Three takeaways: Johnnies step up behind Soriano

After a 3-point loss to Providence on January 7, shooting 15-4 on 3-point attempts, Johnny decided to address the issue.

Thirty minutes before the match, the quartet of Posh Alexander, David Jones, Andre Curbelo and Dylan Addae-Wusu were in the left corner, left wing, top of the key, right wing and right corner. With the help of a student assistant, each Johnny continued shooting at his position until he made two.

Overall, Alexander was a successful drill with well over 50% of his threes. Butler Will his drills bear fruit in his next game against the Bulldogs?

Chris Hagan

first half

“We need a winning streak to bring back the fans,” commented one season ticket holder. Fans flocked to Karnesecca’s arena until late, and there were many empty seats at the start of the match. The student section behind the two baskets, normally full, was only three quarters full. After the Providence game three days ago, the same fan expressed his confidence that today would put an end to the drought.

Starting the game for Johnny’s were Alexander, Adaeus, Joel Soriano, Omar Stanley and AJ Stowe. Pre-game opinions suggested Butler’s 6-foot-11-inch Manny Bates could potentially score points over St. Johns’ Joel Soriano. However, it did not take long for Soriano to establish that he would continue his successful season.

After Alexander rode into the paint and hit a layup and a strike for a 2-0 lead, it was Soriano’s turn next.

Chris Hagan

Soriano, who was playing the high post in Johnny’s offensive set, found Butler playing and shot a 16-footer, but only hit the net. After his three by Butler’s Eric his hunter, Soriano was again fed at the high post. Pump faked a shot, drawing a Butler defender to him, and in response aggressively floored the ball for a layup and a 6-3 Johnny lead.

The first six-and-a-half minutes was Soriano and Sto’s show. Soriano scored eight points in his 4-for-4 and Sto added his three from Alexander’s feed. However, the defense allowed the Bulldogs to keep pace and the score was tied at 13-13.

After an official televised timeout at the 13:21 mark with the score still tied, Redstorm added Andre Curbero and David Jones to their lineup, along with Soriano, Stowe and Alexander. Alexander his pump pretended to be a defender with a layup and he passed him for a 17-15 Johnny lead. Johnny never let it go.

Chris Hagan

Rafael Pinzon and Kolby King joined the game. Pinzon rode into the paint and found a wide-open King in the left corner. King hit his 3 and Johnny’s went 18 for his 24. Thirty seconds later, Pinzon, with help from Courbero, hit a 16-foot jumper to take a 26-18 lead.

Johnny’s controlled the game regardless of whether he was the starter or the bench player.

At the end of the half, a rolling Curubero stole the ball from Hunter and dunked it to Adaeus for a 39-29 lead.

half time

With a 39-29 lead at the half, the Red Storm converted on 53% of their shots and Soriano scored 14 points on 7/8 shooting. Butler was no match for him despite his attempt to deny the ball. He scored from close range with a 10 to 15 foot jumper.

On defense, Johnny’s held the Bulldogs to 39% shooting. The Red Storm rebounded the Bulldogs to his 17-for-11. Butler had only two offensive rebounds in the half. Turnovers were even at 8 as Redstorm occasionally made careless passes or lost the ball to Butler’s double team.

Chris Hagan

He asked the fans, “Aside from Soriano, which player in Redstorm left the biggest impression on you?” We had a difference of opinion. One fan said AJ Storr, who scored seven points in the half, showed his offensive versatility by hitting threes and adding a driving basket.

A second fan summarized that Curbelo had a “good half” when he entered the game because Johnny’s offense was stagnant. Once Courvelo brought the ball in, the game opened up and most of his teammates became more involved in the offensive set. Did.

Chris Hagan

Latter half:

Half-to-half consistency has been a challenge for Johnny during his recent losing streak, but that’s not the case today. Another Stowe 3-pointer with 15:47 on the play reached 12. Unlike many previous matches, there were no opposing runs at the start of the second half.

With the team relying less on Soriano to score, Pinzon began hitting jumpers for a total of eight points in the half. Curbero added nine points in the second half and in the game total he had 11 points and he had 6 assists. He recorded four steals in the match.

Posh-Alexander totaled 9 points, 2 assists and 6 steals as Johnny’s came off the court in a 77-61 win.

Chris Hagan

three points

AJ Storr and Rafael Pinzon step up

Led by Joel Soriano’s 20 points, Johnny’s scored 12 on 4-of-7 shots from AJ Stowe (2 of 3 from out deep) and Rafael Pinzon also had 4-of-7 shots (5 from 3-point land). 2 shots) and scored 10 points. ), missing with a toe injury, without Montez Matiz.

Freshman Storr was brought in gradually. Now, starting the last two games, he looks to be getting more than his shooting 3-pointers that have contributed so much to the team in the past. On one play, Stowe took a long pass on the run and put it down with the Bulldog defenders in contention. It was an example of athleticism that predicts more of the same: two challenging roads he has a game ahead of him, and with maturity his Storr could make a difference if he continues to improve.

As a sophomore, Rafael Pinzon misses a few games each year due to injury. Against Butler, Pinzon displayed a balanced game. In 23 minutes of play, not only did he score 10 points, but when the Jannies pulled away from the Bulldogs midway through the first half, he assisted and threw himself into the game flow.

Can these two continue their recent improvements? If so, they might be able to provide teams with consistent outdoor shooting.

amount of sales

Yes, the defense held the Bulldogs to 61 points and produced 22 turnovers. That’s well above the Butler team’s average turnover in previous games.

Chris Hagan

However, concerns remain about Red Storm’s turnovers when in possession of the ball. As was the case in some games, teams sometimes attack aggressively when at best they have a small advantage in attack. Most red storm turnovers are caused by careless passes. These errors should decrease as the season progresses.

Teams can benefit from slowing the game, unless haste has a clear advantage. If the young players continue to develop, the team will be able to score on the half court, so this skill needs to be strengthened.

Addae-Wusu, who has been in good shape lately, struggled with four turnovers and no assists. The other three Johnny’s had quit their jobs three times each, so carelessness was rampant.

Chris Hagan

After manager Anderson called a timeout at the 6:51 mark of the second half, the team began to slow down, committing one turnover for the remainder of the game.

back to defense

As the season progressed, Johnny’s hasn’t put out the full pressure on the court after scoring as often as he did earlier in the season.

Against Butler, retreating most of the time allowed the team to clearly identify defensive responsibilities. Anderson called for full-court pressure at times, but that was enough to throw Butler off balance. Despite this more conservative approach, Janice still changed Butler more than 22 times, and the pressure that began shortly after the Bulldogs crossed his line midcourt was effective.

This approach helped Johnny drop 32 rebounds to the Bulldog’s 27. Winning the rebounding battle is important for Johnny’s, especially on his board defensively. Johnny’s has fought against teams who successfully attacked the offensive board and frequently got second chances after mistakes.

A combination of defensive measures, such as sometimes applying pressure to the full coat, seems to be the key to success.

Outlook

Chris Hagan

As a team, the Johnnys made 44% of their 3-point attempts against Butler. This is a significant improvement from their efforts on Providence.

The team made 9/11 free throw attempts and achieved an 82% percentage. Before the game, he had a conversion rate of 69% for the team.

Does this mean there are shooting improvements? necessarily. Leading comfortably midway through the first half takes the pressure off his team and can help him succeed in shooting from his line, especially on his free throws.

Nonetheless, improving shooting is essential for this team to be successful. Early shooting practice before Butler’s fight clearly shows that the team understands this.

So there are two difficult road games looming for a team in desperate need of a winning streak. In his next game in Connecticut, Joel Soriano will face Sanogo’s most challenging opponent in center Adama, who was his East frontcourt player in All-His Big last year. Can Soriano continue his mid-range jumper? It could pull Sanogo off the board and affect the outcome of the game.

Can you expect someone to hit midrange and three-point jumpers?

Most importantly, Johnny’s needs to reduce sales to be successful. Against good teams like Connecticut and Clayton, Red Storm will have to make smart decisions on offense to minimize turnovers.

There was a time when Johnny’s did well in every Big East game. A near victory over Providence shows they can compete. They are? I have new hope.