(POST-GAME) Villanova (MSG), Sun., Feb. 17, 5p, FS-1 / 570 AM

Very true. I looked at the box score and did a double-take as it showed Ponds with 23 pts. I didn't think it was anywhere close to that. His line is overall pretty good and I was convinced this was his worst game in 3 years. His shooting was down 1 rebound is unusually low for him. Definitely some bad minutes/decisions but nowhere near the disaster I had the impression of.[/quote]

Ponds had 11 points, 7 from the free throw line.
 
[quote="Ken Shark" post=323626] Trimble was off the charts timid on offense, after he dropped that pass, he actually paused to decide whether he was going after it or not.
[/quote]

Watch Trimble's interior defense. He is one of our better guys especially against muscle/size.
 
Last edited:
[quote="Marillac" post=323625][quote="sjc88" post=323619]Just finished watching a replay of the game. Needed to watch again as it all seemed like a blur.
Just a few observations.
1- Ponds was epicly b-a-d. Missed shot after missed shot, poor decisions and so on. Anytime you can win without your best players top performance its a good sign. Hopefully he makes up for it at Providence.
2- LJ Figueroa saved the day. Played hard the whole game. Great job.
3- Mustapha also was max effort. He really is a key to this team.
4- Lack of depth and foul trouble is going to hurt us badly at some point. Clark commits too many careless fouls particularly early in games.
5- Jay Wright is a great coach. He also is a first class whiner. He is giving Boeheim a run as one of the biggest crybabies in college hoops. He whines (or "works" the official?) on every single call. His players never foul and everyone is against him. It clearly works for him. Is there a "coaching box" in college. On some possessions he is basically standing at mid court screaming.
On to Providence.[/quote]


My initial reaction was that Ponds was awful and that they won in spite of him, but so much of that is the impossible standard we hold him to.[/quote]

It is 100% the expectations. Look, anytime you shoot 2-14 you didn’t have a great game but he does everything for this team. I said it in the game thread after it happened, 5 minutes into the game Ponds delivered 2 great passes that set up LJ and Heron for great looks at a 3 they both missed. In the second half his lone bucket was absolutely huge and brought us within 3. Also need not forget he played great defense in th second half, found 3 guys for 3 huge 3s (no one else is finding them in the corner) and hit big time free throws. Didn’t throw the ball around either. Sorry for having to stick up for our best player in the last 20 years.
 
Last edited:
Even Ponds is bad he’s still good. After rewatching the game today, you realize on almost every three we hit in the second half, most of them were a direct result of ponds drawing attention and sucking in the defense, and then the team swung the ball and found the open man. Ponds was not good last night but his reputation as a star got Fig and others open looks.

Another thing I noticed when watching it over, the play where we threw it away but Gillespie got called for a hold, wow jay wright came off as such a douche after that. He smiled and sarcastically clapped at the ref saying “atta boy, atta boy” if I was a ref and he did that to me I’d probably punch him in the face. Still he had a classy post on twitter after the game. He’s a good guy but annoying the way he addresses refs. Guess same could be said about our coach
 
[quote="Paul Massell" post=323634][quote="Ken Shark" post=323626] Trimble was off the charts timid on offense, after he dropped that pass, he actually paused to decide whether he was going after it or not.
[/quote]

Watch Trimble's interior defense. He is one of our better guys especially against muscle/size. He gave us solid minutes with 0 turnovers 1-1 shooting and 4 rebounds.[/quote]

You are looking at the wrong boxscore, don't think he took a shot yesterday, definitely had a turnover, he dropped that pass. While I agree he does a good job defending down low, yesterday Nova wasn't trying to go inside.

you are correct that was from the last nova game my bad but what I said about defense and overall solid minutes is accurate. The team needs guys like him especially in the small ball makeup.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Paul Massell mentioned how strong Trimble is and this must be a fact. Yesterday he ends up covering Paschall and keeps him so far away from the basket Vill don't get him the ball Quite often he covers players giving away four or five inches and very seldom is he taken advantage of.
 
[quote="Jack Williams" post=323638]Even Ponds is bad he’s still good. After rewatching the game today, you realize on almost every three we hit in the second half, most of them were a direct result of ponds drawing attention and sucking in the defense, and then the team swung the ball and found the open man. Ponds was not good last night but his reputation as a star got Fig and others open looks.

Another thing I noticed when watching it over, the play where we threw it away but Gillespie got called for a hold, wow jay wright came off as such a douche after that. He smiled and sarcastically clapped at the ref saying “atta boy, atta boy” if I was a ref and he did that to me I’d probably punch him in the face. Still he had a classy post on twitter after the game. He’s a good guy but annoying the way he addresses refs. Guess same could be said about our coach[/quote]

Win and you’ve got tact, lose and you’re a crybaby. This ain’t a shot at you Jack, that’s the reality for college coaches. Wright goes after officials as hard as anyone in the country and a nice suit, hair line and some rings helps keep the perception that his is all class all the time. Keep in mind I’d take him in a second to coach my team.
 
[quote="Enright" post=323641]Paul Massell mentioned how strong Trimble is and this must be a fact. Yesterday he ends up covering Paschall and keeps him so far away from the basket Vill don't get him the ball Quite often he covers players giving away four or five inches and very seldom is he taken advantage of.[/quote]
Yup, these little things make a difference, especially in close games. Trimble is an asset for sure.
 
[quote="Enright" post=323641]Paul Massell mentioned how strong Trimble is and this must be a fact. Yesterday he ends up covering Paschall and keeps him so far away from the basket Vill don't get him the ball Quite often he covers players giving away four or five inches and very seldom is he taken advantage of.[/quote]

Strength is part of it but so is position and how you use your body and feet vs your hands. Guards tend to play hips back, face forward on the balls of their feet for quick moves and longer hand reach. Bigs tend to get their hips into their man or down low with their feet planted solid for more leg strength. Trimble has handled his own against a lot of good bigs the past two seasons. Some of these 6'4 +/- guys you can tell played big at some time in their early career. I remember watching Bootsy Thornton who everyone thinks of as a perimeter player but watching his interior defense suspected he had time at center in high school or cyo...
 
[quote="Paul Massell" post=323634][quote="Ken Shark" post=323626] Trimble was off the charts timid on offense, after he dropped that pass, he actually paused to decide whether he was going after it or not.
[/quote]

Watch Trimble's interior defense. He is one of our better guys especially against muscle/size.[/quote]

Absolutely; Trimble fights like crazy down low. He's got big heart.
 
[quote="sjc88" post=323622][quote="Knight" post=323617]Great time at a great game. My honey surprised me with tix for V-Day. Lots of fun in the middle of 'Nova fans. Great leaving the Garden with fans yelling, "Let's go Johnnies." Hit the LIRR home and had dinner at George Martin's bar in Rockville Centre. Sat next to 'Nova fans that were also at the game. They were good losers.[/quote]
Knight, I live along the Babylon line and George Martin's always looks crowded. I've never been. How did you like it? I believe its primarily a steakhouse? Sorry for digressing but always looking for a good place to take the wife that is close.[/quote]

SJC88-GMs in RVC was great. Got there about 8:40p. Place was pretty full, but had some tables. We sat at the bar and ate there. Steaks/American bistro type menu ([URL]https://www.georgemartintheoriginal.com/menus[/URL])
 
Prior to yesterday beating a team with the talent of Vill was almost impossible for SJU withot a great game from Ponds. In all the big wins of the past two years he rose to the occasion. SJU won games vs lower competition when he concentrated on setting other players up instead of scoring but not vs the elite.
This could bode well from here on for SJU with Heron and LJ taking over some of those leadership duties.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=323437]Interesting point:

St. John's has faced Markus Howard and Phil Booth a combined four times this season -- in those four games, Howard and Booth shot 28.8 percent from the field.
Jeff Borzello[/quote]

Maybe Simon had something to do with that. No, wait a minute, he sucks.B) :cheer:
 
The SJU fans in my section were all wondering if Ponds was still hurting from the hit he took in the prior game.
 
[quote="SJ_NYC" post=323649][quote="Paul Massell" post=323634][quote="Ken Shark" post=323626] Trimble was off the charts timid on offense, after he dropped that pass, he actually paused to decide whether he was going after it or not.
[/quote]

Watch Trimble's interior defense. He is one of our better guys especially against muscle/size.[/quote]

Absolutely; Trimble fights like crazy down low. He's got big heart.[/quote]



Basketball 101 when going for a loose ball don't try to recover by dribbling but grab the damn ball.
 
[quote="Moose" post=323618][quote="kranmars" post=323439]This team just won an amazing game, and took a big step toward the NCAA tournament, and we are arguing with one another?

Just f*cking stop!

Enjoy this win.[/quote]

This is true. But when some needle at others I can't fault anyone for standing up for themselves.

Game threads have and always will be a joke. Same goes if I mic'ed up anyone at the game yesterday. If I put a Go Pro in the home of the staunchest Mullin fan again I highly doubt roses and sunshine were permeating when it was 29-10.

We should enjoy the victory. We've been all through a hell of a lot the past few years. But in the same respect everyone needs to stop drawing a line in the sand and taking pot shots at anyone who falls on the other side.[/quote]

The overall point was why even needle one another after a game like that one. I was not taking sides. I was giving a general stop sign.

And I do agree about the game threads. I do not post on them. But I wish I could get a score every once in a while, especially when I am out.
 
The last 10 minutes of defense was great, and no way the guys win without it. But what changed the game was that Simon Clark and Figgy all hit at least 2 threes in the second half. Our offense sparks our defense. I guess we have to accept that we are a team of runs. How we can look so bad and so undisciplined late in the season baffles me a much as how we can look like the best team in the conference minutes later. We are just going to have to live with it and hopefully overcome it.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top