I walked up to the Garden’s day-of-game window Wednesday night and asked for the cheapest ticket available. It was 45 minutes before tip. St. John’s vs. West Virginia.
25 bucks. That’ll get you a seat up in the 300 level.
I bought a ten dollar cup of Heineken on the fancy new main level and scouted out a way to upgrade my seating location. An usher working a section behind one of the baskets said he didn’t mind if I crashed his territory as long as I sat near the rear of it.
The Johnnies started five freshmen. They were seven and a half point underdogs but came out running and gunning. WVU missed 11 of its first 14 shot attempts. Twelve minutes into the game, St. John’s was up 21-6. They coasted the whole way and won 78-62.
Attendance was just 6901.
The guy I was most intrigued to see had a big night. Johnnies swingman Moe Harkless (pictured above with the ball) scored 23, pulled down 13 boards and had three blocks. As he’s done four times previously this season, Harkless was on the floor for the entire game.
The way Harkless plays reminds me of the great Mizzou swingman and fellow Queens native Derrick Chievous. There’s an unusual elasticity in Moe’s frame. Listed at 6-foot-8, Harkless plays the wing on offense but is the primary force underneath when the other team has the ball. He skies over guys his size and uses that rubber-band agility to great advantage. He’s really fun to watch.
Harkless is the highest rated recruit to play for the Johnnies since Ron Artest. How long he stays is unclear but his tweener-type game may keep him in college for another year to hone his shot.
A majority of the St. John’s scoring (50 points) came from inside the paint. From an all-frosh lineup, that’s impressive.
At about 6:45 PM, St. John’s coach Steve Lavin elicited excited murmurs from the crowd when he appeared on the Garden hardwood for a pre-game ceremony. Fifteen minutes later, Lavin had moved up high to a Garden suite as an observer. Lavin says prostate cancer surgery in early October has left him without the stamina necessary to handle full-time head coaching duties. He last worked the sideline on 11-18-11 and says it’s possible he may wait until next season to return to the bench.
Assistant Mike Dunlap has assumed the role of head coach in Lavin’s absence. Dunlap said after the game that it was Lavin who suggested the all-frosh starting lineup but all indications are that in-game decisions are made without intervention from the sky box.
As is his custom, WVU coach Bob Huggins wore all black. He wasn’t a happy camper for this one. Huggins seemed especially miffed at the defensive positioning of his bearded Turkish big man Deniz Killici.
I think I figured out the source of discomfort coming from the newly-installed grey-colored seats in MSG’s lower bowl. Many fans have complained they’re smaller. I believe the problem is that they’re positioned too low to the ground. It’s only when you sit in an old green seat immediately prior to switching to a grey seat that one can make this comparison.
One other oddity of the ongoing renovation at MSG is the brand new men’s washroom located between sections 102 and 103. The entire bathroom is configured with regular toilet basins equipped with stall doors. No urinals. When you walk into it, you wonder if you’re in a women’s room by accident. The rationale of making an entire men’s room of the sit-down variety is a serious waste of space. While those consuming the Garden‘s $19 steak sandwich might appreciate it, those of us doing nothing more than drinking the $10 beers think otherwise.
-The Times failed to cover the game. Thursday’s newspaper devoted just two lines of wire copy to an event that occurred just eight short city blocks from its newsroom.
-On the way into the game, I walked by Radioman hanging out on 33rd Street. I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but when I opened up the Post today, there was a picture of Radioman kissing Katherine Heigl on the cheek before the New York premiere of her new movie.