The Case For, and Against, Making the Dance

[Ray Morgan]

Eight games in, and we are getting a feel for this team. My initial thoughts, based on the frustration of seeing our Jekyll and Hyde performances, all within the same 40 minute game, had me thinking that our chances were less than 50-50. But then I looked at the conference schedule. Things looked better than I thought. But since questions exist, here are some arguments pro and con.

FOR:
1. This year's team is stronger than last year, as Sampson actually seems to have a higher motor and more explosiveness than Moe. He certainly is showing more range than I expected. Obekpa is a game changer on the defensive end. Greene has improved, Balamou is way ahead of expectations and two quality players wait in the wings.
2. The conference schedule is back weighted in terms of difficulty. An 8-1 or 7-2 start is possible before things get tough. As a young team, that gives us time to incorporate the late arrivals while getting valuable experience and building confidence.
3. The Big East is not as strong as prior years, giving us a real chance of having a good conference and very good OOC record. A top 8 finish should be enough, and that may be the worst case scenario.
6. SJU may have the most athletic team in the Big East, and is deep enough to deal with foul trouble and fatigue issues. We may lead the nation in blocked shots. The one positive of being young is that the possibility of major improvement is there.

AGAINST:
1. As the song goes, We Are Young.
2. Rebounding has been a problem. The bad habits that lead to poor rebounding took years to develop, and will take some time to correct.
3. Three point shooting. Safe to say that a major weapon for many teams is not even on the radar for us. Whether Bourgault will even see enough minutes to change that, or even fits in terms of how the offense is run, is a big question mark.
4.Foul shooting is worse than I expected.
5. Lack of consistency, a by-product of youth, is a major issue. Obekpa's blocks, Harrison's scoring and savvy, and Sampson's explosiveness are the only constants. Which Phil Greene shows up is hard to say. Garrett can shine at times, and look out of sorts at others. Jones started strong, but has rebounded poorly for a guy with his size and strength, thus reducing his minutes.
6. Early season home game struggles against teams that would finish at the bottom of the Big East is a cause for concern.

CONCLUSION:
Enough talent to dance, especially considering the schedule and weakened Big East. Also enough "ifs" and question marks to fall short. The addition of Sanchez can be the real game changer. Branch will help soon, if not right away. Still, would rather have our personnel than all but 4 or 5 Big East schools.

 

[MCNPA]

A few points.

1) Our FT shooting was actually upper half of the Big East percentage-wise in the Big East until last game. We are a decent foul shooting team until the NJIT game where we knocked out FT% somewhere from 6th or 7th in the league to last. Last game was awful but we havent been overall. Even now we are shooting 62% where the 6th place team is shooting 69%. Not a massive difference.

2). We are 5thih the big east in FG% and 10th in 3pt percentage. Again, we were a few spots higher before last game but neither is "nonexistent".

 

[usguard]

A few points.

1) Our FT shooting was actually upper half of the Big East percentage-wise in the Big East until last game. We are a decent foul shooting team until the NJIT game where we knocked out FT% somewhere from 6th or 7th in the league to last. Last game was awful but we havent been overall. Even now we are shooting 62% where the 6th place team is shooting 69%. Not a massive difference.

2). We are 5thih the big east in FG% and 10th in 3pt percentage. Again, we were a few spots higher before last game but neither is "nonexistent".

do not see thses as positives Pretty bad IMO Our hope is sanchez get in and with branch its turns us around to be in top 25

 

[bk8664]

A few points.

1) Our FT shooting was actually upper half of the Big East percentage-wise in the Big East until last game. We are a decent foul shooting team until the NJIT game where we knocked out FT% somewhere from 6th or 7th in the league to last. Last game was awful but we havent been overall. Even now we are shooting 62% where the 6th place team is shooting 69%. Not a massive difference.

2). We are 5thih the big east in FG% and 10th in 3pt percentage. Again, we were a few spots higher before last game but neither is "nonexistent".

That 3pt percentage is all D'Lo. We are shooting it .323 as a team from long-range and d'lo is shooting at .377 - which means the rest of the combined team ain't great at all. It would be nice to have Greene shoot it better to make the opposing defense less able to concentrate on Harrison. Greene is pretty good on his drive and pull-up/tear drop shot - but in my opinion we need his outside shooting to be better if we are to succeed. We are really only a two trick pony in our half court offense: Harrison's scoring and Sampson's jump shot... Greene's outside shot is on and off...
We desperately need one of: 1) Sanchez to play and be good on offense, or 2) Greene to step up his outside shooting or 3) Branch to be able to create at will for others... The good thing is that we three options that could break our way... we'll see.

 

[MCNPA]

We actually have 3 players averaging double figure scoring in Greene, Harrison and Sampson which is certainly not a two trick pony. That is 3/5 spots on the floor. Our 4th guy is Amir averaging almost 8ppg and then we have a bunch averaging about 4-5 ppg. We actually spread scoring out more than most teams, but still statistically have 3-4 players who put up significant offense.

People like to throw things out there about how we can't do this or can't do that, but it still must be looked at with respect to what other teams are doing. We don't desperately need Greene to step up his shooting considering he's averaging almost 13 ppg. He's scoring at a good pinch even if not the 3pt% that you might like him at.

We will get better in many of these areas. Only thing I can say we definitively could really use is a true PF type player ala Sanchez to rebound and score in the post.

 

[Ray Morgan]

This team was not built for the half court game, it was built to run. The problem is you can't run when you don't rebound the basketball well. All I know is that Sanchez is 24, making him a man amongst boys. He may well be the best player on the team. If so, we are not in a bad position, assuming he qualifies. The problem is, as others have mentioned, is that we are predictable on offense, making us easy to scout and defend. Stop Harrison, and you stop St. John's. Without Sanchez, we need to improve. As a young team, we will. Is anyone else out there concerned about the difficulty we are having beating mediocre teams at home? Maybe some of you think we can turn it on at will. I don't believe that.

 

[MCNPA]

Our half court game is underrated. We might be better running, but are still one of the top FG% teams in the big east, and much of it on jump shooting.

 

[MJDinkins]

Maybe some of you think we can turn it on at will. I don't believe that.

Maybe, that is the case. Quite a few people also thought that was the case two seasons ago, and look how that turned out.

Just show a little patience.

 

[Ray Morgan]

Our half court game is underrated. We might be better running, but are still one of the top FG% teams in the big east, and much of it on jump shooting.

Our half court game has potential, but suffers from the lack of a true point. Anytime you have a guy like D Lo that can beat you from three, pull up from 15, or take you to the hoop, you are in the hunt. How many clean looks does he get from 3? Not many. That accounts from him being under 40%. How many more good looks will he get if Branch is at the point? Or if Sanchez is a threat to score in the paint? It's frustrating dealing with "ifs" with the meat of the schedule one month away.

 

[Ray Morgan]

Maybe some of you think we can turn it on at will. I don't believe that.

Maybe, that is the case. Quite a few people also thought that was the case two seasons ago, and look how that turned out.

Just show a little patience.

Based on all but one of the past 10 or so years, patience is something we all have. Maybe it's best to look at some early season issues with the NJIT's of the world a learning and growing experience. Struggles build more character than blowouts. I guess I am just ready for the Big East season to start, so we can know for sure where we really stand.

 

[bobre45]

We're one of the more experienced young teams around. The free throw thing is real and w/o DLo our numbers aren't good. On the plus side I think chemistry is pretty good right now and they're sharing the ball pretty well. The talent is there to dance if things break right with Sanchez and Branch. Steve seems to have reached Harrison and his defense and leadership have improved. Our man defense is overall improved too and we're not losing guys as often. They are a fun watch and winning solves a multitude of problems. Rebounding needs work but I think it will get better with time. I'm hoping Marco and Jones stay positive and learn to contribute. Balamou is earning minutes just by playing hard. A good lesson for all. I think there's a bubble in our future at least.