Before St. John’s played Arizona in a semifinal round game of the 2K Sports Classic last week, Wildcats coach Sean Miller was asked what impressed him most about the Red Storm.
“God’sgift,’’ said Miller without hesitation. “He’s going to give every team trouble. He’s too strong for smaller guys to defend and too quick for bigger guys.’’
As St. John’s prepared for tonight’s inner-city showdown with St. Francis of Brooklyn at Carnesecca Arena, getting God’sgift Achiuwa back on track is the team’s No. 1 goal.
The 6-foot-8 power forward from Erie (N.Y.) Community College exceeded expectations in the Red Storm’s first three games, all wins over low-major programs. Achiuwa averaged 17.6 points and 8.3 rebounds.
But in the last two losses, to Arizona and Texas A&M, Achiuwa averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
The only true post player on the team is Achiuwa, and St. John’s coach Steve Lavin knows how important it is to have a confident Achiuwa going forward. He’s made it a team job.
“It’s a two-way street,’’ said Lavin. “[Yesterday] I talked about, there’s a pitcher and a catcher, there’s a quarterback and a receiver and in basketball there’s a passer and a receiver. It takes two in those relationships, because you’re basically playing catch with a big man, so our perimeter players have to do a better job of playing catch with Gift.’’
Achiuwa got just seven shots in the last two games, just one against the Aggies.
The Terriers (0-3), coached by former St. John’s assistant coach Glenn Braica, will be at a height disadvantage, which should allow Achiuwa to flex his muscle.
When asked if Achiuwa’s personality lends itself to getting down on himself or bouncing back, forward Moe Harkless of Queens made an emphatic statement.
“He’s the kind of person who will try to prove you wrong,’’ said Harkless.