St. John's Rewind- Isaiah Briscoe and Brandon Sampson

Out of curiosity I looked up what they are doing now with their careers. Briscoe is with the Magic now and Sampson is tearing it up with the Windy City Bulls on a 2-way contract. These guys were clearly talented although Briscoe underachieved at UK.

What are you guys thoughts? If we would have (1) landed Briscoe with Lavin or (2) at the very least kept Sampson after Lavin departed, how would the fortunes of this program changed? Would Briscoe have been enough to rebuild or Sampson been able to grow into being a defacto leader with Shamorie and we could have been more competitive sooner with Mullin? Maybe better recruits earlier and more depth on team if one or both of them tore it up.

Out of curiosity I looked up what they are doing now with their careers. Briscoe is with the Magic now and Sampson is tearing it up with the Windy City Bulls on a 2-way contract. These guys were clearly talented although Briscoe underachieved at UK.

What are you guys thoughts? If we would have (1) landed Briscoe with Lavin or (2) at the very least kept Sampson after Lavin departed, how would the fortunes of this program changed? Would Briscoe have been enough to rebuild or Sampson been able to grow into being a defacto leader with Shamorie and we could have been more competitive sooner with Mullin? Maybe better recruits earlier and more depth on team if one or both of them tore it up.

It was very unlikely that we would get either when we fired Lavin.  To get them, we would have had to have retained Lavin.  If we did so, we would probably be in the first year of harsh NCAA penalties on the school as a result of Sampson (and maybe others who had been recruited by Lav - Rysheed and Obekpa come to mind) getting paid under the table.  See below article with for some color.  Others dodge such cases, but we seem to get heat when we do little things like pay second string centers $300.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/25210341/ncaa-gets-approval-investigate-schools-college-basketball-corruption-case

It was very unlikely that we would get either when we fired Lavin.  To get them, we would have had to have retained Lavin.  If we did so, we would probably be in the first year of harsh NCAA penalties on the school as a result of Sampson (and maybe others who had been recruited by Lav - Rysheed and Obekpa come to mind) getting paid under the table.  See below article with for some color.  Others dodge such cases, but we seem to get heat when we do little things like pay second string centers $300.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/25210341/ncaa-gets-approval-investigate-schools-college-basketball-corruption-case

Or we would be competing with the blue bloods for national championships. I’m tired of this holyer than thou mentally. Many pay their players, I can’t even call it cheating anymore. Players shouldn’t be denied their right to maximize their earning potential. If a student is on academic scholarship they are not denied this right.

Or we would be competing with the blue bloods for national championships. I’m tired of this holyer than thou mentally. Many pay their players, I can’t even call it cheating anymore. Players shouldn’t be denied their right to maximize their earning potential. If a student is on academic scholarship they are not denied this right.

You read a lot into that.

A part of the reasons that teams like LSU cheat and don't get caught or penalized because they have a system and team, including an athletic department, that is fully funded and prepared to back them up and negotiate with the NCAA when and if they are caught.  SJU does not have that. 

Brandon Sampson gave his verbal to Lavin in January of his senior year in high school.  Sampson's #1 choice was LSU but LSU had already gotten a commitment from a very highly rated kid named Antonio Blakeney. http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/166291/antonio-blakeney   Having secured Blakeney, LSU told Sampson that they didn't have room for him so Sampson looked elsewhere and verballed to SJ.  Later in the year, LSU changed their minds and SJ changed coaches and Sampson ended up at LSU.

What are you guys thoughts?

My thought are that Lavin was an awful lazy coach and a mentally ill human being. He coached up no one and succeeded only when he had a roster full of seniors, who had learned as underclassmen enough to know that there was no point in listening to him. Brandon Sampson was not a good college player and as you say Briscoe was not either and neither would have been good enough to overcome Lavin's incompetence. To his credit Lavin recruited a five star recruit and taught him the skill for life that turned him into a soon to be convicted prison shower rape victim and was such a good judge of character that one of his walk-ons turned out to be a mass murderer and he had a keen fashion sense, because who else would wear a suit jacket over a track suit. 

The turning point was Rico Gathers. He decommitted when Sampson came back. Gathers did everything we lacked and he rebounded instinctively, so Lavin's lack of focus there wouldn't have affected him.

Gathers was one of the best offensive rebounding forwards in the history of college basketball. He averaged 4.8 offensive boards a game as a junior (11.6 overall). That might have been an Elite Eight with Harrison and co.

If only no one saw Lavin in the supermarket parking lot buying Keith Thomas a transcript. (or whatever happened there)

Poor lavs, traveling the world broadcasting college games, married to a good looking lady....while most on here sit in their basement reliving their high school highlights, complaining why a mediocre d1 team isn’t winning. The mans twitter has his players at graduation from SJU 4 years after he left, such a terrible person.

Poor lavs, traveling the world broadcasting college games, married to a good looking lady....while most on here sit in their basement reliving their high school highlights, complaining why a mediocre d1 team isn’t winning. The mans twitter has his players at graduation from SJU 4 years after he left, such a terrible person.

They are divorced.

My thought are that Lavin was an awful lazy coach and a mentally ill human being. He coached up no one and succeeded only when he had a roster full of seniors, who had learned as underclassmen enough to know that there was no point in listening to him. Brandon Sampson was not a good college player and as you say Briscoe was not either and neither would have been good enough to overcome Lavin's incompetence. To his credit Lavin recruited a five star recruit and taught him the skill for life that turned him into a soon to be convicted prison shower rape victim and was such a good judge of character that one of his walk-ons turned out to be a mass murderer and he had a keen fashion sense, because who else would wear a suit jacket over a track suit. 

Hollywood danced 40% of the time here on the coattail of a coach that made it 0%. He came within a c*nt hair of having an 80% Ncaa appearance rate. He was a great coach for us. You crazy.

Divorced? Even better single traveling the world.

They are divorced.

Rumor has it they were never married.

They are divorced.

You sure about that..?

Out of curiosity I looked up what they are doing now with their careers. Briscoe is with the Magic now and Sampson is tearing it up with the Windy City Bulls on a 2-way contract. These guys were clearly talented although Briscoe underachieved at UK.

What are you guys thoughts? If we would have (1) landed Briscoe with Lavin or (2) at the very least kept Sampson after Lavin departed, how would the fortunes of this program changed? Would Briscoe have been enough to rebuild or Sampson been able to grow into being a defacto leader with Shamorie and we could have been more competitive sooner with Mullin? Maybe better recruits earlier and more depth on team if one or both of them tore it up.

STOP IT..

Both kids got paid...

Lavin had zero issues operating in the "grey" area on recruiting but some kids were out of his price range.. 

Yup have no doubt every major program cuts corner to some degree, even Beilein.  But there is a definite degree. 

Also Lavs refused to hire a shady assistant coach and his player, each of whom got paid by Adidas/agents and probably others.  Kevin Willard had no problem doing this.  And it probably cost Lavin his job and definitely saved Willards.

STOP IT..

Both kids got paid...

Lavin had zero issues operating in the "grey" area on recruiting but some kids were out of his price range.. 

Also Lavs refused to hire a shady assistant coach and his player, each of whom got paid by Adidas/agents and probably others.  Kevin Willard had no problem doing this.  And it probably cost Lavin his job and definitely saved Willards.

Win win.

Brandon Sampson gave his verbal to Lavin in January of his senior year in high school.  Sampson's #1 choice was LSU but LSU had already gotten a commitment from a very highly rated kid named Antonio Blakeney. http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/166291/antonio-blakeney   Having secured Blakeney, LSU told Sampson that they didn't have room for him so Sampson looked elsewhere and verballed to SJ.  Later in the year, LSU changed their minds and SJ changed coaches and Sampson ended up at LSU.

Not wrong but not as simple as that either.

The turning point was Rico Gathers. He decommitted when Sampson came back. Gathers did everything we lacked and he rebounded instinctively, so Lavin's lack of focus there wouldn't have affected him.

Gathers was one of the best offensive rebounding forwards in the history of college basketball. He averaged 4.8 offensive boards a game as a junior (11.6 overall). That might have been an Elite Eight with Harrison and co.

Gathers hurt but Kyle Anderson did too. St. John's always seems to be 1 player away whether it be a recruit, an injury, or transfer.

Gathers hurt but Kyle Anderson did too. St. John's always seems to be 1 player away whether it be a recruit, an injury, or transfer.

The difference is we had Gathers committed. Anderson may have always just been a dream.

We do seem to be one player away too often. That's he didficulty of recruiting to a school that has sucked for 20 years.