A Surprising Assist Helps St. John's Past Rutgers

              Head coach Chris Mullin  called his team's 61-59 win over Rutgers on Thursday "a total team effort". The team had rallied from as many as 16 points down in the early stages of the second half to eventually forge the win. And the team effort to which Coach Mullin referred included not only the coaches and players but an assist from the front office so to speak.

     "Credit Joe Oliva", Mullin said referring to St. John's interim AD who also serves as the schools general counsel. "At about 4:30 today he brought us the news that Felix was eligible."

              Felix of course is  Felix Balamou the junior wing man who missed the previous two games due to an NCAA investigation. His reinstatement to the roster could not have come at a better time for a team that began the year short in numbers and had lost freshman Malik Ellison to a foot injury.

For the entire first half and a good portion of the second half, St. John's could not find any rhythm on offense. And while Rutgers did not look much better they did take advantage of 12 Johnnie turnovers in the first half to take an early lead and when former Loughlin star Mike Williams and reserve Bishop Daniels scored 5 straight points that lead was 7 at the intermission.  Another Rutgers rally that ended with a Mike Williams triple made the score 45-29 with just under 15 minutes left.

              Balamou then went to work, converting a layup and then assisting on a three pointer  by Amar Alibegovic. From there Mullin and the coaching staff did a terrific job putting Balamou in position to make plays. Often on the post or on the baseline he was required to make a quick decision but not required to handle the ball to initiate offense. Balamou's execution combined with excellent the coaching staff's ability to move him around lead to an individual stat line for Felix that included 8 points, 11 rebounds. 7 assists and one turnover. The assists/turnover ratio impressed his coach who called it "outstanding at any level". The 11 rebounds were a function of the amazing energy Felix brings with him an time he gets a chine to play.

              St. John's kept coming even when Rutgers got some scoring answers from D.J. Foreman and Deshawn Freeman. They finally took their first lead of the second half on two free throws by Ron Mouika with 1:18 left. While their execution down the stretch was far from flawless Rutgers which had left the door open a bit for St, John's with quick shots could not take advantage. St. John's did just enough to earn a tough win as they head to Maui and a difficult week of basketball tests.

For St. John's Federico Mussini and Yankuba Sima each had 13 points while Ron Mouika added 12

For Rutgers Bishop Daniels had a game high 21 points while Mike Williams added 13.

Graduate Transfers Lead St. John's Past UMBC

`The phrase "graduate transfer" has become an important part of the lexicon of college sports in recent seasons, particularly it seems in men's basketball. The term describes players who have completed undergraduate degrees and have playing eligibility remaining. For programs like St. John's, building under new coach Chris Mullin, they become important players because they lend experience and can help a young core understand how to compete at the college level.

              Last night St. John's two graduate transfers, Durand Johnson from Pittsburgh, and Ron Mvouika from Missouri State played pivotal roles in helping the Red Storm to a 75-53 win over UMBC last night

              They combined with freshman Federico Mussini, who had a second straight outstanding game with 18 points and 6 assists. The Red Storm used a terrific defensive effort to carve out a 9 point halftime advantage  but the aptly named Retrievers used  a terrific rebounding effort and timely 3 point shooting to pull to within 33-31 with just over 17 minutes left. That's when Johnson connected on three straight baskets and started St. John's on a 14-6 run that extended St. John's advantage to 47-37 and they never looked back. Johnson finished with 15 points and credited some timely advice from Mvouika for his hot second half shooting, "He told me to let go of the first half and just play my game", Johnson said of his fellow grad student teammate who showed off some hot shooting of his own with 16 points including 4-4 from 3 point distance. Freshman center Yankuba Sima had 5 of 11 blocked shots for St. John's and lead a defense that held former Manhattan Center HS  standout Aki Thomas' squad to 27% shooting.

              St. John's next faces local Big Ten rival Rutgers Carnesecca Arena on Thursday as part of the Big Ten Big East Challenge that will honor the Big East's late founder and first commissioner Dave Gavitt.

             

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Red Storm Find the Mark From 3-Point Range For Mullin's First Win

                  For New York basketball fans who remember Chris Mullin's playing career at St.John's a fun yet wistful discussion would begin whenever someone, often with a Brooklyn accent, would pose the question "How many would Chris have scored if he had  the 3-point line in college?"

              Without the 3 point line from 1981-85 Chris electrified the city with the help of great teams at St. John's. In his first game as the school's coach the program is a long way from the heights he helped it reach back then but his team used the triple to get their coach his first win, a 66-57 win over Wagner.

              The Red Storm made 9-20 shots from beyond the arc. None was larger than the one made by freshman guard Federico Mussini with 1:15 left in the game when he took a drive and kick pass from Durand Johnson and buried a buzzer beating three from the corner. The shot gave St. John's  a six point margin (60-54) and just enough breathing room to move past coach Bashir Mason's stubborn  Seahawks.

              Wagner used a 9-0 advantage in fast break points and some rugged play inside to play their foes from the Big East tough in a game that saw 9 ties and 19 lead changes. Mussini, one of three freshman starters for St. John's  finished with a game high 18 points and made 4 of 6 treys.

              Coach Mullin emphasized the victory's long term importance saying, "The lesson is that we're building this one brick at a time. Despite setbacks or good times we have work to do..."

              The setbacks Mullin may have been thinking of include an exhibition loss to D-II St. Thomas Aquinas and recent news that freshman Marcus LoVett and reserve Felix Balamou have both been deemed ineligible by the NCAA. LoVett was given partial qualifier status while Balamou was suspended indefinitely due to an unspecified violation. When asked about the news off the court Mullin offered a quick but firm no comment perhaps preferring to keep the focus on his team and their play.  As his young team learns the lessons of team building "one brick at a time" Coach Mullin may well be learning what it means to be more than just the coach but the face of a program. With his own coach Lou Carnesecca watching and offering council before the game, Chris and his team made a good start building towards a bright future.