New York, NY – St. John’s came into last night’s matchup vs Marquette winners of their last two games both on the road against Big East rivals. They were now back at home in the mecca to host yet another Big East foe in the Golden Eagles who have been struggling this season and were desperate for a pivotal win. St. John’s had a hold on this game early grabbing a 15-4 lead in the first four minutes. Marquette would answer back to close out the half keeping the game within striking distance down 40-34. The Red Storm got great production from Oziyah Sellers who had 15 of his game high 24 points and also some great energy off the bench from Dylan Darling as well. As for Marquette they struggled with taking care of the ball, but the play of guards Chase Ross and Nigel James Jr kept them alive with 24 of their 34 total points.
As for the second half it would not go well for the Golden Eagles in the slightest. Zuby Ejiofor who dealt with foul trouble in the first half would go on to explode in the second half. He scored 15 points to finish the night with 22 total and his energy along with his physicality was too much for the Marquette bigs to handle. The tandem of Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins destroyed the Golden Eagles in the second half with Hopkins having 10 points and 8 rebounds in the half alone. Marquette struggled on the glass and would continue to allow St. John’s to capitalize off of their careless turnovers. This would lead to the Red Storm dominating the second half and pulling away to a 92-68 victory, giving them their third straight win and moving them to 5-1 in conference play.
St. John’s got great individual performances in this one but the two standouts to me were Oziyah Sellers and Zuby Ejiofor. Obviously Zuby is the head of the snake for this team but he continues to show potential as an NBA prospect. He plays with great energy on every possession and the physicality he displays is a problem for opponents every time he’s on the floor. Zuby is their offensive hub but he also does the dirty work at a high level. I believe Ejiofor is a consistent three point shot away from being a potential rotation level player at the next level despite being somewhat of an undersized big. Sellers also showed that he is going to be a huge part of St. John’s success this season. He showcased the ability to play on or off the ball and when his shot is falling he can mix his game up and attack closeouts or get to the rim.
For the Golden Eagles I was extremely impressed by their backcourt duo of Chase Ross and Nigel James Jr. They were dynamic with their ability to get into the paint and finish around the rim. Their athleticism really stood out. Both can move well with a certain shiftiness that makes them hard to guard in a spaced out floor. James Jr. might be the better perimeter threat compared to Ross but they both are obviously the leading engines in Marquette’s offense. As for the defensive side they played with good energy and were active for the majority of the night. Ross was very good with going after guys from their blindside and generating some easy buckets off turnovers. I came out of that game thinking highly of both Ross and James Jr and I’m going to keep my eye on James Jr as his freshman campaign continues to be impressive.
This article was written by Jordan Amadeo, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter.
We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.
