fans chanting ‘God is on our side’:
“That really got me going because I believe in god so much. For fans to chant that, I think that was really motivating for me to start the game.”
On the team’s overall play:
“I feel like we played good, but we have so many things to work on, on the defensive end especially. Coach emphasizes our defense, and we really have to work on defense in order to win.”
On his quick start and ease of game:
“I didn’t feel like it would come so easy, but it’s something I’ve been working on with my coaches since the summer. They’ve been telling me to run, and that’s what I did, and in the first ten minutes I ran and I got those baskets.”
Freshman Guard Phil Greene
On whether he sees himself as a scorer or a distributor:
“I just wanted to go out and play hard. My teammates got me open shots, which opened up the three. They had confidence in me, so I just wanted to play hard, and play my game, and let the game come to me.”
On whether he was as prolific of a scorer at previous levels:
“I shoot when it’s time to shoot. Like I said, my teammates did an excellent job of penetrating and kicking, and looking for the weak side, which got me open, so I got a lot of my shots that way.”
On whether he’s seen a big guy go as quickly baseline to baseline as God’sgift Achiuwa:
“I haven’t. Gift, we call him a man-child. He has the ability to run up and down the court like a guard, and we know that no big man in the country can stay with him in the full court, so he’s going to be open a lot in a lot of games.”
On whether it was what he expected:
“I kind of expected it be the way that it was. In college, it’s going to be faster and stronger, but we’re ball players and we adjust to things real fast, and we’re at the highest level, so we’re just going out and compete.”
C.W. Post Head Coach Chris Casey
Opening Statement:
“I felt we played well in the first half. The first five minutes of the second half really hurt us. They went on a spurt and got rolling. I really thought their length and athleticism hurt us. They are very talented offensively. I thought a couple times we actually guarded well, but they were so long and athletic that they could get shots over us pretty easy. They are a very talented team. I think our guys competed and played hard. I was happy with our effort.”
On playing games with seven guys in rotation:
“Fatigue is going to be somewhat of a factor. I know the coaching staff will get them in good condition. I know as a young team it’ll be more of a mental factor than a physical factor because they are freshman and they haven’t gone through a full college season yet, so it’ll wear them down a little bit. But if they stay mentally strong, physically they are talented as anybody. They are very talented and the coaching staff will get them physically conditioned to play in those types of games.”
Was at the game sitting next to Moose. Been waiting so long to finally see these guys play and they were even better than advertised. After these long painful years, I had almost forgotten what high Division 1 athletes and bball players look like when they play. What a difference. Everyone is long, athletic and knows how to play the game. They can all finish very well, they seem to have high bball IQ's. They are exciting to watch and I look forward to a very entertaining season.
Thank you Steve Lavin, Mike Repole and Mrs. Hewitt.
Thank you Steve Lavin, Mike Repole and Mrs. Hewitt.
tom in salem
Well-known member
http://espn.go.com/new-york/story/_...re-plenty-positives-take-their-exhibition-win
By Kieran Darcy
ESPNNewYork.com
Archive
NEW YORK -- St. John's raised the curtain on its brand-new basketball team Tuesday evening, with a relatively easy 110-80 win over C.W. Post.
But the show before the show was almost as amusing.
Thirty minutes before tip-off, the St. John's players started to emerge from the locker room and mingle in one corner of Carnesecca Arena, seemingly unsure about what to do. A couple freshmen eventually grabbed basketballs and started shooting on the far rim, before junior guard Malik Stith -- the only holdover from last season's squad -- shouted at them to come back to the other end to begin the team's proper warm-ups.
Then, when the team began a half-court passing drill, several players looked unsure of where to go, having to be directed by Stith or one of the others.
But once the horn sounded and the ball was hoisted in the air, the players looked much more comfortable, pasting a team that made the Division II NCAA tournament a season ago.
"We were just trying to figure out who we were -- style of play, brand-new team -- and I thought that our guys settled in pretty quickly," said assistant coach Mike Dunlap, who took the reins in place of head coach Steve Lavin, who is still recovering from prostate cancer surgery. "I was pleased with the first outing, and I know that the players feel pretty good about all the work they've put in."
St. John's put four newcomers on the floor to start this exhibition game -- 6-foot-3 guards Nurideen Lindsey and D'Angelo Harrison, 6-foot-8 forward Moe Harkless and 6-foot-9 center God's Gift Achiuwa -- along with the 5-foot-11 Stith. And after a middling start -- C.W. Post actually led 11-10 and 17-16 -- the Red Storm opened up a 51-40 halftime advantage, and ran over the Division II Pioneers after intermission.
"Today's game was obviously an exciting game for us," said Lindsey, a sophomore junior college transfer from Philadelphia. "It's our first game playing together, [and] the chemistry -- just seeing that the chemistry was there, seeing the way that we play with each other, it was fun. It was extremely fun."
Lindsey looked like the most Big East-ready player of the group, scoring 16 points and dishing out a team-high seven assists. He displayed a lightning-quick first step off the dribble, and a crafty ability to finish in the lane.
All six new players scored in double figures -- led by Achiuwa, who posted 21 points and nine rebounds, shooting 10-for-13 from the field. The Nigerian native, who played two years of junior college ball in upstate New York, exhibited a high-octane motor getting up and down the floor, and a nice ability to finish around the rim as well.
"No, I didn't expect it to come so easy, but it's been something that I've been working on with my coaches since the summer," said Achiuwa. "They've been telling me to run, and that's what I did in the first 10 minutes of the game -- I really ran so hard and I got those baskets."
"Gift, we call him a man-child," said freshman Phil Greene. "He runs up and down the court like a guard."
Greene, the least heralded of this highly touted recruiting class, was the surprise of the night. The 6-foot-2 guard from Chicago came off the bench to pour in 20 points, burying four of his six 3-point attempts.
"He's a pleasant surprise in a lot of areas," said Dunlap. "He and [fellow freshman] Dom Pointer [12 points] are two guys that as the season unfolds will just continue to ascend because they have a set of skills that are unique."
The two other freshmen -- Harkless (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Harrison (20 points) -- came on strong in the second half, when St. John's wore down its outmatched opponent with its quickness and athleticism.
Now remember, this was only an exhibition game. And there remain some serious concerns with this extremely young team, besides its inexperience.
With a relatively small front line, rebounding will be a challenge -- in fact, C.W. Post matched St. John's on the boards, with 36 apiece. "It'll be a liability all year long," Dunlap said.
An even bigger problem is the lack of depth -- the St. John's rotation currently goes only seven deep. "Fatigue will always be an issue," said Dunlap.
But this was a night to celebrate -- a successful first step, with the promise of a bright future.
"We have guys that can score, as you can see," said Dunlap. "What we have to do is take a group of scorers, and really just get better each game in little pieces, and convince them to buy in on the defense and how important it is. And that takes time."
As does learning the pregame warm-up routine.
By Kieran Darcy
ESPNNewYork.com
Archive
NEW YORK -- St. John's raised the curtain on its brand-new basketball team Tuesday evening, with a relatively easy 110-80 win over C.W. Post.
But the show before the show was almost as amusing.
Thirty minutes before tip-off, the St. John's players started to emerge from the locker room and mingle in one corner of Carnesecca Arena, seemingly unsure about what to do. A couple freshmen eventually grabbed basketballs and started shooting on the far rim, before junior guard Malik Stith -- the only holdover from last season's squad -- shouted at them to come back to the other end to begin the team's proper warm-ups.
Then, when the team began a half-court passing drill, several players looked unsure of where to go, having to be directed by Stith or one of the others.
But once the horn sounded and the ball was hoisted in the air, the players looked much more comfortable, pasting a team that made the Division II NCAA tournament a season ago.
"We were just trying to figure out who we were -- style of play, brand-new team -- and I thought that our guys settled in pretty quickly," said assistant coach Mike Dunlap, who took the reins in place of head coach Steve Lavin, who is still recovering from prostate cancer surgery. "I was pleased with the first outing, and I know that the players feel pretty good about all the work they've put in."
St. John's put four newcomers on the floor to start this exhibition game -- 6-foot-3 guards Nurideen Lindsey and D'Angelo Harrison, 6-foot-8 forward Moe Harkless and 6-foot-9 center God's Gift Achiuwa -- along with the 5-foot-11 Stith. And after a middling start -- C.W. Post actually led 11-10 and 17-16 -- the Red Storm opened up a 51-40 halftime advantage, and ran over the Division II Pioneers after intermission.
"Today's game was obviously an exciting game for us," said Lindsey, a sophomore junior college transfer from Philadelphia. "It's our first game playing together, [and] the chemistry -- just seeing that the chemistry was there, seeing the way that we play with each other, it was fun. It was extremely fun."
Lindsey looked like the most Big East-ready player of the group, scoring 16 points and dishing out a team-high seven assists. He displayed a lightning-quick first step off the dribble, and a crafty ability to finish in the lane.
All six new players scored in double figures -- led by Achiuwa, who posted 21 points and nine rebounds, shooting 10-for-13 from the field. The Nigerian native, who played two years of junior college ball in upstate New York, exhibited a high-octane motor getting up and down the floor, and a nice ability to finish around the rim as well.
"No, I didn't expect it to come so easy, but it's been something that I've been working on with my coaches since the summer," said Achiuwa. "They've been telling me to run, and that's what I did in the first 10 minutes of the game -- I really ran so hard and I got those baskets."
"Gift, we call him a man-child," said freshman Phil Greene. "He runs up and down the court like a guard."
Greene, the least heralded of this highly touted recruiting class, was the surprise of the night. The 6-foot-2 guard from Chicago came off the bench to pour in 20 points, burying four of his six 3-point attempts.
"He's a pleasant surprise in a lot of areas," said Dunlap. "He and [fellow freshman] Dom Pointer [12 points] are two guys that as the season unfolds will just continue to ascend because they have a set of skills that are unique."
The two other freshmen -- Harkless (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Harrison (20 points) -- came on strong in the second half, when St. John's wore down its outmatched opponent with its quickness and athleticism.
Now remember, this was only an exhibition game. And there remain some serious concerns with this extremely young team, besides its inexperience.
With a relatively small front line, rebounding will be a challenge -- in fact, C.W. Post matched St. John's on the boards, with 36 apiece. "It'll be a liability all year long," Dunlap said.
An even bigger problem is the lack of depth -- the St. John's rotation currently goes only seven deep. "Fatigue will always be an issue," said Dunlap.
But this was a night to celebrate -- a successful first step, with the promise of a bright future.
"We have guys that can score, as you can see," said Dunlap. "What we have to do is take a group of scorers, and really just get better each game in little pieces, and convince them to buy in on the defense and how important it is. And that takes time."
As does learning the pregame warm-up routine.
tom in salem
Well-known member
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/young_storm_ready_to_rise_WyKWuMNAdU6nSFFYtnMU6J
Young Storm ready to rise
By LENN ROBBINS
Last Updated: 3:24 AM, October 26, 2011
Posted: 1:29 AM, October 26, 2011
Not even when the Red Storm had Chris Mullin has there been a roster comprised of so much young talent, all of whom are intent on playing professionally. Not when it had the late Malik Sealy. Not when it had Ron Artest.
A new era in the Red Storm's proud basketball tradition dawned last night when the Johnnies beat C.W. Post 110-80 in a preseason game at Carnesecca Arena.
How coach Steve Lavin, who missed the game while recovering from prostate surgery, and his staff keep this team focused on the prize -- that winning gives each player a better chance to realize his individual dream -- will be one of the prime challenges every season for as long as the charismatic coach is here.
Here is the Post's evaluation after the first look at the new Johnnies:
Overall: The team is offensive gifted (this marked its most points since Jan. 4, 1999, 115 vs. Niagara) and jackrabbit quick, but painfully lacking in size. Post battled to a 36-36 draw on the boards.
"It's a liability," said assistant Mike Dunlap, who coached in place of Lavin. "It'll be a liability all year long."
Power forward God'sgift Achiuwa (21 points, nine rebounds) goes baseline to baseline with stunning speed for a man his size, knows not to handle and keeps his game around the basket.
Combo guard Phil Greene (20 points, 4-of-6 on threes) is the club's most polished player for now. He will be called upon to settle this team. He doesn't force, he takes smart shots and has active hands.
Swing forward Moe Harkless (14 points, 14 rebounds) is the highest rated New York City prep recruit since Artest, and makes it look effortless. Clearly the most gifted all-round player in the class, Harkless will have to get stronger because he'll play a lot at power forward.
Shooting guard D'Angelo Harrison (20 points, four assists, no turnovers) came in with a reputation as a scorer but showed a willingness to work on the other end, and can be one of the best shooters St. John's has had.
Combo guard Nurideen Lindsey (16 points, seven assists, five rebounds) can score one-on-one or get to the line at will against lower level Division I teams. With more muscle and experience he could emerge as an all-league guard.
Small forward Sir'Dominic Pointer (12 points, two blocks, two steals) plays like former Red Storm star Willie Glass. He has great athleticism and terrific poise. Can he grow four inches?
The Johnnies had 24 assists on 50 field goals, suggesting they're willing to play together. Time will tell.
"We just were trying to figure out who we were, style of play, brand new team," Dunlap said. "I thought we settled in pretty quickly."
Read more:http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/coll..._to_rise_WyKWuMNAdU6nSFFYtnMU6J#ixzz1bt11TyQ7
Young Storm ready to rise
By LENN ROBBINS
Last Updated: 3:24 AM, October 26, 2011
Posted: 1:29 AM, October 26, 2011
Not even when the Red Storm had Chris Mullin has there been a roster comprised of so much young talent, all of whom are intent on playing professionally. Not when it had the late Malik Sealy. Not when it had Ron Artest.
A new era in the Red Storm's proud basketball tradition dawned last night when the Johnnies beat C.W. Post 110-80 in a preseason game at Carnesecca Arena.
How coach Steve Lavin, who missed the game while recovering from prostate surgery, and his staff keep this team focused on the prize -- that winning gives each player a better chance to realize his individual dream -- will be one of the prime challenges every season for as long as the charismatic coach is here.
Here is the Post's evaluation after the first look at the new Johnnies:
Overall: The team is offensive gifted (this marked its most points since Jan. 4, 1999, 115 vs. Niagara) and jackrabbit quick, but painfully lacking in size. Post battled to a 36-36 draw on the boards.
"It's a liability," said assistant Mike Dunlap, who coached in place of Lavin. "It'll be a liability all year long."
Power forward God'sgift Achiuwa (21 points, nine rebounds) goes baseline to baseline with stunning speed for a man his size, knows not to handle and keeps his game around the basket.
Combo guard Phil Greene (20 points, 4-of-6 on threes) is the club's most polished player for now. He will be called upon to settle this team. He doesn't force, he takes smart shots and has active hands.
Swing forward Moe Harkless (14 points, 14 rebounds) is the highest rated New York City prep recruit since Artest, and makes it look effortless. Clearly the most gifted all-round player in the class, Harkless will have to get stronger because he'll play a lot at power forward.
Shooting guard D'Angelo Harrison (20 points, four assists, no turnovers) came in with a reputation as a scorer but showed a willingness to work on the other end, and can be one of the best shooters St. John's has had.
Combo guard Nurideen Lindsey (16 points, seven assists, five rebounds) can score one-on-one or get to the line at will against lower level Division I teams. With more muscle and experience he could emerge as an all-league guard.
Small forward Sir'Dominic Pointer (12 points, two blocks, two steals) plays like former Red Storm star Willie Glass. He has great athleticism and terrific poise. Can he grow four inches?
The Johnnies had 24 assists on 50 field goals, suggesting they're willing to play together. Time will tell.
"We just were trying to figure out who we were, style of play, brand new team," Dunlap said. "I thought we settled in pretty quickly."
Read more:http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/coll..._to_rise_WyKWuMNAdU6nSFFYtnMU6J#ixzz1bt11TyQ7
tom in salem
Well-known member
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2011/10/26/2011-10-26_st_john_races_pass_division_iis_cw_post_for_a_11080_rout_at_carnesecca_arena_tue.html
St. John's basketball races past C.W. Post for a 110-80 rout at Carnesecca Arena Tuesday night
BY Roger Rubin
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Wednesday, October 26th 2011, 4:00 AM
St. John's first exhibition game turned out to be an exhibition of its newly arrived offensive arsenal.
With six newcomers among its small band of eight scholarship players, St. John’s might be the nation’s most inexperienced team in the coming college basketball season. After seeing the Johnnies score 110 points Tuesday night, it looks as if watching them learn the ropes will be fun.
St. John’s raced past Division II C.W. Post for a 110-80 rout at Carnesecca Arena. They shot 66% from the floor, had 24 assists while committing only 10 turnovers. All six of the new guys finished
in double figures.
“We play a pass-first brand of basketball and we did that last year and we convinced those guys that that would take them to uncharted waters,” said St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap, who along with fellow assistant Tony Chiles, ran the team with head coach Steve Lavin still at home recuperating from Oct. 6 prostate cancer surgery. “While coach isn’t here, everybody else is the caretaker of his branding. And so yes, I like the way they shared the ball.”
“We just were trying to figure out who we were, style of play, brand new team,” Dunlap added. "I thought we settled in pretty quickly."
God's gift Achiuwa and Phil Greene may not be the big names in this heralded incoming class, but both made huge impressions.
Achiuwa, the 6-9 power forward with a name made for headline writers, showed great speed running the court and soft hands catching the ball around the basket. After scoring 14 in the first half on 7-for-7 shooting, he finished with 21 points. Greene, the Chicago-tough combo guard, showed great touch going 4-for-5 on three-pointers en route to 20 points.
Moe Harkless, the Queens product who may be the biggest name among the new players, was limited to two first-half points in seven minutes because of foul trouble but scored 10 of the Storm's first 12 in the second half as it broke the game open and finished with 14 and 14 rebounds. D'Angelo Harrison added 20 points, Nurideen Lindsey 16 and Sir'Dominic Pointer 12 for the Johnnies.
The Storm is going to rely heavily on Achiuwa to help their thin squad on the boards. He had nine rebounds, but the Pioneers equaled them on the glass 36-36. Dunlap said "that's a liability and it'll be a liability all year long."
It was his offense and ability to beat other frontcourt players down the floor that really made a difference.
"We call him a man-child," Greene added. "He runs up and down the floor like a guard and we know no big man in the country can stick with him full-court so he's going to be open a lot in a lot of games."
Added Lindsey: "He runs the floor like a deer. I've never seen anybody get from rim to rim, baseline to baseline, at his size as fast as him."
Greene said he didn't go into the game looking to shoot on the perimeter, only to "shoot when it's time to." Dunlap believes he could become one of the big surprises on this team and that he has three tools that will allow him to "continue to ascend" as the season goes on.
"He's a tremendous athlete and he's a sneaky, quick athlete, one," Dunlap said. "Two is that he has a half-court temperament and he knows how to run the point from a half-court game, so I think that's something that's special in him. And three is that he has an appetite for competition. He's a quiet competitor at the highest level."
Dunlap and Chiles opted for a starting lineup of of lone returner Malik Stith plus Harkless, Achiuwa, Harrison and Lindsey. Those five plus Pointer and Greene all played at least 24 minutes. That could be the model for this thin team.
"Fatigue will always be a concern," Dunlap said. "We're going to have to be masters of tempo."
Walking tall
Several walk-ons from the Oct. 16 open tryout are now practicing with the team and two - 6-9 Samuel Sealy-James and 6-foot Gerard Rivers - have been cleared to dress for games and were in uniform Tuesday night. Other may be cleared before the season begins.
NOTES
Assistant coach Rico Hines had surgery Tuesday to repair a torn Achilles tendon suffered late last week during practice. He said last week that because of the shortage of players, he was sometimes playing with the team so it could go 5-on-5.
St. John's basketball races past C.W. Post for a 110-80 rout at Carnesecca Arena Tuesday night
BY Roger Rubin
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Wednesday, October 26th 2011, 4:00 AM
St. John's first exhibition game turned out to be an exhibition of its newly arrived offensive arsenal.
With six newcomers among its small band of eight scholarship players, St. John’s might be the nation’s most inexperienced team in the coming college basketball season. After seeing the Johnnies score 110 points Tuesday night, it looks as if watching them learn the ropes will be fun.
St. John’s raced past Division II C.W. Post for a 110-80 rout at Carnesecca Arena. They shot 66% from the floor, had 24 assists while committing only 10 turnovers. All six of the new guys finished
in double figures.
“We play a pass-first brand of basketball and we did that last year and we convinced those guys that that would take them to uncharted waters,” said St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap, who along with fellow assistant Tony Chiles, ran the team with head coach Steve Lavin still at home recuperating from Oct. 6 prostate cancer surgery. “While coach isn’t here, everybody else is the caretaker of his branding. And so yes, I like the way they shared the ball.”
“We just were trying to figure out who we were, style of play, brand new team,” Dunlap added. "I thought we settled in pretty quickly."
God's gift Achiuwa and Phil Greene may not be the big names in this heralded incoming class, but both made huge impressions.
Achiuwa, the 6-9 power forward with a name made for headline writers, showed great speed running the court and soft hands catching the ball around the basket. After scoring 14 in the first half on 7-for-7 shooting, he finished with 21 points. Greene, the Chicago-tough combo guard, showed great touch going 4-for-5 on three-pointers en route to 20 points.
Moe Harkless, the Queens product who may be the biggest name among the new players, was limited to two first-half points in seven minutes because of foul trouble but scored 10 of the Storm's first 12 in the second half as it broke the game open and finished with 14 and 14 rebounds. D'Angelo Harrison added 20 points, Nurideen Lindsey 16 and Sir'Dominic Pointer 12 for the Johnnies.
The Storm is going to rely heavily on Achiuwa to help their thin squad on the boards. He had nine rebounds, but the Pioneers equaled them on the glass 36-36. Dunlap said "that's a liability and it'll be a liability all year long."
It was his offense and ability to beat other frontcourt players down the floor that really made a difference.
"We call him a man-child," Greene added. "He runs up and down the floor like a guard and we know no big man in the country can stick with him full-court so he's going to be open a lot in a lot of games."
Added Lindsey: "He runs the floor like a deer. I've never seen anybody get from rim to rim, baseline to baseline, at his size as fast as him."
Greene said he didn't go into the game looking to shoot on the perimeter, only to "shoot when it's time to." Dunlap believes he could become one of the big surprises on this team and that he has three tools that will allow him to "continue to ascend" as the season goes on.
"He's a tremendous athlete and he's a sneaky, quick athlete, one," Dunlap said. "Two is that he has a half-court temperament and he knows how to run the point from a half-court game, so I think that's something that's special in him. And three is that he has an appetite for competition. He's a quiet competitor at the highest level."
Dunlap and Chiles opted for a starting lineup of of lone returner Malik Stith plus Harkless, Achiuwa, Harrison and Lindsey. Those five plus Pointer and Greene all played at least 24 minutes. That could be the model for this thin team.
"Fatigue will always be a concern," Dunlap said. "We're going to have to be masters of tempo."
Walking tall
Several walk-ons from the Oct. 16 open tryout are now practicing with the team and two - 6-9 Samuel Sealy-James and 6-foot Gerard Rivers - have been cleared to dress for games and were in uniform Tuesday night. Other may be cleared before the season begins.
NOTES
Assistant coach Rico Hines had surgery Tuesday to repair a torn Achilles tendon suffered late last week during practice. He said last week that because of the shortage of players, he was sometimes playing with the team so it could go 5-on-5.
My five biggest takeaways from going to the game:
1) Phil Greene is an excellent shooter (8-10) which I didn't expect, I knew about Lindsey's talents and was not surprised considering he has a well-documented career and great track record of success before coming to SJU
2) God's Gift will be a critical player to this team which lacks height
3) Very solid crowd for an exhibition game last night and I hope that the fans continue to come out throughout the season
4) This team needs to avoid getting in foul trouble, without Harkless on the floor for most of the first half CW Post made the lead at halftime attainable, he played the second half and the stats speak for themselves
5) This is the most talented SJU team I think in a decade since the team had Hatten, Cuffe, Shaw, Diakite and Glover (I think this team is a lot better, but these group of players were probably the last decent class they've had).
Looking forward to watching this team all season.
1) Phil Greene is an excellent shooter (8-10) which I didn't expect, I knew about Lindsey's talents and was not surprised considering he has a well-documented career and great track record of success before coming to SJU
2) God's Gift will be a critical player to this team which lacks height
3) Very solid crowd for an exhibition game last night and I hope that the fans continue to come out throughout the season
4) This team needs to avoid getting in foul trouble, without Harkless on the floor for most of the first half CW Post made the lead at halftime attainable, he played the second half and the stats speak for themselves
5) This is the most talented SJU team I think in a decade since the team had Hatten, Cuffe, Shaw, Diakite and Glover (I think this team is a lot better, but these group of players were probably the last decent class they've had).
Looking forward to watching this team all season.