Three takeaways and perspective from St. John’s men’s basketball’s 89-61 win over DePaul

The Red Storm placed incredible focus on the defensive end and in jump shooting on Tueday night

A full house of 5,602 Red Storm came out to Carnesecca Arena for St. John’s first Big East game of the season against a markedly improved DePaul team, who recently beat Wichita State by 19 points on December 14th.

Before the game, fans at the 1870 Court shared the following statements, “We’re not yet sold on the team,” and “What about Richmond? Will he become the player everyone thought he would be?”. Lastly, “How will our defense against the accomplished three-point shooters of DePaul perform?”.

The answers to all three questions will be answered in the game to come.

First Half

The Johnnies started with a team of Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott, Zuby Ejiofor, Deivon Smith, and Simeon Wilcher. Even before the tip-off, enthusiastic fans chanted, “Let’s Go Johnnies.” Displaying a “locked in” approach on defense not seen in past games, Red Storm defenders picked up Blue Demon players as they crossed the mid-court line, causing DePaul to take shots with the thirty-second clock running low on their first two possessions.

On offense, Ejiofor took down an offensive rebound and put it back in for a 2-0 lead. Thirty seconds later, Smith took down a rebound, sprinted up the court, drove left, then quickly back right for an uncontested layup and a 4-0 lead.

The Red Storm defense held firm, and DePaul did not score in the first 3:20 of the half. Connor Enright of DePaul found himself free off a fast break and hit a three, bringing DePaul within one 4-3. It was the closest DePaul would be in the game.

After Richmond made a fifteen-footer from the foul line and a 6-3 lead, the fans began to enthusiastically chant “Defense … defense”. Thirty seconds later, Wilcher gave them something more to chant about: a jumper from the right corner, followed by a ten-footer in the paint and a three from the left corner, all in less than two minutes and a 13 to 6 lead.

Soon after, R.J. Luis entered and curled around a screen by Vince Iwuchukwu, hitting a fifteen-footer from the right wing for a 19-14 lead. Luis would lead the team with 14 points in the half as the Red Storm headed into the locker room up 40-29 at halftime.

Halftime

Halftime stats were both impressive and revealing. The Johnnies outshot the Blue Demons, hitting 50 percent of their field goals, while the Blue Demons converted 40%. Even more impressive was the Johnnies’ ability to limit DePaul to only eight three-point attempts, of which they converted only three. In comparison, DePaul averaged more than 30 three-point attempts per game over the season. The Johnnies were not allowing open three-point shots. It was their game plan.

The Johnnies outrebounded DePaul 19 to 10, had six steals to two for the Blue Demons, and recorded five blocks to none for DePaul.

Second Half

Smith received the defensive assignment to guard the high scorer in the first half for DePaul, Enright, as the second half began. Fans asked: “Would the Johnnies be as focused on their defensive assignments as they were in the first half?”

The answer came quickly. The Blue Demons took the ball out to begin the half, and on their first possession, they committed a thirty-second violation. On offense, the half began with two Smith to Richmond plays. The first was a length-of-the-court long pass from Smith to Richmond, who laid the ball in, extending the St. John’s lead to thirteen. Then, 30 seconds later, Smith drove down low to the basket, found Richmond free at the foul line, and quickly passed to him. Richmond, without hesitation, hit a fifteen-footer, and the Johnnies were on their way to a 16-3 run spanning the first four and a half minutes of the half.

As the Johnnies pulled away, Coach Pitino began giving reserve center Iwuchukwu considerable playing time and giving Ejiofor a breather. During three segments of playing time, Iwuchukwu logged in fourteen minutes, scoring six points and taking down three rebounds.

Displaying quick hands, the Johnnies ended the game with 41 rebounds, 29 for DePaul, and 14 steals, led by Smith’s five to DePaul’s total of 5. Lastly, the Johnnies had 19 assists on 37 field goals, a 51% rate. The ball was moving around amongst the players on offensive sets.

Last but not least, Enright, guarded by Smith when they were in, managed but two points in the second half after scoring ten points in the first half. In every aspect of the game, this was an impressive victory.

Takeaway #1: St. John’s locked in on defense

Coach Pitino shared after the game that he had been worried about DePaul’s ability to shoot the three. Their entire first team and several second-teamers were accomplished shooters. The Johnnies studied film of DePaul extensively and the whole team was ready. Picking up Blue Demons as they crossed the mid-court line, the DePaul players found it hard to set up teammates for open shots. Not only did they not score many three-pointers, but they also didn’t see many opportunities to take them. By game’s end, DePaul made six out of twenty long-distance attempts, way below their average of 31.7 three-point attempts per game.

One part of the defensive plan was to limit full-court pressure after making baskets. By using pressure less frequently, the game plan of contesting three-point shooters was more doable.

Takeaway #2: Kadary Richmond is showing more aggression

Richmond came to St. John’s with a reputation as an all-around performer. While Richmond has exhibited an ability to see the court well and to feed his teammates for easy conversions, his scoring has been below the expectations that came with him when joining the Red Storm. While displaying smooth attacks to the basket, he did not always convert.

However, in recent games, Richmond has been successful with a mid-range jumper, and in the DePaul game, he made three mid-range jumpers out of four attempts and ended up scoring 18 points on seven of fifteen shooting while taking down seven rebounds.

As the league games begin, Richmond appears to be proceeding towards meeting the expectations fans have been holding for him.

Takeaway #3: The Johnnies have some reliable shooters

The evolution of Simeon Wilcher as a three-point shooter while still maintaining his ability to attack the basket is heartening for the Red Storm. In yesterday’s game, Wilcher hit seven of nine attempts, including two threes.

R.J. Luis appears to be developing a mid-range jumper that is reliable and has, at times, extended his successful shooting past the three-point line.

Aaron Scott, a multi-disciplined competitor, has had games when he was on fire from a long distance, but there have been others in which he struggled. He also has shown an ability to take passes around the foul line with a nice touch from the mid-range to help the Red Storm attack zone defenses.

Lastly, with Brady Dunlap out for four-to-six weeks with an injured hand, there is an opening for freshman Jaiden Glover. Reportedly, he shows an ability to reliably hit the mid and long-range jump shot in practice. In the Harvard game with Smith out, Glover got an opportunity and succeeded, scoring eleven points in twenty minutes of play, hitting three long-distance shots in eight attempts.

Outlook

Coach Pitino, after the game, shared that the team played with poise and preparation to be ready for DePaul’s three-point shooting. It was indeed a step forward for the Johnnies. A different challenge comes on Friday night when the Johnnies travel to play Providence at Providence.

Red Storm players have acknowledged the value of fan support. Playing before sell-out crowds is one thing. The challenge of playing in an opponent’s court is another. Poise, intensity, and playing according to the set game plan are essential for all Big East games. The Johnnies have demonstrated an ability to do so in an arena where supportive fans have been loud with chants of “Let’s Go Johnnies” and “Defense, defense” throughout the game. In fact, during the DePaul game, the fans were so into it that, on one occasion, they were chanting “Defense, defense” when the Johnnies were on the offense after a steal. This enthusiasm is empowering to the players.

On the whole, this is an experienced team, and the ability to play in hostile environments is something most of the team has faced in the past. Their play so far this season suggests they are quite ready, with still a few tweaks to correct. We will all see the team’s progress on December 20th at Providence.