By Dylan Butler
“You gotta go with the horses that brung you,” Roberts said after the Red Storm got booed off the court after a 60-54 loss to DePaul at Carnesecca Arena Saturday afternoon.Not only is Roberts grammatically incorrect, he's wrong in his assessment.The horse, in question, is Eugene Lawrence, a point guard who finished his high-school career at Lincoln after transferring from Canarsie. He was Roberts' first recruit when he was hired to try and rebuild St. John's after the program hit rock bottom under Mike Jarvis. Lawrence chose St. John's over UMass and UNC-Greensboro, not exactly Big East-caliber teams.But where, Norm, has Lawrence brought you?The NCAA tournament? The NIT? No, St. John's has made one brief Big East tournament appearance with a record of 44-56 since Roberts came aboard and Lawrence started at point guard.Lawrence isn't the problem here. He's been a warrior through some very difficult times. What he might lack in skill, he makes up for in heart, the lone senior who has been through some very lean times. But there's a better option to run the team sitting on the bench. That player is Malik Boothe.Boothe, a freshman from Christ the King, is coming off a solid outing at UConn and played well in 12 minutes off the bench against DePaul. His detractors say Boothe can't shoot, but neither can Lawrence, who is shooting 36.6 percent from the field.Boothe, though, knows how to run an offense – he did it at Christ the King, helping lead the Royals to the CHSAA Class AA intersectional title last year. And he's a dogged defender.Best of all, like the Red Storm's best player, Justin Burrell, Boothe is a freshman. He is part of the future of St. John's and if a veteran like Lawrence is struggling and the Red Storm can't win, it's time for a chance and the future is now.In 15 starts this year, Lawrence is averaging 9.7 points per game and 4.3 assists per game with a very respectable 1.86 assist-to-turnover ratio, good for ninth in the Big East.But break down his last two games in losses to Connecticut and DePaul, and there is legitimate reason to bench Lawrence. He had two points, four turnovers and no assists against the Huskies.He followed that with five points, seven assists and five turnovers, including four in the second half, as the Red Storm blew a nine-point second-half lead against the Blue Demons, who used a 16-0 run to put away the Johnnies Saturday.That not only drew the ire of his coach – Roberts benched Lawrence in favor of Boothe for the final 2:50 of the game – but the less-than-capacity crowd of 4,451 at Carnesecca Arena.”I don't play basketball for the fans,” Lawrence said after the loss. “I play for St. John's.”Actually Geno, you're wrong. Your uniform might read “St. John's,” but St. John's is also the fans, the long-suffering season ticket holders, many of whom are alums and some of whom help pay for things like that shiny new practice court. St. John's is your fellow students, who are usually the only ones at Carnesecca Arena making any noise.The slogan “We are St. John's,” isn't just you and your teammates.St. John's is 7-8, 1-3 in the Big East and is about to head into the most difficult portion of its schedule with games at West Virginia (12-4), at home to No. 15 Pittsburgh (15-2), at Louisville (12-4) and at home to No. 5 Georgetown (13-2) on the horizon.The Red Storm is likely looking at a 1-7 mark in the Big East and the likelihood of missing out on the Big East tournament, played at their home away from home of Madison Square Garden, again.Loyalty is a commendable quality, Norm, but it doesn't help get you Big East wins and it doesn't help you keep your dream job.Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at news@TimesLedger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
