The Creighton men’s basketball team opens Big East play on Thursday afternoon on the road at St. John’s. A lot has changed on this team since last season, including their head coach. St. John’s hired one of their own in former NBA star Chris Mullin. His first season has had some ups and downs already.
To get us up to speed on all the changes that have been happening with that program, we reached out to our friends at Rumble in the Garden. (you can also read our Q &A with them here). Norman Rose gives us some insight on what to expect in NYC on Tuesday from St. John’s
White & Blue Review: How excited were fans when Chris Mullin was named head coach? Is he the right guy to take over the program?
Norman Rose: I am surprised not to have seen any shots of middle-aged men crying in the street. I mean that. People were over the moon – given his pedigree, affability, and his stature as one of the “Mount Rushmore” faces of St. John’s and Big East basketball, it was a definite PR win. And that was a win that the school needed. It’s been a number of years trying to find the right combination of characters, the right leadership to stabilize St. John’s. Mullin, at the very least, is stable, knows basketball, and impresses recruits.
WBR: After the preseason exhibition game, St. John’s was in everyone’s minds for the wrong reasons. How much rebuilding and changing of the culture really needed to be done? Did Steve Lavin leave the program in a worrisome state?
NR: So, after Mullin took over, he inherited five players – two starters who were known to be… “strong headed” at times. And those two left the program. So he inherited three players who barely left the bench and looked wildly overmatched on the Big East level, a program that had been recruiting with all the energy of a horny but exhausted fraternity man at three AM at the near-campus bar at the end of his semester, and very little else. Lavin left the program a bit empty, though he had made inroads with some of the players who DID come to St. John’s – namely Marcus LoVett (sidelined, not eligible) and Federico Mussini. But other than that, the long-term health of the program was worrisome. At best, set up for boom-and-bust cycles, and at worst, slipping into the sea.
WBR: It is really hard to figure out what this team is going to do from game to game? What has been their downfall in the games that it seemed like they really should have won in non-conference play?
NR: It’s not hard to figure out. In every game, three-point shooters are left open after screening someone like Federico Mussini or Ron Mvouika – both players with talent, but lacking some defensive foot speed. In every game, the Johnnies struggle to get good shots for stretches. In every game, there are a spate of turnovers as the opponent pressures the team full court. Sometimes there are some hurried “hero” shots.
The thing about St. John’s is that some of their opponents just couldn’t hit the open shots from the outside; other teams shot poorly on free throw opportunities. Niagara went 13/24. St. Francis went 8/13. Rutgers went 5/14. So some of those wins were a sprinkling of luck, too. But the Johnnies took those opportunities as best as they could.
WBR: Who has been the surprise player for the Johnnies so far this season?
NR: They’re all new, so they’re all a surprise! Perhaps Christian Jones, who, at times, is an effective post scoring presence, showing what it was that Steve Lavin saw in him many years ago when Jones was recruited.
WBR: How big is it for St. John’s to win the Big East opener? Will that dictate the rest of their conference season?
NR: I think it would change the feeling around the program, for sure, after losing three straight. It would show that there is light at the end of the rebuilding tunnel, but the season is long. Has the win over Syracuse changed the rest of the non-conference season fr the better? Not at all; the team has lost all of its games since.
WBR: What are St. John’s biggest weaknesses right now that Creighton could look to exploit?
NR: Perimeter defense. Creighton loves the three and shoots the three-pointer well. A few well-placed screens could free up a driving guard and then resultant confusion will free up those shooters, unless the Johnnies have worked on their quickness around screens and defensive recognition/ rotation.
WBR: What is your final prediction? What will St. John’s need to do to keep Creighton from stealing one on the road?
NR: St. John’s will need to handle any pressure defenses with skill, and hit three-pointers. When they get going, the Red Storm can stroke it. But some days, the stroke is rough and the shots won’t fall. Along with that, defending the perimeter more capably is the key. Not just the leaving of shooters, but being able to defend without help.