There is going small, and then there is the lineup coach Steve Lavin used in St. John’s 97-71 exhibition victory over Division II St. Thomas Aquinas Saturday afternoon at Carnesecca Arena.
Looking to spark the Johnnies after a subpar start and the absence of forward Chris Obekpa (sprained left ankle), Lavin went to a five-guard lineup that turned a disappointing start into a rout, exploding past Aquinas with its quickness, perimeter play-making and 3-point accuracy.
For large stretches of the blowout, St. John’s tallest player was Sir’Dominic Pointer, a 6-foot-6 senior who could best be described as a hybrid guard/forward. He was joined by seniors D’Angelo Harrison, Jamal Branch, Phil Greene IV and sophomore Rysheed Jordan, all between 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-2. The four combined to score 70 points and make eight 3-pointers.
“I like the group because they are interchangeable parts,” Lavin said. “We can play at high speeds. It’s five players that can pass, catch, make decisions, finish in the open court. … We’d be foolish not to allow them to play together and explore what matchup problems they can create for opponents.”
The result was blurring 44-13 run, turning a 30-24 deficit into a 68-43 lead. It worked against the Division II opponent, outclassed by the Johnnies loaded backcourt. Lavin said he would use the lineup in stretches during Big East action.
“Everybody is interchangeable,” Greene said. “On defense, we can switch each guy. We moved the ball, it was faster. I like the small lineup a lot.”
Obekpa, the lone experienced forward on the roster who was so impressive in the first exhibition game, is expected to be ready for Friday’s opener against NJIT and possibly practice on Monday. Lavin said the injury concerns him because of how important Obekpa is to the coming season.
Once the wide gap was established, Lavin went back to his inexperienced forwards, working in freshmen Adonis De La Rosa and Amar Alibegovic, in addition to redshirt sophomore Christian Jones. De La Rosa, the former Christ the
King big man who didn’t appear in the first exhibition game because Lavin said he wasn’t in the proper physical condition, impressed with 10 points and five rebounds.
“We like to play small, but this year we also have to bring the depth of our front line along,” Lavin said.