November 17th, 2017: William & Mary at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma’am: Five players scored in double figures in the Red Storm’s 92-81 win over the Tribe of William & Mary. Qadashah Hoppie and Akina Wellere each had 21 to lead St. John’s. Abby Rendle led all scorers with 22 in the losing cause.

For volleyball, communication breakdowns, lots of false advertising, musical taste, pizza pizza, and a surprising amount of kvetching for a win, join your intrepid and sick blogger after the jump.

Good afternoon, loyal, or perhaps just masochistic, readers! Your intrepid blogger comes to you live and in stereophonic sound from Carnesecca Arena for an atypical double-header. Fortunately, I know diddly-squat about volleyball, so you’ll be saved from full-fledged GNoD about the match between St. John’s and Xavier, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to start out with at least a few bits and pieces.

There’s no security or ticket-taking or anything for volleyball. If I’d known that, I would have smuggled in some sandwiches or something. Or, at the very least, not prepared to go through the metal detectors. We’re at less than eight minutes to go before the match starts, and I’m literally the only person on the bleacher side of the arena. I’m not quite in my usual spot, though, because the volleyball benches seem to be the same as the men’s benches, and I feel like it’s rude to sit across from the opposing bench.

I find the exchange of warm-up time to be fascinating. I guess setting up two nets and having each team playing essentially halfcourt would be impractical. Everyone seems to go for five to ten minutes, then rotate to let the other team have their turn, and then they chill on the bench while the opponent practices, and I wonder how much you can learn from that.

The shorts really are short. The Under Armour shorts seem to be tighter than the Nike shorts.

Huh. Volleyball has a different PA guy. I mean, unless the regular basketball guy is out and this guy’s the sub.

Oh, cool. Volleyball has an intro video too. I wasn’t sure if that was a thing in volleyball. During intros, the players throw what I’m guessing are stuffed or inflatable mini-volleyballs into the stands.

And they get “Thunderstruck” too! Well, that just makes sense.

Game’s about to start- see you in a couple of hours!

Heartbreaker of a match- Xavier took it in five sets. Now I get to watch Carnesecca being set up for a basketball game and deconstructed from a volleyball match, which is sort of interesting as long as they don’t kick me out.

Volleyball is a game of chaos and misdirection, and there are times when it can be glorious. I still don’t understand all the stats.

The players stretch after the game, which I thought was kind of interesting.

Not to say facilities are a bit limited, but I went to the bathroom between sets and almost got run over by Danisha Moss on my way out. (Shoutout to the dude who gave me the extra big cup for my ice cream.)

Okay, St. John’s, we need to have a discussion of what the word “doubleheader” means. And what start times are. And what 43 degrees and windy means. If you make the exceptionally stupid decision to have a free event to start a doubleheader, and the even stupider decision not to engage security or printed tickets for said event, you have to live with the consequences of that decision. You don’t get to advertise it as a double-header and then kick people out into the cold after the volleyball match. That is not cool. Whoever decided to run this as a doubleheader made a bad decision; whoever decided to clear the arena between events should be roasted over an open fire. Why should people who chose to take full advantage of their ticket be penalized?

Also, quelle surprise: the schedule magnets that are supposed to be today’s in-game giveaway weren’t ready when the gates opened half an hour before tip. Which is, y’know, half an hour late. But, hey, you can get a men’s basketball poster! Or a volleyball

And oh, hey, let’s not open the concession stand! Because the concession stand in the main lobby is open! On the other side of the guys with the ticket scanners, so if you’ve already scanned your ticket, well, we didn’t want to take any more of your money than necessary.

The free food from the volleyball game seems to have had maybe a 20% retention rate among the students, and even that I’m not sure about. So, well done: y’all took the students out of the stands for the fifth set, when volleyball could have used them, and still couldn’t keep them for basketball.

I swear, if it weren’t for the fact that I love these kids and my band family, I’d dump St. John’s like the bad habit that it is. But Sox would be disappointed and the kids are sweet. So I stick with this clown show.

Band has moved into the student section in the endcourt. I guess they figured they might as well use it if the students weren’t actually going to show their asses up.

I see you rocking that bowtie, Shenneika. Cute socks, too.

Yes, it is time for basketball, and as I type these words here come both St. John’s and William & Mary.

I said it’s time for basketball. Clearly St. John’s missed the memo. It’s 36-35 William & Mary at halftime. Our defense is there, and pressing, but we really don’t have an answer for the height of Abby Rendle and we can’t hit the broad side of a barn. I think someone put a lid on the basket, so maybe switching sides will help.

Ashley Taylor for the Tribe has really flashy kicks, green with metallic gold highlights. So does Nari Garner, and I could have sworn she had different shoes in the first half.

That was way closer than it should have been. We’ve got to do better on ball security. We got sloppy in the fourth quarter, and William & Mary brought the press. We should have been ready for them, and we weren’t. I think we took them too lightly.

Nari Garner got off a couple of good long range jumpers, and I’m pretty sure those flashy kicks of hers served as a distraction on one inbounds play. Chandler Smith played a super short time in the first half- big body, I’m surprised she doesn’t see more time backing up Rendle. Misha Jones was the unwitting, or at least unwilling, instigator of a sequence that helped St. John’s answer the Tribe’s run: she committed two fouls on and-1 plays, the second on the rebound from the missed free throw on the first. Libby Underwood was reasonably quick and had a nice-looking shot. Gabby Rogers had a big block in the second quarter, but I forgot to record who she did it on, mea culpa.

There’s something I like, or at least find compelling, about Bianca Boggs, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. She did have the big block on Andrayah Adams, but I think I noticed her most spearheading the pressure in the fourth quarter, forcing those turnovers right under the basket for easy, easy baskets. I found her lanky frame eye-catching, for whatever reason. Nyla Pollard should have been more careful with that forearm, even if I have to admit that was a pretty bad acting job from Maya Singleton. She seemed awfully fond of the floater in the lane, even when it was not the best shot for the occasion. Jenna Green did a nice job of penetrating the lane for midrange shots, especially in the fourth quarter.

Abby Rendle did a great job of making herself a target down low. She boxed out well, and was able to use her height to great advantage against the shorter St. John’s posts. She’s not the greatest rebounder, but she was able to help her teammates control the glass. I don’t know if anyone in the CAA has the height, or the defensive skill, to properly stop her. Victoria Reynolds grabbed the rebounds that were thence made available to her. Like many of her teammates, she had a big block, this one on Alisha Kebbe. She did a lot of work on offense in the fourth quarter, picking up the loose balls off the press.

I could do without some of the yelling and theatrics from the Tribe’s coach, but I’ve dealt with worse.

Kayla Charles played a couple of minutes in the first half, did nothing with them, and looked lost on defense. I can’t say I’m surprised Coach didn’t go to her in the second half, though I wonder what he would have done if Imani had fouled out after Maya fouled out. Alisha Kebbe was first off the bench in the first half and got the second half start. I don’t know if she didn’t start because of some kind of disciplinary thing, or if Joe wanted to reward the hot hand from last game, or if he’s trying things out. It doesn’t seem to be working as well as he would like, though she did pull off the alley-oop catch-and-shoot-and-score (not quite as spectacular as the Jewelly-oop, but still pretty awesome to watch). Qadashah Hoppie had herself a night, hitting threes at dramatic moments, finishing through contact, and just generally being awesome. I’m starting to believe the hype. I know there’s a wall, and she’s going to hit it one of these days, whether it’s because the grind gets to her or because teams cotton on to her existence, but I’m going to enjoy Q doing awesome things while I can. (Today’s edition of Qadashah admiration includes her footwork- she’s always up, almost never back on her heels.)

I still don’t think Akina Wellere is ready to be the focal point of the offense, or at least the opposing defensive scheme. She got caught under the basket one too many times and coughed up the ball. She showed signs of offensive life in the third quarter, when she was more assertive and went to the basket more. Andrayah Adams had the three-ball going when she was left open, and I do agree with Akina passing up the open two to give her the look from three, but her defense wasn’t up to par, so I understand why Joe benched her to start the second half. I don’t know if the stall-ball problem is with Joe or with Tiana England, but watching our point guard pound the ball into the ground for ten seconds (or literally holding it under her arm, on one possession) is not my idea of a good time. One or two more shots going down for William & Mary, or one less good defensive stand, and milking the clock goes sour in a hurry. I understand nursing a lead, especially with as short a roster as we have chosen to go with and as limited a rotation as Joe has chosen to use, but there is such a thing as taking it too far. I’d like to see Tiana be more confident in her shot, and I’d like to see her put it up somewhat earlier in the clock.

Speaking of a perceived lack of confidence, I’m starting to worry a bit about Imani Littleton. She was never the most potent of offensive weapons, but whatever ability to put the ball in the basket whenever she is close to said basket seems to have eroded during the rehab from her ACL. She’s just throwing it up there, with no rhyme or reason to it. When those first couple of shots don’t go down, it takes a lot for her to be willing to start shooting again, which results in her making passes. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, and I think a good defense will ensure that they get picked off more often than they turn into assists. It’s always seemed like there was a lot going on inside her head, and it’s hard to really get in there, but I think the knee injury shook her more than she might want to admit. Maya Singleton appears to have been an attendee at the Seventh Avenue Block Party; she’s picked up a lot of Kiah Stokes’s shot-blocking style. This is a good thing. She was fantastic. I’m really bummed we only get her this final year; I would have loved to get to root for her four full years. I love her fierce rebounding and I love her shot-blocking.

I couldn’t yell as much as I wanted at this game. (Put it this way: I feel like such crap that I look so crappy that a guy with a baby carriage gave up his seat for me on the train.) And plastic bleachers aren’t as resonant as the wooden ones at Walsh. But we made do. I mean, don’t ask me to talk to anyone for the next couple of days, but like Gloria Gaynor, I will survive.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player get called for being the person hit with a forearm to the, ah, chest. (I may have asked the refs how they managed to miss Andrayah being sexually harassed.) I like Norma Jones’s new hairdo, though.

Andrayah looked like she would rather eat her own liver than identify “Party in the USA” during the “Name That Tune” segment.

Note to self and/or whoever orders meals for the team: judging from the list of toppings she fired off, Sox almost certainly digs the meat lover’s pizza.

There’s a disconnect somewhere at St. John’s, whether it's between the athletics department and public safety, between athletics and facilities, or between athletics and the outside vendors. That bothers me. I retract some of the frothing rage from earlier in these notes, but I still think there are some institutional problems with the way St. John’s is running the program. That goes deeper than basketball, or style of play. That’s the kind of thing that makes me question why this school is the one I build my schedule around.

But, hey. Good win?