Emergence of the Hired Gun - Kevin Stacom

Emergence of the Hired Gun - Kevin Stacom

Rick Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach, and as such, I’m sure his St John’s team was well prepared for last Saturday’s afternoon matchup with Providence College at MSG.

Pregame presentations vary from team to team, but at some point, specific personnel scouting reports are given to the players, preparing them on how to defend certain players based on their strengths and tendencies.             

When it came to the pregame discussion of PC personnel, I’m sure Jabri Abdur-Rahim was mentioned, but to what extent we can only guess based on his stats for the year, which are:

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21 GP, 15.5 min/avg; 32/97 FGs (33%); 26/82 3s (32%); 41/47 FTs (87%); 12 assists/11 turnovers; 6.2 pts/game.

I’m sure after his 5th year in college ball, St John’s was aware that despite his modest statistics, he was a very good shooter. But there was little indication that their well-orchestrated grinding of PC leading to a 19-point advantage was about to be upended by a Rick Barry impersonation by Abdur-Rahim, raining 3s from everywhere, which was an instrumental part of Providence going on a 32 to 13 run from about the 10-minute mark resulting in a 66-66 tie game with 33 seconds remaining as Bentley Joseph hit a dramatic 3-pointer from the right side of the key. 

 

Abdur-Rahim’s stat line for this St John’s game:

33 minutes; 9/12 FGs; 8/11 3s; 7 rebounds; 2 assists/1 turnover; 27 points.

Eight 3-pointers are the most by any Big East player this year and the most by any Providence College player since Donnie McGrath made 8 vs Virginia back on February 2, 2005.    

I realize there are no moral victories, but Abdur-Rahim was able to help turn a nationally televised semi-embarrassment into a very exciting competitive game, nearly pulling out a dramatic win.               

And it hasn’t been just this latest game, but as Coach Kim English mentioned at the post-game press conference, the last four of Jabri’s games have been models of efficiency. 

           

In the last four games, including St John’s, Seton Hall, Georgetown, and Villanova, Abdur-Rahim is a combined:

19/28 FGs (68%); 15/22 3s (68%); 9/9 FTs (100%) - and 15.5 points in only 20.25 minutes of playing time.

And it’s not just Abdur-Rahim’s shooting, but you can tell by his body language and how he is hustling on both ends, diving on loose balls etc, that he is becoming emblematic of the character of this team at this point of the season.              

Of course, as the coach mentioned, technically, his shooting forces the defense to extend, and that opens opportunities for other guys to get lanes to the basket, which has the compound effect of opening up more good looks on the perimeter.

So guys like Fernandez, as he also stays ready and gains more confidence, and Barron gets his rhythm back from injury, can get easier looks due to Abdur-Rahim’s emergence.         

Abdur-Rahim’s crazy-good shooting percentages are obviously not sustainable for much longer, but his attitude, confidence, and energy that he is bringing to the floor lately definitely are.           

The nature of the game at this level is that everyone wants to play and there are only so many minutes to go around. It’s not easy when things aren’t going your way, and your inclusion isn’t what you thought it might be; to keep your head into it, keep working, and stay ready when called upon - especially when you’re a 5th-year senior, and your journey has taken you as a top 50 recruit to the University of Virginia, the University of Georgia, now PC, and you think you’ve seen it all.

It was fun to watch Abdur-Rahim, a kid who grew up in New Jersey, have his day in the sun on the biggest basketball stage in the country, MSG, even though I’m sure he would have preferred a different outcome.              

Kim English and his staff deserve a lot of credit for fostering this atmosphere in such a difficult season. You could tell how happy Abdur-Rahim’s teammates were for him as each successive shot met its mark. All of his teammates seemed to have bought in, whether they happened to be having a good or bad game, and continued to fight and compete.          

The blue-collar heritage of the Providence fan base recognizes when the effort is there, and they won’t quit on you as long as you don’t quit on yourself. So far, this PC team keeps giving their loyal fans reasons to “have their back,” as they did make their presence known all the way down in NYC.            

It will be interesting to see the adjustments coaches and players will be making this time out to one of the best pick-and-roll combinations in the country that Creighton relies on Wednesday night, between guard Steven Ashworth (6’0" 175 lb Sr) and Center Ryan Kalkbrenner (7’1" 270 lb Sr).           

I know all the fans at home will be doing their part to reward this team for keeping up their end of the bargain.