St. John's coach Steve Lavin trying different lineups, seeks offensive identity
St. John's head coach Steve Lavin directs his team. (Dec. 28, 2013) Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
"Unconventional" doesn't begin to describe the extremes St. John's coach Steve Lavin went to last Saturday at Georgetown when he started non-scholarship forward Khadim Ndiaye in place of second-leading scorer JaKarr Sampson and 12th man Felix Balamou in place of third-leading scorer Phil Greene. The move backfired as the Red Storm trailed by as much as 33 points in a blowout loss.
Lavin declined Thursday to name his starting lineup for Saturday afternoon's game at Madison Square Garden against Villanova (14-1, 3-0 Big East), which is ranked No. 8 in the AP poll and No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches poll. But it sounds as though Sampson, who also is the leading rebounder for St. John's (9-5, 0-2), might be in line for a bigger role after playing only 18 minutes against the Hoyas.
"It's a privilege, not a right, to play college basketball," Lavin said when asked about Sampson's situation. "You've got to earn it every day through your approach. JaKarr's had a great week of practice. Probably his best three days of his career in terms of consecutive days."
Pressed as to whether Sampson did something specific to fall from grace, the coach said, "Across the board, we're still a group that's growing. It's about maturation."
Lavin has continued to experiment with different lineups in practice to find a combination that shares the ball willingly and executes on offense. Despite putting together a collection of individually talented players, the group has yet to develop a consistent offensive identity, and Lavin made it clear that's what he is seeking.
"Absolutely," Lavin said. "We fell 18 down to Wisconsin, 15 down to Georgia Tech, 15 down to Penn State, down 33 to Georgetown. In the start of the second half at Xavier, they boat-raced us and never looked back . . . Each year, you have to work on these concepts that will help you be more competitive. We're not there yet."
Another player whose performance has gone up and down is freshman point guard Rysheed Jordan. He had a season-high 17 points at Xavier and then only two points in a limited 15-minute role at Georgetown. Lavin said Jordan suffered an ankle injury before the Georgetown game that hurt his speed and explosiveness and then tweaked it again this week in practice.
"I don't expect it to keep him out of competition," Lavin said. "If he stays healthy, there's no reason he can't be one of the better freshmen in the country."
Talent isn't St. John's problem. It's learning how to make it work together.
