@Rutgers, Fri. Nov. 16, 7pm, BTN / 970 WNYM

[quote="MarkRedman" post=302636]Great stats frrom the game

Heron 27 pts, 6 reb
Figgy 23 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast
Ponds 8 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast
Clark 12 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast
Simon 10 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast

Perhaps the most interesting stat: We shot 32 treys and only 28 times from 2 pt range
Boy, how the game has changed through the years!!

An outstanding job, fellas
Keep up the great work!!
GO JOHNNIES!!![/quote]


I’m worried about Ponds. His 3 point shooting stunk last year and so far this year is a continuation. He was great as a freshman, what happened. Also I don’t think the 16 3s last night were a fluke, they were all pretty much open unforced looks. Ah that’s the problem with Ponds, all his 3 come after 10 seconds of dribbling off one foot deep and fading away. Get with the program Shamorie.
 
[quote="MCNPA" post=302654][quote="otis" post=302644]Last night’s Rutgers game was the first opportunity I have had to watch St. John’s play this season.

I like the passive press which St.Jon’s used to slow Rutgers coming down the Court after made baskets. I hope they continue it during the season.

.[/quote]

That’s exactly what I said I liked about lavin’s Teams. That pressure to slow them down before hitting mid court really makes teams hurry their offense every time down and take bad shots. I too hope we keep that up. It works well for teams like ours.[/quote]

The 1-2-2 three quarters Court passive pressure has worked pretty well for Jay Wright.
 
Ponds needs to be selective on his 3's....and not try to be NBA step back, iso shooter guy like Harden, carmelo etc
 
[quote="Class of 72" post=302630][quote="Logen" post=302624][quote="Rob" post=302610]Yes the Rutgers board is comical right now. They thought they were beating us handily even before the Keita news.

Seton Hall board, as usual, is equally delightful. An entire thread devoted to the game. It's not Chris and Matt's fault that Heron or LJ didn't have an Uncle willing to accept a job from that snake Willard. They hate Mullin over there because his bowel movements get more attention than their consecutive tourneys.[/quote]

As opposed to this board which is pretty much comical all the time. Or haven’t you noticed the hate for Mullin here? Rutgers is too big for us, best shooting team in the country, they have a real coach!! Oh, sorry, after watching them they stink!! But hey, we were really lucky that Heron and Figueroa fell out of the sky to us. Sorry, but any criticism of other boards is disingenuous to me with the clowns that dominate this one.[/quote]

There are always those few here that will always come out with a lecture after a St. John's win to castrate and castigate anyone who ever spoke negatively about coach Mullin. I need not list them as they will become obvious in the next few hours.
You may have missed the last 20 years while in your coma but Mahoney, Jarvis, Roberts, and especially a guy named Steve Lavin all suffered "fans" criticisms before our favorite son came to save the day. One infamous fan. Yes the one with the clown face actually made a cottage industry on his private blog to hate, hate and hate Steve Lavin some more.
He chose to sut down his comical site because it became obvious that not including the COACH in his sardonic commentaries made his blog unreadable.
All those coaches did a great job. St. John's University, a heartless money grabbing institution, fired every one because the unappreciative fans on this site, Johnny Jungle, Holy Land of Hoops, and especially Big East Boards, unduly influenced their decision. Just think, if it weren't for the haters on this site in particular, Mike Jarvis would have a banner hanging in Madison Square Garden now having surpassed the greatest coach in school history.
You're right. Discussing the coach is very comical because it alone can lead to their firing.[/quote]

Again a very enlightened reply from someone who makes up his own narrative about other people’s posts. Here is a novel idea, read what I post, if you can’t understand me because of all of the big words I use IM me and I will patiently explain my thoughts to you. Because, all I have repeatedly said is that Mullin deserves a reasonable amount of time to prove himself, as those other coaches got. I have expressed clearly that I think he is chasing the wrong recruits, I have also posted my dislike for his free lancing offense. But your interpretation of my position is that I support Mullin; work on your reading comprehension, it is almost as bad as your feeble attempts to be funny.
 
[quote="Logen" post=302624][quote="Rob" post=302610]Yes the Rutgers board is comical right now. They thought they were beating us handily even before the Keita news.

Seton Hall board, as usual, is equally delightful. An entire thread devoted to the game. It's not Chris and Matt's fault that Heron or LJ didn't have an Uncle willing to accept a job from that snake Willard. They hate Mullin over there because his bowel movements get more attention than their consecutive tourneys.[/quote]

As opposed to this board which is pretty much comical all the time. Or haven’t you noticed the hate for Mullin here? Rutgers is too big for us, best shooting team in the country, they have a real coach!! Oh, sorry, after watching them they stink!! But hey, we were really lucky that Heron and Figueroa fell out of the sky to us. Sorry, but any criticism of other boards is disingenuous to me with the clowns that dominate this one.[/quote] if this board is comical pretty much all the time does that mean you consider your posts comical too ? I like to joke a lot so I definitely consider half of what I write comical at least.
 
[quote="GoldenLeaf" post=302675]I hope I NEVER have to see Simon take another 3. EVER.[/quote]

Ha! What's up, Leaf?

His release isn't ideal, but he hits 'em at a solid rate, and he only takes 'em when he's set and wide open. So, I have no problem with him taking any treys. I sense you don't like his release, hence you don't want him taking any shots behind the arc. LOL
 
Regarding Ponds, with the right mindset, he could lead the Big East in assists. If he were to averages 6 assists per game and increased his scoring efficiency, less points would not hurt his draft prospects at all.

He was wicked last night with some of those kick outs. Impressive.
 
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[quote="MJDinkins" post=302677][quote="GoldenLeaf" post=302675]I hope I NEVER have to see Simon take another 3. EVER.[/quote]

Ha! What's up, Leaf?

His release isn't ideal, but he hits 'em at a solid rate, and he only takes 'em when he's set and wide open. So, I have no problem with him taking any treys. I sense you don't like his release, hence you don't want him taking any shots behind the arc. LOL[/quote]

Simon is shooting 50% from 3 so far. Last year he was just under 42% for the year. He is selective and smart about it like Dinkins said. I have no problem with good shots from core players. You have to appreciate his approach. It is rare to see super athletic players under control with high IQ and making good decisions. His FT shooting is also showing signs of improvement. He's only missed one so far this season. Maybe a future Jamaal Wilkes.
 
[quote="JohnnyFan" post=302678]Regarding Ponds, with the right mindset, he could lead the Big East in assists. If he were to averages 6 assists per game and increased his scoring efficiency, less points would not hurt his draft prospects at all.

He was wicked last night with some of those kick outs. Impressive.[/quote]

the kickouts and the hands on Fig, Heron, Clark and Simon are what makes it work. Those were some rocket passes. Penetrating and kicking out makes the defense work harder and gets the better shots. This is what Mullin was talking about I think when he pointed to Ponds and Simon setting the tone for the win. There were also some very good passes off the defensive rebounds with Ponds, Fig, Heron and Dixon getting out ahead of the defense.
 
Simon's my favorite Johnnie so admittedly a bit biased here. He averaged 12 ppg, 7 rebounds and 5 assist last year while shooting 42% from three. After 3 games, he is averaging 10 ppg, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and shooting 50% from three. Very consistent, unselfish player and as Paul says he has obviously worked on his free throws and will hopefully shoot above 70% this year. I don't care about his release if he only takes open threes and hits 40% of them. The one thing offensively with him is he occasionally makes up his mind he is going to the hoop and throws up wild off-balanced shots that have no chance of going in.
 
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Some posters are knocking Trimble. I give him credit for working hard when he is in, and not worrying about getting his on offense. He may not be quick, but he is hustling, and gets floor time because he is doing what he is asked to do. Sometimes Simon, who is adjusting to a different and redefined role on offense, just seems to feel he has to get some scoring chances, and makes one of those rushes to the hoop to get in the scoring column. Simon doesn't need to force things on offense to be a major factor, as he does a lot of other things well. I am sure he will adjust to his new role very soon . Trimble, OTOH, isn't looking to score, which tells me he understands how much firepower is out there, and has decided to do whatever he can to help the team. You have to give a guy credit for that.
 
[quote="NCJohnnie" post=302684]Simon's my favorite Johnnie so admittedly a bit biased here. He averaged 12 ppg, 7 rebounds and 5 assist last year while shooting 42% from three. After 3 games, he is averaging 10 ppg, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and shooting 50% from three. Very consistent, unselfish player and as Paul says he has obviously worked on his free throws and will hopefully shoot above 70% this year. I don't care about his release if he only takes open threes and hits 40% of them. The one thing offensively with him is he occasionally makes up his mind he is going to the hoop and throws up wild off-balanced shots that have no chance of going in.[/quote]
NC, I like Simon's game as well. I think he is so athletic that he sometimes thinks he can make it happen anytime he drives to the basket. The result is sometimes things I wouldn't even call a "shot". LOL shots have to have a chance at going in. That drives me crazy. Other than that, you take out those plays and he is a very solid, under the radar all around player.
 
[quote="Paul Massell" post=302683][quote="JohnnyFan" post=302678]Regarding Ponds, with the right mindset, he could lead the Big East in assists. If he were to averages 6 assists per game and increased his scoring efficiency, less points would not hurt his draft prospects at all.

He was wicked last night with some of those kick outs. Impressive.[/quote]

the kickouts and the hands on Fig, Heron, Clark and Simon are what makes it work. Those were some rocket passes. Penetrating and kicking out makes the defense work harder and gets the better shots. This is what Mullin was talking about I think when he pointed to Ponds and Simon setting the tone for the win. There were also some very good passes off the defensive rebounds with Ponds, Fig, Heron and Dixon getting out ahead of the defense.[/quote]

Agreed. Getting inside and kicking out is one way to minimize the impact of having no post players. It doesn't help on the defensive end, but if we can do it well, we will continue to get good looks. And....the extra passes after the kick-outs can often find guys wide open. Of course, in the past, we have been on the receiving end of that.
 
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[quote="MJDinkins" post=302677][quote="GoldenLeaf" post=302675]I hope I NEVER have to see Simon take another 3. EVER.[/quote]

Ha! What's up, Leaf?

His release isn't ideal, but he hits 'em at a solid rate, and he only takes 'em when he's set and wide open. So, I have no problem with him taking any treys. I sense you don't like his release, hence you don't want him taking any shots behind the arc. LOL[/quote]
Still not textbook, but his release is improving. Can see that he is working on it
 
[quote="MJDinkins" post=302677][quote="GoldenLeaf" post=302675]I hope I NEVER have to see Simon take another 3. EVER.[/quote]

Ha! What's up, Leaf?

His release isn't ideal, but he hits 'em at a solid rate, and he only takes 'em when he's set and wide open. So, I have no problem with him taking any treys. I sense you don't like his release, hence you don't want him taking any shots behind the arc. LOL[/quote]

Ironically, St John's just posted their top 5 plays from last game on their Instagram account, and two of those involved Simon hitting a 3. It doesn't look pretty but seems to be effective like you said.
 
Heron isn’t Robin to Pond’s Batman, he’s a star, and Pond’s recognition of his skill, along with Figueroa and his wingman Simón gives me hope that this team can be special. The beauty of Ponds working out for the NBA, and how the draft rewarded Villanova’s selfless players, is that Ponds seems to understand that the game can come to him and it doesn’t diminish his pro aspirations. But enough about Ponds, Heron is a beast and a program changer, and the upgrade from Ahmed to Figueroa is staggering! My favorite players have always been the glue guys that give up a little of their scoring appetite for the sake of wins, but can turn it on when needed, and Figueroa looks the part. I’m getting excited about this team, they look the part of a run and gun team, if the can tighten up their man to man defense, and continue to show press when necessary, this might be a special year. Hopefully we fans can suppress the anxiety of the last number of years to enjoy.
 
[quote="Section3" post=302802][quote="MJDinkins" post=302677][quote="GoldenLeaf" post=302675]I hope I NEVER have to see Simon take another 3. EVER.[/quote]

Ha! What's up, Leaf?

His release isn't ideal, but he hits 'em at a solid rate, and he only takes 'em when he's set and wide open. So, I have no problem with him taking any treys. I sense you don't like his release, hence you don't want him taking any shots behind the arc. LOL[/quote]
Still not textbook, but his release is improving. Can see that he is working on it[/quote]

Somehow he doesn't know how to get his legs / torso / arms to work in unison. It's really weird. His hands, on his release doesn't look bad... it's weird. I've never seen anything like it. He just has to practice how he 'goes up' with the shot and it may end up being a pretty good shot. He's got to figure this out fast for his pro career.
 
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