A Hidden Gem Shines For St. John's in Lavin's Return

              Perhaps the single biggest change that the internet age has wrought on college basketball is that it's now possible for gym rats everywhere to, in effect, cover every nook and cranny of recruiting from the comfort of his own home. Gone are the days for instance when North Carolina could recruit Michael Jordan without much competition until their own staff placed him at Five Star camp just to make sure he could play against the best in the country. These days thanks to the internet everyone knows everyone there are no secrets anymore.

              Last spring St. John's signing of Texas native Christian Jones was largely overlooked until the announcement. And then the chatter that followed on message boards and blogs wondered who he was "How come this guy isn't on any lists?" was a question that was posted over and over on St. John's blogs, rival team blogs and recruiting blogs all over the web.

              To be sure the lead story of the Red Storm's 73-55 exhibition win over Sanoma State Saturday was the return to the sidelines of Coach Lavin, who missed all but two games last season while he recovered from prostate cancer. it's also fair to say that two of Jones' freshman teammates nosier introductions to the fans at Carnesecca Arena than Jones did. Jakar Sampson, the fine forward from Akron who comes to Queens  already sporting a national reputation scored 14 points, tied Jones for team high rebounding honors with 7 and had 6 steals. Chris Obekpa, the shot blocking specialist who is known more locally than nationally because of his time at Our Savior New American School on Long Island, also made a loud first impression with 7 blocks officially and enough altered shots that St. John's should consider adding that category to the statistical totals it hands out after each game.

              Even as Obekpa Sampson and the rest of his teammates were exciting the crowd with explosive plays there was Jones whose presence may have been quieter but was still hard to miss. He hit the boards for 7 rebounds against a team that was shorter but stronger, he scored 8 points of his own and added 3 assists and 2 blocks. In 29 minutes he showed as much versatility as anyone on the floor for St. John's and the kind of rugged body and physical approach that will likely serve him well as he gets ready for college hoops.

              Coach Lavin was also impressed at how the game, "never really got too fast for him." And when asked to summarize how he found such an unheralded but talented recruit he told a story that was more likely to have been heard in the days before the internet.  It included "a guy from Detroit" who had seen the Texas native on the summer circuit and whet Lavin described as "six degrees of St. John's" that made the youngster curious about  the program. Those connections included a year with guard Phil Greene as his teammate at Florida's IMG Academy, an acquaintance with fellow Texas native D;angelo Harrison and the chance to meet former St. John's star Mo Harkless while he prepared for the draft at IMG. Jones game may be quiet and polished but his confidence and poise are outstanding. And the fact that he's taken Harkless' number 4 likely speaks to that confidence in addition to being a tribute to the  Orlando Magic rookie  For Lavin there's a moral to the story, as he put it "this is why I always tell my assistants to pick up the phone you never know what you might find." Indeed while an exhibition game is only a small and flawed sample, Jones showed enough poise strength and hoops IQ that there's a chance he may be a hidden gem. And just think, he was just a little luck and a phone call away.

News and Notes from Saturday: Four Johnnies, freshman Felix Balamou senior God'sgift Achiuwa along with junior college transfers Orlando Sanchez and  Marco Bourgault were held out of the game. Bourgault and Sanchez are reportedly awaiting decisions from the NCAA regarding separate eligibility issues while Achiuwa and Balamou are considering red-shirting this season. Lavin said they expected final determination on Sanchez and Bourgault to be made soon and that their status would be one of several considerations in the decision to redshirt Balamou and Achiuwa. Sophomores Phil Greene and Amir Garrett tied for game high scoring honors with 17 apiece

Dingle and Okoro Write Championship Chapter For St. Ray's

Much of the postscript following St. Ray's 66-58 win over Holy Cross for the CHSAA's AA city championship has focused on what senior stars Daniel Dingle and Kerwin Okoro endured during their careers at the Bronx basketball power.  There's  no doubt that the loss of six teammates over two seasons gave the two players, who were still growing in their games and as young men, pause to think long and hard about their futures.
While the off the court situation at St. Ray's eventually calmed down, senior year brought with it new challenges. St. Ray's struggled early, in part because of injuries, especially an ankle that severely limited talented junior Shane Rector, and perhaps due to the absence of arch rival Rice High School seemingly made the bull's eye on the Ravens both larger and brighter. The Ravens suffered losses to  Cardinal Hayes and Mount St.Michael, and Archbishop Stepinac who rejoined the "AA" division after Rice closed. A blowout loss to the Cardinals at the end of the regular season was likely the team's low point, and seemingly made them an afterthought going into the post season.  After all, Hayes had their powerful front line and speedy backcourt transfers from Rice. Christ the King, the league's two time defending champs had the league's best player in Omar Calhoun, and Holy Cross could spread the floor and shoot the three as well as any team in the league..
The Ravens did a remarkable job proving the so-called experts wrong. They won the top seed in the New York Archdiocese with a win against Hayes. won convincingly against All Hallows in the intersectional quarter finals and grinded out a tough win in their fourth meeting against Hayes. Suddenly a new group of Ravens was in familiar territory for Coach Oliver Antigua and the program; at Fordham playing for a city title.
Of course the team responded with a championship level effort. In doing so they not only took home a title but withstood a tremendous challenge from Holy Cross, who played great despite facing some early adversity when star guard Marquise Moore left the game with a minute to go in the opening quarter due to foul trouble.
The Knights trailed 15-12 at that moment but played a terrific 9 minutes to hold their ground against St. Ray's. While Rector and Okoro propelled them to a quick offensive start, Will Davis kept the Knights on their heels with 13 first half points that included 4 triples. Even though St. Ray's had played well, the Knights trailed by just 31-29 at the half without Moore and they appeared to be in good position as the second half opened and Moore was back on the floor.
The third quarter settled into a terrific back and forth battle. Okoro switched on to the hot shooting Davis and limited him to just 8 second half points. And his production both ends of the floor, 21 points and 10 boards gave him a well deserved MVP honor. The Ravens extended their margin as Holy Cross hurt themselves a little bit with quick jump shots against an aggressive defense that seemed to frustrate them.  While the Knights would rally to keep the game close St. Ray's always seemed to have a winning response. And while most of those came from Okoro, one crucial one came with Dingle's help. Daniel did not have a big scoring game but as he has throughout his great career he did whatever it took to help his team.  In addition to his 11 points he hauled in 10 boards and added six assists, including one crucial one on a beautiful feed from the post to a cutting Myron Hickman for a critical two points. Rector, whose scoring was crucial in the first half finished with 16 points. For the Knights Davis had 21 points and Moore added 13 points.
Through a season's worth of struggle, the 2012 Ravens demonstrated a champion's heart, and enriched the great history of St. Raymond's basketball while carving out their own place in it.  Congratulations to both teams on a great game and season, and to St. Ray's on a well earned championship.

Molloy and Hayes Advance to Face Brooklyn-Queens Top Seeds

Archbishop Molloy and Cardinal Hayes posted convincing wins in last night's preliminary round action in the CHSAA's "AA" intersectional playoffs. Hayes will face Bishop Loughlin the 2 seed from Brooklyn Queens while Molloy will face top seeded Holy Cross in what should be a great day of quarter final action Sunday, March 4th at Fordham University. Here are recaps of last night's action.

Cardinal Hayes 67 St. Francis Prep 42 For a little over a quarter Tim Leary's Terrier's controlled the pace of the game and made enough outside shots to stay close.  While opponents tend to focus on the Cardinals' talented inside duo of Amadou Sidibe and Jalen Jenkins, it was coach Joe Lods perimeter guys who took advantage of the attention the post guys drew and kick started Hayes' offense. Nasir Williams who finished with 13 points started the barrage with a three pointer and Shavar Newkirk who finished with 17 followed displaying both his superior outside shooting and driving skill. Sidibe added 13 and Hayes had a convincing win. Brett Buser led St. Francis with 10 points and Gabe Gonzales added 8 points.

Molloy 65 St. Peter's 59 Senior guard George Davis had 19 points and led a balanced effort for the Stanners. He and C.J. Davis drove effectively to the basket and when they weren't scoring they were setting up Morrell Gaskins and Marco Kozul for scores. Coach Jack Curran's squad led by 12 at the half and by 7 as the fourth quarter began. But that's when coach Charlie Driscoll's got hot and rallied behind the play of perimeter players Jack Shanahan, Andrew Cannon and sophomore Lattrell Curtis.  They combined with sturdy Patrick Fennell's good work around the basket and nearly helped St. Peter's steal this one. The Eagles' Andrew Cannon, one of the CHSAA"s best shooters hit a triple with 2:16 left to bring his team to within 55-52. George Davis responded for Molloy with a pretty baseline reverse layup and two free throws. Moments later when Cannon hit another trey to bring the deficit back to four points Molly passed ahead against pressure defense and found Kozul for dunks which effectively sealed the win.

            In addition to George Davis' 19 points C.J. Davis added 15, Morell Gaskins had 14 while Kozul had 14 and 13 rebounds for Molloy.

            Shanahan led St. Peter's with 14 points, Cannon added 13, Fennell had 12 and Curtis added 11 points

Clippers and Knights Advance to Freshman Finals

            Holy Cross and Xaverian, who arguably have been the best freshman teams in the CHSAA this season posted wins to advance to Saturday's final at Holy Cross. The game will feature some of New York City's top talent in the class of 2015 and will provide a great glimpse into what is a bright future for basketball in the metropolitan area. Here are brief recaps of the games that set the stage for Saturday.

            Xaverian 73 St. Ray's 58  Talented lefty big man Latiq Lainey helped the Clippers get out of the gate quickly scoring 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter. Throughout the game he demonstrated all the abilities that will make him a target for major colleges once he's a senior. He involved his teammates with his passing, rebounded well and did a much better job than earlier in the year staying out of foul trouble. For the Clippers Lainey's efforts were augmented by a pair of talented lefty guards Dorian Issac, who finished with 19 points and Zack Bozar who hit double figures and played his best floor game of the season. Forward Luke Schriber may have been the team's best player. He finished with 16 points and showed terrific outside shooting ability and a great knack for being in position for rebounds.

            The Ravens stayed within striking distance behind the play of point guard Jaquan McKennon, who bounced back from a first half struggle to finish with 19 points and a pair of smooth shooting wings Efram DeJesus and Sonny Lorenzo who finished with 14 and 10 points respectively.

            Holy 57 Stepinac 53 The Knights rallied late with some terrific execution down the stretch. Consecutive "high-low" plays that resulted in baskets for talented big man Jeremy Bonafaccio and a long trey from Jeremy Bishop helped the Knights hold off a stubborn Crusader squad. Guard Cheyenne Nettleton led the Knights with 15 points while Bishop added 14. Guard Brandon Steed added 10 points but was a catalyst with his quickness in transition and on defense

Despite Heavy Hearts Knights Win Diocesan Crown

At the end of the day as Holy Cross celebrated their 60--57 win over Bishop Loughlin it was left to Marquise Moore, who's been their best player, to sum up the situation succinctly when he said, "He stayed strong for us, he stayed strong for the team".

            Staying strong could not have been easy for Knights' coach Paul Gilvary, whose mother passed away on Wednesday after a brief illness.  With this in mind before I begin the game story I'd like to first extend condolences to both coach Gilvary and his brother Tim who serves as assistant athletic director at Holy Cross and plays a vital role in the operation of the CHSAA "AA" division as well. Their selfless work at Holy Cross and within the league has been vital to the education of children throughout the city. Thoughts and prayers go out to them as they mourn their loss.

            Even in a championship game the young Lions came out with the same aggressiveness they showed while upsetting top seeded Christ the King on Wednesday.  Behind Elisha Boone (18 points) Khadeen Carrington (16 points) and Mike Williams (13 points) the Lions sprinted to a 22-10 lead with just over four minutes left in the first half. But thanks to the Knights' ability to get Moore the ball in different scoring spots, and some key minutes off the bench from soph Josh Wallace the Knights trailed by just 28-24 at the half.

            Moore, who finished with 25 points played as he has all year, scoring on drives and jumpers from the elbow and baseline. As the Lions kept fighting, Moore kept providing scoring answers and by the time the final period began the Knights led 41-39

            The final quarter was a nip and tuck struggle but with the game tied at 50 Will Davis followed in a miss and Moore had two free throws to give Cross a 54-50 lead. But a great effort by Loughlin on the boards and four missed free throws by the Knights opened the door for the Lions. Carrington was fouled on a drive and made the first free throw to make the score 58-57. Coach Gilvary called timeout and Carrington missed the next one and on the scramble that ensued the arrow pointed the Knights way on a tie up. Moore was fouled and made both free ones for what would be the final margin. On their last possession with 2.6 seconds left the Lions threw the ball into Carrington, who let a shot go from beyond half court that hit the rim and drew a gasp from the audience.

            Both teams are to be congratulated for a great final game and a great Diocesan Tournament. Both have well-earned byes into the intersectional quarter finals, and both will be tough outs in that tournament next week.

           

Cross Shows Veteran Poise While Young Lions Score Upset to Reach Diocesan Finals

Second seeded Holy Cross used a terrific fourth quarter and near perfect free throw shooting to earn a 62-55 win over Xaverian while Bishop Loughlin's young lions used their slashing and shooting ability to streak past defending champion and top seeded Christ the King 74-67 at St. Francis Prep last night. The two teams will meet tomorrow for the Diocesan title in a matchup that features a Holy Cross filled with talented seniors and a young Loughlin squad which struggled at times during the regular season but showed last night they're capable of putting a winning effort together at any time against any team. With their wins both the Knights and Lions earned byes into next week's intersectional quarter finals.  Here are recaps of last night's games:
Holy Cross 63 Xaverian 55 The Clippers started well in this one, leading 28-23 at the half. While the Knights' Will Davis did a terrific job against the Clippers shooting star Brian Bernardi, n teammates, George Lambert and soph Raven Owen combined with the Clippers' other star Dillon Burns to pick up the slack. Owen especially was exceptional in helping his team to their half time advantage; providing scoring with great drives and terrific passing. He even found Bernardi with a quick hit ahead pass. for what would be his only open look at a three pointer which he drained.
Owen experienced some hard growing pains in the second half when two quick shots by him that missed opened the door for the Knights to tie the game at 28 with a quick 5-0 burst out of the locker room.  Behind Marquise Moore, Davis and Mareiga Clarke the Knights opened up a six point advantage before the Clippers regrouped and tied the game at 41 heading into the final 8 minutes.
From there the Moore's clutch shooting and Davis' defense were the difference Moore's 22 points included a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe and a contested trey from the corner which gave the Knights a 57-50 lead with just under a minute left.  Davis' defense limited Bernardi to just 12 points and while Dylan Burns would put in 20 for the Clippers they forced him into many tough ones that led to transition opportunities for the Knights. As they have all season the Knights demonstrated the kind of poise that comes with having seniors and an ability to score at all 5 positions that should continue to serve them well in the playoffs.
Loughlin 74 Christ the King 67 Super sophomore Khadeen Carrington and his Lion teammates showed once and for all that they will respond to a challenge.  Carrington  was fouled hard with just under 6 minutes remaining in the third quarter and the Lions trailing the Royals. Play was stopped, a flagrant foul was called, and Carrington's mom rushed to the court to check on her son. Once play resumed the Lions, led by Carrington blitzed the Royals, outscoring them 16-11 to close out the period and when Mike Williams put the Lions ahead 56-52 with one of his signature three point shots, the Lions hurt the Royals as they did in two close regular season loses, by spreading the floor and driving to the basket.  While Carrington was the main scorer, picking up 17 of his 26 points in the last two quarters, Williams Jordan Nanton Elisia Boone and the rest of the Lions each contributed key drives for either baskets or assists as they utilized their quickness advantage perfectly against the bigger Royals. And when CK finally gained their footing and lowered the margin to 7 points with 2:15 left it was time for Carrington to provide the knockout blow with a tough off balance banker from the left side.  For the Lions Williams added 12 points while Boone, Lavar Harewood and Kevin Ravenell each added 10.  For the Royals Omar Calhoun had 18 points and Jon Severe added 16 in the loss

St. John's Finds Help From Within For Second Straight Win

To be sure the hot topic amongst the hard core internet informed fan base of St. John's men basketball has been whether or not help is on the way. With their coach Steve Lavin still following a modified schedule that allows him to be at practice and on the recruiting trail much has been posted written and said wondering what kind of recruiting class the Red Storm will announce  this spring and whether or not that class will be able to augment the efforts of a talented freshman group that has played well at times but struggled  because of the lack of depth behind them. The interest in the next recruiting class, and coach Lavin's efforts has been so intense that the beat writers from the Daily News and the New York Post watched the game from Lavin's apartment.

            As their coach searches the recruiting trail to hopefully find that depth, the Red Storm may not be adding roster depth just yet but they have become deeper  in a sense because players who are starting out of necessity are beginning to get better and make more significant contributions.

            As the young Red Storm earned their second straight win with a 79-72 victory over DePaul on Tuesday. the guys who have been their most consistent performers were again rock solid.  D'angelo Harrison led the scoring with 23 points and was exceptional with poise and free throw shooting that helped ice the game for St. John's. Moe Harkless  contributed  with 14 points and 11 rebounds. It's likely that tired legs that can be expected when a freshman plays 40 minutes a night have caused his normally reliable jumper to falter. But to his credit he has continued to make his presence felt on the boards and by scoring inside. The double double was his third straight.

            The difference in these last two wins that have helped St. John's snap a four game losing streak has been the play of other freshmen who started more slowly than the two stalwarts but are now finding their stride as St. John's comes down the stretch of the season. Amir Garrett, who joined the team at the semester break appears to have shaken the rust off and is beginning to play some great basketball.  He finished one rebound short of a double-double of his own (18 points 9 caroms). And while he may be happier with the three pointer he nailed from the left corner, a surer sign that the rust is completely gone is the 9 of 11 he shot from the free throw line.  He and Harrison led a free throw shooting effort that coach Mike Dunlap described as the "story of the game" that was "kinda invisible. And it helped St. John's win despite scoring just two field goals in the final 4:46 of the game.

            Garrett also combined with the team's energy guy Sir^Dominic Pointer to lead a defensive effort that forced 18 turnovers. On paper the wins brought St. John's to just 12-16 overall and 5-10 in the Big East but with the rest of the iron five (beyond Harkless and Harrison) beginning to find its stride, good things may happen before re-enforcements arrive.