ST JOHNS GAME THREAD

[longliveskip]

GREAT offensive , hustle rebound by Swain.

to not only hustle for this rebound but to understand/see that Q was open, know he had time to make the pass and Q could still get his shot off. it shows up in the stats as offensive rebound, but it's so much more than that. such an outstanding play.

the 3 that we need to carry us - Dayvion, Q, and Des - did that last night. i'm not saying we are getting 20+ from all 3 every game, but those 3 are the key. the bigs are what they are. refs were flat out awful. there's no way around this statement because it's a fact - St. Johns just HACKS. that's what they do. they reach, grab, pull, and try to block every shot. i'm not saying we don't foul but we aren't even close to what they do. they simply live by the mantra of "the refs aren't going to call them all". Abu DOES foul but he had two called that just weren't and he couldn't contain his anger on the last one. that ref was such a d^&* as well. he followed him down and WATCHED him the whole time just waiting to see if he did anything and all Abu did was stare at him and he gave him a T. stupid on Abu but the ref just so wanted to do it.

Question - is Lazar just "done"? has he played his last game in a Xavier uniform? will he be at Miami next year with Steele?

[skyhops]

Its been know around that Lazar was rumored to be leaving from the team a few weeks ago based on lack of PT and being homesick, but a few coaches convinced him to stay. I would be surprised to see him sticking around after this season, but I hope on wrong because he does have potential athletically just not ready for BE basketball. Our guards single handedly won the game for us last night. Our bigs are just not skilled enough to produce in the BE. Getting Hunter back next year will help, but still not certain if Free will come back which means we need to find someone in the transfer portal. Much needed win last night.

[pdxmuskie]

I didn't see the whole game as I was traveling but did see most of it. Claude was outstanding attacking the rim. Didn't love him shooting the 3 but he was also incredible at the line and has been for most of the season. McKnight continues to play at a high level.

Ciani had some nice moments. Swain continues to have big moments in games and is far more important to this team than the stats indicate.

I'm not down on the bigs as much as some on here. They are not an offensive force for sure but capable of scoring reasonably efficiently. They rebound well and generally stay between the rim and their man though Ciani had a few moments in this 1 where he seemed to move out of the way instead of trying to make the shot more difficult.

[X-lucidity]

Another exciting game and wonderful final 4 minute war. Hey, we can’t ask for much more given the turnover and injuries. No excuses, but this is a VERY demanding league/schedule, and thankfully we have a proven top-tier coach. This victory keeps us in the hunt and within striking distance of the bubble. No reason to contemplate that all that much as each game going forward is huge and we will see many ups and downs - winning one or two vs top 35 NET while not losing the ones where we are favored will be the deciding factor. Strap on for a roller coaster final 3rd of the season.
Now for the St. John’s gm thoughts:
- Des was a rock star. Love the kid. I do not want to jinx a thing but wow has he improved his FT %. We all see him struggle from the perimeter. But damnit, I want him to keep shooting two or three a game cuz he is wide open. ( likely on purpose) and honestly, we need him to eventually add that to his mix if we want to be able to compete with the top 3 teams in our league.
- Quincy. What a godsend...... the young man has ice water in his veins.
- Dayvion. Has to smile everyday about his decision to choose X and have Coach Miller take him under his wing. Dayvion has the perfect mentality and fortitude to be a consummate PG. and that was not an obvious given when he first stepped on campus.
- Abou. Is there no one in the building that can teach him how to not drop his arms when defending near the bucket???? I inherited a talented post player long ago in the 6th grade. It took me about three practices of intense drilling and reps to rid her of that habit. She rarely ever got in foul trouble again yet played stellar D and rebounded like a maniac. I just do not understand......
- Ciani. Yes, agree, he has been vital and an unexpected contributor. Remember, initially he was advertised as a project that would take a year to develop. Yet due to injuries, Abou picking up fouls like they were free donuts, and other players not being as advertised, Sasa knows his role, knows his strengths and, more importantly, understands his many limitations. Can’t wait to see his Soph jump!
- Trey, can’t teach his ability to score, but can we go one game without him committing the silliest foul ever on a 3 pt shooter?
- Lazar. Saving the best for last. I posted last week that Sean can no longer continue the Lazar experiment. That it was unfair to the other players. Seems like he had reached that same decision. Now I see ‘Hops mention he is on the verge of giving up and going home. Hopefully the staff can keep him. My goodness, he is a true Freshman and this is Big-Time college bball. Lazar has some tools. No reason to doubt yourself at this early stage. Maybe have Jason Love talk to him, or James Farr.
Now let’s put our game face on, head to Chicago, and take care of business...

[Anti-Homer]

Great game by the Big Three. McKnight is proving to be the most underrated player in the BE.

KR, I always try to watch Swain and Green on defense when in the game. I think the scores you're referring to with Swain were when he guarded Luis Jr, Johnnie's 2nd best scorer, in terms of ability, IMO. Two of the scores occurred when Luis Jt started low on the block, curled to the elbow, got a handoff-pick, and drove down the lane for two labs. He also gave up a mid-lane jumper. I didn't tape it to review it, but from what I recall, he was there for all three attempts. He never loses his man.

I think Claude is a great defender but give Swain the overall edge due to his shot-blocking ability, and his great help defense. He had a steal, block, and another against Johnnie's big (Soriano I think) which was called a foul. it is hard to see body contact from our Moderator's Suite, but the block was clean otherwise.