Steve Lavin is in control.
In his sixth game as coach at St. John’s, Lavin last night flexed some muscle, having three of his regular starters come off the bench due to minor off-court infractions.
The gamble-infused lesson proved successful when the Red Storm prevailed with a 69-61 win over Wagner at Carnesecca Arena.
“In some cases, it was to send a message, put a little fire under the fanny, in terms of attitudes and approach, and another case, it was a minor but still important team policy in terms of class attendance,” said Lavin, who sat D.J. Kennedy, Justin Brownlee and Dwayne Polee, but would not divulge which player had which transgression.
“If those things aren’t happening consistently, we have to hold kids accountable, otherwise the talk is cheap. You are looking for how they’re going to respond to it.”
Not starting for the first time this season, Kennedy and Brownlee responded as Lavin hoped. Kennedy put up 20 points, six rebounds and two steals, and Brownlee scored 17 points with six rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
“It kept me more humble,” Kennedy said. “I just gotta be fortunate each day and keep working hard. Nothing’s for granted that it’s going to be there. I definitely feel like coach made the right decision, and it kind of helped me out for this game.”
Said Brownlee, “I learned a lesson — on and off the court, you’ve gotta handle your business. If you don’t handle your business, you’re gonna get punished for it.”
Utilizing a four-guard lineup to start, St. John’s used superior speed to unleash ultra-aggressive campaigns on both ends of the floor, taking a 36-26 lead at halftime.
The Red Storm overcame a poor shooting night (30.6 percent from the field) by creating 13 more turnovers. It was the Red Storm’s (5-1) fifth straight win and eighth straight victory against the Seahawks (3-3).
“They sped us up. The first five games we played, we were the quicker, more athletic team,” Wagner head coach Dan Hurley said.
“Playing against real Big East athleticism and length and strength, I think it bothered us a bit. We just felt like we couldn’t match up from a quickness standpoint.”
Wagner trailed by as many as 16 in the second half, but showed that there is another team on the rise in the outer boroughs. Led by junior guard Tyler Murray’s 21 points, the Seahawks closed the gap to as little as four, and trailed by five with less than one minute to play.
“We’re not into moral victories, but our guys played their hearts out, and I’m real happy with the effort,” Hurley said.
“We’ll get a moment. We almost had a moment [last night]. We were real close. The guys believe in what we’re doing. We’re gonna build a great program.”