jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
redmanwest" post=417198 said:
Kudos Posh
- Thread starter paultzman
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By Roger Rubinroger.rubin@newsday.com?subject=It%27s%20hard%20to%20take%20your%20eyes%20off%20Posh%20Alexander,%20St.%20John%27s%20new%20star&body=It%27s%20easy%20to%20notice%20the%20big%20scorers%20and%20long-range%20shooters%20in%20college%20basketball.%20The%20player%20who%20averages%2024%20points%20a%20game%20and%20the%20guy%20who%20goes%20four-of-five%20from%20beyond%20the%20three-point%20arc%20make%20most%20%0D%0A[URL][URL]https://www.newsday.com/sports/college/st-johns/st-john-s-basketball-1.50143080[/URL][/URL] [URL]https://twitter.com/rogrubin[/URL]] @rogrubin[/url]Updated February 4, 2021 8:28 PM
PRINT SHARE It's easy to notice the big scorers and long-range shooters in college basketball. The player who averages 24 points a game and the guy who goes four-of-five from beyond the three-point arc make most of the headlines in today's game.But how many players intoxicate us the way St. John’s freshman point guard Posh Alexander does? He’s powerful and elusive enough to make us wonder how he drives into the tall trees, draws contact, hangs in the air and still gets the shot to fall. His passing isn’t flashy, yet he somehow seems to find the right guy in the right place to score.It's the effort and the speed and the defense that make him stand out and that is a rarity. It’s not just the reason St. John’s wanted him. It’s the reason St. John’s needed him. And it’s the reason we can’t take our eyes off him every time the Red Storm is on the court.St. John’s demolished third-ranked Villanova 70-59 on Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena in a Big East game that wasn’t really that close. There were many reasons, but none bigger than the way Alexander turned Player of the Year candidate Collin Gillespie into a frustrated mess. The Wildcats came in averaging a nation’s best 8.3 turnovers a game and Gillespie made six of their 17 all by himself, also netting just four points on 2-for-12 shooting. While he was on the floor, St. John’s outscored Villanova by 20 points.That win may have changed the arc of the Red Storm’s season. Three weeks ago, they were an afterthought at 1-5 in conference play. Now they have won five straight, stand at 12-7 and firmly in sixth in the 11-team Big East at 6-6, and have come on the national radar. As leading scorer Julian Champagnie put it "it gives us the extra push to know it’s around the corner and we’re a legit contender."Alexander has clearly shaken off any freshman apprehension about taking a leading role and is averaging 16.8 points on 52% shooting, 4.4 assists and 3.6 steals in the winning streak.Those who try to project the 68-team NCAA Tournament draw now have them on the bubble for a bid.Make no mistake, St. John’s is truly an ensemble effort. Champagnie has gone from being a good freshman to remarkable sophomore who leads a tough conference in scoring. The team has all kinds of weaponry that can carry it for short stretches such as shooter Vince Cole, big man Isaih Moore and deceptively-good Dylan Addae-Wusu. Coach Mike Anderson’s steady hand in re-making the program and getting it to thrive has been extraordinary.But Alexander is the difference-maker. How many times in the past five years have we seen a St. John’s team that puts on the uniform, expects to win because of the name on it and then has to fight for its life to prevail? The passion and effort that Alexander plays with — the reason you have to keep watching him — won’t let that happen anymore."He is a leader," Anderson said Wednesday night after Alexander had 16 points, six assists and three steals. "I think as he plays teams, he looks at it as a challenge, and our team is taking on that personality as well."It’s Alexander’s sort of character that makes for a winner.Alexander also might have a pied piper effect for the Red Storm program. What blue-chip high school talent, what big-time scorer, wouldn’t want to play with this guy? He so often gives up his own good look at the basket to get his teammates a better one. Long Island Lutheran’s 6-6 senior guard Rafael Pinzon might be the top area player and chose St. John’s over Florida and New Mexico. He has said he wants to play alongside a superior point guard who could let him play off the ball.It makes Alexander potentially a game-changer right now and can one imagine what he might look like with a year or two of Big East experience under his belt? Confidence, decision-making and leadership are all things that develop with time. He has a decent serving of each of those now.One can only imagine what that might look like. Already we can’t take our eyes off him.
PRINT SHARE It's easy to notice the big scorers and long-range shooters in college basketball. The player who averages 24 points a game and the guy who goes four-of-five from beyond the three-point arc make most of the headlines in today's game.But how many players intoxicate us the way St. John’s freshman point guard Posh Alexander does? He’s powerful and elusive enough to make us wonder how he drives into the tall trees, draws contact, hangs in the air and still gets the shot to fall. His passing isn’t flashy, yet he somehow seems to find the right guy in the right place to score.It's the effort and the speed and the defense that make him stand out and that is a rarity. It’s not just the reason St. John’s wanted him. It’s the reason St. John’s needed him. And it’s the reason we can’t take our eyes off him every time the Red Storm is on the court.St. John’s demolished third-ranked Villanova 70-59 on Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena in a Big East game that wasn’t really that close. There were many reasons, but none bigger than the way Alexander turned Player of the Year candidate Collin Gillespie into a frustrated mess. The Wildcats came in averaging a nation’s best 8.3 turnovers a game and Gillespie made six of their 17 all by himself, also netting just four points on 2-for-12 shooting. While he was on the floor, St. John’s outscored Villanova by 20 points.That win may have changed the arc of the Red Storm’s season. Three weeks ago, they were an afterthought at 1-5 in conference play. Now they have won five straight, stand at 12-7 and firmly in sixth in the 11-team Big East at 6-6, and have come on the national radar. As leading scorer Julian Champagnie put it "it gives us the extra push to know it’s around the corner and we’re a legit contender."Alexander has clearly shaken off any freshman apprehension about taking a leading role and is averaging 16.8 points on 52% shooting, 4.4 assists and 3.6 steals in the winning streak.Those who try to project the 68-team NCAA Tournament draw now have them on the bubble for a bid.Make no mistake, St. John’s is truly an ensemble effort. Champagnie has gone from being a good freshman to remarkable sophomore who leads a tough conference in scoring. The team has all kinds of weaponry that can carry it for short stretches such as shooter Vince Cole, big man Isaih Moore and deceptively-good Dylan Addae-Wusu. Coach Mike Anderson’s steady hand in re-making the program and getting it to thrive has been extraordinary.But Alexander is the difference-maker. How many times in the past five years have we seen a St. John’s team that puts on the uniform, expects to win because of the name on it and then has to fight for its life to prevail? The passion and effort that Alexander plays with — the reason you have to keep watching him — won’t let that happen anymore."He is a leader," Anderson said Wednesday night after Alexander had 16 points, six assists and three steals. "I think as he plays teams, he looks at it as a challenge, and our team is taking on that personality as well."It’s Alexander’s sort of character that makes for a winner.Alexander also might have a pied piper effect for the Red Storm program. What blue-chip high school talent, what big-time scorer, wouldn’t want to play with this guy? He so often gives up his own good look at the basket to get his teammates a better one. Long Island Lutheran’s 6-6 senior guard Rafael Pinzon might be the top area player and chose St. John’s over Florida and New Mexico. He has said he wants to play alongside a superior point guard who could let him play off the ball.It makes Alexander potentially a game-changer right now and can one imagine what he might look like with a year or two of Big East experience under his belt? Confidence, decision-making and leadership are all things that develop with time. He has a decent serving of each of those now.One can only imagine what that might look like. Already we can’t take our eyes off him.
As the virus subsides and New York starts to come out to play, I suspect that every kid under six feet in every playground will be pretending they are Posh and every kid over six feet will be pretending they are Champ. Think Piazza's home run after 9/11. The kindling is there and STJ may be the spark.ESuhr" post=417126 said:
QueensBall
Member
Following up on this, not sure if anyone listens to the Eye On College Basketball Podcast with Gary Parish & Matt Norlander (that and 3 Man Weave are my 2 regular college Bball poscasts for anyone looking for a good listen) they touch on the upset today and spend a minute raving about Posh and here were some of the quotes (mostly from Norlander)...MJDinkins" post=417155 said:
"Posh Alexander is one of the 10 best freshman in America."
"He is AWESOME, man."
"I would hope that he comes back for a 2nd season, if he does we're putting that dude Top 40 in next season's top 101 players. Maybe top 30. He has been great." (CBS does this list every preseason I think LJ was somewhere on it going into last season.)
"...he gets down and into it. He is a really fun player to watch."
Edited to add: I know I seem like Posh's unpaid hype man on the last couple of pages here so I'll add that I realize he's a freshman on a heater who will most likely have a dissapointing game at some point soon. I'm not trying to build him up into more than he is but we've got a couple of budding stars here and we should realize other people are also talking about Champagnie and Posh in these terms. We came into the season as a team with no star players. There was zero consensus on who "the guy" was going to be. Now we appear to have a young duo that others are noticing. That's cool.
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beast of the east
Active member
I know it wasn't talked about, but did anyone pay attention to Posh's early game spin in the lane where he subsequently missed an open layup? in traffic, in the paint, he completely shook his man with a lightning fast spin that found daylight in a crowded lane. He missed, but it was not an out of control move.
I love the spin. Earl Monroe introduced it and I don't know if anyone has been as good at it as the Pearl. Monroe's was described as being able to create the illusion of his body going in all directions at once, arms flying everywhere, head fake, etc. Pearl even had a half spin fake, where he quickly went back to the direction he was orginally headed, freezing the defender or getting him to commit in the wrong direction. The first time he spun in an NBA game, the opposing coach screamed at the ref, "Call something!!" The ref passing the bench said, "I don't know what to call. I never saw that before."
Posh's spin wasn't a Monroe herky jerky spin, but a lightning fast power move. More like Sonic the Hedgehog fast. I kind of like that nickname. On defense Posh hardly ever loses his man, and if he does in the backsourt, recovers so quickly that the ballhandler quickly finds himself covered again.
The steals are so proliferous, with so many ways he can steal the ball, conjures up perhaps the most famous thief of all time, Clyde. Calling Posh "Clyde" would be a misfit, since Clyde conjrues up the coolness that only Walt Fraizer has, from the fur coats, trademark sideburns, Rolls Royce, and cool demeanor. The most fans would ever get out of Frazier in terms of demonstrative after a great play is pursed lips, and a slight fist pump, more to congratulate himself on something well done than to show up an opponent.
To compare any aspect of Posh' game to the two greatest guards that NYC had the pleasure of calling our own, is pretty damned premature. But it is an indication of just how special this kid in his own way. Maybe Posh's nickname should simply be "Posh" and 20 years from now other players will be called that.
I love the spin. Earl Monroe introduced it and I don't know if anyone has been as good at it as the Pearl. Monroe's was described as being able to create the illusion of his body going in all directions at once, arms flying everywhere, head fake, etc. Pearl even had a half spin fake, where he quickly went back to the direction he was orginally headed, freezing the defender or getting him to commit in the wrong direction. The first time he spun in an NBA game, the opposing coach screamed at the ref, "Call something!!" The ref passing the bench said, "I don't know what to call. I never saw that before."
Posh's spin wasn't a Monroe herky jerky spin, but a lightning fast power move. More like Sonic the Hedgehog fast. I kind of like that nickname. On defense Posh hardly ever loses his man, and if he does in the backsourt, recovers so quickly that the ballhandler quickly finds himself covered again.
The steals are so proliferous, with so many ways he can steal the ball, conjures up perhaps the most famous thief of all time, Clyde. Calling Posh "Clyde" would be a misfit, since Clyde conjrues up the coolness that only Walt Fraizer has, from the fur coats, trademark sideburns, Rolls Royce, and cool demeanor. The most fans would ever get out of Frazier in terms of demonstrative after a great play is pursed lips, and a slight fist pump, more to congratulate himself on something well done than to show up an opponent.
To compare any aspect of Posh' game to the two greatest guards that NYC had the pleasure of calling our own, is pretty damned premature. But it is an indication of just how special this kid in his own way. Maybe Posh's nickname should simply be "Posh" and 20 years from now other players will be called that.
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We are..
10-1 in games Posh has 3 or more steals
8-1 in games Posh scored 15 or more
8-1 in games where Posh hits at least 1 3fg
7-0 in games where Posh hits multiple 3fg
10-1 in games Posh has 3 or more steals
8-1 in games Posh scored 15 or more
8-1 in games where Posh hits at least 1 3fg
7-0 in games where Posh hits multiple 3fg
beast of the east
Active member
I just noticed we are undefeated when we outscore our opponents.
POSH TOP FROSH IN COUNTRY, AT A MINIMUM, TOP FROSH DEFENDER IN THE NATION.
beast of the east
Active member
I would guess he locked up freshman of the month then?Paultzman" post=418518 said:
So glad for him to get this national recognition! This kid deserves it. Also can't hurt our program! ;-)Paultzman" post=418518 said:
