St. John's new guys put on offensive show
The numbers are down for St. John's this year in terms of scholarship players on the roster (eight), but if the Red Storm's 110-80 exhibition victory over C.W. Post last night at Carnesecca Arena was any indication, they're going to put some gaudy numbers on the scoreboard.
All six incoming members of the recruiting class scored in double figures and shot better than 50 percent. God'sgift Achiuwa (21 points, 9 rebounds, 10-for-13 shooting) led the way and was joined by Phil Greene (20 points, 8-for-10 shooting) D'Angelo Harrison (20 points, 4 assists), Nurideen Lindsey (16 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), Moe Harkless (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Sir'Dominic Pointer (12 points, 6-for-8 shooting).
The Storm topped the 90-point mark on a dunk by Lindsey with 8:18 left, led by as many as 35 points and shot 65.8 percent for the game (50-for-76). Assistant coach Mike Dunlap, who is running the team while coach Steve Lavin recuperates from prostate cancer surgery, was pleased with the start of the second half when the Storm went on a 32-10 run.
"It was nice to see them come out in the second half and establish a tone and play through the paint," Dunlap said. "[C.W. Post] had 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half."
One of the most impressive stats of the night was the 24 assists St. John's had against only 10 turnovers. "A big part of the offense is ball movement," Lindsey said. "We have a lot of guys who can play different spots on the floor . . . Just seeing the chemistry out there was extremely fun."
In the first half, Achiuwa unveiled an impressive array of moves around the basket, making his first seven shots. The crowd chanted "God is on our side," which was music to the Nigerian post man's ears. "That really got me going," Achiuwa said. "I believe in God so much. It was motivating."
The real revelation might have been Greene, who was 4-for-6 from three-point range. "My teammates got me open shots," Greene said. "They did an excellent job of penetrating and kicking and looking for me on the weak side."
C.W. Post was led by Stefan Bonneau's 28-point performance, and the Pioneers also matched the Red Storm on the boards with 36 rebounds each. That was the one number Dunlap didn't like.
"It's a liability," Dunlap said of the rebounding, "and it will be a liability all season."
