St. John's Sweet Sixteen

[redmen2014champs]

Obviously the Redmen are good enough to be a sweet sixteen team this year. I know many of us believe/wish that they will be in the sweet sixteen with their plethora of talent improving and returning next year but this year's team belonged there as well. Why would I say such a crazy thing? They beat Florida Gulf Coast by double digits, the same cinderella of the year that has dominated second halves in the NCAA tourney. St. Johns pulled away from this very talented team in the second half. With the game we almost had against Marquette we almost had two wins against sweet 16 teams. The Redmen must be much better than we all realized. I kid of course but this Florida Gulf Coast team is fun to watch. It would be nice to have some of their shooters.

 

[Redfaced]

Obviously the Redmen are good enough to be a sweet sixteen team this year. I know many of us believe/wish that they will be in the sweet sixteen with their plethora of talent improving and returning next year but this year's team belonged there as well. Why would I say such a crazy thing? They beat Florida Gulf Coast by double digits, the same cinderella of the year that has dominated second halves in the NCAA tourney. St. Johns pulled away from this very talented team in the second half. With the game we almost had against Marquette we almost had two wins against sweet 16 teams. The Redmen must be much better than we all realized. I kid of course but this Florida Gulf Coast team is fun to watch. It would be nice to have some of their shooters.

It would be even nicer to have their x and o guy.

 

[usguard]

Obviously the Redmen are good enough to be a sweet sixteen team this year. I know many of us believe/wish that they will be in the sweet sixteen with their plethora of talent improving and returning next year but this year's team belonged there as well. Why would I say such a crazy thing? They beat Florida Gulf Coast by double digits, the same cinderella of the year that has dominated second halves in the NCAA tourney. St. Johns pulled away from this very talented team in the second half. With the game we almost had against Marquette we almost had two wins against sweet 16 teams. The Redmen must be much better than we all realized. I kid of course but this Florida Gulf Coast team is fun to watch. It would be nice to have some of their shooters.

It would be even nicer to have their x and o guy.

Bobby KNIGHT would have this team humming Imagine Knight instead of Keady That being said tip my hat .Lavin. brings in not only an.experience staff by friends he has worked with It is called LOYALTY a great trait

 

[Marillac]

Obviously the Redmen are good enough to be a sweet sixteen team this year. I know many of us believe/wish that they will be in the sweet sixteen with their plethora of talent improving and returning next year but this year's team belonged there as well. Why would I say such a crazy thing? They beat Florida Gulf Coast by double digits, the same cinderella of the year that has dominated second halves in the NCAA tourney. St. Johns pulled away from this very talented team in the second half. With the game we almost had against Marquette we almost had two wins against sweet 16 teams. The Redmen must be much better than we all realized. I kid of course but this Florida Gulf Coast team is fun to watch. It would be nice to have some of their shooters.

It would be even nicer to have their x and o guy.

Give it a rest. No x's and o's can cure the ills this current team suffers from. What play do you draw up when your second best shooter shoots 22% from three...when you are in the bottom ten in the country for team three-point shooting %....when you have no inside threat? Defensively, these kids were too frail and inexperienced to dominate, but that should change next year.

Lavin recruited an athletic and verstatile roster for a reason. The trouble with that type of player is that skill can come slower to them, but when it does come....

 

[doodyny33]

Obviously the Redmen are good enough to be a sweet sixteen team this year. I know many of us believe/wish that they will be in the sweet sixteen with their plethora of talent improving and returning next year but this year's team belonged there as well. Why would I say such a crazy thing? They beat Florida Gulf Coast by double digits, the same cinderella of the year that has dominated second halves in the NCAA tourney. St. Johns pulled away from this very talented team in the second half. With the game we almost had against Marquette we almost had two wins against sweet 16 teams. The Redmen must be much better than we all realized. I kid of course but this Florida Gulf Coast team is fun to watch. It would be nice to have some of their shooters.

If St. John's played FGCU right now, they'd get smoked

 

[doodyny33]

Obviously the Redmen are good enough to be a sweet sixteen team this year. I know many of us believe/wish that they will be in the sweet sixteen with their plethora of talent improving and returning next year but this year's team belonged there as well. Why would I say such a crazy thing? They beat Florida Gulf Coast by double digits, the same cinderella of the year that has dominated second halves in the NCAA tourney. St. Johns pulled away from this very talented team in the second half. With the game we almost had against Marquette we almost had two wins against sweet 16 teams. The Redmen must be much better than we all realized. I kid of course but this Florida Gulf Coast team is fun to watch. It would be nice to have some of their shooters.

It would be even nicer to have their x and o guy.

Give it a rest. No x's and o's can cure the ills this current team suffers from. What play do you draw up when your second best shooter shoots 22% from three...when you are in the bottom ten in the country for team three-point shooting %....when you have no inside threat? Defensively, these kids were too frail and inexperienced to dominate, but that should change next year.

Lavin recruited an athletic and verstatile roster for a reason. The trouble with that type of player is that skill can come slower to them, but when it does come....

So true. It's so easy for fans to blame the coaches, but we really don't know what is being said in that huddle.

I'll keep saying it... next year's season will depend on our guard play. Depending on who it is (Branch, Harrison, Greene, Balamou, Hooper, Jordan), this team needs floor leaders. And please, please work on your shooting in the offseason. Jump shots, jump shots, jump shots. I'm not asking anybody to become JJ Redick... just try to develop a consistent midrange game. It'll open up our offense.

 

[newsman13]

we had numerous seasons where we beat the eventual national champion. we beat villanova three times during their national championship season. the key is winning when it really counts.

 

[Porgyman]

Obviously the Redmen are good enough to be a sweet sixteen team this year. I know many of us believe/wish that they will be in the sweet sixteen with their plethora of talent improving and returning next year but this year's team belonged there as well. Why would I say such a crazy thing? They beat Florida Gulf Coast by double digits, the same cinderella of the year that has dominated second halves in the NCAA tourney. St. Johns pulled away from this very talented team in the second half. With the game we almost had against Marquette we almost had two wins against sweet 16 teams. The Redmen must be much better than we all realized. I kid of course but this Florida Gulf Coast team is fun to watch. It would be nice to have some of their shooters.

It would be even nicer to have their x and o guy.

Give it a rest. No x's and o's can cure the ills this current team suffers from. What play do you draw up when your second best shooter shoots 22% from three...when you are in the bottom ten in the country for team three-point shooting %....when you have no inside threat? Defensively, these kids were too frail and inexperienced to dominate, but that should change next year.

Lavin recruited an athletic and verstatile roster for a reason. The trouble with that type of player is that skill can come slower to them, but when it does come....

The problem is....sometimes it just doesn't come. Sometimes guys are 22% shooters for a reason, and that can't be changed...
For me, the most damning remark came from Bobby Knight last month. We were losing to someone (I forget who), and Knight said, St. John's has no clue as to how to attack a zone. That was a direct slap at Lavin. Not a good sign.
I attended the Nova BET game. I was sitting in a spot behind the baseline, up a ways, so I could see out of bounds plays develop. What I saw was incredibly sad. On a simple out of bounds play, 2 guys would move, while 2 guys would just stand there. No screens set...nothing. We ended up with a 5 second call once, and a turnover a second time. Huh?
At this stage, that can't happen. It is this sort of stuff that really concerns me.

 

[slotdirt]

I think Florida Gulf Coast is winning because A., Georgetown's style of play is just not suited for single elimination tournaments and B., their run-and-gun, fancy, high-flying antics are just so off the wall that there's no way to prepare for that. I think five days of prep time and at least two games worth of film will be more than enough for Billy Donovan and Florida to bring Florida Gulf Coast back to reality. Still, that game was incredibly fun to watch yesterday, even if SDSU pretty much packed it in for the second half.

 

[Section3]

Obviously the Redmen are good enough to be a sweet sixteen team this year. I know many of us believe/wish that they will be in the sweet sixteen with their plethora of talent improving and returning next year but this year's team belonged there as well. Why would I say such a crazy thing? They beat Florida Gulf Coast by double digits, the same cinderella of the year that has dominated second halves in the NCAA tourney. St. Johns pulled away from this very talented team in the second half. With the game we almost had against Marquette we almost had two wins against sweet 16 teams. The Redmen must be much better than we all realized. I kid of course but this Florida Gulf Coast team is fun to watch. It would be nice to have some of their shooters.

It would be even nicer to have their x and o guy.

Give it a rest. No x's and o's can cure the ills this current team suffers from. What play do you draw up when your second best shooter shoots 22% from three...when you are in the bottom ten in the country for team three-point shooting %....when you have no inside threat? Defensively, these kids were too frail and inexperienced to dominate, but that should change next year.

Lavin recruited an athletic and verstatile roster for a reason. The trouble with that type of player is that skill can come slower to them, but when it does come....

So true. It's so easy for fans to blame the coaches, but we really don't know what is being said in that huddle.

I'll keep saying it... next year's season will depend on our guard play. Depending on who it is (Branch, Harrison, Greene, Balamou, Hooper, Jordan), this team needs floor leaders. And please, please work on your shooting in the offseason. Jump shots, jump shots, jump shots. I'm not asking anybody to become JJ Redick... just try to develop a consistent midrange game. It'll open up our offense.

To elevate to the next level we need to get to a point where Greene is coming off bench..If he is still starting next year and taking 15-18 shots, we will have trouble...Sanchez may mask some of it but over the course of season Greene needs to be a key contributor but off the bench (not even in a 3 guard offense)

 

[beast of the east]

Obviously the Redmen are good enough to be a sweet sixteen team this year. I know many of us believe/wish that they will be in the sweet sixteen with their plethora of talent improving and returning next year but this year's team belonged there as well. Why would I say such a crazy thing? They beat Florida Gulf Coast by double digits, the same cinderella of the year that has dominated second halves in the NCAA tourney. St. Johns pulled away from this very talented team in the second half. With the game we almost had against Marquette we almost had two wins against sweet 16 teams. The Redmen must be much better than we all realized. I kid of course but this Florida Gulf Coast team is fun to watch. It would be nice to have some of their shooters.

It would be even nicer to have their x and o guy.

Bobby KNIGHT would have this team humming Imagine Knight instead of Keady That being said tip my hat .Lavin. brings in not only an.experience staff by friends he has worked with It is called LOYALTY a great trait

How would Bobby Knight have handled Harrison?

 

[slotdirt]

Harrison would be playing for Providence by now (think Delray Brooks).

 

[BrookJersey Redmen]

We have a history of early exits from the Big Dance even when we had very strong teams. I think we have a hard time handling the pressure of a huge one-and-done game.

 

[L J S A]

We have a history of early exits from the Big Dance even when we had very strong teams. I think we have a hard time handling the pressure of a huge one-and-done game.

This makes more sense for a pro team where a core of chokers can be together for years and years. There is constant turnover in college, so I think the onus falls on the coaches for decades-long early exits.

 

[SJUalum98]

We have a history of early exits from the Big Dance even when we had very strong teams. I think we have a hard time handling the pressure of a huge one-and-done game.

You can't advance in the tourney if you can shoot from outside.

Gonzaga just packed it in on Hardy and that was all she wrote.

You can't shoot, you can't win.

 

[sjc88]

Right now we (St. John's) plays a wild, undisciplined style of basketball. Too often our team takes wild shots and treats the ball like a hand grenade. On top of that we have some very poor free throw and three point shooters. Obviously not a winning mix. I keep reading that we need a point guard and this is true. Unfortunately, one player will not change the entire team. We really need for Lavin, Coach Keady or a new assistant to somehow get through to these kids that we need to tighten up our game. No more flinging up shots without looking at the basket or careless passes. Reduced playing time should be the penalty. Sounds too simple? When was the last time someone was taken out of the game when they took a ridiculous forced shot or carelessly flung a UFO pass. Everyone who has watched this team knows what I am talking about. Too many times we cringe while watching this team and think "what are we doing"?

Sorry for the rant. I think we have very talented athletes and generally good kids. However, we need someone to focus that in a positive way. Right now I see parts but the parts are not coming together.

 

[jrhoops1949]

Obviously the Redmen are good enough to be a sweet sixteen team this year. I know many of us believe/wish that they will be in the sweet sixteen with their plethora of talent improving and returning next year but this year's team belonged there as well. Why would I say such a crazy thing? They beat Florida Gulf Coast by double digits, the same cinderella of the year that has dominated second halves in the NCAA tourney. St. Johns pulled away from this very talented team in the second half. With the game we almost had against Marquette we almost had two wins against sweet 16 teams. The Redmen must be much better than we all realized. I kid of course but this Florida Gulf Coast team is fun to watch. It would be nice to have some of their shooters.

It would be even nicer to have their x and o guy.

Give it a rest. No x's and o's can cure the ills this current team suffers from. What play do you draw up when your second best shooter shoots 22% from three...when you are in the bottom ten in the country for team three-point shooting %....when you have no inside threat? Defensively, these kids were too frail and inexperienced to dominate, but that should change next year.

Lavin recruited an athletic and verstatile roster for a reason. The trouble with that type of player is that skill can come slower to them, but when it does come....

I knock the idea of getting much from 1 game, but watching Amir play the last game made me throw out my own rule and wonder why Amir wasting his time. When a player can't handle a soft bounce pass when he's standing alone under the basket, why discuss the coaches ability.

 

[jrhoops1949]

Right now we (St. John's) plays a wild, undisciplined style of basketball. Too often our team takes wild shots and treats the ball like a hand grenade. On top of that we have some very poor free throw and three point shooters. Obviously not a winning mix. I keep reading that we need a point guard and this is true. Unfortunately, one player will not change the entire team. We really need for Lavin, Coach Keady or a new assistant to somehow get through to these kids that we need to tighten up our game. No more flinging up shots without looking at the basket or careless passes. Reduced playing time should be the penalty. Sounds too simple? When was the last time someone was taken out of the game when they took a ridiculous forced shot or carelessly flung a UFO pass. Everyone who has watched this team knows what I am talking about. Too many times we cringe while watching this team and think "what are we doing"?

Sorry for the rant. I think we have very talented athletes and generally good kids. However, we need someone to focus that in a positive way. Right now I see parts but the parts are not coming together.

Agree with your post, but don't sell short what a top point guard would mean. The right guy can half the ills you mention because the guys would not find themselves in the situation they do.