We dont know how to finish games. These games are very close against top competition. Furthermore, we are a lot better than year 1 ,despite the same record. Goal tending, travelling, shot clock violation and missed free throws cost us the game, not Mullin. That said, we can use an experienced coach for the staff. Lets hope we dont loose any core players this year and can take a big step foward next year.
Experienced coaching doesn't solve these problems. Having players does. We lost to a number six team by a handful of points.
. . . due to poor execution in crunch time. Work me up in a lather, rinse me with IPA and repeat next game. I don't doubt that there are some issues with players but they look like they have not been shown what to do in end game situations at all. Same mistakes every game. That's a preparation issue, either bad preparation or insufficient preparation. Both are coaching issues.
You know why you want see good coaches have problems with guys with low basketball IQ's?
They don't recruit them. You think if Ahmed played for Duke he would all of a sudden become Shane Battier?
Same thing in the pros. Why you won't see Michael Beasley(who I really like BTW) ever play on the Spurs.
To get talent at ST john's sometimes have to look the other way at certain things that better programs wouldn't.
There are dozens of teams in the well coached spectrum between STJ and Duke. And most of them are more like STJ than Duke in the types of players they attract and the types of players they sign. There are dozens of Ahmed's around the country and Owens' , etc.... Try coaching, it works.
Because no coach since Fran has come here with any idea on what they want to do recruiting wise. So instead they just try and get best athlete regardless of where he plays, what we already have or how he fits. Like if you go to a grocery store once a week forgot what you need find that either they are out of steak or steak is too expensive so you just keep buying Hot Dogs.
Lavin sold NYC as the biggest of the big time. He knew that St.John’s University in Jamaica, NY would never equal big time anything to recruits. So instead he sold what he had and it worked. Coaching them is another story, but Lavin brought great talent here. He told kids from Texas, California, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Illinois etc that they star in the biggest stage. Technically, that can’t be debated.
Instead of kissing every overrated local’s behind he recognized they were leaving town anyway. That’s a strategy that no coach had tried. Imagine if Dunlap stayed. What a team they would have made.