POWER SURGE
Greg — one ‘G’ — Williams fuels Red Storm blitz
ST. JOHN’S 89 STONY BROOK 66
At least one Greg(g) Williams enjoyed his Sunday.
The Jets’ Gregg Williams — the team’s defensive coordinator — curiously called an all-out blitz in a Hail Mary situation that enabled the Raiders to rob Gang Green of their first victory.
St. John’s Greg Williams Jr. produced the kind of performance the Johnnies have been waiting for, an aggressive, takecharge effort matching his potential.
While the Jets sank further into oblivion, moving to within four losses of a winless campaign, St. John’s rebounded nicely from its first loss on Wednesday after a shaky start. And it was the Red Storm’s Williams who made sure it was an easy afternoon.
With his teammates flat, letting an inferior opponent build a sixpoint lead late in the first half, Williams finally left his passivity in the past. He forced the issue. He hunted shots. He provided a needed jolt. A missed shot didn’t deter him.
“Being one of the leaders, when it’s time to get going, I feel like I can step up and make those plays,” the Louisiana native said after keying the Johnnies’.’ 89-66 rout of Stony Brook on Sunday at Car-nesecca Arena in Queens.
Williams, a talented 6-foot-3 junior guard, scored 12 points in a blur of a 30-2 run, bridg-ing the end of the first half and start of the sec-ond. When it began, the Johnnies (4-1) weree down six. By the end of it, the lead was 22. Hee equaled a career-high with 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting and added six steals, four rebounds and three assists. Hee scored in a variety of ways, on drives to the basket, three 3-pointers and mediumrange jumpers.
“I thought he was assertive, and that is what guys that have the experience can do,” coach Mike Anderson said. “It was his day to step up, and it was good to see him step up. But it wasn’t just his scoring. I’m really looking forward to seeing how many [deflections] he had. He ended up with six steals, but he was active everywhere, touching balls, rebounding, making great passes.”
There were other positives after the sluggish start. Isaih Moore was a force in the paint, with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Julian Champagnie reached double figures for the third straight time, scoring 16 points. Unheralded redshirt freshman John McGriff gave Anderson quality minutes off the bench, notching five points, four assists and a plus-23 rating in 14 minutes. The Johnnies shared the ball to the tune of 22 assists — seven players had at least three — after questionable shot selection in Wednesday’s loss to BYU and forced a whopping 29 turnovers, the most in 15 years.
But Williams was by far the biggest bright spot in this bounce-back win, especially after taking just six shots in the BYU game. As a sophomore, he was too often not aggressive enough, matching his soft-spoken and unassuming demeanor. That was again the case in the season opener against St. Peter’s.
“It was just more self-reflection,” he said of the BYU game. “Kind of watching the game, I felt like I could do more.” Williams certainly did more on Sunday. He’s too talented to be a supporting player, particularly with the makeup of this young roster. That was evident in the Johnnies’ lone loss. Sunday afternoon, he took charge, eliminating any chance of an upset.
➤ St. John’s Big East opener Friday at UConn has been postponed after a positive COVID-19 test in the Huskies program. The Red Storm’s second league game is scheduled to be at Butler on Dec. 14.