St. John's Meets UTPA At Carnesecca Arena In Pre-Christmas Tilt On ESPN3

Dec. 20, 2011

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QUEENS, N.Y. - Head coach Steve Lavin'sSt. John's basketball team (5-5) squares off with Texas-Pan American (4-9) of the Great West Conference for the first time in school history on Wednesday, Dec. 21, in an on-campus pre-Christmas tilt at Carnesecca Arena. The 7 p.m. matchup will be carried live in its entirety on ESPN3 as a production of the newly-created St. John's Television Network (STJ-TV). Tony Luftman, "The Voice of STJ-TV," will bring fans all of the action from courtside as former St. John's standout Tarik Turner provides fans with analysis of the contest. ESPN3 is available in approximately 70 million households nationwide through an affiliated provider -- online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE.

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 "The Coach" Tim O'Toole as the analyst.
St. John's will once again pay tribute to Hall of Fame Coach Lou Carnesecca and ring in festive spirit of the season with a new favorite tradition: "the Ugly Holiday Sweater game." Fans wearing an Ugly Holiday Sweater receive $10 admission, and the Ugliest Holiday Sweater will win a prize courtesy St. John's Athletics.
Following successful surgery to treat prostate cancer on Oct. 6, Lavin continues to follow a modified schedule with regard to his coaching duties. Lavin has coached in four games this season (2-2) including two games at Madison Square Garden against ranked competition as part of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer on Nov. 17 and 18. He continues to perform coast-to-coast and local recruiting, media and other head coaching responsibilities as he recuperates.
The Red Storm is 5-1 at home and 4-1 on campus this season. Now in its 51st season, St. John's is 425-81 (.840) in 505 games and 50-plus years at Carnesecca Arena, which underwent Phase III of its interior renovation in the summer of 2009 as part of the multi-phase upgrade to the facility. The installation of a new high-resolution video scoreboard and sound system, a refurbishing of the arena ceiling and the implementation of a new lighting system are among the series of changes Red Storm fans enjoyed beginning in 2009-10.
Last time out, freshman forward Moe Harkless had 13 points and 16 rebounds - marking his third-straight double-double - to lead short-handed St. John's to a 56-50 victory over Fordham on Saturday in the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. D'Angelo Harrisonhad 15 points for St. John's, which finished with a 51-37 rebound advantage despite four of its starters playing 40 minutes and only six members of its roster seeing game action.
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Rated as high as the nation's No. 38 prospect overall and the No. 10 small forward by recruiting services, Queens'-own Moe Harklessis a complete basketball player and skilled local talent. The 6-8, 208-pound swingman spent his 2010-11 senior season at South Kent School (Conn.). An athletic, rangy shooter with great length on defense, he was the 2009-10 Daily News Queens High School Player of the Year and was a member of the Daily News' and NY Post's all-metro teams in 2008-09 and 2009-10. His team-best scoring average of 14.7 points per game ranks tied for 17th among all BIG EAST players, his team-leading 8.4 rebounds per game is currently sixth, his 1.8 blocked shots rates eighth and his 1.7 steals are tied for 14th. Harkless is coming off of back-to-back-to-back double-doubles, after scoring 13 with a team season high 16 boards vs. Fordham (Dec. 17), netting 19 points with 11 rebounds at Detroit (Dec. 5) and tallying 16 and 10 at then-No. 1 Kentucky (Dec. 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. He is averaging 13.5 ppg -- tied for 25th among BIG EAST players -- as one of three Red Storm players in double-figures this season, while connecting on 81.5 percent of his free throws. He registered a career-high 21 points, which included four 3-pointers, vs. St. Francis (N.Y.) (Nov. 22).
Junior big man God'sgift Achiuwa, a 6-8, 236-pound bruising athlete with an 87-inch wingspan 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 is third on the squad in scoring (11.4 ppg), his 7.2 rpg rank 11th in the BIG EAST, and his team-best 53.7 percent shooting from the floor is tied for 14th among all league players.
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. He averaged 10.5 ppg in St. John's exhibition games and tied for the team lead in steals. He is averaging 9.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg in the last three contests, connecting at a 43.5 percent rate from the field (10-of-23).
A smooth, deft ballhandler ranked as high as the No. 41 shooting guard in his recruiting class, 6-2, 180-pound Chicago native Phil Greenescored 24.5 points per game with 6.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals to lead IMG Academy. The combo 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 has averaged 8.7 ppg over the last three games, shooting 83.3 percent from the free throw line and dishing 11 assists with only six turnovers.
Local 5-11, 187-pound junior guard Malik Stithis 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 three seasons and came within two points of his career high with 11 vs. UMBC (Nov. 13).
On Deck
The BIG EAST season begins in Queens and before the New Year once again as the Providence Friars come to town on Tuesday, Dec. 27. Lavin's teams are 6-2 in conference openers, including an 81-71 win at West Virginia last Dec. 29. St. John's has won only three of its last 11 league debuts, including last season's victory at Morgantown (2006-07, DePaul at MSG; 2000-01, Virginia Tech at Carnesecca Arena).
Scouting The Broncs
UTPA comes into Carnesecca Arena at 4-9 on the year, but winners of two of their last three. The Broncs are searching for their first road win of the year under third-year head coach Ryan Marks.
The Broncs are led by senior guard Jared Maree, whose 14.8 points per game are third-most in the Great West Conference. Maree leads the conference in total points scored so far this season.
Marks has gained national headlines this season for his multi-issue column in ESPN the Magazine where he has given his thoughts on everything surrounding his program. The column also appears as a blog on ESPN.com, with the fifth installment published on Dec. 16.
This will be the second-straight game in New York for the Broncs after falling to Army, 61-59 in West Point, N.Y. on Dec. 18.
UTPA is just two wins away from matching their win total from each of the last two seasons. One of the main reasons for their success is their ability to share the ball, collecting an average of 13.8 assists per game, tops in the Great West.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Broncs and the Red Storm.

St. John's University Athletics

St. John's Meets UTPA At Carnesecca Arena In Pre-Christmas Tilt On ESPN3

Players Mentioned

God'sgift Achiuwa

Moe Harkless

D'Angelo Harrison

Sir'Dominic Pointer

Malik Stith

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