Early observations
- Thread starter tom in salem
- Start date
redstorm80
Well-known member
D'angelo is a shooter and sometimes they go through cold streaks. He will knock down those looks down the road. He does play with fire and sometimes it might lead us into trouble but you also have to accept thats how he plays. You dont want him to change his intensity level its who he is
I'm not dissapointed in Lindsey, he's playing to his strengths, and the talent is certianly there. I just don't think he's enough of a pure point guard to handle the ball most of the time at the 1. Seems more like a 1 and a half, but his ability is unquestionable.
Honestly, I'm not adverse to giving Greene more time at the point. He seems to know where everybody is, good ballhandler and passer, and the offense just seemed more coordinated with him in there tonight.
On a side note, Pointer is my favorite player of the newbies. Gotta love what this guy brings to the table defensivly. I'd like for him to start Monday over either Stith (who tries, but just is not the answer) or Harrison (who, IMO, needs a good talking too, if you know what I mean).
Honestly, I'm not adverse to giving Greene more time at the point. He seems to know where everybody is, good ballhandler and passer, and the offense just seemed more coordinated with him in there tonight.
On a side note, Pointer is my favorite player of the newbies. Gotta love what this guy brings to the table defensivly. I'd like for him to start Monday over either Stith (who tries, but just is not the answer) or Harrison (who, IMO, needs a good talking too, if you know what I mean).
Moose
Well-known member
Exactly.
Remember Hardy last year. For as great of a year that he had he went 1-6, 3-14 and 2-8 in his first 3 games. In his 5th game he also threw up a 4-14. Harrison will be fine.
As for his fire I love it. Should he get t'ed up vs. a D3 team? No. But I want that fire against the big boys.
another thing that you mentioned Tom in Salem about Gift... The kid certainly can run the court and his built like a Linebacker but he has no moves down low it seems to me he tries to over power people, i believe he has to develop some moves so he can go up against big boys the same size as him in the BIG East
upstate redman
Member
Here is my take on this team and game, but again, it is 2 exhibition games for 6 players who have never really played on this level or together so it really means nothing.
I think our rebounding/lack of size will really hurt us (I can't wait for Amir hopefully, so we can get a little longer). Our inability right now to close down in the zone will also really hurt us against teams that can shoot.
One thing that really stuck out, is our inability to shoot 3s/hit free throws gave me nightmares of the last decade. Harkless did a great job at the line, Pointer came on strong, and Harrison was fine. But it is stressful watching them shoot free throws and in the BE you need to convert at the line.
I really like Phil Greene and I think he is going to be a very good player when it is all said and done. He seems to really know what hes doing out there and be in control. I also think Harrison is very similar to Hardy, and will eventually be fine. I love his attitude, while he needs to tone it down, I would rather have a kid who is determined and wants it.
Don't really know what else to say, other than I am excited to see the team in their first game. Arizona lost to a D2 team and Duke struggled vs another D2 foe last week. It means nothing, but William and Mary out of the CAA will be a very good test to see where these guys are at.
We are
I think our rebounding/lack of size will really hurt us (I can't wait for Amir hopefully, so we can get a little longer). Our inability right now to close down in the zone will also really hurt us against teams that can shoot.
One thing that really stuck out, is our inability to shoot 3s/hit free throws gave me nightmares of the last decade. Harkless did a great job at the line, Pointer came on strong, and Harrison was fine. But it is stressful watching them shoot free throws and in the BE you need to convert at the line.
I really like Phil Greene and I think he is going to be a very good player when it is all said and done. He seems to really know what hes doing out there and be in control. I also think Harrison is very similar to Hardy, and will eventually be fine. I love his attitude, while he needs to tone it down, I would rather have a kid who is determined and wants it.
Don't really know what else to say, other than I am excited to see the team in their first game. Arizona lost to a D2 team and Duke struggled vs another D2 foe last week. It means nothing, but William and Mary out of the CAA will be a very good test to see where these guys are at.
We are
jhansonbro17
Member
I'm not taking anything from this game really because IMO it was nothing more than a glorified practice. It really just looked like the coaches had the team just work on specific schemes, and seeing as they're all new and have had 2 1/2 weeks of practice this game is obviously more about learning the system than it is about winning. I've seen all I need to see from these players individually to know that with our coaching staff, once these guys "get it" later in the year (much like last years team) and onwards they're gonna be a damn good team. I'm fully expecting a lot of close games like this for the first few months of the season, but my hope is that they can just pull out some ugly W's as they get the hang of it and by the time February rolls around these guys will be sophomores and can potentially be in position to make a run at the NCAA tournament.
One thing I'll take from this game is I love this teams attitude. Too many times the last several years when the guys faced some adversity they looked like a bunch of deer in headlights. Not these guys. I never once saw these guys with their heads down and even when they were losing they always looked in control and never panicked. At One point I just saw such intensity in the guys' faces at the end of the game I turned to my buddy and said there's no way we're losing this game, they just won't let it happen. Obviously the inferior opponent helped the cause, but I think it was important for the team to face a little adversity very early in their careers and to overcome it so seamlessly. Gave me a ton of confidence that we'll come out on top of games like this, especially early this season when we'll probably be playing a lot of ugly games and when every win will be important.
One thing I'll take from this game is I love this teams attitude. Too many times the last several years when the guys faced some adversity they looked like a bunch of deer in headlights. Not these guys. I never once saw these guys with their heads down and even when they were losing they always looked in control and never panicked. At One point I just saw such intensity in the guys' faces at the end of the game I turned to my buddy and said there's no way we're losing this game, they just won't let it happen. Obviously the inferior opponent helped the cause, but I think it was important for the team to face a little adversity very early in their careers and to overcome it so seamlessly. Gave me a ton of confidence that we'll come out on top of games like this, especially early this season when we'll probably be playing a lot of ugly games and when every win will be important.
Not sure how Nuri is disappointing. At crunch time he and Harkless put the team on their backs offensively with Dom providing a defensive spark and won the game. First Nuri got to the basket to get us scoring again. Then Mo hit 8 FT's in a row after we hadn't been able to buy one. To me, Gift, Mo and Nuri are the core of the team with Dom a great intangibles guy off the bench.
St Mary's killed us with threes and we never went to man. I think that's just because the staff cares more about the team having reps in the matchup than they care about results in the exhibition games. I hope they do work on man a bit though so when they play a mid major that shoots lights out they have a way to respond.
St Mary's killed us with threes and we never went to man. I think that's just because the staff cares more about the team having reps in the matchup than they care about results in the exhibition games. I hope they do work on man a bit though so when they play a mid major that shoots lights out they have a way to respond.
beast of the east
Active member
What was more telling is that both student sections behind the benches were packed for an exhibition game. I arrived 20 minutes late, and when I walked up there were still 30 students or so buying tickets at the student section.
beast of the east
Active member
Here's my early dinfitive observations: $3.50 for a bottle of soda, $3.50 for a pretzel made me feel that soon we will be paying prices that pro venues charge.
As for the game, I realized early that this is the strangest phenomena is all my years attending SJU games - 8 guys who absolutely do not know each other. Never has there been such a radical lack of succession in a St. John's team. The team was starting from scratch (I hesitate the use the phrase "ground zero", whuch will never mean the same thing to me again since 9-11)
How anyone can call any single player disappointing after watching an exhibition game against a D3 school is beyond me. Team defense was pretty horrendous, allowing less athletic D3 ballplayers to pretty much play them even for an entire game was telltale of a bunch of kids unaccustomed to playing together. St, Marys does have immpressive size for a D3 school, though. But to consider that they do not have a single kid on their roster that could play at the D1 level tells you how much work needs to be done by our squad.
God's Gift was physically just stronger than anyone on the court. Nice touch around the basket. It is really difficult to say that he is the next coming, considering how much bigger, talented, and cohesive Big East caliber competition will be.
I'm sure Dunlap and co. will be working them really hard in practice, but nothing will take the place of game experience, and I'm afraid I would lower my win prediction at this point from 15 to 12-13. Of course it is just the beginning, and we will know more when this team gels a little and we see who emerges as team leaders. It really doesn't appear that Stith has the personna among his new teammates to be regarded as a leader. He will likely and appropriately be more of a role player and nothing more.
Though it's been mentioned before, can admnistration break down and buy walk ons the same warmups and uniform as everyone else? It's bad enough having these kids at the end of the bench huddled together with a continental divide between them and the guys who will play. Giving them older warmups does nothing but further isolate them as temps who have little in common with the scholarship players.
In summary, I don't think much was learned about individuals given the competition, other than to say that they have a lot of work to do to begin to function as a team.
As for the game, I realized early that this is the strangest phenomena is all my years attending SJU games - 8 guys who absolutely do not know each other. Never has there been such a radical lack of succession in a St. John's team. The team was starting from scratch (I hesitate the use the phrase "ground zero", whuch will never mean the same thing to me again since 9-11)
How anyone can call any single player disappointing after watching an exhibition game against a D3 school is beyond me. Team defense was pretty horrendous, allowing less athletic D3 ballplayers to pretty much play them even for an entire game was telltale of a bunch of kids unaccustomed to playing together. St, Marys does have immpressive size for a D3 school, though. But to consider that they do not have a single kid on their roster that could play at the D1 level tells you how much work needs to be done by our squad.
God's Gift was physically just stronger than anyone on the court. Nice touch around the basket. It is really difficult to say that he is the next coming, considering how much bigger, talented, and cohesive Big East caliber competition will be.
I'm sure Dunlap and co. will be working them really hard in practice, but nothing will take the place of game experience, and I'm afraid I would lower my win prediction at this point from 15 to 12-13. Of course it is just the beginning, and we will know more when this team gels a little and we see who emerges as team leaders. It really doesn't appear that Stith has the personna among his new teammates to be regarded as a leader. He will likely and appropriately be more of a role player and nothing more.
Though it's been mentioned before, can admnistration break down and buy walk ons the same warmups and uniform as everyone else? It's bad enough having these kids at the end of the bench huddled together with a continental divide between them and the guys who will play. Giving them older warmups does nothing but further isolate them as temps who have little in common with the scholarship players.
In summary, I don't think much was learned about individuals given the competition, other than to say that they have a lot of work to do to begin to function as a team.
tom in salem
Well-known member
Don't get me wrong, he's good.
I'm basing my observations based on people saying he was a sure fire first round NBA'er.
Just don't see it.
I think it was moose who stated after watching him a few games last year that his shot is suspect.
I agree, he has shown no range whatsoever in 4 halves.
Just don't see him as a true PG, as others have mentioned-hence why we recruited Anderson so hard.
Exactly, on one play he was guarding their point close to halfcourt, flicked the ball away and raced in for a tomahawk dunk. He's not afraid to mix it up down loe either. This kid's the goods in so many ways that don't show up in the box score. When Amir gets here the two of them are going to create havoc on the defensive end.
FKASJU
Member
Article from today's NY Post on last night's game:
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/johnnies_in_growth_spurt_CJ3lTY14xgu98AsWwuYR6O
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/johnnies_in_growth_spurt_CJ3lTY14xgu98AsWwuYR6O