2K Sports Classic Play Continues Wednesday As St. John's Hosts Lehigh

Nov. 8, 2011

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QUEENS, N.Y. - Following a 74-59 come-from-behind victory on Monday, head coach Steve Lavin's new-look St. John's men's basketball team (--/rv; 1-0) continues play in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer on Wednesday, playing host to the Lehigh Mountain Hawks of the Patriot League. The 7 p.m. contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2 (online: WatchESPN.com), once again with announcers Bob Wischusen and Len Elmore -- the only NBA player ever to graduate from Harvard Law. The matchup can be heard live on the official radio flagship of St. John's Basketball, Bloomberg Radio 1130-AM, and on RedStormSports.com (subscription), with veteran announcer John Minko and analyst Tim O'Toole.

Though there is still no definitive timetable for his full-time return, Lavin attended practice on Tuesday, Nov. 8, his first since his successful surgery to treat prostate cancer. The surgery was performed on Oct. 6 by Peter T. Scardino, M.D., of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. "I'm definitely feeling closer to full strength, and eager for a return to the sidelines," said Lavin. "I've been pleased with the progress made by our young team. During this period of recuperating, Coach Dunlap and the staff have worked in an impressive, collaborative manner to prepare our team for the challenges ahead. I have been monitoring the team's progress by watching DVDs of practices and games. I have also been in contact via iPhone, text and e-mail with our coaches, student-athletes and recruits. Naturally we still have much to do in terms of implementing our system and style of play, but the effort from this team has been outstanding."

Last time out, sophomore guard Nurideen Lindsey scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half to lead St. John's to a 74-59 victory over William & Mary. St. John's shot just 32.3 percent from the field (10-for-31), including making only 2-of-9 from 3-point range in the first half and trailed 33-26 at intermission. The Red Storm forced 12 turnovers in the second half and turned them into 21 points, while shooting 67.9 percent (19-of-28) from the field to ensure the victory. Junior big man God'sgift Achiuwa and rookie guard/forward Moe Harkless both contributed 17 points for the Red Storm, while D'Angelo Harrison added 14. STJ totaled a 44-10 advantage in the paint, a 16-0 advantage in fast break points and had just four turnovers in the contest, including zero in the second half.

St. John's is 1-1 all-time against Lehigh, but the schools have not met on the hardwood since 1930. The Redmen posted a 34-25 road victory on Feb. 12 of the 1929-30 season under legendary coach James "Buck" Freeman after falling, 56-25, on Feb. 22, 1909 -- the season finale of St. John's second-ever season, when P. Joseph Kersey held the reins.

Storm Tracker

Rated as high as the nation's No. 38 prospect overall and the No. 10 small forward by recruiting services, Moe Harkless is a complete basketball player and an extremely skilled local talent. The 6-8, 208-pound swingman spent his 2010-11 senior season at South Kent School (Conn.), averaging 27.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.1 blocks and 1.6 steals per outing. An athletic, rangy shooter with great length on the defensive end of the floor, he was the 2009-10 New York Daily News Queens High School Player of the Year and was a member of the Daily News' and New York Post's all-metro teams in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Harkless posted a pair of double-doubles during the STJ exhibition season, averaging 17.0 points per game and a team-leading 13.0 rebounds. He scored 17 points with eight boards in his collegiate debut vs. William & Mary.

Junior big man God'sgift Achiuwa, a 6-8, 236-pound bruising athlete from Port Harcourt, River States, Nigeria via Erie Community College (N.Y.), is a 2011 first team NJCAA All-America and a two-time JUCO All-America selection overall. He ranked ninth in the NJCAA in scoring last season at 22.3 points per game, 10th in rebounding with 11.7 boards and 17th in blocks with 2.2 rejections per contest. He netted 17 points vs. The Tribe on Monday, with a team-leading nine boards.

At 6-3, 182-pounds, Nurideen Lindsey is a formidably-built floor general with outstanding ballhandling, playmaking and scoring ability. His propensity to get to the rim as a lead guard is evident, as he threatened the legendary Wilt Chamberlain's scoring totals as a prep player at Philadelphia's Overbrook High School. He averaged 22.3 ppg, 5.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.5 steals at Redlands C.C. in 2010-11 -- good enough for sixth among all NJCAA players. He scored a team-high 19 points in his debut vs. William & Mary, and tied for the team lead with four assists.

Local 5-11, 187-pound junior guard Malik Stith is the only returning varsity letterwinner on the 2011-12 Red Storm roster. He has seen time at the one and the two in his first two seasons, and started both of St. John's 2011 exhibition games after averaging 3.3 ppg last season, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.9:1.

Rookie guard D'Angelo Harrison, a 6-3, 202-pound athlete from Missouri City, Texas, known both for his deadly accuracy and ability to get to the rim, finished his prep tenure rated as high as the nation's No. 9 shooting guard and No. 40 overall prospect by recruiting services. The two-time all-state selection averaged 31.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.6 steals as a senior at Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Texas, and is renowned for his explosive first step, long-range game and his ability to fill up the stat sheet. His 16.0 ppg during the preseason ranked third on the squad, while his 83.3 percent shooting from the free throw line tied for the team lead. He scored 14 with five boards in his rookie debut against William & Mary.

Freshman swingman Sir'Dominic Pointer, a 6-5, 196-pound native of Detroit, Mich., was rated as high as the No. 8 small forward in his class and the No. 24 prospect overall by recruiting services. He keyed Quality Education Academy to a 25-4 record as a senior in 2010-11, averaging 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 4.0 steals and 4.0 blocks per outing. He averaged 10.5 ppg in St. John's exhibition games and tied for the team lead with five steals. He scored five points with a big second-half block vs. W&M.

A smooth, deft lead guard ranked as high as the No. 41 shooting guard in his recruiting class, 6-2, 180-pound Chicago native Phil Greene scored 24.5 points per game with 6.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals to lead IMG Academy to a 35-16 record as a senior in 2010-11 and take squad MVP honors. The floor general/shooting guard has the ability to get into the lane and pull up, or dish and create for others. A hard-nosed defender, Greene adds length and speed to "Chicago toughness" which gives him the ability to guard perimeter players. He averaged 12.0 ppg in the preseason, firing at a 56.3 percent rate from the floor and 50.0 percent from long range (4-of-8).

On Deck

The Red Storm take a break from 2K Sports Classic play to face UMBC on Sunday at 2 p.m. The game will air live in its entirety on ESPN3.

Scouting The Mountain Hawks

The Mountain Hawks, under fifth-year head coach Dr. Brett Reed, are coming off a 16-15 year, in which they advanced the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. Under Reed's direction, Lehigh has posted three-straight winning seasons, including the 2009-10 Patriot League regular-season and tournament championships.

Lehigh returns nine players while welcoming five newcomers. The Mountain Hawks welcome back 76.9 percent of the team's 2010-11 scoring and 78.4 percent of the team's rebounding.

Mountain Hawks' junior guard C.J. McCollum was tabbed as the 2011-12 Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year after posting 21.8 ppg and 7.8 rpg as a sophomore. McCollum also has the distinction of being the nation's leading returning scorer.

This will be the eighth-straight season that Lehigh has opened on the road. This will also be the earliest that the Mountain Hawks have opened a season in school history. They are currently on a two-game losing streak on opening night.

The Mountain Hawks will be looking for their first win over a BIG EAST team since a 76-71 victory over Rutgers on Nov. 26, 2008.

St. John's University Athletics

2K Sports Classic Play Continues Wednesday As St. John's Hosts Lehigh

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God'sgift Achiuwa

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