St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Continues Homestand With Visit From Sacred Heart
11/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2007
- StormTracker All-Access Live Video and Audio
- WFAN Internet Audio
- Pregame Quotes
- Game Notes (PDF)
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's men's basketball team (1-0) faces its second-straight Northeast Conference opponent in preseason NEC favorite Sacred Heart. The Pioneers (0-4) of Fairfield, Conn., take on the Red Storm at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Carnesecca Arena as part of a season-opening four-game homestand for St. John's in Queens.
- Four electronic broadcasts will originate from Carnesecca Arena on Tuesday night. The game will air live on Sports Radio 66 WFAN (660-AM), with announcers Mike Crispino and Tarik Turner, and will also be streamed live on WFAN's official website. RedStormSports.com will provide live streaming video, audio and stats, with announcers Ralph Bednarczyk and Rod Hissong. The game will also be streamed live on SacredHeartPioneers.com, and also will air live on WSJU "The Voice," the student radio station of St. John's University.
- St. John's is 395-72 (.846) in its 47 seasons at Carnesecca Arena, which was known as Alumni Hall before being renamed in 2004-05. The Red Storm owns a 19-5 (.792) mark in Queens during the Norm Roberts Era, including a 16-3 (.842) mark against non-conference competition.
- The Red Storm meets Sacred Heart after a season-opening 72-64 victory over local squad St. Francis, one of St. John's longest-standing opponents, last Wednesday. Sophomore Larry Wright stepped up in the absence of Anthony Mason Jr. (ankle injury) and contributed a career-high 19 points in a career-high 32 minutes, and Justin Burrell's rim-rocking, fast-break dunk off an assist from Eugene Lawrence capped the game and a 12-point effort from the freshman forward. Rookie D.J. Kennedy scored nine and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds while spelling Mason, and Paris Horne scored eight with five boards.
- Mason Jr. is likely to miss tonight's game against the Pioneers, continuing to recover from a high ankle sprain originally suffered in a closed scrimmage. Said Roberts of the injury, "He has a high ankle sprain and we are trying to be as cautious as possible with it. He is feeling better, treatment is going well, but he is still experiencing some pain. We want him to be pain free, and want him to go out there and continue to be out there rather than have something nagging him from game to game. He probably will not play in this game."
Storm Tracker
- Tomorrow the Red Storm makes its annual Thanksgiving-time trip to the St. John's Bread and Life Soup Kitchen in Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. Last year the St. John's players and coaches served turkey dinners to nearly 450 area residents, contributing to the 2,000-plus hours spent by STJ coaches and student-athletes in service to the community in 2006-07.
- One of the youngest teams in NCAA Division I men's basketball, the St. John's roster contains seven scholarship freshman, one redshirt freshman, and one sophomore -- meaning 69.2 percent of the squad is comprised of underclassmen. St. John's seven-man recruiting class was recognized with a Top 30 national billing by recruiting services.
- After one game, the "Magnificient Seven" that make up St. John's freshman class has made its presence felt, accounting for 42-of-72 points (58.3 percent) and 116-of-200 total minutes (58 percent).
- Sophomore guard Larry Wright has packed on 13 lbs of muscle in the offseason and brings a more aggressive, more confident game to the floor in 2007-08. The sharpshooter who led the Red Storm in 3-point percentage as a freshman last season (.431) has shown an affinity for taking to the hoop one year later, netting 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting and only 1-of-3 3-pointers in the season-opening win over St. Francis.
- Red Storm swingman Anthony Mason Jr. was sidelined for the 2007-08 opener and exhibition game with a left high-ankle sprain, originally suffered in a closed scrimmage on Nov. 3. All of Mason Jr.'s medical examinations have been negative, and the Red Storm junior tri-captain and returning scoring (11.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg) leader is being held out of the first two early-season competitions as a precautionary measure.
- Freshman D.J. Kennedy has stepped into a starting role in Mason Jr.'s absence, and registered nine points with 14 rebounds in his 32-minute debut. Classmate Paris Horne scored 8 points with five rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench, contributing a great deal of energy in a reserve role.
- Eugene Lawrence, the senior floor general and team tri-captain, led all BIG EAST players in assists in 2006-07 at 5.6 per game. The fourth-year starter, who has experience at either of the guard positions, is fifth on St. John's all-time career assists chart with 415 and counting. The senior, who owns a 7.9 ppg scoring average, netted five points against St. Francis with five assists and zero turnovers. Lawrence needs 35 assists to pass Chris Mullin on the all-time list, who totaled 449 from 1981-85.
- The third tri-captain, Lithuanian center Tomas Jasiulionis, drew the start vs. St. Francis and scored six points with five rebounds and a career-high tying three blocks. The ever-improving 6-11 junior started 10 games a season ago.
- Heralded freshman Justin Burrell leads a freshman trio of frontcourt players, having scored 12 points with two boards against St. Francis following a 15-point, seven rebound effort in the exhibition win over NCAA Division II Molloy College.
- Massive rookie big man Dele Coker scored a pivotal six points in 10 minutes played against St. Francis, which included turnaround jumpers on back-to-back possessions to thwart a Terrier rally.
- Freshman point guard Malik Boothe has added speed and court-vision to the Red Storm roster, and he scored seven points with one rebound and a steal in his collegiate debut vs. St. Francis. Roberts has the ability to use Boothe and Lawrence in the backcourt for a smaller, quicker lineup.
On Deck
- The Red Storm continues its season-opening four-game homestand when Fairleigh Dickinson comes to town after Thanksgiving on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m. (Bloomberg 1130-AM). That Sunday is a doubleheader with the Red Storm women, who take on Dartmouth at 2 p.m. at Carnesecca Arena.
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