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Username Post: St. John's
Eric Von Zipper
Senior
Posts 343
12-08-18 05:17 PM - Post#268317    

Open's the Johnnies -12 1/2
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
12-09-18 09:57 AM - Post#268386    

St. John's is an amped up version of St. Joe's with a first round PG, Ponds, averaging 21 pts per gage. They shoot 3s as a team like St. Joe's 38%. More athletic than St. Joe's but more careless with the ball and I think that the Tigers may have more open looks than against St. Joe's. Mullin's team goes up and down the court with a bunch of 6'5"-6'7" athletes who can shoot 3s' and dunk.

Good match up to get ready for IL play although the spread is lower than anticipated -- avoid a blow out if possible. Ponds is too small and quick for Stephens to guard and too good for Morales/Cannady to defend. Cannady, DesRosiers, Stephens and others finally need to make 3s as a team unlike any game this year to stay competitive.

Hopefully, Llewellyn gets on the court.
1LotteryPick1969
Postdoc
Posts 2262
1LotteryPick1969
12-09-18 02:34 PM - Post#268402    

Love the first shot by Llewellyn!
1LotteryPick1969
Postdoc
Posts 2262
1LotteryPick1969
12-09-18 02:38 PM - Post#268403    

And his second.
westcoast
Senior
Posts 302
12-09-18 04:59 PM - Post#268417    

Despite the final score, I think Princeton played one of its better games of the season so far. St. John's is a very good team, and the Tigers were within 6 with 3 minutes left. Llewellyn looked great in his first game, with 17 pts and 4 assists. All three guards (Llewellyn, Cannady, Morales) played well, as did Aririguzoh. Unfortunately, none of the forwards, including Stephens, are scoring much right now. The turnovers were frustrating, but St. John's is a very athletic and aggressive team, so that wasn't too surprising. I think this team will be tough in league play this year.
1LotteryPick1969
Postdoc
Posts 2262
1LotteryPick1969
12-09-18 05:17 PM - Post#268418    

You are correct; the forward position now seems to be our weak spot.

Stephens just disappeared--he was outmatched physically.

Aririguzoh seems to get better every game, and he more than held his own.
Petrie
Freshman
Posts 42
12-09-18 06:03 PM - Post#268419    

Very encouraging. Ive been slow to believe in Aririguzoh as a low post option on offense, but he made me a believer today, and his defense seems more under control and effective. Great testament to his off season work and the coaching staff’s work In developing his game.

Likewise with morales, today at least, he blew past my expectations for his upside. It might be hard for Mitch to keep him off the floor; even if it means playing 3 smallish guards together.

And Llewellyn, wow, as advertised. Can’t wait to see him in league play.



1LotteryPick1969
Postdoc
Posts 2262
1LotteryPick1969
12-09-18 06:27 PM - Post#268421    

This game convinced me this team can make the Ivy playoffs, then anything can happen.
whitakk
Masters Student
Posts 523
12-09-18 08:13 PM - Post#268426    

That one play in the second half where Llewellyn pushed the tempo, made one move, blew by his man and finished with that reverse dunk ... oh man. Hasn't been a Princeton guard capable of that in my time.
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
12-09-18 09:08 PM - Post#268431    

Today’s game was a good advertisement regarding athletic yet skilled players — Llewellyn, Arirguzoh, Morales, Cannady vs Gtraditional Tiger players in this morning era. Llewelyn in his first game off a significant injury at the Mecca of basketball MSG demonstrated some of his gifts - much more to come. Makes a coach look good.
HARVARDDADGRAD
Postdoc
Posts 2685
12-10-18 12:36 AM - Post#268443    

So, Coach Henderson is no being fired any longer?
umbrellaman
Masters Student
Posts 469
umbrellaman
12-10-18 12:49 AM - Post#268444    

One of Much, DesRosiers, or even Schweiger need to make the leap.
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
12-10-18 12:57 AM - Post#268446    

Some crazy Eagles, I mean Quaker fan raised the issue of Henderson recently I think.

Just watched a replay of the game and it was a missed opportunity to some extent. Henderson went small with Cannady, Llewellyn, Morales, Stephens and Arirguzoh as part of two comebacks during the game. Not sure if the Tigers can get away with that lineup although it helps that Cannady and Llewellyn can leap and play with fire. Finally, the ball started to move quickly although at times, out of control but they could at least compete against a top 50 team.

Stephens currently has no outside shot and Much and Shriegger did not contribute offensively once again. Somehow, the lousy coach needs to figure out how to get either Much or DesRosiers to consistently contribute. If that happens, the Tigers will be a different team although there is no sign of it yet.
1LotteryPick1969
Postdoc
Posts 2262
1LotteryPick1969
12-10-18 07:39 AM - Post#268455    

  • bradley Said:

Stephens currently has no outside shot and Much and Shriegger did not contribute offensively once again.

... figure out how to get either Much or DesRosiers to consistently contribute.



Or....we need the emergence of "a complete unknown from out of nowhere" to emerge, a la Caruso, or even Stephens back when.
SecS3
Junior
Posts 246
12-10-18 11:44 AM - Post#268478    

You don't remember Will Venable?
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
12-10-18 04:24 PM - Post#268532    

A chime-in for Will Venable, the best penetrating and finishing guard for the Tigers I've ever seen, who repeatedly blew past high-major guys.

As for the game, the big news of course was that Llewelyn looks like what was advertised, particularly onsidering this was his first experience of college basketball against a talented opponent in a big setting and with only practices to get used to his teammates. So yay on that score. Funky low release on the jumper but a ton of offensive game, including some much-needed vision and passing. Interestingly, though, not able to overcome teammates' tendency to turn the ball over, where Cannady and Stephens were major culprits but others pitched in as well.

Morales once again confirmed my feeling that he is a critical spark-plug on both ends for this team. His steals and ball-pressure were often the only thing breaking St. John's scoring runs and he was a great offensive lubricant. Aririguzoh was too big and too good for their bigs for much of the game.

Cannady was awesome again, especially in the first half before the St. John's players caught on that, yes, you really do have to track him way out there. Too many TOs and he maybe needed to drive more against hard close-outs, but a good offensive game.

I still think we have not seen the best of Stephens, who looked really out of sync in this game. It didn't help that his outside shot looked hesitant and inaccurate, or that a teammate missed him when he made a great backdoor cut, but it seemed like he didn't know when and where to get the ball. Maybe more experience with Llewelyn will help.

Much was a tiny bit better with his floor game and defense but not back to the confident scorer he looked like in the first half of his freshman season. No one else got enough consecutive minutes (or they disappeared out there and so I didn't notice) to get more of a feel.

The D was hard to evaluate because St. John's scored off so many turnovers. (For a while the Tigers compensated by forcing a lot of turnovers themselves, but too often they'd get a steal and give it right back, which also happened a lot against St. Joe's. They are not, collectively, strong with the ball or good at securing loose balls.)

The first-half D in the half court was solid enough, especially the defensive rebounding. As Princeton wore down in the second half and had to gamble more to catch up it didn't look as good. The Johnnies have some guys who can really play and they are unselfish, so I can't complain too much. Perhaps my expectations have slipped.

Iona will be a good chance to figure things out with Llewelyn and get Stephens untracked before the test at Cameron.
1LotteryPick1969
Postdoc
Posts 2262
1LotteryPick1969
12-10-18 04:50 PM - Post#268537    

  • SRP Said:
A chime-in for Will Venable, the best penetrating and finishing guard for the Tigers I've ever seen, who repeatedly blew past high-major guys.




Said "hi" to him in spring training this year. Went down to Duke to see Princeton during his time. The Cameron Crazies were chagting "you can't dunk" (so clever) during warmups. When the game began, he demonstrated otherwise.
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
12-10-18 05:38 PM - Post#268539    

I saw him live at Texas. Nobody could stay in front of him.
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
12-10-18 10:05 PM - Post#268549    

Arirguzoh over the last 3 games playing minutes have been 30, 27 and 28 which is a big plus as his play is clearly above Gladson and Much. Morales, particularly, and Llewellyn will get him the ball in a good position to score. He is a good not great defender who is improving as well as a solid defensive and offensive rebounder. His FT percentage has drastically improved as well as his overall game. Can he compete against IL centers -- probably. Gladson should be the #2 center getting 5 to 10 minutes as he has a different game than Arirguzoh.

The backcourt offensively will be the driving force and the question will be does Mitch go small with all 3 on the floor for 20+ minutes or not. It does appear that Llewellyn can play defense, Cannady can rebound and Morales can steal the ball. Question will be match ups both offensively and defensively but it gives the other coach something to think about. SNY commentators made the statement that Cannady may have the purest shooting stroke in college basketball which says a lot. The three of them just need to play a little more under control yet keep foot on throttle.

Myles is struggling offensively but Llewellyn may take some pressure off Stephens offensively until he gets his stroke back. Myles has shot 40% on 3 pt shots over the prior two years and had a high 2 pt %. Not this year but he has been forcing his shots as he has probably felt the need to score. Now, much less need and he should simply let the game come to him while ramping up his defensive and rebounding effort and performance. He has been All Ivy for the past two years.

As to either the fifth starting spot or the first player off the bench, I do not see any alternative other than DesRosiers or Much on the roster. Much has more size but not the shooting stroke of Desrosiers. I would play whoever works best with Llewellyn's game as Jaelin will get the ball to one of these guys in the open. Schweiger should get limited minutes especially against athletic teams like Harvard and Yale.

Mitch can finally get five players on the floor that are good although undersized. It would be huge if someone other than Gladson can be relied upon and really good if bot Much and Desrosiers get their act together.
whitakk
Masters Student
Posts 523
12-11-18 12:17 AM - Post#268552    

I suspected that was coming. "My time" really goes back to 2009
SecS3
Junior
Posts 246
12-11-18 12:40 AM - Post#268553    

Sorry about that. Didn't realize your age until after I posted. For old guys like me, I go back to the early 60s, anything this century is like yesterday.
gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts 3634
12-11-18 06:33 AM - Post#268555    

Whoa! Looks like I missed a heckuva game!

They hung with a 9-0 St. John's squad till late (6pts with 3:41 left) and Llewellyn had a great debut. I'm beginning to see why this team looked so awful to start the season -- they really were relying on the star freshman to play a big role.

Wow. Suddenly, Ivy play got a lot more interesting...
gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts 3634
12-11-18 08:03 AM - Post#268557    

I just caught the replay on FoxSportsGo and that was indeed an impressive display. SJU made more tough shots and we made more unforced errors...and it was still competitive until the final minutes.

Jaelin Llewellyn can get to the rim anytime he wants -- even the layups he missed will fall once he gets more in-game reps. He's a legit all-around player who can dribble, drive, shoot, pass and defend. He even has great hops for a guard like Cannady. I can't wait to see more.

Morales is becoming my favorite player -- the definition of an "energy guy" who is just a pest for the opposing team. His on-ball pressure is so valuable and he's never afraid of the big moment. Aririguzoh must have worked his butt off this summer because he also took a huge step forward. He might be our second most valuable player outside of Cannady because he's our lone interior presence.

I'm baffled by Much's missing shooting touch -- he's way too talented to be playing like this. This time last year, he was lighting up a Top 40 USC team, but this year, he's struggled against the likes of Desales. Is he nursing an injury? Guys have certainly "flipped the switch" (both on and off) in the middle of the season, so I hope he can figure it out.
umbrellaman
Masters Student
Posts 469
umbrellaman
12-11-18 10:27 PM - Post#268717    

Much and Desrosiers are the key to the season, no? Doesn’t look like either made the leap yet.
JadwinGeorge
Senior
Posts 357
12-12-18 10:55 AM - Post#268808    

Based on what I saw last night at The Palestra St. John's can certainly compete with Villanova, while Penn appeared to be the better team. To have a chance against Penn the Tigers will have to get top level performances from EVERYONE, especially Richmond and Myles. And that assumes that Cannady and Llewellyn have huge offensive nights, while Morales is his usual pesky self.
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
12-12-18 12:24 PM - Post#268829    

For Princeton to compete against the Big 3 will probably require two things -- either Desrosiers or Much step up and become a valued contributor and Llewellyn performs as a transformative player. Both are possible but big iffs.

Last evening, Bella once again demonstrated what a transformative player can do for a program but she is a Junior and last year's IL POY at 6'4". Jaelin needs to be something truly special in year one for the Tiger to not only compete but win. Transofrmative players can drastically change results based on only 5 players on the floor. Tiger's women team would probably be 8-3 vs. 4-7 if Bella was on the floor for all games. Then again, there is always IvyMadness to fall back on.
gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts 3634
12-12-18 09:29 PM - Post#268942    

Penn's win vs. Nova was insanely impressive, no doubt. But Ivy play has always been a different animal altogether -- even (especially?) when we're the team to beat.

With Llewellyn in the starting lineup, we got a shot. If either Much, Desrosiers or Schweiger look like sophomore versions their frosh selves, then I love our chances in an Ivy Tourney.
Tiger69
Postdoc
Posts 2801
12-12-18 10:12 PM - Post#268952    

I like being the very dark horse. But, you can’t deny what a great coaching job Penn is getting. I thought that they had been neutralized by injuries. They seem only to have gotten better.
AntiUngvar
Masters Student
Posts 530
12-14-18 09:18 AM - Post#269099    

Tiger, They have an incredible base of support as is evident, herein- some are attorneys; some are physicians; some are both!

palestra38
Professor
Posts 32685
12-14-18 10:27 AM - Post#269100    

Now you're trolling the Princeton board??
Tiger69
Postdoc
Posts 2801
12-14-18 12:22 PM - Post#269105    

People who live in glass houses ....



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