Welcome to the blog, Cobblestones. We have a feeling you guys might be seeing more of them here in the future, so get excited. The collab is finally here. The Biergarten is one of the more popular destinations for college students at St. John’s, and tomorrow a new chapter begins with us. This Thursday, and moving forward, St. John’s students can come out to the Biergarten for great deals on food and drinks at an exciting venue.
Tomorrow night from 8-11 it all begins. Oh, and before I forget, come early. The line might be a little long and you definitely do not want to miss out on the new Johnnie Stool shot (I promise it’s good).
$5 Johnnie shots and pretzels, as well as $15 pitchers kick off the event. On top of that, $5 Biergarten light lagers and $10 boots are other fantastic options for you and your friends.
It’s been a long time coming, but we are super excited to share this night and other Thursday’s each month with you guys. Remember to stay Covid-19 safe and wear a mask. We hope to see you tomorrow with shots in your hand, but if you are more of a boot or pitcher person we’re good with that too.
ONE MORE DAY. Let’s look at Josh Roberts, who’s number 1 on the court, and number 1 in our hearts. Let’s go.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve got that Christmas Eve feeling today. We’re finally only one day away from the start of the season. What better way to end the offseason than with our final player preview on our guy Josh Roberts. One of the most physically and athletically gifted players on the Johnnies, I think we are all excited to see the strides in Josh’s game this year.
Last Season Recap
Josh made significant strides in his game from year 1 to year 2. After averaging just about a point and rebound a game his freshman year, Josh bumped those averages up to roughly 5 points per game, and grabbed almost 6 rebounds a night. Josh’s biggest stat in which he ranked 4th in the conference was his 1.5 blocks per game. He is an absolute menace in the paint, and I don’t recommend anyone trying to test him at the rim. Check out the block party below.
Roberts, who started in 28 of 29 games during the 2019-2020 season, had his fair share of big moments. Roberts had a season high 16 points against both UMass and Seton Hall. In a win against Wagner in late November, Josh dropped 12 points and grabbed 9 boards going 6-7 from the field in a 86-63 W for the Johnnies. Those are some of the strides we’re talking about when watching Josh ball out. He might not have been capable of that his freshman year, so it will be exciting to see what he can do in his junior season under Mike Anderson.
Highlights
These highlights from last season should get you pumped up for what is sure to be a fun season for number 1.
BOOM. I mean if we can see more of that this season with Roberts, sign me up.
What to expect this season
It will be interesting to see the dynamic between Josh Roberts and Isaih Moore this year. I am definitely expecting Josh to make positive strides on the court, and to also expand his offensive game. Look for Roberts to improve his shooting percentage from the field, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his blocks per game increases. It’s an exciting time to be a Johnny, and tomorrow is where it all beings. Let’s fucking go.
The word electric comes to mind when talking about Rasheem Dunn. Last year’s team MVP is one of the most exciting players to watch out for in the upcoming season. Dunn can get up and down the floor with ease, and can get a bucket any time you ask him.
The Cleveland State transfer who once played alongside Shamorie Ponds in high school put everyone on notice early in the season last year under Mike Anderson. I think it’s safe to say that big things are in store for Rasheem Dunn this season, and it is going to be exciting to see.
2019-2020 Season Recap
Before winning the Christian L. Thomsen Memorial Award, awarded to MVP, Dunn showed out on a nightly basis and put all Johnnies fans on notice. He played roughly 30 minutes a night last season and started in 15 games. The Brooklyn native averaged 11.9 points per game, 3.8 boards and 3.4 assists per game. Dunn shot almost 38% from the field last year, a respectable number, but a number that Dunn will look to improve upon this year.
The way Rasheem can electrify the crowd is something that is going to be greatly missed this season. Thanks, COVID.
Biggest Games and Moments
I think we can all agree Rah had his fair share of big moments last year. There were a few though that stuck out. He had a season high of 24 points in a game against Villanova, where he shot 10-16. Yeah we know we lost by 20, but that showed that he was coming into his own throughout the middle of the season.
Dunn scored 9 of his 13 points in the second half in against West Virginia in the MSG home-opener. After he stripping the ball from WVUs Derek Culver, his clutch free throws at the end of the game sealed the victory for the Johnnies. That is when people starting to take notice of the baller that Rasheem Dunn is.
The 20 point win over 10th ranked Creighton in March was where everything came together. Rasheem dropped 19 points and 10 assists against the number 10 team in the country. That win was fucking dope. Excuse my language, I just miss it. Just check out this sequence below.
Look for Dunn to ball out. Yeah I know that’s easy to say, but after how he played last year, and the more than likely chance to start most games, it’ll be fun to watch Rah go to work. He has a chance to take a big step in a season where some people are looking over the Red Storm. It will be interesting to see how he plays alongside Vince, Isaih, and other new guys this year, and I can’t wait for it. The Big East has never been more competitive, with a lot of talent running throughout the conference. Let’s go to work Rasheem.
After a great first article on White Lighting (David Caraher), we’re finally back. I can’t believe we are only 15 days away from our boys being back on the hardwood. Let’s take a look at what no. 15 for the Johnnies, Vince Cole, will bring to the table in Mike Anderson’s second year with the squad.
Cole can flat out ball. The JUCO transfer from USC Salkehatchie has a smooth J and can get a bucket whenever you need him to. The 6’6 wing is going to need to score the rock, especially with the departure of LJ Figueroa.
The region player of the year averaged a smooth 19 points per game and 6 boards a night as a freshman at USC Salk. Last season, Vince averaged 21.4 points per game, while shooting 44.6% from beyond the arc. Give me all the 3 point shooting. I love it. To get you guys excited, check out these clips of JUCO action from our guy.
Cole’s best games at USC Salk
The best player on USC Salk led them to a 27-4 record before Covid had other plans. Cole had a season high 37 points against the State College of Florida, where he went 7-8 from deep. If that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. In a February 1st matchup against Caldwell Tech, Cole lead USC Salk to a 97-94 W where he went 7-10 from deep and dropped 34 points. They beat Caldwell Tech again on March 7th by a score of 92-89. Vince Cole dropped a smooth 28 points going 9-11 from the free throw line in a huge win. If only a pandemic didn’t happen, smh.
What To Expect This Season
Honestly, I am fired up. I love the way Vince plays the game. We need a guy who can flat out get it done on the offensive end, and Cole gives us that option. The South Carolina JUCO star has a great chance to ball out this season, and it will be interesting to see him and another JUCO transfer, Isaih Moore, play together. We all know Mike Anderson will put these guys in a position to succeed, and with the addition of Cole and many other guys, were ready to prove all these doubters wrong and compete in an extremely competitive Big East.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know we’re a little late to the party. Our chicks page is finally live and has been exceeding expectations on both IG and Twitter. SJU Chicks is probably a good 9.3 out of 10 on the Dave Portnoy pizza scale already, so I’d say we’re off to a good start. Chicks already has almost 900 followers across both platforms, with Instagram growing rapidly.
I’m not jinxing anything here but get ready for great content from the girls for a very long time, as they’ve both already been crushing it. It’s really that simple, just check out some posts below.
I mean, shouting out Alex Cooper and Double J’s Deli in the same tweet?! Yeah, it can’t get much better than that.
Future Plans
We want to keep growing chicks and getting our content out there even more. Since we are always trying to grow our page, we knew pushing for a chicks account was a no brainer. I mean, let’s be real. If Seton Hall and DePaul already have chicks accounts, what are we doing (we still love you guys and you guys are doing a phenomenal job). At the end of the day we couldn’t be happier.
We knew that the girls were a perfect fit, and they’ve shown it every step of the way.
Barstool St. John's 