St. John’s picked up its first win of the season on Friday night over Wagner, 73-57, at Carnesecca Arena. After going up against a brutal opponent (Wisconsin) in a foreign land (Sioux Falls, S.D.), the Red Storm play their next 10 games in either Queens, Manhattan or Brooklyn.
The Johnnies are still a work in progress, but need to, and should, begin piling up non-conference wins during this stretch leading into Big East play. The next game comes against Bucknell on Tuesday night at Carnesecca, but until then, here are some thoughts from Friday’s game:
Just keep running
Wisconsin wouldn’t allow the Red Storm to run much in the season opener, but the Johnnies broke out against Wagner and showed how dangerous they can be in transition, particularly when Harrison and Jamal Branch led the break. That success may dissuade them from taking too many 3-pointers. After last season’s horrific shooting and their 2-of-21 3-point shooting through two games, including missing all 10 attempts on Friday, St. John’s needs to play to its strengths, inside. The team is too athletic to be settling on the perimeter, and with finishers like JaKarr Sampson, Orlando Sanchez and Sir’Dominic Pointer, the Storm should be running like Iona or LIU Brooklyn.
D’Angelo Harrison is back and better than ever. And he can still be better.
Back from last season’s suspension, Harrison looks like he’s on his way to a monster year, averaging 26 points through the first two games. On a team with a lot of players still finding their roles, Harrison is the alpha-dog who will be in contention for Big East Player of the Year. He’s been aggressive on offense, but also selflessly searching for teammates. His no-look pass to God’sgift Achiuwa on Friday was the best pass the Johnnies have had this season. Harrison’s defense has also been solid, but his offensive game can go to another level this season with the new rules cracking down on physical play. Harrison’s been attacking the rim, hitting 11 of 11 free throws on Friday, and once he starts knocking down 3-pointers, which he will, his numbers could get even better.
The Rysheed Jordan Struggles
No one should be remotely close to panicking, but it’s not unfair to expect the No. 3 ranked point guard in the country coming out of high school to be giving better production. Jordan did look more poised and wasn’t pressing as much against Wagner as in his debut, but he still went 0-for-7 from the field. The shots weren’t bad, they just weren’t made. He started again, but was limited to 17 minutes because coach Steve Lavin wanted his older players on the court during the second half when the lead was trimmed to single digits. He had two assists and no turnovers, but still hasn’t displayed the vision that he’s been lauded for. He’s a freshman, so it can take time, but St. John’s needs more from him, soon.
Defensive improvement
After allowing 86 points against Wisconsin, St. John’s held Wagner to 57 points and under 26 percent shooting in the first half. It must be noted the opponents had much different offensive capabilities, but it was no accident that the improvement came with Chris Obekpa being much more active on the inside, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking four shots — while altering several more — in 16 minutes of action.
Who’s No. 3?
Harrison and Sampson were the top two scorers again and are the only players averaging double figures. No other player is averaging more than 6.5 points per game. The Johnnies need a reliable third scorer for when their two best options get cold. Pointer had 10 points on Friday, shooting 5-of-7, while Sanchez had the quietest eight points you’ll ever see, going 6-of-6 from the foul line. Sanchez has shown flashes of an enormous amount of potential, but disappears near the 3-point line for large stretches on offense. At 6-foot-9, he needs to be down low, getting easy baskets for a team that needs more of them.