(POST GAME) West Virginia, Sat. Dec. 7, 12 NOON, FS-1, 970 WNYW

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[quote="Tom H O'Toole" post=366727][quote="SJU61982" post=366697][quote="JackofVirginia" post=366670][quote="NCJohnnie" post=366644]We may not be a great shooting team, but we won't have many games where we shoot 33% overall and 12% from three again. The fact that we won despite that and battled a very big WV game to a standstill on the boards say volumes about the toughness of our team. Is there anyone on the board who wouldn't have been happy to be 8-2 at this point before season started? Just a great team to watch. I'll say it while he is down, I'm a Heron fan and continue to believe he will come around and have a good season overall which can only help (along with addition of Steere).[/quote]



The good thing is we are 8 and 2 while Heron is struggling.[/quote]

At what point though, is he not struggling, but just having a bad season?[/quote]

I'm staying well away from the heron struggling subject, i mention something a few weeks ago, and had everyone wanting to kill me.[/quote]

It’s because you didn’t just mention he was struggling, you suggested to bench him, which is still not a good idea. Heron is playing without confidence right now. He was hiding from the ball in crunch time today. Benching him would probably just make the situation a hundred times worse. He needs to work through this
 
Awesome win today. Like everyone, thought they had lost the game when it got tied. But they pulled it out.

Our lack of shooting on offense is a shame. Because we scrap so hard on defense and fight for every inch on every play, if we could score a little bit easier we’d be an even tougher out then we already are.

I didn’t think we’d win this one. Mike A has these guys read to play every time out. We are clearly a bottom half big east team, but it’ll be interesting, with the GTown fiasco, Providence’s struggles, maybe we can battle and stay out of the basement this year, which would be awesome to see
 
Home from the Garden recently and wanted to see everyone's thoughts. I was scared at the beginning when I saw WV size (which has been a fear for this team from the beginning of the year) but I thought our lads were incredibly strong on the boards despite the size differential--we held our own.

We played OUR game and WV had to adjust to us (Tshiebwe was playing 23 minutes/game, including 2 games of over 30 minutes but only played 14 today).

Very nervous at the end but it only makes victory that much sweeter. Agree with others that CMA substitutions were tactical and he was pushing the right buttons. Dunn is definitely a kid who grew up in the Brooklyn schoolyards where the rims are bent and everything has to be shot close in. He loves to go among the "Redwoods"; it seems that he thrives on driving on the big guys as he had to do it in the schoolyards.

Thanks for sharing the pIcture of Mrs. A dressed in school colors--she is probably used to red and white. By the way she is at EVERY game so far (and the open practice) and she loves basketball and is loudly urging the team on; knows the game very well. I don't think we have ever had a "First Lady of St. John's Basketball" like her.

It was good to have an exciting game again where fans were loud and on their feet--now if we can only get more of you there. The support helps the team energy. Maybe Albany will entice a few more as it will be the Steere into game. After the game, it was interesting how everyone was talking positively of CMA; the feeling was that we finally had a real coach which we have not had in the 21st Century.
 
I would think that once Coach is confident his system is being executed to his satisfaction, he will and should design some plays to free up Heron for some open shots. He needs picks to shoot deep off of and maybe some pick and rolls to get some easy layups.Maybe some open corner shots a la Dave Debusschere would help too!
 
Heron will be ok. Played 25 minutes today with 0 turnovers and tough d. He is clearly lacking confidence in his shot right now; thinking a little too much out there. We are learning to win w/o depending on one or two players, a very good thing. It is all good as far as season in front of us goes.
 
[quote="Fred Solomon" post=366732]I would think that once Coach is confident his system is being executed to his satisfaction, he will and should design some plays to free up Heron for some open shots. He needs picks to shoot deep off of and maybe some pick and rolls to get some easy layups.Maybe some open corner shots a la Dave Debusschere would help too![/quote]

Honestly, I felt like wvu was letting Heron shoot some open shots today, and he still missed.
Just my observation.
 
After losing my voice at the end of the game, the realization set in that we probably would have lost this game in recent years. Shows how much good coaching and motivation matters.
 
[quote="thetux1" post=366721]Greg Williams best game of the year by far and it was much needed.[/quote]
Really liked what I saw of Williams last season, and was thrilled -- weren't we all? -- when he nailed the crucial three with the clock running down. (Also happy for his dad.) Could be the big confidence builder he's needed to take it to another level. Was also impressed with the relentless play of our PGs, and I hereby formally retract the negative comments I've posted about Earlington, going all the way back to his signing. His offensive game obviouly needs a lot of improvement, but the kid is a warrior on the boards and I'm happy to have him onboard.
 
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This was one of our most exciting games in a long time. Hopefully, we'll learn how to close these out. Kudos for a big win against a very very good and well coached West Virginia team.
 
Really impressed with the fight and toughness of this SJ team. Nothing came too easy, and it was a helter skelter game. Need Steere and more importantly his big body. But gotta love the fight. We will shoot the ball better. Mustapha still is turning down open opportunities for tougher ones. Hopefully he makes the game easier for himself and takes what the defense gives him instead of trying to bull down and get tough buckets. This team will compete in the big East this year. Just gonna keep getting better.
 
CMA... outstanding hire. Amazing win for the staff and entire team!

Things just got a lot more interesting. :)
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=366654]https://twitter.com/stjohnsbball/status/1203410772698812416?s=21[/quote] how do you not run through a wall for this guy
 
The biggest difference I notice between CMA's team versus the past 2 coaches teams is the depth, and the readiness of bench players to contribute. Even with LJ out most of the 2nd half with foul trouble (and not scoring a single point in the half), and Heron playing terribly they still managed to win a game vs a quality opponent.

Last year and with past teams as a fan watching you knew the opposing team was about to go on a big run once "Star Player X" was taken out of the game. With this team even with LJ and Heron out I feel at ease with bench players like Dunn, Caraher, Earlington, and Greg Williams all out on the floor at the same time.

Last year when last year's version of Josh Roberts, Earlington, Trimble and Keita were all on the floor at the same time with Ponds/Simon out of the game you knew we weren't going to be scoring much. But this year the transition to the bench players is seemless. This gives me a lot of hope for next year and future seasons, once LJ and Heron leave, because it seems CMA's system relies more on the contributions of many rather than of a few star players.
 
[quote="Adam" post=366747]CMA... outstanding hire. Amazing win for the staff and entire team!

Things just got a lot more interesting. :)[/quote]

Best freaking hiring since Fran.
Maybe he wasn't a great coach, but he got us the kids that got us to the elite8.

Should win the next 2 games (10-2)

But if somehow we beat Arizona, that's when things would really, really start getting interesting.
 
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All pretty much been said on the thread but just watched the replay (couldn’t watch live, working) and a few observations:
- I don’t usually comment or like commenting on the referees but in one of the worst reffed games I’ve seen in a while (they never remotely established what was or wasn’t a foul), I was very impressed by the fact that all involved, players and coaches, were professional and controlled in their reactions to the inconsistency. A tough game to call for sure but emblematic of the poor job was the 4th foul on Figueroa, which besides being a horrible call was made by a ref on the other side of the court baseline while the ref at mid court had a perfect view of the play and let it ride. Bad calls are part of the game but that was ridiculous in my view. And the inconsistency was both ways, no question. SJU shot more foul shots but mostly a direct result of attacking the rim off the dribble.
- Jim Spanarkel, I know Jim and have great respect for him but two points, one inconsequential, one more a little glaring. He described Caraher as a “shooter” when he came in the game and that pissed me off a bit because if Jim really did his homework he would know that is not so; he is a pretty decent all around player. Is it just because he is white and that is the expectation? Poor job and too easy, lazy description for a guy who is a pro IMO. Second point, he and Culver spent some time criticizing the last call on Dunn, when the play really got interesting when Dunn got smacked in the face right before he started slipping. Did one contribute to the other? Regardless, I thought that also lazy and easy and Spanarkel as an ex-player should have seen the clear foul on the play. Again, just an opinion.
- Finally, a terrific game by two very tough minded teams. Back and forth, no back down by either teams in a very physical game for 94 feet both ways; very little, really no chippy play. Enjoyed the heck out of it.
 
Really excited to see we won. My dad, brother and sister all went. My sister brought my nephew to his first SJU game ever (only 18 months). Wish I could have been there.
 
Concur the foul on done Dunn ,also on caraher shooting I have been saying that we needed to inc our Foul shooting which was the factor in the win.Hope we can keep it up , acoach has them shooting 500 shots at practice kudos to the staff
 
[quote="RedStormNC" post=366643][quote="Mario" post=366639]Anyone know the attendance? Or if any recruits were at the game?[/quote]

Attendance was posted @ 7,281[/quote]

Roughly 10K less then Knicks had Saturday night... based on value, those #’s should be reversed
 
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