St. Mary's Game Thread

I can't believe they came back to win this game. The offense wasn't there,but they gutted it out on defense. It was just stifling in the second half. The closeouts on the shooters were sensational.

Jordan needs to sit down with a coach and go over his shot selection...I thought Sampson was back for the night. He should not have the leash he has to shoot off the dribble...or moving at all. He should only be allowed to shoot set treys and the occasional three off a screen. %s drop dramatically when kids have to move or take a bounce, and he's simply not that type of shooter yet. He shoots with total disregard of the shot clock, situation, and positioning of rebounders. He's so much better off the bounce. The kid really hurt any chance we had an chemistry tonight.

Dom was nearly flawless. We might be able to get away with extended minutes from guys like JDR and Alibegovic who hustle and box out (but can't get off the floor) because Dom can sky.

Harrison played a great game. His defense on Carter was huge although not immediately obvious. Branch played his best defensive game of the year. D overall was just great.

Lavin out-coached another one tonight. The SMC coach should have thrown a zone at us at several points in the second half.

JDR did exactly what you want your backup center to do...keep the opposing center honest and don't lose the game. Anything more is gravy.
 
Sir Dom is Costco, Walgreens, Home Depot, Lowes, Macy's and eBay.:

4-5 FG, 3-4 FT, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and only 1 TO and all around bad-ass. Give that Man an ovation.
 
I liked seeing Obepka hitting a couple of mid range jumpers. If he can do that with any type of consistency it would be great for us.
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I like seeing them go in and he has a nice stroke at about 8-10' but would much prefer to see those shots right under the hoop going in.
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Agree Paul, for some reason CO finishes weak at the rim.
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And would someone on the coaching staff please tell him to stop leaning back on his free throws? He had perfected his stroke over the summer and it still looks way better but they ain't going in. He needs to just go through the proper mechanics going up with his weight forward instead of back and his free throws will start going in...
 
Sir Dom is Costco, Walgreens, Home Depot, Lowes, Macy's and eBay.:

4-5 FG, 3-4 FT, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and only 1 TO and all around bad-ass. Give that Man an ovation.
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Dom was a beast tonight. A much improved player this season. His one turnover was when he didn't give the ball up on the break. He needs to give that ball up at the foul or take it strong to the hoop but he gets caught in between. Just knit picking though. Dom was great tonight!!
 
This win was a sign of maturity. Last season they would have crashed and burned, and we'd be walking out of CA shaking our heads. In the second half they figured out Waldo, who looked more like George Foreman in the 12th round of a fight, stumbling around the court than the guy who sliced us up for 19 easy points in the first half. JDR will provide bulk and reserve minutes - a great sign. Defense stiffened and we played well down the stretch. Onward.

Met Monte at halftime, which was a pleasure. Really nice guy.
 
Sir Dom is Costco, Walgreens, Home Depot, Lowes, Macy's and eBay.:

4-5 FG, 3-4 FT, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and only 1 TO and all around bad-ass. Give that Man an ovation.
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Waldo was KFC, McDonalds, Sonic, and Carvel.
 
Sir Dom is Costco, Walgreens, Home Depot, Lowes, Macy's and eBay.:

4-5 FG, 3-4 FT, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and only 1 TO and all around bad-ass. Give that Man an ovation.
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Waldo was KFC, McDonalds, Sonic, and Carvel.
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and white castle
 
14. We held them to 14 points in the second half.
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nice stat, I missed that. Nice perimeter D which has been a killer for us the past few seasons. They've got a kid shooting over 50% from 3 and he only got three of them off tonight making only 1. 2-13 as a team. Overall their guards shot 3-20 FG.
 
Good adjustment on the D at half by Lavin it won us the game. Lights out 2nd half for Dom. Fun to watch.
 
I was worried for the coach after the first half. No, not Lavin, but Luigi Carnesecca. Very stressful half to watch. Where's Waldow? No one on the SJU team had a clue in the first half. He's is one of the better bigs we will face this season but we did a horrible job defending him.
That said, I had a feeling we could not play as bad in the second half and despite Greene and Jordan shooting 3-20 (15%), our speed and athleticism rose to the level that a talented St Mary team could not match. I was really impressed with Waldow. He exposed Chris Obekpa's NBA readiness. It was man against boy and the man had a terrific offense in his game. Lone Beach will be another big test since they are deeper and more athletic than the Gael. One game at a time.
 
Did you guys catch the timeout when they had the mic on Lavin and he was talking about mistakes / ball movement / shot selection? He was saying things like (paraphrasing here) "That was the old St John's, we do things different now" or something along those lines. I thought that was telling. The team certainly seems to playing more controlled & cohesive ball... (first half aside).
 
Just got back from Carnesseca. The second half was as much fun as I have had there in several seasons. Crowd was intensely into the game, after a minute or two into the second half, when the team's energy showed that the game was going to be a dogfight. The place was really rocking and the players definitely fed off the energy of the crowd.

The move to put Dom on Waldow was incredibly effective and turned the game completely around. I am consistently impressed with all the different things Dom brings to the table. He can effectively defend both quick point guards or big post up centers. He is a unique talent who is getting better and better.

The first half was about as bad as it gets. We were outrebounded 28 to 12 and had only 3 assists to St. Mary's 11 while shooting 25 % from the field. However the silver lining to the first half was Joey Delarosa. After hearing he would be of little use to us, I did not expect anything. What I found instead was a mobile, strong big man who could both run and defend. Additionally he showed an excellent basketball IQ and very good court movement. This all off of no game time in more than a year.

In the end D'Angelo played the entire second half with three fouls and made numerous big plays. The team defense was stifling and outscored a good St. Mary's team 35 to 14 in the second half.

This team clearly has something special about it and after the game you could see that they were very fired up by their play. After their postgame interview D'Angelo and Dom ran off the court together hugging each other to the cheers of the remaining crowd. Hopefully we will continue to grow and this team will have the type of season that we will remember for years to come.
 
Just got back from the game. I only have 3 words. DOM, DOM, DOM!!! He was the difference in the second half. Tonight my man crush is on Dom. Obepka couldn't handle Waldow defensively. Dom did. That was the game right there.
 
Just got back from the game. I only have 3 words. DOM, DOM, DOM!!! He was the difference in the second half. Tonight my man crush is on Dom. Obepka couldn't handle Waldow defensively. Dom did. That was the game right there.
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+1000
 
Watching basketball for many many years you may be surprised by this but this is what ranked teams do over and over. They find a way and that is why they are ranked. This half time score went out on the wires and non experts all over are starting to think upset but real good teams prevail.. We are starting to see that in this team. Tough shooting game for Greene and that set the tone early. Hope this one is out of their system.
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What came back to me was an early Big East game at Seton Hall when the Hall was up 20 or so points at the half. And SJU came back to win it by 10 or so points.
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Well, be assured that Seton Hall is drooling at the prospect of defeating a ranked SJU team at Barclay's ... and that they always play us tough.
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The Seton Hall game on New Years eve is at The Rock in Newark Redken. I work only two blocks from there. I'm going with three guys from work. Should be a good game.
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I'm Red-faced. If at the Rock, even more concerned.
 
This win was a sign of maturity. Last season they would have crashed and burned, and we'd be walking out of CA shaking our heads. In the second half they figured out Waldo, who looked more like George Foreman in the 12th round of a fight, stumbling around the court than the guy who sliced us up for 19 easy points in the first half. JDR will provide bulk and reserve minutes - a great sign. Defense stiffened and we played well down the stretch. Onward.

Met Monte at halftime, which was a pleasure. Really nice guy.
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Thanks Beast, the feeling is mutual. I had my doubts about our ability to come back, mostly because of Waldow, but boy was I thankfully wrong. Like you mentioned, last year they would have fell apart quickly. Different story this year. Even when they were missing shots, they didn't force the issue. Great half-time adjustments by Lavina and the boys, especially putting Dom on Waldow. Thought JDR gave us some solid minutes. Even if ADR was eligible, I think JDR would prove far more valuable this year. As I mentioned to you, ADR was winded in the lay up line. About 3/4 through the game I realized that I was sitting across from Jim Harrick..Thought the crowd was great right up until the last few seconds when most of the fans were more concerned with exiting then with giving the team the resounding applause that they deserved. But all in all, the crowd was great-one of the loudest I've ever heard in CA. Onward............. and upward!!!!!!!!!!! :)
 
Watching basketball for many many years you may be surprised by this but this is what ranked teams do over and over. They find a way and that is why they are ranked. This half time score went out on the wires and non experts all over are starting to think upset but real good teams prevail.. We are starting to see that in this team. Tough shooting game for Greene and that set the tone early. Hope this one is out of their system.
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What came back to me was an early Big East game at Seton Hall when the Hall was up 20 or so points at the half. And SJU came back to win it by 10 or so points.
Click to expand...

Well, be assured that Seton Hall is drooling at the prospect of defeating a ranked SJU team at Barclay's ... and that they always play us tough.
Click to expand...
Good thing then that we play them at the Pru Center where they won't be expecting us :)
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No wonder I got these courtside seats so cheap. Right behind the bench, I was told.

Hey, not going to let my stupidity interfere with my high tonight.
 
I think we move up in the coaches poll. They appreciate these types of wins. We could be as high as # 18, maybe.
 
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