(Mohegan Sun) St. Joseph's, Wed. Dec. 20, 4:30p, ESPN U, 970 AM

I like Bashir's game today - I didn't get a chance to watch the game vs. Iona, but for this one, he effectively got rid of that stop the ball, shake n bake, drive to basket. He was much more decisive and quickly going to the rim. He made some really nice drives to the basket in the first half.

Also.... how glad are we all that we don't see the weave from yesteryear anymore!

This team like to share the basket - i generally like the offensive passive.... generally... they make mistakes for sure; but they are kids. I do like what they are doing on offense.

 
While we are all happy to win the battle of the SJU's how we won is troubling.  Coach Martelli had his kids crashing the boards while our guys seemed to grab rebounds only when they bounced into their hands.  While our 6'9 euro sat on his ass St. Joe's Italian sophomore Pierfrancesco Olivo was grabbing 18 rebounds.  A 6'10 Hawk frosh was obviously not in a Funk by scoring 15 points.  When Chris Mullin begins to inspire our players to rebound like Oliva and teaches Yawke and his front court mates a basic understanding of positioning when it comes to rebounding I may think of this team more than a borderline NIT team......Lovett or no Lovett.  Being outrebounded by 12 by St. Joe's is embarrassing.  Finally, while our defense overall has improved Shamorie Ponds continues a high school habit of playing as little defense as possible.  Newkirk scored at will against him and Shamorie committing just one foul in guarding him is indicative of his loose defensive effort.
 
While we are all happy to win the battle of the SJU's how we won is troubling.  Coach Martelli had his kids crashing the boards while our guys seemed to grab rebounds only when they bounced into their hands.  While our 6'9 euro sat on his ass St. Joe's Italian sophomore Pierfrancesco Olivo was grabbing 18 rebounds.  A 6'10 Hawk frosh was obviously not in a Funk by scoring 15 points.  When Chris Mullin begins to inspire our players to rebound like Oliva and teaches Yawke and his front court mates a basic understanding of positioning when it comes to rebounding I may think of this team more than a borderline NIT team......Lovett or no Lovett.  Being outrebounded by 12 by St. Joe's is embarrassing.  Finally, while our defense overall has improved Shamorie Ponds continues a high school habit of playing as little defense as possible.  Newkirk scored at will against him and Shamorie committing just one foul in guarding him is indicative of his loose defensive effort.
Click to expand...

Great insights '72. Thanks. This game was our 'weakest' win. We let St. Joe's stay with us the entire game; played porous defense and looked lethargic on offense with 'passes' that looked like guys playing handball against a wall. Pathetic. Grateful for the 'win'--but this will not cut it in the Big East.
If we play like this against Duke, we'll lose by 30.
 
While we are all happy to win the battle of the SJU's how we won is troubling.  Coach Martelli had his kids crashing the boards while our guys seemed to grab rebounds only when they bounced into their hands.  While our 6'9 euro sat on his ass St. Joe's Italian sophomore Pierfrancesco Olivo was grabbing 18 rebounds.  A 6'10 Hawk frosh was obviously not in a Funk by scoring 15 points.  When Chris Mullin begins to inspire our players to rebound like Oliva and teaches Yawke and his front court mates a basic understanding of positioning when it comes to rebounding I may think of this team more than a borderline NIT team......Lovett or no Lovett.  Being outrebounded by 12 by St. Joe's is embarrassing.  Finally, while our defense overall has improved Shamorie Ponds continues a high school habit of playing as little defense as possible.  Newkirk scored at will against him and Shamorie committing just one foul in guarding him is indicative of his loose defensive effort.
Click to expand...

Great insights '72. Thanks. This game was our 'weakest' win. We let St. Joe's stay with us the entire game; played porous defense and looked lethargic on offense with 'passes' that looked like guys playing handball against a wall. Pathetic. Grateful for the 'win'--but this will not cut it in the Big East.
If we play like this against Duke, we'll lose by 30.
Click to expand...

If you take last year's roster, replace Lovett with Simon, and Clark replaces what transferred out, we are not radically improved from a 7-11 big east finish. We need all rotation players to be completely healthy all season to have a prayer to improve to 10-8 or even 11-7 (which would be an ncaa lock of course).

Even with Lovett the flaws of this roster are evident. Thin up front, and no roster depth will continue to haunt us, whether it be rebounds or injury. At full strength we won't be an elite BE team, but on a good day could beat most of the top BE teams on our home court. How many good days vs bad days remains to be seen.
 
72 Telling it like it is! It has been said that coach treats his players like pros but the problem is they are young college kids who I believe would benefit by more instruction and structure.
 
72 Telling it like it is! It has been said that coach treats his players like pros but the problem is they are young college kids who I believe would benefit by more instruction and structure.
Click to expand...

I think he should teach them to be more talented, and certainly taller.



 
While we are all happy to win the battle of the SJU's how we won is troubling.  Coach Martelli had his kids crashing the boards while our guys seemed to grab rebounds only when they bounced into their hands.  While our 6'9 euro sat on his ass St. Joe's Italian sophomore Pierfrancesco Olivo was grabbing 18 rebounds.  A 6'10 Hawk frosh was obviously not in a Funk by scoring 15 points.  When Chris Mullin begins to inspire our players to rebound like Oliva and teaches Yawke and his front court mates a basic understanding of positioning when it comes to rebounding I may think of this team more than a borderline NIT team......Lovett or no Lovett.  Being outrebounded by 12 by St. Joe's is embarrassing.  Finally, while our defense overall has improved Shamorie Ponds continues a high school habit of playing as little defense as possible.  Newkirk scored at will against him and Shamorie committing just one foul in guarding him is indicative of his loose defensive effort.[/

Knowing your gonna go 40 and need to go 40 not too mention getting hammered by the opposing defenders, your probably gonna take a few defensive possessions off.
Click to expand...
 
10-2 is what everyone wanted and we did it the hard way without Lovett. Ponds and Ahmed, Owens and Simon each did some good things today. Not going to be much fun without Lovett in the Big East.

One thing that frustrates me is that there were a lot of St. John’s fans at the game but they were so quiet. They have to get over the PTSD. Providence fans are loud tonight.

Merry Christmas to all.
Click to expand...

Why get frustrated? All you have to do is read “half empty” threads like this to realize the SJU “fan base” is not behind this team, players or coaches. I don’t understand it but there it is.
 
Providence is 59 miles and one hour from Mohegan Sun. St. Johns is twice as far, and with moderate traffic can take 4 hours or more. It's well documented that we have an older fan base. The only thing that corrects that is winning. Students typically don't follow losing teams. My son is at BC, and attendance is abysmal unless they play Duke, Syracuse, or UNC.

At CA, in recent years ALL fans in general have been louder than in the past. Students nearly fill the sections behind the baskets and hose who come enthusiastically support the team.

 
All we really have to do is win 9 or 10 more games and we get a good look by the selection committee. With a full BE schedule and at least one BE tourney game, we should be able to get it done.

So no more injuries please.
 
Really with an RPI of 16 (one spot above SHU), we have the most uneventful but solid resume possible. Really like the scheduling this year. Few cupcakes and lots of neutral games.

Looking at the math, we don't need 10 BE wins. 9 BE wins, a loss to Duke, and a first round BET loss puts us at a top 40 RPI. Nearly all top 50 teams make it. We currently have a top 20 SOS and will finish top 4. We are in a better spot than we were three years ago this time. That OOC was way overrated due to the Syracuse game (and they weren't that good). Our OOC rpi was somewhere around 40 I think.

Don't understand the lack of excitement overall, this board doesn't react unless we're playing a ranked team. I do understand the need to be skeptical as we have a challenging upcoming schedule and no signature wins yet (although I think some teams like ucf could turn into that), but really we are in a great position. If we don't end up making the NCAA Tournament then clearly we don't deserve to be in.

Again, our RPI is 16. 16. It is now late enough in the season for that to mean something. Enjoy the holidays everyone!
 
While we are all happy to win the battle of the SJU's how we won is troubling.  Coach Martelli had his kids crashing the boards while our guys seemed to grab rebounds only when they bounced into their hands.  While our 6'9 euro sat on his ass St. Joe's Italian sophomore Pierfrancesco Olivo was grabbing 18 rebounds.  A 6'10 Hawk frosh was obviously not in a Funk by scoring 15 points.  When Chris Mullin begins to inspire our players to rebound like Oliva and teaches Yawke and his front court mates a basic understanding of positioning when it comes to rebounding I may think of this team more than a borderline NIT team......Lovett or no Lovett.  Being outrebounded by 12 by St. Joe's is embarrassing.  Finally, while our defense overall has improved Shamorie Ponds continues a high school habit of playing as little defense as possible.  Newkirk scored at will against him and Shamorie committing just one foul in guarding him is indicative of his loose defensive effort.
Click to expand...

Give me a break. We were one breakaway pass away from beating one of the best, well-coached teams in college basketball at the Staples center. That is not a borderline NIT team.

By the way is that 6'9 Italian the same guy you have been knocking since the day Lavin signed him. Now you want Mullin to turn him into Enes Kanter.

Bad enough having to sort through crap after losses. Now we are getting ridiculous posts after wins

 
Really with an RPI of 16 (one spot above SHU), we have the most uneventful but solid resume possible. Really like the scheduling this year. Few cupcakes and lots of neutral games.

Looking at the math, we don't need 10 BE wins. 9 BE wins, a loss to Duke, and a first round BET loss puts us at a top 40 RPI. Nearly all top 50 teams make it. We currently have a top 20 SOS and will finish top 4. We are in a better spot than we were three years ago this time. That OOC was way overrated due to the Syracuse game (and they weren't that good). Our OOC rpi was somewhere around 40 I think.

Don't understand the lack of excitement overall, this board doesn't react unless we're playing a ranked team. I do understand the need to be skeptical as we have a challenging upcoming schedule and no signature wins yet (although I think some teams like ucf could turn into that), but really we are in a great position. If we don't end up making the NCAA Tournament then clearly we don't deserve to be in.

Again, our RPI is 16. 16. It is now late enough in the season for that to mean something. Enjoy the holidays everyone!
Click to expand...

“Don’t understand the lack of excitement” pretty much says it. Obviously Mullin was not a very popular selection as coach and that sentiment has pervaded the board ever since. It baffles me completely. The change in our defensive commitment (Ponds notwithstanding) is obvious. I agree to an extent, not completely, with the criticism of the “free lance” offense but that is what it is, offense doesn’t win anyway. As for rebounding, I see a coaching staff that saw a weakness and offset it with an aggressive defense that forces turnovers. We have a good team, not great, good, but obviously that is not enough for this fan base. We are not Nova yet and I guess people expected that in Mullin’s 2nd year. Crazy........
 
While we are all happy to win the battle of the SJU's how we won is troubling.  Coach Martelli had his kids crashing the boards while our guys seemed to grab rebounds only when they bounced into their hands.  While our 6'9 euro sat on his ass St. Joe's Italian sophomore Pierfrancesco Olivo was grabbing 18 rebounds.  A 6'10 Hawk frosh was obviously not in a Funk by scoring 15 points.  When Chris Mullin begins to inspire our players to rebound like Oliva and teaches Yawke and his front court mates a basic understanding of positioning when it comes to rebounding I may think of this team more than a borderline NIT team......Lovett or no Lovett.  Being outrebounded by 12 by St. Joe's is embarrassing.  Finally, while our defense overall has improved Shamorie Ponds continues a high school habit of playing as little defense as possible.  Newkirk scored at will against him and Shamorie committing just one foul in guarding him is indicative of his loose defensive effort.
Click to expand...

Give me a break. We were one breakaway pass away from beating one of the best, well-coached teams in college basketball at the Staples center. That is not a borderline NIT team.

By the way is that 6'9 Italian the same guy you have been knocking since the day Lavin signed him. Now you want Mullin to turn him into Enes Kanter.
Click to expand...

Right on, bill the truth!!
 
While we are all happy to win the battle of the SJU's how we won is troubling.  Coach Martelli had his kids crashing the boards while our guys seemed to grab rebounds only when they bounced into their hands.  While our 6'9 euro sat on his ass St. Joe's Italian sophomore Pierfrancesco Olivo was grabbing 18 rebounds.  A 6'10 Hawk frosh was obviously not in a Funk by scoring 15 points.  When Chris Mullin begins to inspire our players to rebound like Oliva and teaches Yawke and his front court mates a basic understanding of positioning when it comes to rebounding I may think of this team more than a borderline NIT team......Lovett or no Lovett.  Being outrebounded by 12 by St. Joe's is embarrassing.  Finally, while our defense overall has improved Shamorie Ponds continues a high school habit of playing as little defense as possible.  Newkirk scored at will against him and Shamorie committing just one foul in guarding him is indicative of his loose defensive effort.
Click to expand...

Give me a break. We were one breakaway pass away from beating one of the best, well-coached teams in college basketball at the Staples center. That is not a borderline NIT team.

By the way is that 6'9 Italian the same guy you have been knocking since the day Lavin signed him. Now you want Mullin to turn him into Enes Kanter.
Click to expand...

Right on, bill the truth!!
Click to expand...

I simply don't get what people want. Coach took over a roster with one returning player (the 6'9 Italian) and just two years later we are watching talented kids like Ponds, Simon, Owens, Clark. Ones that seem to be loving putting on the red and white uniforms to boot. I'm enjoying this and with the guys coming in, especially the transfers Dixon and Keita, we are building something special and maybe, I dare say, sustainable the way the roster is being built from a scholarship distribution.
 
Clearly this team has thus far exceeded expectations defensively, has managed to win in face of short roster & key injury & for most part is fun to watch.

Prognosis - Should at least go .500 in an extremely competitive conference if they avoid injuries of consequence for prolonged periods. Winning a game in BE Tourney is in reach. With a seven man rotation & key guys playing max minutes, I expect some stumbles in tough portions of schedule with frequent games. To me, warts & all, this team has some very talented players, seemingly decent chemistry & an improved staff especially on the defensive end.

Win some attention getting contests v top BE teams, finish in top 5 or 6 & program will be more appealing to recruits. I am not settling, but winning 18 or 19 games, avoiding "same old St. John's" frustration works for me. Obviously staff has to take a hit for having such a short roster, but it is what it is. Expecting great results like Nova, Xavier programs at this point seems crazy. Enjoy being in the conversation for first time in a while.


 
Every single person on here would've signed up for 10-2 before the season, and that's without knowing that ASU would be a Top 5 team and that LoVett would be out for half of the games. If we get LoVett back we should be a tournament team, which is hard to believe with the team being as young as they are. Unless we lose to DePaul we will have no "bad losses" on the resume in March. That'll be huge.
 
Given what we have had to endure for the past 15 or so years with the one exception of Lavin's first year, I am very, very happy with this team. Depth is our one glaring weakness and it is really exposed with an injury. But overall Mullin & staff have made great strides in three years and look to have a very solid plan to sustain some level of success going forward. Lunardi said at halftime that if Johnnies won last night they'd likely be in his next bracket. As Adam points out, we are a lock to get in if we win 10 in BE, which is achievable. Even if we go .500 in BE season, we will at least be in the conversation to get in. I told my son that the Johnnies' season to date feels like I've gotten an early Christmas present! As Paultz says, 18 or 19 wins (and it's hard to see us winning less than 18 barring injuries) is very solid improvement - and we could get to 20 if the team stays healthy, defense stays tough and outside shooting improves. Happy holidays to all!
 
Given what we have had to endure for the past 15 or so years with the one exception of Lavin's first year, I am very, very happy with this team. Depth is our one glaring weakness and it is really exposed with an injury. But overall Mullin & staff have made great strides in three years and look to have a very solid plan to sustain some level of success going forward. Lunardi said at halftime that if Johnnies won last night they'd likely be in his next bracket. As Adam points out, we are a lock to get in if we win 10 in BE, which is achievable. Even if we go .500 in BE season, we will at least be in the conversation to get in. I told my son that the Johnnies' season to date feels like I've gotten an early Christmas present! As Paultz says, 18 or 19 wins (and it's hard to see us winning less than 18 barring injuries) is very solid improvement - and we could get to 20 if the team stays healthy, defense stays tough and outside shooting improves. Happy holidays to all!
Click to expand...

you too and a safe and healthy one!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top