St. John's basketball in review: 2008-09 Paris Horne

#23 - Paris Horne

2008-2009 Class: Sophomore

Position: Guard

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 185

Age/ DOB: 22/ August 6, 1987

Home: Middletown, DE

stats taken from Statsheet, kenpom.com, and my own calculations

2008-2009 Highs

Paris Horne's profile is the last in our series on the Red Storm's players. That said, he was the Red Storm's most important offensive player down the stretch, serving as the team's leading scorer, main shot taker, and designated 3-point gunner. His defense was solid; he did what he needed to do to improve; and with some support, Paris Horne could be the key to the Red Storm getting into a postseason tournament such as the NIT or NCAAs.

If they don't run him into the ground first.

In 2008-09 Paris logged 38.3 minutes per game in Big East play. In the 31 games after Anthony Mason Jr. went down with an injury (after the game against Boston College), Paris played 35 or more minutes 22 times. He played 40 minutes on 5 occasions (and 45 against Georgetown on March 3rd). The three games where Horne did not play more than 25 minutes were also 3 of the 4 games he fouled out of - the game against Duke, especially, found Paris unable to touch the Blue Devils without exciting the whistles.

Suffice to say: Paris played a lot of basketball. Was this a factor in how he tailed off at the end? Or did he tail off because there were no other threats who could get their own shot in the Red Storm offense?

Despite how the year ended, Horne was a greatly improved player from the previous year's Big East campaign, when he backed up Larry Wright and DJ Kennedy and functioned as a defensive player and 3-point shooter. Not just in minutes played - Horne's turnover percentage went down to 14% of his possessions (and was higher during non-conference season). His assist percentage went up. His three-point shooting percentage declined from 45% percent in the 2008 Big East conference season to 33%, but his 2-point field goal percentage was 52.9%, adding up to an effective field goal percentage of 51.8%.

That's a good job by a player to diversify his shot attempts. He can get his outside shot attempts but will also drive to the basket and take an aggressive run at the hoop in a fast-break situation. That's how an unheralded player ends up putting up 16 points per game in the Big East conference.

There are flaws, of course. Horne's 3-point accuracy came and went, with a 1-8 performance against Providence, a 1-10 against Notre Dame in March, a 2-10 outing against Richmond in the CBI, and an 0-7 afternoon against Louisville. Horne is not much of a rebounder. His free throw percentage was 81.5% out of conference, but dropped to 61.7% in Big East play, not including the Big East Tournament, where he went 9 for 9 from the line.

Impact on the 2009-2010 Season

One of the strongest aspects of Paris Horne's game is his end to end speed, moreso than his quickness. Horne's shot requires him to get some elevation, cock back a little, and shoot; he doesn't have the quickest release (though it is very good and consistent). Playing fewer minutes - and with other offensive threats from the outside like Dwight Hardy and Anthony Mason Jr. - might open things up for Horne. Horne's game may change with fewer minutes and more shot attempts from his teammates. I would expect him to start, but Horne might find himself benched for Mason, Kennedy, or perhaps even Hardy or Justin Brownlee.

Here are some things Paris may want to work on:

Three-point accuracy. Paris has the skill set to at least be an excellent contributor; and possibly a star. If his three-point shooting moves up a few percentage points to 37-40%, he will find himself being scouted to play overseas, or perhaps even in the NBA. Being a deadlier three-point shooter also opens up the offense down low and for his teammates on the weak side when he has the ball.

Quickness/ moves in the lane. Paris drives to the basket often enough that he should get more foul shots; he needs to do a better job drawing contact, snaking around defenders, and looking like he just took a hit when he's putting up shots.

Defensive turnovers. With speed like Horne's and defensive quickness like he has, I would expect to see a few more turnovers from his man. The lack of turnovers may mean he's dedicated to being a shutdown guard. But his speed can turn a loose ball into 2 points "and 1"; he should create more chaos for the man he's defending.

Here, a YouTube video of Paris Horne getting his shots.