CTC got a chance to interview Norman of SB Nation's Rumble in the Garden to learn a little more about St. John's. We encourage you to follow Norman (@ECoastBias) and check out an interview he did with myself and Craig Meyer of the Post-Gazette. Norman is a pretty rad dude.
1) To begin with, what is the vibe about missing out on the big dance? I know KenPom had St. John’s ranked ahead of a few at-large bids. Does it feel like the committee missed out?
Yeah…. No. St. John’s and the Big East certainly might have a perception problem – with so many teams close to each other in the KenPom rankings who beat up on each other in a way that renders the laws of syllogism moot, it’s hard to know which teams are among the elite. But the league’s non-conference performances left little way of figuring out if the Big East teams were better than, say, NC State.
St. John’s had their chances at marquee wins and fell a few possessions short except against Creighton. St. John’s schedule wasn’t enough to cover the lack of marquee wins. And they couldn’t avoid bad losses, falling to DePaul and Penn State during the year. Even in November, the PSU loss was a bad omen.
The vibe around St. John’s isn’t anger at the NCAA Committee; it’s a mix of understanding that the team had a lot of “distractions” and issues, that they took a long time to come together… and frustration with the coaching falling short of promises fans expected going into the season.
2) Is there a concern of focus after a big letdown?
Widely? Unsure. I know there is a bit to worry about, with players sometimes losing focus against lower-level teams all year. The year began with near-scares against Columbia, Bucknell, even Longwood and Monmouth. Can this team take care of business like they did against Fordham? The squad tends to get up for big games but… lose attention to detail when ahead or when playing lesser teams.
3) Does anyone know anything about Robert Morris at St. John’s?
No. I’m sure there’s a kid from Pittsburgh at St. John’s who is like “I think I know where that school is, it’s over where… no, wait, I’m thinking of a skate park.” (I don’t know where in Pitt RMU is actually located, but I hope to find out on my next visit. I like the city.
4) What should we know about St. John’s style of play? What type of tempo do they play with, are there any tendencies to keep an eye on, strengths and weaknesses, etc…
Tempo: depends on the time and situation. Ideally, the Johnnies want to run off of turnovers and create opportunities for their stable of finishers with crowd-pleasing dunks. When forced into the halfcourt, watch out for long jump shots from JaKarr Sampson early/ middle of shot clock, one-on-one drives from Rysheed Jordan, pull up jumpers from D`Angelo Harrison, and the occasional paint play from Orlando Sanchez and Chris Obekpa.
On defense, the team will play a mix of man and zone; they will allow guards to drive deep in the paint, knowing that Chris Obekpa, Sanchez, Sampson, and Sir`Dominic Pointer and more than willing to pin a shot to the backboard. When struggling, they put their athletes in action with a full court press that can be extremely disruptive.
Weaknesses: in the halfcourt, they can stagnate and struggle to get good shots inside. The team doesn’t draw fouls (and sometimes complain when they don’t; the love of long two-pointers shot by high-level athletes is inscrutable, inefficient and inconsistent in its effectiveness. The team displays, if you will, mood swings. When they’re up, they can hang with the country’s best.
5) What makes St. John’s such a good defensive team?
Length at all positions, coupled with athleticism. The Johnnies can bother all kinds of shots and they seek blocks.
6) Who are some key players RMU fans should know?
Philly freshman Rysheed Jordan is a dynamic guard who can break teams down himself. D`Angelo Harrison can put up buckets in a hurry. Chris Obekpa will reject many shots. Phil Greene IV is a dangerous shooter from the corners, even if he sometimes tries to score off the dribble, which has been less effective for him.
7) Feel free to add anything else you think we should know about if we didn’t cover it already...
I think we got to it all. St. John’s is a team that needs to believe in itself, needs to play smart and hard, and they can go far. When they don’t play in those ways, they look like a bunch of athletes trying to win the games themselves. Sharing, trust and attacking/ not settling are the big keys.
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