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Top 25: St. John’s Returns to Top 25

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JAMAICA ESTATES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – St. John’s newcomer Aaron Scott scored seven of his 11 points over the final seven minutes of the second half as No. 22 Johnnies survived several choppy stretches before pulling away for a 66-45 victory over visiting Wagner Wednesday night in Queens.

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Ranked for the first time since January 2019, St. John’s (3-0) led the entire way but didn’t put away Wagner (1-2) until it scored 18 straight points to turn a two-point lead into a 57-37 edge with 5:48 left. RJ Luis Jr. led the Red Storm with 13 points.

Deivon Smith and Brady Dunlap added nine points apiece as the Red Storm shot 50 percent from the floor (21 of 42) but missed 12 of its 30 free-throw attempts.

Javier Ezquerra scored 10 points to lead Wagner, which shot a dreadful 29.1 percent overall, went 5-for-24 from 3-point range and committed 16 turnovers.

No. 3 UConn 90, Le Moyne 49

Alex Karaban scored a game-high 17 points and Liam McNeeley finished with 15 as the Huskies crushed the Dolphins in Hartford, Conn.

Karaban was 7 of 11 from the field and made three 3-pointers. McNeeley also connected on three 3-pointers. Samson Johnson had four of UConn’s nine blocked shots.

The Huskies (3-0) had a 17-0 advantage in points off turnovers, and a 12-0 ratio in fast-break points. Dwayne Koroma led Le Moyne (1-3) with 13 points and five rebounds.

No. 5 Auburn 79, Kent State 56

Four days after topping then-No. 4 Houston on the road, the Tigers let much of a 22-point first-half lead against the Golden Flashes slip away before emerging with a home win.

Johni Broome, selected the SEC Player of the Week on Monday, and Chaney Johnson each scored 18 points to lead the Tigers (3-0). Johnson’s night included 12 rebounds plus a dunk that increased the Tigers’ lead to 36-22 entering halftime. Auburn’s Denver Jones and Chad Baker-Mazara tallied 12 points apiece.

Kent State (2-1) was carried by forward VonCameron Davis’ 19 points but struggled from beyond the 3-point arc. The Golden Flashes went 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) from long distance. Davis finished 6-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-6 from 3-point range.

No. 8 Houston 91, Louisiana 45

Terrance Arceneaux led a balanced scoring effort with 14 points and the host Cougars dominated from early in the game while downing the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Milos Uzan added 13 points, Mercy Miller scored 12 and J’Wan Roberts and Emanuel Sharp had 11 each as the Cougars (2-1) bounced back from a 74-69 home loss to then No. 11 Auburn on Saturday.

Louisiana (1-2) got a team-high eight points from Christian Wright. The Ragin’ Cajuns sank just 6 of 21 3-point attempts, while the Cougars made 10 of 23.

No. 11 Tennessee 92, Montana 57

Igor Milicic Jr. scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, paving the way for the Volunteers to throttle the Grizzlies in Knoxville, Tenn.

Chaz Lanier added 13 points, shooting 5 for 8 from the floor, as the Volunteers improved to 3-0. He scored all but two of his points in the second half. Felix Okpara and Cameron Carr each chipped in 13 points, as well.

Money Williams scored 30 points to lead Montana (2-2), which was facing Tennessee for the first time. Williams was 4 of 7 on 3-point shooting and hit on eight of his 15 attempts from the field.

No. 14 Creighton 78, Houston Christian 43

Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 16 points to fuel the Bluejays to a convincing victory over the visiting Huskies in Omaha, Neb.

A three-time conference defensive player of the year, Kalkbrenner also had five rebounds and three blocks. His dominant performance paved the way for Greg McDermott to record his 328th head coaching victory at Creighton, snapping a tie with his predecessor Dana Altman (1994-2010). Steven Ashworth collected 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Fredrick King added 11 points off the bench. Jamiya Neal had nine points and seven rebounds for the Bluejays (3-0), who benefited from a 36-5 run to close the first half.

The Huskies (1-2) made just 25.4 percent of their attempts from the floor and 14.3 percent from beyond the arc. Houston Christian was led by D’Aundre Samuels’ eight points.

No. 18 Arkansas 65, Troy 49

A hot second half from Zvonimi Ivisic allowed the Razorbacks to overcome the pesky Trojans in Fayetteville, Ark.

Ivisic, who scored 19 points and blocked five shots, provided a second-half spark off the bench as he shot 5 of 6 from 3-point range and scored 16 points after intermission. Adou Thiero also had 19 points for Arkansas (2-1).

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | April 28th

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | On Howie Schwab

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – I first met Howie Schwab in September of 1977, long before he would become the ESPN cult hero, nicknamed Stump the Schwab – a must-watch TV show that aired from July 8, 2004 to September 29, 2006. Schwab was a classmate at St. John’s University in New York and from that very first day when freshman orientation at the Queens campus of St. John’s called for the playing of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop,”from the Rumours album, Howie Schwab was a friend while being an encyclopedia in the “Never Stop” world of college and pro sports.

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With the guidance from upper classmen Frank Racaniello and Bill Rodriguez, the two sports editors of the student newspaper, The Torch, we all tried to find our niche in the sports industry. Whether it be as writers, researchers, CBS Sports loggers, sports information directors, we tried and sought out opportunities. Schwab and StanGoldstein (one-time front office man for the New York Knicks and guru of all things Bruce Springsteen). Schwab and Goldstein split the St J men’s basketball beat and did a terrific job. (I had the baseball beat which included a 1980 College World Series team).

Goldstein told a story for all on Facebook: “Funny story,” Stan began, “at the height of ‘Stump the Schwab.’ Howie and I went to a San Francisco Giants-Red Sox game at Fenway Park. I felt like I was at the game with Bruce Springsteen. Everyone recognized Howie and wanted a picture and an autograph. Howie made sure to accommodate everyone. I felt like I had to be his security guard. We went to Legal Seafood for dinner and there was a line. They recognized Howie and seated us immediately. People kept coming up to the table to get Howie’s autograph. It was something.”

Kindness, hard work, treating others with respect and volunteerism was key. Everyone in our class, at the encouragement of the late St. John’s Athletic Administration Dean Bernie Beglane, volunteered to help at any and all New York area sporting events. Schwab, as knowledgeable as anyone in the Felt Forum (a part of New York’s Madison Square Garden), helped out at the NBA Draft by running the draft cards from the team tables up to Matt Winick of NBA Operations seated up on the dais. Let’s just say, Ralph Sampson (No. 1 in ‘83), Steve Stepanovich (No. 2 in ‘83) Hakeem Olajuwon (No. 1 in ‘84), Sam Bowie (No. 2 in ‘84), Michael Jordan (No. 3 in ‘84), Patrick Ewing (No. 1 in ‘85) and even St. John’s own Chris Mullin (No. 7 in ‘85) would not have made it to the NBA if they didn’t go through Howie and his work on the trading floor that is the NBA Draft, handing the official card from team to league so the players could be selected.

Schwab was the head of research for ESPN and settled into Bristol, Connecticut for much of his career, feeding nuggets of information to the on-air talent, making them and ESPN look better and smarter everyday. He was particularly close with the great Dick Vitale and they both settled in Florida as the sunset on their ESPN careers, each fighting health issues.

The praise from his fellow ESPNers was amazing: “So sad to learn of the passing of my loyal dedicated buddy ⁦Howie Schwab,” wrote Vitale, who had Schwab as part of his own internal team after Schwab was let go from ESPN in a massive corporate cutback years ago. “He was recently at my home,“ Vitale wrote, “(and) had various health issues but was feeling good when he visited.May he please RIP.”

“Honored to have been one of the many handed a bit of research, often on a card, from the great Howie Schwab,” said Mike Tirico. “So glad the audience eventually got to see his brilliance and personality on tv. An original and one of the best you could ever meet. He made so many of us better. Holding his family and friends in our hearts,” concluded the classy Tirico who now anchors for NBC Sports.

Doug Gottlieb, who was a basketball analyst for ESPN before branching off to his own sports world, wrote: “My second day at ESPN, fall of 2003, I met Howie Schwab,” remembered Gottlieb. “I was walking into Building 4 and a fairly frumpy man stopped me, (and said) “Doug Gottlieb, 943 assists 7th all time – played at Notre Dame and Oklahoma State, lost to Duke in ‘98, Auburn in ‘99 & Florida in ‘00. A great passer who couldn’t shoot … Howie Schwab, nice to meet you.”

The dean of delight for many of us who interacted with ESPN is Dan Patrick who hosts the best sports talk show in the business. Patrick opened his show, stating: “Before we get started, I want to say goodbye to a lifelong friend who just passed away over the weekend, Howie Schwab,” Patrick said emotionally. “I’ve known Howie for probably over 30 years … Howie was sports Google before sports Google. Google would have Googled Howie Schwab. He’s the smartest guy that I ever met when it comes to sports knowledge, trivia, information.

“When I first started at SportsCenter, I was lucky to have Howie Schwab there, because he made us all better,” Patrick continued. “He loved the bottom line, and that is getting the information from wherever he is finding it, to you while you’re still on the air.”

Patrick concluded his tribute by calling Schwab, “A generous, wonderful person.”

And that’s where I can pick it right up.

Aside from out mutual love, understanding and misery following St. John’s basketball, Howie was such a great guy that he honestly took pride – not in his own successes, but of others. We often spoke about the NBA, Chris Mullin and I always asked about his parents (who sat adjacent to us in the St. John’s basketball season ticket layout).

Howie’s Dad passed away a couple years back, but his Mom is still doing well and had the saddest of assignments for a parent in burying a son. The service for Schwab, held in Baldwin, Long Island – his hometown – was dignified and very well attended. Plenty of his peers spoke so fondly of him and the many memories he’s left behind, especially in “Stump the Schwab,” the great ESPN show that was once anchored by the late, great Stuart Scott. (Note: Link above for an archive of the service).

My personal memory of Howie is from a message left on my (private) home number answering machine, the one dominated by political calls, robo calls, and messages from our town weather/flood/storm notification system.”

“Terry,” he said, not identifying himself and knowing that I would know his voice. “I have a crazy situation and I know you’re a “Marriott guy.” I bought a time share in Aruba and there’s no way we can use it. The bad news, it starts later this week.

“All you have to do if fly down to Aruba, and I’ll take care of everything else. It’s all paid for and I’d love for you to use it for a little break.”

Surely, Howie had called others before leaving that wonderful, kind, thoughtful message for me, and I was thrilled to call him back to thank him for the offer, which so sadly, we could not take advantage of at the time.

It was, however, Howie Schwab in all his glory – trying to help others while never asking for a thing back.

Howie was not a text message guy. He was not an email guy, unless he was forwarding good information. He was a “call you on your home phone number” kind of guy and that’s what I loved about him.”

Go Johnnies. For Howie.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Another all-time great passed this week, in NHL broadcaster The NHL sent out a statement from Commissioner Gary Bettman which said it all, “Bob Cole’s voice was the iconic and incomparable soundtrack of ice hockey across Canada for more than 50 years,” said Bettman. “From countless winter Saturday nights on Hockey Night in Canada to the 1972 Summit Series to multiple Olympic Games to dozens of Stanley Cup Finals, his distinctive, infectious play-by-play made every game he called sound bigger.

“Over a legendary career that began in local radio in his beloved home province of Newfoundland and inevitably went national beginning in 1969, Bob transcended generations by sharing his obvious passion for our game and his stunning talent for conveying hockey’s excitement and majesty with both eloquence and enthusiasm.

“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of one of the true greats of our game, who long ago joined his idol Foster Hewitt in the pantheon of hockey broadcasters. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends and the millions across Canada for whom the sound of Bob Cole’s voice was the sound of hockey.”

To this columnist, there are only six other non-playing ice hockey people held on a such a high pedestal and they are:

Roger Doucet (1919-1981) – (link)

“The Big Whistle,” Bill Chadwick (1915-2009) – (link)

Bill Torrey (1934-2018) – (link)

Al Arbour (1932-2015) – (link)

Frank J. Zamboni (1901-1988) – (link)

And, thankfully and importantly – still with us at age 77 – Mike “Doc” Emrick, the voice of hockey to the fans of the USA (link).

INFORMAL POLL: This wasn’t a poll conducted by Quinnipiac and it won’t be reported by MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki, but a Digital Sports Desk poll of favorite Boston Red Sox players is heavy on retired players or those who’ve moved along and very short on the current crew.

The poll is conducted on a short walk from the Fenway T Station to the ballpark. Every single Red Sox uniform is noted, and the results show a love for the past and not so much love of the present. Here are the results:

  1. David Ortiz
  2. Mookie Betts
  3. Yaz
  4. Xander Bogaerts
  5. Dustin Pedroia
  6. Chris Sale (with the replicas purchased before they were on Sale)
  7. Rafael Devers*
  8. Jarren Duran*
  9. Enrique “Kiki” Hernandez
  10. Brayan Bello*

* for current roster player

COLLEGE PROPS: According to the D-1 Ticker, the New York State Gaming Commission’s Chairman Brian O’Dwyer went on record with NCAA President Charlie Baker as they both endorsed a nationwide ban on prop bets on college athletes. O’Dwyer wrote: “With the commencement of legal sports wagering in our state, the New York State Gaming Commission made a policy determination to prohibit individual athletic-based proposition betting within any collegiate event, as we shared the same desire to insulate student-athletes from potential harassment regarding their performance. We are pleased that many states have followed our lead and have since adopted such a similar restriction. As regulators of the largest sports betting market in the United States, we continue to believe the prohibition of college proposition betting on student-athletes is appropriate. New York State appreciates your efforts to help implement this important protective measure nationwide.” … The obvious issue was well documented within the case of the NBA banning x Porter for life for his gambling activities. He was investigated and proved to have meddled with prop bet lines on his own game, asking out and pretending to be injured in order to stay under the prop bet line.

NUGGETS AND TIDBITS: The 2024 Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will paint Cooperstown with a decidedly historic shade of red during Hall of Fame Weekend, as in Red Sox.

Boston Red Sox radio voice Joe Castiglione will be presented with the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters and the 2004 World Series champion Red Sox will be recognized on the 20th anniversary of their historic victory at the July 20 Awards Presentation, which will be held at the Glimmerglass Festival, located just north of the Village of Cooperstown.

The special tribute is scheduled to include Castiglione, as well as appearances by Hall of Famers Pedro Martínez and David Ortiz, two Sox heroes of that reverse-the-curse Red Sox team. The late Gerry Fraley will be honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award for writers at the event, which takes place in the Alice Busch Opera Theater. A limited number of tickets for the public are now available for the Awards Presentation at baseballhall.org/hofwknd.

Castiglione, who has called Red Sox games on the radio for a record 41 seasons, was selected as the 2024 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Castiglione is the longest tenured broadcaster in Red Sox history and has called historic moments that have included both of Roger Clemens’ 20-strikeout games and four no-hitters as well as the Red Sox’s four World Series titles in a 15-year span from 2004-2018.

Fraley formed relationships with players, coaches, scouts, executives, and umpires that made him one of the most trusted voices in the industry. Fraley, who died in 2019 at the age of 64, covered the Phillies, Braves and Rangers and was a pioneer in the advent of daily notebooks as part of beat coverage. Longtime columnist for the Southern California News Group, Mark Whicker, will speak on behalf of Fraley at the Awards Presentation.

Hall of Fame Weekend will feature the 2024 Induction Ceremony when Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton, Jim Leyland and Joe Mauer will be inducted as the Class of 2024 on Sunday, July 21, on the grounds of Cooperstown’s Clark Sports Center. The 2024 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live exclusively on MLB Network and more than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to return for Hall of Fame Weekend, with the full list of returnees to be announced in early July, to honor the Class of 2024.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | Feb 25

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While We’re Young (Ideas) on The Summer of ’69

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Photo by NASA on Unsplash

By TERRY LYONS, Editor & Publisher Digital Sports Desk

BETHPAGE, LONG ISLAND to TRANQUILITY BASE to BOSTON, MASS – There was quite a bit of buzz this week as the Odysseus private spacecraft touched down on the Moon. Although there were some issues with the landing – reminding some of us as a replication of a Chris Dudley free throw attempt – the spacecraft is in working order, although toppled over on its side. Engineers at Intuitive Machines – the private company behind the mission – are working to secure additional information.

The new venture is the first time in 50 years the USA/NASA space program is involved with landing a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. It brought back memories of that memorable Summer of 1969 when on July 20th, Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon and his co-pilot, Buzz Aldrin, followed soon after.

That milestone in human history is possibly the most amazing thing that’s ever happened in our lives for a generation of baby boomers who grew up during the tumultuous decade of the 1960s. The lunar landing and walk of the surface came about eight years after President John F. Kennedy announced the goal of “Going to the Moon” during a speech at Rice University. Kennedy did so with one of the great one-liners known to speech writers everywhere when he declared in rhetorical form, “Why does Rice play Texas?”

The portion of the speech being quoted stated: “ … But why, some say, the Moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the Moon. We choose to go to the Moon… We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.

“Because they are hard.”

Brilliance was packed into JFK’s delivery – stating “We choose to go to the Moon,” not once, not twice but three times to emphasize his determination to accomplish the goal.”

The Apollo Space Program began with Apollo 1 – a disastrous mission which cost the lives of three astronauts – Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee – when their space capsule ignited while completing tests on the launchpad. All three were burned and asphyxiated.

It always annoys me to no end when ANYONE jokes (or even worse) is actually serious about faked Moon Landings. It’s a fact and a shame three brave men gave up their lives to advance the Apollo mission and three others – James Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise of Apollo 13 – damn near gave up their lives when the Service Module spacecraft malfunctioned and the Grumman-made (in Bethpage, NY) Lunar Module (LEM) was utilized to propel the astronauts back to earth.

In between those two missions, a truly united world community watched with amazement as Apollo 8 (Dec. 21-27, 1968) became the first mission to orbit the Moon.

Following the program minute-by-minute became our passion as one mission led to the next to the next which led to the infamous Apollo 11 mission forever immortalizing the quote by Neil Armstrong as he made that incredible first step off of the LEM’s staircase, stating so eloquently, “One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind.”

While JFK’s Rice vs Texas line was hand-written into the speech by Kennedy himself, and started the missions off, there was another very important sports reference to the Apollo 11 lunar landing of ‘69.

Yes, the New York Mets won the World Series that Fall. The Amazin’, Amazin’ Amazin’ Mets, born in 1962 became the “Miracle Mets” and the ‘69 World Champions on October 16th, defeating the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles 4-games-to-1 behind two Jerry Koosman pitching gems.

Of course the New York Jets performed their own miracle, defeating the very heavily favored Baltimore Colts, 16-7, in Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969 and the ‘69-70 New York Knickerbockers took the NBA title on May 8, 1970 to seal the sports trifecta surrounding the lunar landing.

It was all so Amazin’ that it begs a question or two, here in 2024.

What might happen this year? Can the Mets win again?

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Please someone out there tell us what got into St. John’s head basketball coach Rick Pitino? Certainly, the program has had it’s ups & downs since legendary Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca retired, but never has a coach called out individual St. John’s players for their weaknesses and lack of game. Pitino filled notebooks and wrote his own headlines which started on Long Island at the UBS Center near Belmont Park, made their way to New York City and then ran nationwide and worldwide, cascading the once glorious Top 5 basketball program into being THE laughing stock of the BIG EAST.

“If I said I was disappointed, that would be the understatement of the year,” Pitino said to begin his press conference after the 68-62 loss to cross river rival Seton Hall who drilled St. John’s 80-65 on January 16 at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Pitino made it clear, as clear as the nearby Clearview Expressway, by calling his first year with the program “the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime.” (It’s on video tape from a post game podium complete with the official St. John’s backdrop behind him).

Pitino cited the players (as a whole) as being the “antithesis” of his coaching style and saying they lacked toughness.

“We are so un-athletic that we can’t guard anybody without fouling,” he said. “For me, I’ve always enjoyed the first year, and I’m not gonna lie to you; This is the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime. This has been so disappointing,” said Pitino of the 2023-24 St. John’s season, adding, “They hear but they don’t listen.”

From there, it really went South:

“Do we have sh#*tty facilities?” Pitino asked rhetorically. “Yes, we do. But we’re doing something about that.

“But that’s not the reason we’re losing. Having sh*tty facilities has nothing to do with not guarding,” he concluded as media scratched their heads knowing Pitino’s home court – Madison Square Garden – is arguably the greatest gym in the world. However, he was referring to Carnesecca Arena and the training facilities and offices in Jamaica Estates, not the home court in Manhattan that also doubles as the site of the annual Big East men’s basketball tournament.

With the first ball lobbed at his own school (although, after thinking twice, he qualified his remarks by saying, “It’s NOT St. John’s.”

“Look, Joel [Soriano] is slow laterally, he’s not fast on the court. Chris Ledlum is slow laterally, Sean Conway’s slow laterally. Brady [Dunlap] is physically weak, Drissa [Traore] is slow laterally,” said Pitino, noting things every basketball aficionado recognized when the Johnnies were blown off their homecourt at Madison Square Garden by a rather mediocre Michigan team back in November.

Pitino rounded third base and went for the inside the park homer when he undermined his own coaching and recruiting staff and efforts, stating, “We kind of lost this season with the way we recruited. We recruited the antithesis of the way I coach. It’s a good group, they try hard, but they’re just not very tough.”

“It’s not the job,” Pitino continued. “You could be at Missouri and recruit slow players. Believe me, it’s not St. John’s. We had to put together a team at the last second. We will never, ever, do that again.”

Keep in mind, Pitino cut or dismissed every player from the mediocre Johnnies’ 2022-23 squad, only keeping his bigman, Soriano while others have gone on to excel at other programs.

It was all like a scene from Hollywood, maybe like Captain Wilton Parmenter telling F-Troop they needed work firing the cannon, but they were great at the mess hall.

Yes, the mess created was surprisingly doubled in size and strength when a follow-up story a day later in Long Island’s Newsday passed along the unbelievable “day after” sentiment, stressing his even keel in choosing his postgame statements, saying, he “truly wasn’t ripping anybody”, and that he “stands by” his choice of words.

“I was pointing out in a monotone voice why we lost,” Pitino told Newsday. “I am not always calm and certainly not when I rip someone. I was not ripping anybody. I sometimes want my players to hear my words and read my words. That was my intention [Sunday]. I’m fine with what I said.”

Rah, rah Rickie, they’ll be calling him after St. John’s defeated a sorry Georgetown team this past Wednesday and Pitino used the occasion to apologize for his comments, “I should never, ever mention a name,” he lamented after an all-out national firestorm of feedback. “I’m a veteran coach. l tell every young coach in the business to show class when you win, show class when you lose and give the other team credit,” said Pitino, who also apologized to any St. John’s fans that were upset by his comments.

“I’ve been really, really frustrated this year for a lot of different reasons. But understand something: I recruited this man [Jordan Dingle], I recruited this man [RJ Luis]. My staff did not recruit these guys. It was all me. It was all me, and I’m really, really proud to have them. I totally apologize to them for doing that. I wasn’t ripping them. That wasn’t my intent. But words matter.”

He later added: “I told the team this, maybe seven, eight times this year: ‘You’re not failing; I’m failing you.’”

Well, Pitino got one thing right.

JUST FOR REFERENCE: This columnist saw his first St. John’s game live on February 11, 1971 – as a child, of course). (SJU defeated Calvin Murphy and Niagara 82-71). The time between 1971 and 1977 went quickly as, togeher with my family, we caught dozens of games, Holiday Festivals, NIT, a few NCAA qualifiers when it was the ECAC before BIG EAST days and so on. As a Johnnies freshman, I purchased four (4) seasons tickets to St John’s basketball in 1977-78. This year, with a summer filled with getting tons of requests from friends and family for tickets, we upped the ante to eight (8) tickets at MSG, keeping the four at Carnesecca Arena.

As of February 18, 2024 – some 53 years and two weeks after that St. J vs Niagara game – one week past the Seton Hall debacle – we can’t even GIVE the tickets away.

RED SOX AND MLB BEGIN SPRING TRAINING: The Boston Red Sox began their 2024 Grapefruit League training camp exhibitions this weekend. The Sox played to a 14-14-4 (.500) in 2023 MLB Spring Training. … The Sox will play 35 exhibition games in 33 days, including Friday’s game against Northeastern University. They play two games in the Dominican Republic vs. Tampa Bay on March 9-10, and two games vs. Texas at Globe Life Field on March 25-26 as they break camp. … In addition to those 35 games, the Red Sox will host one of the inaugural MLB Spring Breakout Games on March 16 vs. Atlanta. … Boston opens the regular season on March 28 against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

Big East: St. John’s Tops Butler

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STORRS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – St. John’s and Creighton used some strong second-half play to secure wins on Tuesday, while Connecticut began its path to victory midway through the first half of its game.

No. 4 UConn put together a 16-2 run in the first half to take control in its 85-56 triumph over DePaul. The Huskies (12-2, 2-1 BIG EAST) led 38-19 at halftime. Four players finished in double figures led by Cam Spencer, who had 20 points. Alex Karaban added 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds. The Blue Demons (3-10, 0-2) were led by Da’Sean Nelson’s 19 points.

St. John’s (10-4, 2-1) pulled away from Butler in the final eight minutes and took an 86-70 decision at Carnesecca Arena. Daniss Jenkins led five SJU players in double figures with 17 points. He also had seven assists and five rebounds. Freshman Brady Dunlap, who had not played in the previous four games, netted 13 points off the bench. For Butler (10-4, 1-2), DJ Davis scored a game-high 25 points.

Creighton (10-4, 1-2) scored on 14 of its first 17 possessions in the second half en route to a 77-60 win atGeorgetown (7-7, 0-3). Baylor Scheierman posted his fourth double-double this season with 18 points and 12 boards. Trey Alexander dropped in a game-high 25 points. Rowan Brumbaugh led GU with 19 points and dished five assists.

FS1 has Wednesday’s two-game schedule covered. At 6:30 p.m. ET, No. 23 Providence hosts Seton Hall. The Friars (11-2, 2-0) are 46-3 in their last 49 home games. The Pirates (8-5, 1-1) have won three of their last four with wins over UConn, Missouri and Monmouth.

At 8:30 p.m., Xavier visits Villanova. The Musketeers (7-6, 1-1) are led by Quincy Olivari, who has averaged 25.0 points over his last five games.   For the third time in the last six seasons, the Wildcats (9-4, 2-0) have started 2-0 in league play with both wins coming on the road. Both teams have not played since Dec. 23.

St. John’s Defeats Georgetown

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NEW YORK – (Report from Official News Release) – St. John’s freshman guard AJ Storr buried the game-winning 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds remaining to lift the Red Storm men’s basketball team to a 75-73 victory over Georgetown on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Trailing by as many as nine points with 8:22 remaining, St. John’s received a major boost from junior wing David Jones who scored eight-straight points in the final four minutes of action before Storr buried the dagger. Jones finished with a team-high 17 points, including 12 points in the final stanza, to go with seven boards and two assists in 27 minutes off the bench.

Storr finished with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the floor. The Rockford, Ill., native also set career highs with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Joel Soriano churned out his 18th double-double of the season for St. John’s (14-8, 4-7 BIG EAST), finishing with 12 points and 15 rebounds. The senior center from Yonkers scored half of his points at the free-throw line and grabbed 11 offensive boards. Dylan Addae-Wusu was the fourth Johnnie to record double-figures, as the junior from the Bronx registered 15 points and shot 4-for-6 from 3-point territory. Addae-Wusu also dished out four assists.

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St. John’s was without the services of junior guard Posh Alexander who missed his second-straight game with a sprained ankle. Red Storm sophomore guard Rafael Pinzon also did not see game action on Sunday due to a sprained ankle, as well.

The Johnnies jumped out to a 10-point lead less than seven minutes into the contest. Storr capped a 13-2 run with a layup at the 13:09 mark that gave St. John’s a 17-7 advantage.

After Georgetown chipped away at the deficit and pulled within three, the Red Storm rebuilt a double-digit lead with Kolby King giving the team a spark off the bench. The freshman guard scored five quick points before Andre Curbelo knocked down a jumper and Storr had a dunk in transition to push St. John’s out to a 35-25 advantage at 4:17.

From there, the Johnnies went cold for the rest of the half with Georgetown (6-16, 1-10 BIG EAST) unleashing a 14-0 run to close out the stanza. Brandon Murray capped the offensive surge with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Hoyas a 39-35 lead at the break.

Soriano scored 10 of his 12 points in the latter stanza, as the Johnnies’ big man got going out of the gate with a monster dunk. The Red Storm also took care of the basketball in the second half, committing just two turnovers after giving up the ball 10 times in the first 20 minutes.

Down 64-55 with 8:22 remaining, St. John’s dug deep to chip away at the Georgetown advantage over the next four minutes. The Red Storm went on a 9-0 run to knot the game at 64-64 on a Curbelo jumper at 4:34.

The lead traded sides four times in the final four minutes of action with neither team leading by more than three. With 46 seconds remaining, Jones buried a pair of free-throws that put St. John’s back on top, 72-70. However, Bryson Mozone answered with a corner three with 24 seconds to go that put Georgetown up one and set the stage for Storr’s heroics.

Coming out of a timeout with 18 seconds left, Curbelo drove baseline and kicked it out to Storr who nailed the decisive triple with four ticks on the clock. On the final play of the game, Mozone got a look from deep before the final buzzer that rimmed out, as St. John’s secured its fourth-straight victory over the Hoyas.

Duquesne transfer Primo Spears played all 40 minutes for Georgetown, leading all scorers with 25 points on a 10-for-19 showing from the floor, including four 3-pointers. Murray also scored 17 points while Hoyas’ big man Qudas Wahab rounded out those in double figures with 14 points.

The Johnnies outscored Georgetown, 38-28, in paint. St. John’s also capitalized on nine second-half turnovers, registering 13 points on miscues.

St. John’s Takes Temple; Will Meet ‘Cuse

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BROOKLYN – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Creighton and St. John’s won the opening games of their Thanksgiving week tournaments while Marquette lost a close one.

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Creighton, ranked 10th in this week’s Associated Press poll, survived some strong defensive pressure by No. 21 Texas Tech in the first half before a second-half turnaround produced a 76-65 victory at the Maui Invitational. The Red Raiders forced the Bluejays into 13 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, but Creighton responded by not committing a turnover in the second half and outscoring the Red Raiders 45-34. All five CU starters reached double figures led by Arthur Kaluma’s 18 points.

Creighton meets No. 9 Arkansas Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

St. John’s scored the last eight points of the game to nail down a 78-72 victory over Temple in the Empire Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Montez Mathis scored a team-high 16 points and Joel Soriano produced his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The undefeated Johnnies (5-0) will play former BIG EAST rival Syracuse for the tourney title at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The two teams have not met since Dec. 21, 2016 when St. John’s won 93-60 in the Carrier Dome.

Marquette overcame an early 10-point deficit and led by four in the second half before dropping a 58-55 decision to Mississippi State in the Ft. Myers Tipoff. Tyler Kolek led the Golden Eagles (3-2) with 16 points and backcourt partner Kam Jones added 14. The Golden Eagles will play Georgia Tech on Wednesday in the third-place game.

Cooley Earns 300th Win for Friars

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PROVIDENCE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – On a three-game Saturday, Seton Hall won a fierce battle in overtime against Connecticut. Providence gave coach Ed Cooley his 300th career victory with a win against St. John’s. Villanova used a strong second half to win at DePaul.

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At Prudential Center, Seton Hall (11-3, 2-2 BE) and UConn (10-4, 1-2 BE) battled for 45 minutes before the Pirates prevailed 90-87. Pirate guard Kadary Richmond, who had a 6.9 scoring average, tallied a game-high 27 points. He scored 17 straight points in the second half and made the deciding basket with 31 seconds left in the extra stanza. Fellow guard Bryce Aiken had seven of his 22 points in overtime. UConn’s Adama Sanogo was a force with 18 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Providence (14-2, 4-1 BE) trailed St. John’s (9-4, 1-1 BE) by seven points early in the second half before recovering to post an 83-73 victory at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Nate Watson led the Friar surge by scoring 18 of his game-high 22 points after the break. Jared Bynum added 18 points. Justin Minaya had 14 points and helped limit St. John’s Julian Champagnie to 11 points. St. John’s Dylan Addae-Wusu posted his second straight career scoring high with 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists. PC is 10-0 at home this season.

DePaul put together a 37-32 lead by halftime against Villanova before the Wildcats rebounded with a 79-64 victory at Wintrust Arena. Villanova (11-4, 4-1 BE) opened the second half with a 15-2 run to take control of the game. Collin Gillespie led the winners with 28 points. Justin Moore supported the effort with 21 points and seven rebounds. Javon Freeman-Liberty poured in a career-high 34 points for the Blue Demons (9-5, 0-4 BE). David Jones added 12 points.

BIG EAST action picks up again on Tuesday with DePaul at Marquette at 7 p.m. ET followed by Providence at Creighton at 9 p.m. Both games will be televised by FS1. The DePaul-Marquette game will be an All-Access Game with head coaches Tony Stubblefield and Shaka Smart wearing a live microphone throughout the telecast.

Big East, Big 12 Battle

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ELMONT – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – St. John’s, the only BIG EAST team in action on Friday, lost 95-75 to No. 8 Kansas in a BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle contest. It was the first basketball game played in the new UBS Arena in Elmont, home of the New York Islanders. The Jayhawks led 64-61 midway through the second half before pulling away for the victory. Julian Champagnie had 24 points for the Johnnies. BIG EAST teams are 64-16 (.762) going into today.

A busy day on the December 4 slate shows seven games with a few significant challenges for a few teams that have performed better than expected so far this season.

No. 6 Villanova (5-2) meets its third Philadelphia Big Five foe this week when it hosts Saint Joseph’s at Finneran Pavilion at noon ET on FS1. Collin Gillespie had a game-high 26 points in Wednesday’s 71-56 win over Penn. He leads the BIG EAST with an assist/turnover mark of 3.1. The Hawks beat Georgetown 77-74 last week at the Wooden Legacy.

Also at noon, No. 25 Seton Hall hosts D-II Nyack College on campus at Walsh Gymnasium on FS2. The Pirates (6-1) have a three-game winning streak after Wednesday’s 85-63 win over Wagner. Jared Rhoden ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring (18.4).

Marquette (7-1) travels to Madison for its annual battle with Wisconsin. FOX will televise at 12:30 p.m. The Golden Eagles won last year’s game 67-65 when Justin Lewis tipped in a missed free throw just before the buzzer. The Badgers are ranked 23rd in this week’s AP poll. This season, Lewis ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring (17.3) and seventh in rebounding (8.1).

The 131st battle between Providence and Rhode Island happens at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center at 2 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The Friars (6-2) have won 11 of the last 17 meetings. PC is coming off a 72-68 home win over Texas Tech in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle.

DePaul puts its unbeaten mark on the line when it hosts Loyola Chicago at 4 p.m. on FS1. The Blue Demons (6-0) have not played since last Sunday’s 101-63 win over Eastern Michigan. Javon Freeman-Liberty leads the BIG EAST in scoring with a 23.5 average and is second in rebounding at 9.2.

Also at 4 p.m., UConn hosts Grambling State on FS2. The No. 17 Huskies take a depleted lineup into the game with starters Tyrese Martin and Adama Sanogo out with injuries. Sanogo, who has an abdominal strain, leads the team in scoring (16.7). Martin’s scoring mark is 12.9. He has a wrist injury.

The BIG EAST day ends with Creighton hosting No. 19 Iowa State (7-0) at 9 p.m. in another BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. The Cyclones defeated Xavier 82-70 last week in the NIT Tip-Off. ISU has held its opponents to 60.4 ppg. A Creighton win would give the Bluejays an 8-1 start, their best since 13-0 in 2016-17.

Big East: Butler, St. John’s Fall

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BLOOMINGTON – (Staff Report from Official Press Release) – A St. John’s rally fell short and Butler could not get going offensively in their respective Gavitt Tipoff Games contests, while UConn comfortably improved to 3-0.

After a slow start, UConn handled Long Island U. 93-40 at Gampel Pavilion in a non Gavitt Games contest. The Huskies have placed five players in double figures in all three games this season. On Wednesday, graduate student Tyler Polley was the scoring leader with 17 points. The margin of victory was UConn’s largest since a 103-47 win over Tennessee-Chattanooga in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

After trailing by as many as 14 points, St. John’s rallied to tie twice, but the Johnnies lost 76-74 at Indiana. St. John’s star Julian Champagnie poured in 32 points – the highest scoring total by a BIG EAST player this season – and made a career-high six 3-pointers. Stef Smith scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half.

Butler lost 73-52 to Michigan State at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs made only 29 percent from the field and had to deal with an injury to Bryce Nze, who hurt his shoulder seven minutes into the game and did not return. Graduate student Ty Groce led Butler with 15 points and nine rebounds.

BIG EAST teams own a collective 27-4 record going into the Nov. 18th schedule.

Big East vs. Big 12 Battle Announced

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NEW YORK – The Big East and Big 12 Conferences recently announced the dates and matchups for the third year of the BIG EAST-vs-Big 12-Battle.

The contests, which will be played in December, were jointly determined by the two conferences. The home school has the right to determine the venue of its game. Broadcast arrangements for the games will be determined by the national television rights holder of the home team, which is FOX Sports for the BIG EAST and ESPN for the Big 12.

The four-year agreement between the two conferences will continue through the 2022-23 season with an equal number of games played in each conference’s home market each year. Television designations and game times will be announced when available.

2021 BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle Schedule
Dec. 1 Texas Tech at Providence
Dec. 2 Kansas at St. John’s
Dec. 4 Iowa State at Creighton
Dec. 5 Xavier at Oklahoma State
Dec. 7 Butler at Oklahoma
Dec. 8 Marquette at Kansas State
Dec. 8 Connecticut at West Virginia
Dec. 9 Texas at Seton Hall
Dec. 12 Villanova at Baylor