In the paint

BY RODERICK BOONE

Norm Roberts isn't going anywhere.

St. John's just sent a release out stating Roberts is still going to be roaming the Red Storms' sidelines next season. With St. John's fading badly down the stretch and once again being irrelevant in the metropolitan area's college basketball scene, there had been whispers about Roberts' job security.

SJU athletic director Chris Monasch put a rest to that by announcing Roberts is safe for next season and beyond.

“In recent weeks there has been speculation regarding the status of Norm Roberts’ future as head men’s basketball coach at St. John's University,” Monasch said in a statement. “Most of those comments focused on the pace of progress measured solely by wins. Our assessment of what Norm and his staff have accomplished over the past four years is broader than that, and in many key areas the progress is consistent with the expectations expressed by the University, our supporters and Coach Roberts when he was hired in 2004. Norm has established the foundation of a great program – integrity, hard work and discipline – and while we join many of our loyal fans in wanting to see that foundation generate greater success on the court, we are confident that the program will return to its winning tradition in the very near future.

"I felt it was important to make this announcement at this time so that our coaches and players can focus on the last three games of the season as we attempt to qualify for the Big East Championship Tournament," Monasch's statement continued. "Also, it is important for recruits who are in the process of making decisions to know that Norm Roberts will be the coach at St. John’s University."

So in essence, for those who wanted Roberts out, it's not going to happen.

To check out Joe Gergen's story on Roberts, click here.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

I miss watching Kia Wright play on a regular basis.

I checked out the St. John’s women’s 97-56 win over Morgan State last Sunday, only to be reminded of the privilege I had as a college senior I was the team’s beat writer at The Torch, the award-winning student newspaper of St. John’s University. The privilege earned me the one of watch Wright play every week.

She has had a number of set backs because of injuries the last two seasons, but when she’s healthy she is arguably the best player on the floor every game.

She is unquestionably St. John’s most important.

Wright brings a savvy and a total awareness of everything that is happing on the court. Early in the game she knowingly allowed a Morgan State (6-4) guard to drive baseline, a big no no in basketball, but quickly blocked her shot from behind. If there was an open teammate she found her. She hit open shot after open shot. The senior scored a game-high 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting, including 6-for-6 from the three-point line. She also had six assists.

"I was just feeling it,” Wright said. “In the Baylor game I tried to do too much. I wanted to come back today and just ease myself back in, just play the way I know how to play and not force too many issues.”

When Wright came out of the game St. John’s (9-4) was a shell of itself on offense at times. Coach Kim Barnes Arico called time out in the second half of a blow out to instruct freshman Sky Lindsay and junior Kristin Moore as the St. John’s offense sputtered.

Wright is one of the best players ever at St. John’s. The Copiague native is seventh on its all-time scoring list with 1,296 points and third in career three-pointers made with 111. She will be remembered for bringing St. John’s back to the NCAA tournament in 2006, I season I had the privilege of chronicling. It was the program’s first appearance since 1988.

Wright’s career is coming to a close this season. How it will end and what she will do after is still unknown. There are some things I do know thought. If you are a basketball fan, go watch her play. She won't disappoint. If you are a high school or grammar school player, tell your parents to buy a ticket and watch her very closely. You can learn a lot

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

It was sure ugly, but you'll take last night's win over Marist if your a St. John's fan. Here is a quick run down of the good, bad and ugly from the game.

The Good

Tomas Jasiulionis score a career-high 12 points and hit a huge, and very unexpected three-pointer, late in the second half. Did he think he was Lamont Hamilton last night. Maybe he read my soft in the middle and wanted to show why he starts and that he can still play. Jasiulionis needs both his play and leadership to continue as the young big men develop. Dele Coker’s sweet up and under, courtesy of coach Q, yesterday was a great sign of that.

Anthony Mason Jr. had that look in his eye. He established himself early offensively, created for his teammates and just had the swagger in his step you want in your No. 1 guy.

The Bad

Larry Wright's "disappearing act” continued. He scored just six points on four field goal attempts in 17 minutes. Mason's return is really starting to limit his minutes and even his scoring opportunities.

A dumb foul by Mason late led to a four-point Marsit possession that got it back into the game. Instead of finally closing out the Red Foxes the Red Storm has to sweat out the final possession.

The Ugly

(A couple of goose eggs)

Point guard Eugene Lawrence had zero assists. That's right zero. They flashed the stat up when he was at the free throw line and I was flabbergasted.

D. J. Kennedy did not score. He was 0 for 6 from the field and did not attempt a free throw. Now that's ugly.

So could the game today against an impressive Virginia Tech team if St. John's does not play better. We will see. I'll be watching with you.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Ho Ho Ho…

The big man in the red suit is finished for another season and now it's time for the guys in the red jerseys to continue theirs. Here are a couple of quick items before Friday’s Holiday Festival game against Marist at 8 p.m. at the Garden.

Norm Rogers (It’s not a typo. Read on)

Prior to the Aeropostale Classic on Dec. 20, a radio ad for both that and the Aeropostale Holiday Festival came on during my drive to work. After mentioning Duke and Pittsburgh, the announcer shifted to the Holiday Festival. He said, come see St. John’s and head coach Norm Rogers take on Marist. Norm Rogers? Who is Norm Rogers? You have to be kidding me. Who let that ad on the air? I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my career, but you are telling me no one listened to that before it was released and said, wait I think something sounds funny. I guess Norm ROBERTS hasn’t quite made a name for himself yet. Today on my way to work and ad solely for the Holiday Festival came on the radio. I waited to hear Norm Rogers again, but this time they got it right.

St. John’s on the XBOX 360

On Christmas Eve I opened my College Hoops 2K8 for XBOX 360 and immediately set up a St. John’s versus Pittsburgh match up with my brother at Carnesecca Arena. The Johnnies came storming out of the virtual locker room not into replica of Carnesecca Arena, but into something that looked more like a glorified high school gym. There were no multiple levels of seating and the bleachers had fans standing in the front row. On the bland walls behind the hoops were a few Red Storm and STJ posters. (Some people will say that Carnesecca Arena is a glorified high school gym).

The play-by-play announcer called Mike Cavataio, Cav-at-tie-o. The court looked perfect though, down to Lou Carnesecca’s signature by the hash marks. The other piece of good news was the Red Storm pulled out a seven-point comeback victory with the help of some nifty outside shooting and some full-court pressure.

Larry….(W)Right?

A poster named Pico left me a comment over Christmas about “Larry Wright’s "disappearing act" the last two games. It’s a great point that I failed to touch on after the Rainbow Classic. He is becoming a forgotten man in Norm’s rotation. Seven points in 31 minutes the last two games will not cut it. Early he looked like he was going to be the perimeter scorer St. John's needed to compliment Anthony Mason Jr. and Justin Burrell. Yet since Mason's return, outside of a decent game against Ohio, his minutes and production have dropped. Roberts has seemed to favor the longer and stronger D. J. Kennedy and Paris Horne, to an extent. Kennedy is a different player than Wright, but Larry is more polished and a better outside shooter than Horne.

I'll check back after Friday’s game.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

St. John’s interior play has been as soft as the Pillsbury Doughboy lately.

Haa Hoo….

That might be a bit harsh, but St. John’s (5-4) has shown an inability to defend and rebound against good interior players.

While it did a great job getting Tulane forward David Gomez, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, in serious foul trouble, center Robinson Louisme scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. It was far better performance then some of St. John’s front court players combined in a 79-71 loss last night at the Rainbow Classic. Roberts tried to switch to a zone to help alleviate the problem a bit, but to no avail.

Another big game from another opposing big man.

Ohio’s Leon Williams was good for 24 points and 10 rebounds on Wednesday night and Niagara’s Charron Fisher went for 30 and 14 on Dec. 15. Like I’ve said before, these guys are nothing compared to what awaits the in Big East play.

Last night not one St. John’s player had double-digit rebounds. There were plenty to be had considering the Red Storm shot an abysmal 25.7 percent in the second half. After Sean Evans’ 11 points, the next highest total by a St. John’s big man was four apiece from Tomas Jasiulionis and Justin Burrell.

It makes me miss the sight of Lamont Hamilton patrolling the middle, but vision of him shooting threes I can live without.

Happy Holidays Everyone

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Christmas came early for St. John's.

The Red Storm finally got a healthy Anthony Mason Jr. yesterday. Imagine the smile on coach Norm Roberts face seeing that nestled under his Christmas tree.

His 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting helped lead St. John's to 68-62 win over host Hawaii in the consolation round of the Rainbow Classic. He was one of four players in double figures. D.J. Kennedy and Justin Burrell each had 12 and Eugene Lawrence added 10. Kennedy also had 11 rebounds.

Mason's health is arguably the key to St. John's (5-3) going from a bottom of the Big East team to one that can be highly competitive. Roberts raved about Mason's versatility from the day the 6-foot-7 swingman stepped foot on campus.

His presence on the court helps St. John's in so many ways. Mason is a legitimate scorer who can shoot from the outside. His ability to rebound will help an inexperienced front line compete in a physical Big East. He is an athletic leader that now deepens the rotation.

And he plays defense.

Mason held Bobby Nash, Hawaii's best player, to 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting. His ability to guard a team's top scorer has a trickle down effect. As they did last night Eugene Lawrence and Malik Boothe are then able to try to wear down and frustrate an opponent's point guard and stifle their offense.

While kudos go to Lawrence for his leadership and other incredible final minutes, the story yesterday was Mason.

So go tell it from the mountain: Young Mase is back

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Leon Williams’s game-winning layup with .2 of a second left must have made St. John’s Hawaiian hotel feel like the heart-break variety. The Red Storm dropped its first game of the Rainbow Classic 71-69 to Ohio last night and play Hawaii tomorrwo. It was St. John’s (4-3) third straight loss.

Just as Chad Gates (Elvis) made his return from the Army in the 1961 film Blue Hawaii, back was Anthony Mason Jr. from a high ankle sprain last night. Mason scored just four points on 2 of 4 shooting and committed three turnovers in 17 minutes. Partial qualifier Rob Thomas made his debut, two points in four minutes. Getting Mason and Thomas on the floor, but not what they did on it, was the bulk of the good news last night. There were plenty of concerns keeping the St. John’s players from dancing to Rock-A-Hula-Baby at a celebratory luau and each coach sipped on a Blue Hawaii.

1. No double dip for Burrell: Freshman Justin Burrell had just seven points and seven rebounds. He called Ohio’s 6-foot-8 245 pound William’s “the best player I’ve played against so far.” Williams had 24 points and 10 rebounds.

The Concern: He may change his tune after played Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert and UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet, both over 7-feet tall.

2. Move your feet: St. John’s committed 26 fouls leading to 34 Ohio free throws. Against Niagara it was 28 fouls for 46 free throws.

The Concern: Shockingly it was an improvement, but still a disheartening trend. To coach Norm Roberts credit he did say.” We’re young, we foul too much – silly fouls that put them in a one-and-one."

3. Shooting highs and lows: The high was St. John’s shot 53.1 percent from the field for the game and 65 percent in the second half. The low, just 1 of 11 from three in the first half.

The Concern: Except for a few blips, St. John’s has shot the ball fairly well, but it hasn’t seemed to matter recently.

4. Jolly Geno: Eugene Lawrence scored all of his 16 points in the second half and 11 in the final 2:07, including a three-pointer with 1.5 seconds left to tie the score at 69.

The Concern: A basketball game has two halves.

5. Just plain odd: Neither team had any fast break points.

The Concern: Even in a fifth grade CYO game there is bound to be that one basket-hanging kid who scores after catching a baseball pass to the chest and using every once of strength to just the get the ball over the rim.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

St. John’s suffered a historic loss to Niagara on Saturday. It was the first time the Red Storm’s sister school won in Jamaica since Feb. 16, 1963 when it beat then coach Joe Lapchick 53-49. St. John’s was a dismal 9-15 that season. It is the second time Niagara has beaten the Johnnies under Norm Roberts. In 2004, Roberts first season, they fell 102-82.

The game before that St. John’s lost to St. Francis College 53-52, on the night they named Carnesecca Arena, for the second straight historic loss that season. It was the first time the Terriers beat St. John’s since a 76-73 win in 1956, the game was played at a neutral site. The last time the Terriers had beaten St. John’s at home was a 67-48 victory in 1954. Both of those losses came with Alfred “Dusty” DeStefano on the bench.

Now there is a name you don’t hear to often.

In 2004, St. John’s was depleted after the sex scandal gutted any talent left from a team that won the NIT two seasons prior. When the season ended Roberts sat behind his desk and told me:

“This past year that we played was a mirage. It wasn’t the true atmosphere, the true way St. John’s is going to be as far as depth. Last year we had eight players. Even if you played bad you were going to play.”

Since then Roberts has improved St. John’s talent and depth. So, losses to teams like Niagara shouldn’t happen any more. Right?

They will when you are as sloppy as St. John’s was Saturday

Eighteen Red Storm turnovers led to 21 Niagara points and 28 St. John’s fouls allowed Niagara to score 32 points from the free throw line. Big men Dele Coke and Sean Evans combined for six points, two rebounds, and nine fouls in 28 minutes.

While the talent has risen, St. John’s has still needed players on the lower end of the team’s talent pool to play a good number of minutes because of injuries and the chance to get experience. That should change with Anthony Mason Jr. and Rob Thomas’s return for St. John's game against Ohio in the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii on Wednesday.

As St. John’s says aloha to its first national tournament outside New York since the Great Alaskan shootout in 2001, try to do the same to any memories of Saturday.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Optimism can evaporate quickly.

Is St. John’s expected to beat Niagara at home Saturday? Sure. But if they don’t, the juice it created with four impressive performances against inferior opponents to start the season could start to evaporate

The Purple Eagles are not Miami, but they are not St. Francis College either.

Niagara (4-3) won the MAAC tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament last season. It was picked to finish third in the conference this year. Niagara has two preseason All-MAAC selections in senior Charron Fisher and sophomore Tyrone Lewis. Fisher is averaging 27 points and 8.6 rebounds while Lewis averages 14.0 points and 5.4 boards. A loss Saturday would be St. John’s second straight after falling to Miami 66-47 all the way back on Dec. 2.

Rust could be a factor.

The Red Storm (4-1) will need to answer some questions about its shooting. It is shooting 44.6 percent for the season, but shot a dreadful 30 percent against Miami and just 38.2 percent against Long Island University in the game prior. Just two bad nights or a sign of what’s to come as the opposition becomes more formidable? Saturday could start to give us a clearer idea.

A Red Storm win mean you can still adamantly believe the team will be fine without Anthony Mason Jr. for the majority of its non-league schedule. Also, it puts the Miami loss out of your mind, at least until St. John’s next true road game. Amazingly, it is the Red Storm’s Big East opener against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on Jan. 2. St. John’s on the road is topic for another day though.

For now it’s about keeping the optimism palpable.

BY JOE GERGEN

Of all the positions D.J. Kennedy is capable of playing--and he occupied all five on the court at different stages of his high-school career---the last one he expected to fill at St. John's was the one reserved for Anthony Mason Jr. That's because Mason was the returning player around whom coach Norm Roberts hoped to build the 2007-08 edition of the Red Storm.

But a high ankle sprain derailed the start of the season for Mason, who promptly reinjured his ankle after returning to the rotation in game four. In the continued absence of the 6-7 forward, the presence of Kennedy--a 6-6 freshman from Pittsburgh--is of major importance to the Johnnies. He will start his fifth consecutive game for the team on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 2, in Miami.

While 6-8 rebounding machine Justin Burrell carries most of expectations for St. John's seven-man freshman class, Kennedy's versatility may be the most positive development in the team's 4-0 start, albeit against lesser competition. He has filled up the scoresheet in every game to the point that he currently is second in minutes, second in rebounds, second in steals, tied for second in assists and third in scoring.

"I try to do a little bit of everything," he said before practice on Friday. "I enjoy doing it all."
Roberts and the fans have enjoyed watching him do it through the first four games, all at Carnesecca Arena. "He can get a rebound, go the length of the court and score," the coach said. "Or he can go the length of the court, pull up and pass." So far, the left-handed Kennedy has done it all.

St. John's may need a major contribution on the boards from Kennedy if it is to succeed against Miami, an Atlantic Coast Conference team which is off to a 6-0 start that includes victories over Virginia Commonwealth and Big East member Providence. "Their big guys all go to the glass," Roberts said. "It's going to be a great test for us on national television (FoxSports Network) to see where we're at."

The Red Storm was only 2-7 on the road last season and 4-27 in Roberts' tenure so a victory could establish a positive mindset for a young and inexperienced team. The freshmen certainly appear to be looking forward to the experience, and not just because of the warm weather that awaits them.

"I think there's a lot of pressure at home," said Kennedy, who led Schenley High to the Pennsylvania state title last spring. "No one expects you to win on the road."

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

For the third straight season St. John’s will get nothing close to a full season from arguably its best player. The last two years it was because of Daryll Hill’s knee. Now it is Anthony Mason Jr’s ankle. Mason reinjured the ankle when he stepped on the foot of Long Island University guard Jaytornah Wisseh while coming down from a rebound with 5:58 left in the last night’s 68-56 win. Also, lets not forget Lamont Hamilton missing last season's Big East tournament with a knee injury. St John's getting its top players hurt had been a stroke of bad luck that it's been unable to avoid the last three seasons, even though it had chances to last night.

"If D.J. [Kennedy] makes the first layup, he doesn't get hurt," coach Norm Roberts said. "If Justin [Burrell] makes the second layup, he doesn't get hurt. But this is life in college basketball. We have to deal with it."

As simple as it sounds Roberts is right. If you are St. John’s you put Mason out of your mind for now. He won’t be back anytime soon. You may not see Young Mase on the court until the Holiday Festival in late December. Mason missed three weeks and three games after the first injury. If they were cautious with him before they have to be extra cautious now.

Mason did not look particularly sharp on the injured ankle last night with just four points on 4 of 9 shooting from the field and 0-for-3 from three. St. John’s can survive its non-conference schedule without him as long as Larry Wright’s hip discomfort is nothing serious. They have plenty of depth at guard. Kennedy, Mason’s replacement, is averaging 13 points and 9.5 rebounds a game and looks like the real deal.

You know what you are going to get from Eugene Lawrence both in play and leadership, making his presence on the court that much more important. He can’t have too many more games like last night, playing limited minutes because of foul trouble. Even so, this long stretch without Mason has to be looked at as a major growing experience for the team’s freshmen. It is a chance for Paris Horne, Burrell and Kennedy to continue to shoulder the responsibility and the minutes left in Mason’s absence.

In 2005-06, when I was the managing editor of The Torch, the award-winning student newspaper of St. John’s University, the headline to the lead column of our annual Courtside basketball preview read: “Young Mase Sets Pace.”

Now it’s up to the team’s talented freshmen to continue their’s without him.

Taking the good with the bad

Here are some quick things to take from the game.

THE GOOD: St. John’s is now 4-0 and has proven it can earn the NEC’s automatic NCAA tournament bid come March.
THE CONCERN: St. John’s plays in the Big East.

THE GOOD: Justin Burrell posted his third straight double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
THE CONCERN: The next best performance out of the Red Storm front court was Dele Coker with two points and three rebounds and four fouls.

THE GOOD: Eugene Lawrence only turned the ball over twice.
THE CONCERN: Four fouls limited him to just six points and two assists. He shot just 2-of-8 from the field and 0-for-4 from three.

THE GOOD: D. J. Kennedy again was sensational. The freshman scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds and had five steals.
THE CONCERN: No complaints here.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Justin Burrell needs to get used to posting double-doubles.

The St. John’s freshman had the first of his career against Sacred Heart on Wednesday night. He had 15 points and 11 rebounds, 10 and 8 of those came in the first half.

“I was not aware until we were walking up the tunnel,” Burrell said. “It does feel great, but I am happier with the win.”

If his is going to get his team more victories, he will need to produce more nights like Wednesday. With the departure of Lamont Hamilton, Burrell is thrust into the role of team’s best inside player. He struggled scoring in the post the few times he touched the ball there in the second half, but made quality moves. Dele Coker and Sean Evans did a superb job rebounding, but they are not the combination of strength, size and athleticism that Burrell is. He used those attributes to grab rebounds and earn put backs among crowds of Sacred Heart defenders. Burrell did a little lobbying for a call with the referees at times.

“We talk about it all the time, but he’s young,” Roberts said. “You can be a senior and you can lobby for a call too. He’s just got to learn to get back in transition quicker and he’ll do that. The way he played tonight he can lobby at least one or two times.”

If he continues to play that way, he may not have too.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Eugene Lawrence is playing at a higher level than St. John’s fans are accustomed to seeing from him.

While fans concern themselves more with the performances Red Storm’s freshmen, Lawrence is averaging 11 points and 6.5 assists and has committed just two turnovers in St. John's first two games. The most astounding numbers though are his shooting percentages: 50 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc. He shot 5-for-5, including three 3-pointers while scoring a game-high 17 points during a blow-out win over Sacred Heart on Wednesday.

Last season Lawrence averaged just 7.2 points, shot 38.2 percent from the field and turned the ball over 123 times, the most in his career. Yes, the first two games this season were against St. Francis College of Brooklyn and Sacred Heart of the NEC, which have far from the level of guard play Lawrence will face in the Big East.

“It doesn’t matter what conference whether it is Northeast or Big East,” Lawrence said after Sacred Heart game. “We just try to come out with the same intensity and we try to play harder than our opponents.”

No matter what the competition, you have to be encouraged.

When Lawrence arrived at St. John’s as a freshman many were unsure if he was a Big East talent. He has certainly proven he belongs. Lawrence continues to be a great passer. He is the Big East’s top returning assist man this season and is fifth on St. John's all-time list with 423 assists.

Lawrence’s turnover numbers will play a big role in St. John’s success this season. His scoring output should subside when Anthony Mason Jr. returns to the lineup, but he will remain the team’s primary ball-hander. Outside of Larry Wright the Red Storm’s other guards are unproven against Big East pressure. It is his job to help handle it and get the ball into the hands of the team’s versatile scorers.

Lawrence will give you the same high level of intensity, especially on defense, every night and is the perfect leader for a team with young talent that has so much upside.

I’m also sure he won’t mind throwing alley-oops to guys with the length and leaping ability of D. J. Kennedy, Paris Horne and Justin Burrell.

Roberts after the game on Tomas Jasiulionis’ knee tendonitis:

Roberts does not believe it is something that will keep him out for a long stretch of time. “I think his is doing ok,” Roberts said. “His knee started bothering him a little bit. He wasn’t moving well today. That is probably the reason why I didn’t put him back in. He tried to go a little bit and I said let’s get him out. He will be fine. He’s such a tough kid.”