Reasons For Optimism in the 2010-11 Season

I'd take Deane as SJU's next coach! He coaches Wagner College now. I sat one table over from him in a restaurant a couple weeks ago. He put away a lot of wine and looks exactly like the eagle from the muppets show. In fact forget McKillop, I am officially on the Mike Deane in 2010/11 bandwagon!

http://blog.silive.com/colleges_impact/2009/01/medium_WAGNER-NOTES-01.31.09.jpg

http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens2197088module11881077photo_1223149410sam-the-eagle-muppet-show.jpg

LOL  He does look like "Sam the Bird" from The Muppet Show.   Hell!  I'll take "Sam the Bird" over the W.C.E.   

Quote from: Marillac on January 22, 2010, 12:10:24 PM

Quote from: Foad on January 22, 2010, 10:57:46 AM

Quote from: Marillac on January 22, 2010, 09:41:09 AM

Norm owning him?  Norm is 2-4 in conference with two 15+ losses and more to come.  Conference teams are similar teams.  Fran is 8-0 against similar teams and Norm is 2-4.  Hmmmmm.

This is a little overboard. Saint John's is a lot more similar to Siena than Louisville. That's the problem. We're essentially a mid major program except we play in the BE.

The only reason Siena is more similar to St. John's now is because of the fine job McAffrey has done recruiting, developing, and coaching his players and how bad of a job Norm has done with his.

Disagree. It was the Jarvae, actually a pretty good mid major coach, who turned SJU into a pretty good mid major program. Norm just inherited it. And did nothing to fix it, obviously, if it's in fact fixable.

I am now convinced that Foad is Jarvis Jr.

Quote from: Dave on January 21, 2010, 02:34:09 PM

Norm brings in an associate head coach who is an X and O genius. Also you have to be excited about the Big East dumping more talent while we return all of ours. Harangody, Monroe, All of Syracuse, All of UConn, Samuels, Scottie Reynolds, Ebanks, Butler, etc. will all be graduated or leaving early. It's a fact.

Sorry Dave, this is complete BS.  Norm should have brough in an X and O's "genius" year two...not year SEVEN.  He's gone.

Two words:  Fran McCaffrey

The guy is amazing.  He loses an NBA caliber player (his best all-around player) and he just reloads.  Siena goes through a tough spell and we all think they are down, them BAM.  They win ten straight and jump out 8-0 against like teams in their conference. 

He is personable, he is intelligent, he has WON, he has a style of play that will both suit our team next year and attract top talent (especially point guards) to run and gun.

FWIW, Fran has not reloaded. His starters are playing the majority of the minutes with Anosike maybe getting 10 minutes a game

Quote from: peter on January 21, 2010, 02:26:30 PM

Who's Kevin Kennedy?  And why would anyone be optimistic about Lavin or even worse, Doherty?!  Larranaga didn't even go for the Providence job...

The same Steve Lavin who was 145-78 at UCLA in his 7 years.
The same Steve Lavin who made the NCAA Tournament 6 times in 7 years there.
The same Steve Lavin who made 5 Sweet 16's in those 6 years.

Moose, I stand corrected.  I remember his last year, some questionable losses, a team of athletes who didn't seem to have direction at times (esp in the Tournament), and lots of dissatisfied UCLA fans with (metaphoric) picthforks asking for his ouster.

But damn those athletes could play.

Anyway, optimism: Omari Lawrence becomes a foul-drawing beast (a la Sean Mosley of Maryland.  I think it's very plausible.  Wrote about it a while back.). 

well...that would actually mean something if omari could actually hit free throws.


anyway, the amount of false optimism going on around here is sickening. i do admit, i was optimistic before this season/early in the season. But I was stupid, this is what stj has become, this is the same old sh1t.

forget the optimism, its time for some realism:
we wont go to the tournament this year. and we wont go to the tournament next year. and as long as norm is our coach we wont go to the tournament. The school needs to make a big hire, but we know its not going to happen. and norm wont get fired this year, he'll get another chance, since the core of the team will be seniors.

we need to change the losing culture around here. norm has only had 1 winning season. and 16-15 is hardly what i would call a winning season anyway. After a 17 win season this year, norm will say that we've made progress.

my only optimism here is that norm finally gets fired. thats the only way we will ever get back on the basketball map.

Quote from: Marillac on January 21, 2010, 05:58:47 PM

Quote from: Dave on January 21, 2010, 02:34:09 PM

Norm brings in an associate head coach who is an X and O genius. Also you have to be excited about the Big East dumping more talent while we return all of ours. Harangody, Monroe, All of Syracuse, All of UConn, Samuels, Scottie Reynolds, Ebanks, Butler, etc. will all be graduated or leaving early. It's a fact.

Sorry Dave, this is complete BS.  Norm should have brough in an X and O's "genius" year two...not year SEVEN.  He's gone.

Two words:  Fran McCaffrey

The guy is amazing.  He loses an NBA caliber player (his best all-around player) and he just reloads.  Siena goes through a tough spell and we all think they are down, them BAM.  They win ten straight and jump out 8-0 against like teams in their conference. 

He is personable, he is intelligent, he has WON, he has a style of play that will both suit our team next year and attract top talent (especially point guards) to run and gun.

FWIW, Fran has not reloaded. His starters are playing the majority of the minutes with Anosike maybe getting 10 minutes a game

So Fran gets no credit for bringing those kids to Siena? 

And to your point about him being a pssy.  Have you watched Siena's last few games?  The other teams are taking cheap shots at his players.  Although directed at the refs, I think it was more of something directed at the MAAC coaches that Siena knows whats going on.

You don't want Fran because Norm owned him?  So who do you want???

forget the optimism, its time for some realism:
we wont go to the tournament this year. and we wont go to the tournament next year. and as long as norm is our coach we wont go to the tournament.

That's probably true.  I'm simply stating reasons for optimism; there's always reasons to hope. I don't expect a tournament bid this year or next.  But stranger things have happened.