1) why are the johnnies losing games?
In simplest terms, they lost an All-Big East caliber talent in Marcus LoVett and have struggled to sustain high effort for 40 minutes — in part to a thin roster that currently has eight scholarship players and has guys playing bigger roles than they’re naturally fit for. Inconsistency has plagued this team, too, being inexcusably blown out in their on campus arena to Providence and DePaul while battling competitively vs. No. 1 Villanova in the Garden and Seton Hall, Creighton, and Xavier on the road. A natural point guard doesn’t exist on the roster and the defense continues to look suspect as has been the trend in recent years.
2) is there now heat on Mullin?
The short answer is no. Decision-makers around St. John’s won’t be able to truly evaluate coach Chris Mullin until next season, which will be his fourth at the helm of his alma mater, when he is expected to have a full and experienced roster for the first time in his tenure. The staff has recruited well and its 2018 class is among its best. With Shamorie Ponds and Justin Simon expected to return with a deep group in the front court a step to the top half of the Big East may be mandatory for Mullin to continue operating without looking over his shoulder.
3) how is SJU adjusting without Lovett?
The proof (or the result) is in the pudding. St. John’s is reeling with its star guard in the lineup, having lost its last seven games and failing to beat a top 100 team since LoVett was injured on Nov. 26. Shamorie Ponds, a slick left-handed scorer, has shared significantly upped his usage rate but has struggled to be efficient with his co-star. As a team, open shots, which were frequent when the penetrating LoVett was running up and down the floor, have been scarce only adding to existing defensive and rebounding woes. It hasn’t been a pretty product by any means.
4) has an interior scoring option emerged?
In the guard-dominant offense under this coaching staff there won’t be much traditional interior scorers in terms of dumping the ball in the post and expecting someone to create a scoring opportunity. The tallest player on the team, Tariq Owens, has even began stepping out to the 3-point line in ta jump-shot happy offense that has only recently implemented some successful backdoor cuts to find easier points in the paint.
In simplest terms, they lost an All-Big East caliber talent in Marcus LoVett and have struggled to sustain high effort for 40 minutes — in part to a thin roster that currently has eight scholarship players and has guys playing bigger roles than they’re naturally fit for. Inconsistency has plagued this team, too, being inexcusably blown out in their on campus arena to Providence and DePaul while battling competitively vs. No. 1 Villanova in the Garden and Seton Hall, Creighton, and Xavier on the road. A natural point guard doesn’t exist on the roster and the defense continues to look suspect as has been the trend in recent years.
2) is there now heat on Mullin?
The short answer is no. Decision-makers around St. John’s won’t be able to truly evaluate coach Chris Mullin until next season, which will be his fourth at the helm of his alma mater, when he is expected to have a full and experienced roster for the first time in his tenure. The staff has recruited well and its 2018 class is among its best. With Shamorie Ponds and Justin Simon expected to return with a deep group in the front court a step to the top half of the Big East may be mandatory for Mullin to continue operating without looking over his shoulder.
3) how is SJU adjusting without Lovett?
The proof (or the result) is in the pudding. St. John’s is reeling with its star guard in the lineup, having lost its last seven games and failing to beat a top 100 team since LoVett was injured on Nov. 26. Shamorie Ponds, a slick left-handed scorer, has shared significantly upped his usage rate but has struggled to be efficient with his co-star. As a team, open shots, which were frequent when the penetrating LoVett was running up and down the floor, have been scarce only adding to existing defensive and rebounding woes. It hasn’t been a pretty product by any means.
4) has an interior scoring option emerged?
In the guard-dominant offense under this coaching staff there won’t be much traditional interior scorers in terms of dumping the ball in the post and expecting someone to create a scoring opportunity. The tallest player on the team, Tariq Owens, has even began stepping out to the 3-point line in ta jump-shot happy offense that has only recently implemented some successful backdoor cuts to find easier points in the paint.