So here are my thoughts after just watching St. John's beat the Tribe on ESPNU. First of all, I can't tell you how exciting it was to watch the Johnnies open up the college basketball season on national TV. Always good to get national exposure.
The Good:
1. Athleticism, Athleticism, Athleticism - this team is loaded with athletes. I thought last year's team had guys to could hustle and play that upbeat pressure game that coach Lavin likes to run, but tonight left me in salivating. These guys can flat out run and the pressure D really worked well in the second half. They forced 21 turnovers on 12 steals...very reminiscent of last year.
2. Composure for a young team - down 7 at the half and totally out of sync the first 20 minutes, the Johnnies came out playing the kind of ball one expects from a Lavin coached team. TO's turned to points and the guys broke down the Tribe defense to get inside and score at will in the paint. I think a stat towards the end of the game had the Johnnies up 36-6 in the paint.
3. Godsgift is the REAL deal - this guy is a man-child and will be scary if continues to develop. William and Mary had no answer for him inside and he's going to be needed in the rough and tumble Big East.
4. Nurideen can score - and quickly too. He's got the speed to get to the rim and finish. He had 5 steals tonight that ended with a lot of easy finishes. He's just got to hit some FTs!
The Not so Good:
1. Free Throw shooting - just atrocious. Somehow ended 12-25 (48%) which was shocking to me b/c every time I looked up they were banging FT's off the rim. I believe some of the exhibitions also showed poor FT shooting. This has been a problem for St. John's in recent years and I have no idea why, but this has got to be corrected.
2. They are NOT a 3-point shooting team - St. John's hasn't had a truly consistent 3-point shooter in a little while and it doesn't seem like they have one just yet. I felt they forced a lot of 3's unnecessarily and took some quick treys instead of being patient and looking for another opening. Not surprising though as they are all newcomers and young players.
3. Lack of Depth - we knew this going in, especially with the three who didn't qualify, but with only 7 players on scholarship this could be a problem down the line.
Overall, I was really impressed the way the team came out in the second half and looked like a totally different team. I was at the season opener last year at St. Mary's and you could tell that the team was just getting adjusted to playing coach Lavin's style of basketball. They never really turned it on in the second half and faded into a loss. That was not the case here tonight. The team turned up the heat, stopped (for the most part) taking bad shots and went inside where their strength was. The result a resounding and impressive win over a much more experienced William and Mary team.
The one question I have is who the leader of this team is going to be. Someone is going to need to step up and take this team on his back like Hardy and Kennedy did last year. Early signs point to Godsgift, but I guess we'll see...
I really hope Sampson, Pelle and Garrett watched the game tonight and were motivated by what could be with them on this team. With these three added back into the class, this team could be VERY special, especially later this year and in future years. Come on guys! Let's get it together and qualify for next semester!!
The Good:
1. Athleticism, Athleticism, Athleticism - this team is loaded with athletes. I thought last year's team had guys to could hustle and play that upbeat pressure game that coach Lavin likes to run, but tonight left me in salivating. These guys can flat out run and the pressure D really worked well in the second half. They forced 21 turnovers on 12 steals...very reminiscent of last year.
2. Composure for a young team - down 7 at the half and totally out of sync the first 20 minutes, the Johnnies came out playing the kind of ball one expects from a Lavin coached team. TO's turned to points and the guys broke down the Tribe defense to get inside and score at will in the paint. I think a stat towards the end of the game had the Johnnies up 36-6 in the paint.
3. Godsgift is the REAL deal - this guy is a man-child and will be scary if continues to develop. William and Mary had no answer for him inside and he's going to be needed in the rough and tumble Big East.
4. Nurideen can score - and quickly too. He's got the speed to get to the rim and finish. He had 5 steals tonight that ended with a lot of easy finishes. He's just got to hit some FTs!
The Not so Good:
1. Free Throw shooting - just atrocious. Somehow ended 12-25 (48%) which was shocking to me b/c every time I looked up they were banging FT's off the rim. I believe some of the exhibitions also showed poor FT shooting. This has been a problem for St. John's in recent years and I have no idea why, but this has got to be corrected.
2. They are NOT a 3-point shooting team - St. John's hasn't had a truly consistent 3-point shooter in a little while and it doesn't seem like they have one just yet. I felt they forced a lot of 3's unnecessarily and took some quick treys instead of being patient and looking for another opening. Not surprising though as they are all newcomers and young players.
3. Lack of Depth - we knew this going in, especially with the three who didn't qualify, but with only 7 players on scholarship this could be a problem down the line.
Overall, I was really impressed the way the team came out in the second half and looked like a totally different team. I was at the season opener last year at St. Mary's and you could tell that the team was just getting adjusted to playing coach Lavin's style of basketball. They never really turned it on in the second half and faded into a loss. That was not the case here tonight. The team turned up the heat, stopped (for the most part) taking bad shots and went inside where their strength was. The result a resounding and impressive win over a much more experienced William and Mary team.
The one question I have is who the leader of this team is going to be. Someone is going to need to step up and take this team on his back like Hardy and Kennedy did last year. Early signs point to Godsgift, but I guess we'll see...
I really hope Sampson, Pelle and Garrett watched the game tonight and were motivated by what could be with them on this team. With these three added back into the class, this team could be VERY special, especially later this year and in future years. Come on guys! Let's get it together and qualify for next semester!!