Welcome to The Holy Land of Hoops

Positives:

-MUCH improved talent...much more dangerous than last year
-Way faster, bigger, and more athletic
-Much more active hands on defense forcing lots of TO's
-FT shooting was 93% at half and it didn't seem to fall below 90% for the entire game which is a huge improvement
-Ponds, Ahmed, Freudenberg, Mussini, LoVett, Amar can all shoot...many more scoring threats
-Mussini playing a spot up 3 pt threat excelled in his new more natural role...really impressed
-Freudenberg is going to be a beast when he's an upperclassmen...so calm and such a smooth stroke but also not afraid to drive into paint
-Ahmed will lead the team in scoring...very aggressive and athletic inside but also has a nice little mid-range jumper
-100x deeper than last year
-Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry...lots of sweet passes, guys knowing their roles

Negatives:

-We didn't score 100 because Mullin told them to cool it
-Sima was surprisingly bad...concerning IMO
-Owens is not going to contribute in a real way being that skinny and has no offense
-Darien Williams hasn't shown he can do much of anything since coming here as a highly touted Iowa State transfer (to be fair tons of injuries)
-Mullin sitting down too much...ok maybe I'm getting a bit picky

Overall, Baruch was terrible but regardless of what our W/L record will be, one thing's for sure: we will be very dangerous and have the most scoring potential since I've been a fan in 2010.

Compared to last years exhibition I'd say St. John's is much improved.

SJHooper wrote:Positives:

-MUCH improved talent...much more dangerous than last year
-Way faster, bigger, and more athletic
-Much more active hands on defense forcing lots of TO's
-FT shooting was 93% at half and it didn't seem to fall below 90% for the entire game which is a huge improvement
-Ponds, Ahmed, Freudenberg, Mussini, LoVett, Amar can all shoot...many more scoring threats
-Mussini playing a spot up 3 pt threat excelled in his new more natural role...really impressed
-Freudenberg is going to be a beast when he's an upperclassmen...so calm and such a smooth stroke but also not afraid to drive into paint
-Ahmed will lead the team in scoring...very aggressive and athletic inside but also has a nice little mid-range jumper
-100x deeper than last year
-Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry...lots of sweet passes, guys knowing their roles

Negatives:

-We didn't score 100 because Mullin told them to cool it
-Sima was surprisingly bad...concerning IMO
-Owens is not going to contribute in a real way being that skinny and has no offense
-Darien Williams hasn't shown he can do much of anything since coming here as a highly touted Iowa State transfer (to be fair tons of injuries)
-Mullin sitting down too much...ok maybe I'm getting a bit picky

Overall, Baruch was terrible but regardless of what our W/L record will be, one thing's for sure: we will be very dangerous and have the most scoring potential since I've been a fan in 2010.

Thanks for posting. Two things highlighted that jumped out at me.

Owens is and will be nothing more than a end of bench role player (Cameron-Hoyas). He's a local Maryland (B'More) kid, I've watched him closely
I had high hopes for Williams, hopefully he shows the flashes that were much talked about before he arrived.

Figured I'd throw a few more takes out there since I've been dying to have something to chew on and we finally played a game:

Pleasant Surprise

Richard Freudenberg: This kid came over from Germany and I have to admit I thought he'd be a soft player who could shoot but not much else. If the Baruch game was any indication, boy was I wrong. Not only can he shoot, but he also showed he can be aggressive in the paint and had a nice dunk and a layup at the buzzer before half. He can also run the court well and has much better agility than I expected especially side to side when defending. Solid rebounding and better than expected ball handling. This is the type of kid who will be in the national headlines if he stays 4 years. To look so polished so soon is a great sign.

Unpleasant Surprise

Kassoum Yakwe: He had a "blah" type game. What's really concerning is that he did not dominate against a much smaller, much less talented opponent. Hope it was just one game and he is getting the rust off.

Yankuba Sima: Similar to Yakwe, he did not impress. Baruch is the type of team he should look like Shaq against but he seemed timid and did not dominate. Yakwe and Sima also dropped several quick passes from our guards that should have been caught and dunked. Those are killer in the regular season. They have to be ready.

Just as Expected

Marcus LoVett: The real deal...this kid is so quick and changes directions on a dime. If you give him any space, watch out. Also showed the ability to stroke the 3 and has a pretty outside shot. Passing was also very fun to watch...he had a few no lookers and threaded the needle repeatedly. Again, the bigs have to be ready as he puts sauce on his passes. He's so fun to watch that I would get upset when he passed it to someone else.

Shamorie Ponds: I remember seeing a scouting report saying he can score 20 pts in his sleep and I can see why. He's another quick guard and he's not as flashy as LoVett but he handles the ball very well and is very crafty. He showed a nice floater and great body control. LoVett and Ponds also had very active hands in the passing lanes giving Baruch fits. That type of thing translates regardless of skill level of opponents. Rough night shooting from outside, but you could tell he was all hyped up. Once he settles down he will be fine.

Bashir Ahmed: This is a Big East ready player. He can attack the rim with explosive dunks, kill you with the mid range, or kill you with the 3. I would be surprised if he does not end up as our leading scorer. If he was left in all game he would have dropped 30+ easily. He was unstoppable and he's as much of a sure thing translating to the Big East level as there can be.

Overall Impressions

The team started off looking like last year's team that lost to St. Thomas Aquinas. It took nearly 4 minutes to score, Baruch was making 3's, and it was time to panic. Thankfully, the team settled down quickly and the talent gap became glaringly obvious shortly after. This is a team with speed, depth, size, and finally offensive threats galore. Passes were crisp, players knew roles, Mullin seemed much more comfortable and involved. Mussini also looked much quicker, stronger, and more confident. Under Lavin, they never looked this crisp. You can also feel the chemistry between the players. They are genuinely good kids who keep things light and do not have off-court issues. This is very different from Lavin teams where I never really felt good chemistry and most players seemed to be auditioning for the NBA or SC Top 10 rather than playing as a team. 5 different players scored in double figures last night. I know, I know...it was Baruch and they are horrid, but there are real reasons to be optimistic and it may not reflect in the record this season, but with a bit more experience and adding Justin Simon and Zach Brown, look out.

BigmanU wrote:Thanks for posting. Two things highlighted that jumped out at me.

Owens is and will be nothing more than a end of bench role player (Cameron-Hoyas). He's a local Maryland (B'More) kid, I've watched him closely
I had high hopes for Williams, hopefully he shows the flashes that were much talked about before he arrived.

Owens had 12 rebounds in 16 minutes of play. There is more to the game than putting the ball in the hoop. So, don't take the analysis above your post too literally.

Williams is coming off repaired shoulder surgery, so I think Mullin is gonna bring him along slowly. He only played 5 minutes, but blocked 3 shots in that span. He probably won't receive much burn during the season, but there could be a game or two where he could prove valuable, if someone gets in foul trouble or injured.

It was the first game, albeit, an exhibition against a team who was clearly inferior. I'll wait another month before having a decent read on the team. Overall, I liked several things last night, and hope they'll continue to improve throughout the duration of the season. This could end up being a fun team for fans of the program.

the thing with ST John's is they have 2 cupcake games, then a game at Minnesota. Then 4th game is a HUGE one vs Michigan St in Battle 4 Atlantis. Win there- and you get Baylor or VCU and then one of Wichita St or Louisville. Lose and you get the loser of the Baylor/VCU game, and then likely one of LSU or Old Dominion. Considering only other good OOC game is Syracuse- that's a pretty big swing there. So they have to get the kinks out really fast.

JohnW22 wrote:Compared to last years exhibition I'd say St. John's is much improved.

This, nobody expects them to make the tournament. All the conference needs is for them to be below an RPI of 245...

Hoyas were absolute dog sh*t last year and still manged a 106 RPI. So its completely doable for St. Johns.

Yes he had a nice game rebounding, but he's almost 7 ft tall and the tallest Baruch player was about 6'5. Against major teams, Owens will likely be easily boxed out and tossed aside by more meaty bigs. He also turned it over a few times mishandling a pass and traveling. If he contributes anything significant I'd be pleasantly surprised, but once we play the Michigan St.'s and Syracuse's of the world, he will not get 12 boards I can assure you. Good kid, but he reminds me of Joey DeLaRosa. 7 ft tall but can't really do much against real competition at this level.

SJHooper wrote:Positives:

-MUCH improved talent...much more dangerous than last year
-Way faster, bigger, and more athletic
-Much more active hands on defense forcing lots of TO's
-FT shooting was 93% at half and it didn't seem to fall below 90% for the entire game which is a huge improvement
-Ponds, Ahmed, Freudenberg, Mussini, LoVett, Amar can all shoot...many more scoring threats
-Mussini playing a spot up 3 pt threat excelled in his new more natural role...really impressed
-Freudenberg is going to be a beast when he's an upperclassmen...so calm and such a smooth stroke but also not afraid to drive into paint
-Ahmed will lead the team in scoring...very aggressive and athletic inside but also has a nice little mid-range jumper
-100x deeper than last year
-Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry...lots of sweet passes, guys knowing their roles

Negatives:

-We didn't score 100 because Mullin told them to cool it
-Sima was surprisingly bad...concerning IMO
-Owens is not going to contribute in a real way being that skinny and has no offense
-Darien Williams hasn't shown he can do much of anything since coming here as a highly touted Iowa State transfer (to be fair tons of injuries)
-Mullin sitting down too much...ok maybe I'm getting a bit picky

Overall, Baruch was terrible but regardless of what our W/L record will be, one thing's for sure: we will be very dangerous and have the most scoring potential since I've been a fan in 2010.

Fruedenburg didn't show any nerves last night, the kids BBall IQ is so high. They gotta go slow and have patience with him, needs to add weight.
Next year he'll be a major impact player.
Spot on about Mussini, the kid was stroking it. He won't have the pressure of bring the ball up, just shoot the rock kid.
Ahmed should draw alot of fouls driving to the hoops
The bigs need to be ready for Lovetts quick passes.

Owens will be spot duty, I think he'll be effective being in the game for short spurts (maybe 4-5 then out).
Williams most likely with Amar will be the 9th and 10th player

Hoya Hoya Hoya wrote:

JohnW22 wrote:Compared to last years exhibition I'd say St. John's is much improved.

This, nobody expects them to make the tournament. All the conference needs is for them to be below an RPI of 245...

Hoyas were absolute dog sh*t last year and still manged a 106 RPI. So its completely doable for St. Johns.

I'm thinking 18wins is doable, which is a solid nit team, after last year, I'll take the NIT in a heartbeat.