Maryville Saints - Exhibition matchup

I can't buy into the excuse of new team concept and needing to gel and learn to play together with the guys we had on floor.

7 guys played...4 of which played 30+ games together (3 of themhave practiced together 2 years).2 others, practiced with the four above for a full year, plus this off season.That left Figueroa as only true new piece last night and he's a killer.

Mullin's biggest weakness to me is ability to motivate and sustain sense of urgency.
Coaches looked & dressed the part too.

Picture worth a thousand words (which I almost used up already above !!!).

Check out this pic someone posted

https://mobile.twitter.com/SJU2219/status/1058137033636503555/photo/1
 
Last edited:
I expressed concerns after the first scrimmage some said its only a scrimmage!!!
Well I did not our preformance then and still have many doubts . They had amble time to play together. Figeroa is special,Keita will be good. I hope things get better
I
if we play like we have we will be in trouble when the BE games start
 
RedStormNC wrote: I can't buy into the excuse of new team concept and needing to gel and learn to play together with the guys we had on floor.

7 guys played...4 of which played 30+ games together (3 of themhave practiced together 2 years).2 others, practiced with the four above for a full year, plus this off season.That left Figueroa as only true new piece last night and he's a killer.

Mullin's biggest weakness to me is ability to motivate and sustain sense of urgency.
Coaches looked & dressed the part too.

Picture worth a thousand words (which I almost used up already above !!!).

Check out this pic someone posted


Coach does look kind of disinterested in this pic, but may have just been the moment, who knows. Hopefully staff and players learn from last night's performance. It's great to be a players coach, but sometimes even players coaches need to have a come to Jesus practice after a poor performance. Hopefully today will be one of those days and Tuesday we will see a better performance. I'm looking forward to it. Hope Mustapha is doing well.
 
I'll still give Mullin the season to see what happens and hope that we just snoozed through this one like we usually seem to with cupcakes. That's been one of our things...we just seem to play down or up based on competition. No sense of urgency except for really LJ to be honest.

That being said, I hope people realize why I've been so concerned for so long. At the moment it appears Mullin is lost as a coach and it seems like he treats the team like an NBA team. Except they're kids and guys in their early 20's who need structure and coaching. They need to be taught lessons of responsibility and accountability. You have to think any legit coach would've pulled Ponds after that technical. I thought when he came people said he was going to take no BS and work tirelessly. Haven't seen either entering year 4. I'm hoping it all changes 180 degrees when the games matter.
 
You can see the talent and athleticism is all there. We passed well too. These guys just have to get hungry to win and sooner rather than later. First closed scrimmage... fine. The scrimmage right before first game should be tighter. I do think we are going to be an excellent team as the season progresses. You can see how deep we are as Heron didn’t even play and Figueroa is starter-level material already. Need to tighten it up and shoot better all around.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=300050]I'll still give Mullin the season to see what happens and hope that we just snoozed through this one like we usually seem to with cupcakes. That's been one of our things...we just seem to play down or up based on competition. No sense of urgency except for really LJ to be honest.

That being said, I hope people realize why I've been so concerned for so long. At the moment it appears Mullin is lost as a coach and it seems like he treats the team like an NBA team. Except they're kids and guys in their early 20's who need structure and coaching. They need to be taught lessons of responsibility and accountability. You have to think any legit coach would've pulled Ponds after that technical. I thought when he came people said he was going to take no BS and work tirelessly. Haven't seen either entering year 4. I'm hoping it all changes 180 degrees when the games matter.[/quote]

I'm typically one of the most optimistic on here, but games like this are making me want to join Mike Zaun on the dark side.
 
As far as our coach goes, and again I tend to be optimistic and supportive of others - but like to sprinkle in a bit of reality - Chris Mullin is and will be Chris Mullin. What we have seen is what we will get. He will not be like other coaches who show more interest, spend more time on the recruiting trail (Happy Trails to those who are old enough lol)...whatever but he has always been a winner.
My hope is that somehow/someway (as opposed to no-how, no-way as the Wizard proclaimed) we bring in sufficient & decent 3-4 stars, JCs, transfers (whatever it takes) to not only have a good 2018-19 but some continued success. Maybe we draw some simple luck along the way.
I also hope, and I have some concern here which I've expressed before, the new AD and current HC get along and develop synergy to enhance our program. But we are not Duke. We are St. Johns.
Go Storm!
 
SSG - always appreciate your positive take on things... something we all can & should do more of both here and in personal / professional lives. Your posts are steady reminders for me, especially when I'm guilty of keyboard trashing after a lackluster game by our team
 
There are a lot of posters wondering why the frosh didn't play last night. I'm not one of them. All summer long the board has been touting them, predicting their minutes, and putting them ahead of returning players. It's all speculation. These are good kids and I'm hopeful they have nice four year careers' but let's temper it with the fact that they were 3*s coming out of high school. Roberts makes Tariq Owens look like a body builder, Earlington is an ex football player and an undersized 4 and Greg, who probably has the most upside, is coming into a very crowded backcourt.

Nobody on the board has seen these kids in practice so it's all hypothetical conjecture. Let it play out and we'll see.
 
I didn't see the game but next to rebounding the most worrisome thing for me going into the season is how bad the team was last year at identifying shooters and closing out on three point shooters. Ahmed is gone but both Ponds and Simon were awful at this last year.
 
[quote="Section9" post=300056]There are a lot of posters wondering why the frosh didn't play last night. I'm not one of them. All summer long the board has been touting them, predicting their minutes, and putting them ahead of returning players. It's all speculation. These are good kids and I'm hopeful they have nice four year careers' but let's temper it with the fact that they were 3*s coming out of high school. Roberts makes Tariq Owens look like a body builder, Earlington is an ex football player and an undersized 4 and Greg, who probably has the most upside, is coming into a very crowded backcourt.

Nobody on the board has seen these kids in practice so it's all hypothetical conjecture. Let it play out and we'll see.[/quote]

It's not the board touting them it's the staff touting them. The staff touting depth. But meanwhile you run 7 out there. Would have been 8 with Heron. You have 13 players on schollie two of which are sitting out per transfer rules and then 3 more are perfectly fine and eligible and can't play in an exhibition. And yes the game is meaningless. But thats when you can get their jitters out of the way and get them into the action a bit. Now their first action is going to mean something.

If the staff wants to play the transfer game thats fine. We all know 13 players will never play so go ahead and use the last 2 spots on the roster for sit outs. No issue there. But then you have to run out 10 players. Especially if you want to play up tempo and fast as they claim. At the end of the day all it says to me is poor planning and management. Getting them 3 minutes as small and stupid as it sounds would have made me content and again just got their feet wet and continued their growing process.
 
[quote="we are sju" post=300057]I didn't see the game but next to rebounding the most worrisome thing for me going into the season is how bad the team was last year at identifying shooters and closing out on three point shooters. Ahmed is gone but both Ponds and Simon were awful at this last year.[/quote]

They still are!
 
[quote="Moose" post=300058][quote="Section9" post=300056]There are a lot of posters wondering why the frosh didn't play last night. I'm not one of them. All summer long the board has been touting them, predicting their minutes, and putting them ahead of returning players. It's all speculation. These are good kids and I'm hopeful they have nice four year careers' but let's temper it with the fact that they were 3*s coming out of high school. Roberts makes Tariq Owens look like a body builder, Earlington is an ex football player and an undersized 4 and Greg, who probably has the most upside, is coming into a very crowded backcourt.

Nobody on the board has seen these kids in practice so it's all hypothetical conjecture. Let it play out and we'll see.[/quote]

It's not the board touting them it's the staff touting them. The staff touting depth. But meanwhile you run 7 out there. Would have been 8 with Heron. You have 13 players on schollie two of which are sitting out per transfer rules and then 3 more are perfectly fine and eligible and can't play in an exhibition. And yes the game is meaningless. But thats when you can get their jitters out of the way and get them into the action a bit. Now their first action is going to mean something.

If the staff wants to play the transfer game thats fine. We all know 13 players will never play so go ahead and use the last 2 spots on the roster for sit outs. No issue there. But then you have to run out 10 players. Especially if you want to play up tempo and fast as they claim. At the end of the day all it says to me is poor planning and management. Getting them 3 minutes as small and stupid as it sounds would have made me content and again just got their feet wet and continued their growing process.[/quote]

Name one staff that doesn't tout their incoming freshman, that's irrelevant. The transfer game has nothing to do with it. If you want to criticize the staff for not getting higher ranked frosh that's fine.

Fact of the matter is we have to integrate four new players who are going to see a lot of time, that's priority number one. The top eight have to get experience playing together because, barring injury, they're going to see 95% of the minutes. If any of the frosh were capable of cracking that top eight rotation they'd be seeing the floor.
 
Not for anything, but this team has not defended the 3 well for 5 years. It has been a weakness for a long, long time. I don't know why that is, but if that is still a deficiency, this team will lose some games it shouldn't. Lack of competitive size will also lose some games too. Let's hope the perimeter defense improves as the year goes on.
 
Last edited:
[quote="redmanwest" post=300063]Not for anything, but this team has not defended the 3 well for 5 years. It has been a weakness for a long, long time. I don't know why that is, but if that is still a deficiency, this team will lose some games it shouldn't. Lack of competitive size will also lose some games too. Let's hope the perimeter defense improves as the year goes on.[/quote]

Ahmed was the worst I have ever seen but Ponds and Simon were constantly late as well. Ponds also has annoying habit of closing out without putting up his hands sometimes.

Again just an exhibition and no Heron but also hope Ponds learned from his early last year mistake of jacking up off balance long threes.He is a volume shooter for sure but seems to hit th three better once he start making some baskets inside the arc. He is not a good enough shooter to just settle for the three.
 
[quote="Section9" post=300062][quote="Moose" post=300058][quote="Section9" post=300056]There are a lot of posters wondering why the frosh didn't play last night. I'm not one of them. All summer long the board has been touting them, predicting their minutes, and putting them ahead of returning players. It's all speculation. These are good kids and I'm hopeful they have nice four year careers' but let's temper it with the fact that they were 3*s coming out of high school. Roberts makes Tariq Owens look like a body builder, Earlington is an ex football player and an undersized 4 and Greg, who probably has the most upside, is coming into a very crowded backcourt.

Nobody on the board has seen these kids in practice so it's all hypothetical conjecture. Let it play out and we'll see.[/quote]

It's not the board touting them it's the staff touting them. The staff touting depth. But meanwhile you run 7 out there. Would have been 8 with Heron. You have 13 players on schollie two of which are sitting out per transfer rules and then 3 more are perfectly fine and eligible and can't play in an exhibition. And yes the game is meaningless. But thats when you can get their jitters out of the way and get them into the action a bit. Now their first action is going to mean something.

If the staff wants to play the transfer game thats fine. We all know 13 players will never play so go ahead and use the last 2 spots on the roster for sit outs. No issue there. But then you have to run out 10 players. Especially if you want to play up tempo and fast as they claim. At the end of the day all it says to me is poor planning and management. Getting them 3 minutes as small and stupid as it sounds would have made me content and again just got their feet wet and continued their growing process.[/quote]

Name one staff that doesn't tout their incoming freshman, that's irrelevant. The transfer game has nothing to do with it. If you want to criticize the staff for not getting higher ranked frosh that's fine.

Fact of the matter is we have to integrate four new players who are going to see a lot of time, that's priority number one. The top eight have to get experience playing together because, barring injury, they're going to see 95% of the minutes. If any of the frosh were capable of cracking that top eight rotation they'd be seeing the floor.[/quote]

Poppycock!
LJ Figueroa was the only new face of the the 7 players who stunk up the arena last night. The others have been playing together for a year or more. Ironically, Figueroa was the best prepared because he has not been infected by this staff's incompetent preparation methods.
If Chris Mullin thinks using his little crib notes that he and GSJ put together before the game is preparation someone should remind him this is not going to work for him like it did in college during his many make up exams.
You have to do all the home work and studying long before the game. You have to be able to communicate with your players. You have to spend more time with them over the summer right before the first workouts.
The apathy displayed by Shamorie Ponds last night was troubling. The look of bewilderment on the faces of the coaches was troubling. These guys are in their 4th year of this. There are no more excuses for slow, pathetic starts to a game.
If anything, a more astute coach would have sat 3 of his starters midway through the first half and put in the freshmen to have them observe the other team that was there to run real plays and not just hoist up improvised threes.
 
Ex-SJU coach Fran Fraschilla was in the building at press row.

At halftime, when he was facing the stands behind press row, I shouted "thanks for Metta World Peace!", and he gave me a nice thumbs up.

He posted a picture too, but I don't know how to copy that.

@franfraschilla

Haven’t been here ⁦@StJohnsBBall⁩ in a long time. Taking in exhibition games. Maryville (Mo.). Will see Red Storm in Legends Classic in two weeks.
 
Last edited:
[quote="Section9" post=300062][quote="Moose" post=300058][quote="Section9" post=300056]There are a lot of posters wondering why the frosh didn't play last night. I'm not one of them. All summer long the board has been touting them, predicting their minutes, and putting them ahead of returning players. It's all speculation. These are good kids and I'm hopeful they have nice four year careers' but let's temper it with the fact that they were 3*s coming out of high school. Roberts makes Tariq Owens look like a body builder, Earlington is an ex football player and an undersized 4 and Greg, who probably has the most upside, is coming into a very crowded backcourt.

Nobody on the board has seen these kids in practice so it's all hypothetical conjecture. Let it play out and we'll see.[/quote]

It's not the board touting them it's the staff touting them. The staff touting depth. But meanwhile you run 7 out there. Would have been 8 with Heron. You have 13 players on schollie two of which are sitting out per transfer rules and then 3 more are perfectly fine and eligible and can't play in an exhibition. And yes the game is meaningless. But thats when you can get their jitters out of the way and get them into the action a bit. Now their first action is going to mean something.

If the staff wants to play the transfer game thats fine. We all know 13 players will never play so go ahead and use the last 2 spots on the roster for sit outs. No issue there. But then you have to run out 10 players. Especially if you want to play up tempo and fast as they claim. At the end of the day all it says to me is poor planning and management. Getting them 3 minutes as small and stupid as it sounds would have made me content and again just got their feet wet and continued their growing process.[/quote]

Name one staff that doesn't tout their incoming freshman, that's irrelevant. The transfer game has nothing to do with it. If you want to criticize the staff for not getting higher ranked frosh that's fine.

Fact of the matter is we have to integrate four new players who are going to see a lot of time, that's priority number one. The top eight have to get experience playing together because, barring injury, they're going to see 95% of the minutes. If any of the frosh were capable of cracking that top eight rotation they'd be seeing the floor.[/quote]

1. There are ways to talk about incoming freshman by not touting them.
2. Besides LJ the other 6 players last night have been together for a full year. Mikey and Keita practiced with the team every day last year. So we are integrating 2 players in Heron and LJ not 4.
3. They are not in the Top 8. You are correct. But they are 9, 10 and 11 and at minimum in a game with no Heron last night at least Williams could have found some burn. Or a "big man" to spell Keita. Judging by the size of Maryville even Earlington could have been in his comfort level from HS as a "big man"
 
Back
Top