New Coach

Who the fu$% is gene wang

The power of google compels you.

Washington Post sportswriter

Don't take this as me advocating for Cluess.  As with most hires, who knows how it is going to turn out.  But I do see points like this a lot, that I think need some clarification.  When Iona is good, like virtually all mid-majors, it is very difficult for them to schedule good teams.  And nearly impossible to play good teams at home.  Those 2011 and 2012 teams were stocked with Willard's talent, but Willard couldn't win a MAAC tournament game with those teams and won 20 games only once, which got him $1 million at Seton Hall.  Those Cluess versions led Wake Forest (ACC school) 41-8 in a game, beat Maryland (ACC) school by 20, beat a very good Nevada team (at home) beat the A-10 Champion Richmond, etc.  Those teams don't get to play Duke or Carolina at a neutral site.  Statistics are a bench mark, but some times they don't tell the whole story.

Also it was Cluess who brought in MoMo, Glover, and Armand.  Not Willard.  Willard signed Machado, who had virtually no offers out of HS.  Cluess brought in English, who also had few offers out of HS.  He ended up the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament MVP.  The guy can develop players.

Don't take this as advocating for Cluess?  You're an Iona fan who created an account here once Cluess was considered a legitimate candidate.  Who else would you be advocating for? lol

Ryan Odom can coach..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Odom

Odom still isn't there yet IMO.. he has the X & O's but he still hasn't proven that he can recruit.. he still hasnt signed any recruits for UMBC this year and a lot of the team that beat Virginia (including Lyles) were recruited by their previous coach Aki Thomas, who couldn't win more than 10 games with the team

Who the fu$% is gene wang

Fordham96

Why did the greatest St. Johns legend ever get less time than Roberts and Lavin?

Shouldn't we have just kept him?

Why did the greatest St. Johns legend ever get less time than Roberts and Lavin?

Shouldn't we have just kept him?

Obviously.

Why did the greatest St. Johns legend ever get less time than Roberts and Lavin?

Shouldn't we have just kept him?

Playing has nothing to do with coaching. 20-52 in the Big East. Failure.

Its not anyone's top choice, but at this point what are we left with? Do we want to field a team next season and have a CHANCE to contend? Fiscally, he is cheap as unproven and the money that was "put aside" for an established head coach can go towards paying handsomely high level assistants. I want no part of who they are interviewing and the reboot it will require. The Pitino dream was shot to hell this week with the Louisville FBI thing.

He proved the last 4 years that he couldn’t do his job. Now you want to give him more responsibility?

20-52 in the Big East. Failure.

Repeats himself endlessly. Boring.

Obviously.

-Just like Lavin he had bad timing of being a hire before new leadership came in, who want to legacy build. Just like Lavin, Mullin put himself in a position to be relieved of his duties.

Despite all drama surrounding this new hire and firing an SJU legend. Cluess + Cragg can be the combination of stability, consistent winning, and updating facilities that this school desperately needs. If both are here for a decade great things can happen. Cragg needs to get this right so he can focus on fundraising and updating facilities.

Repeats himself endlessly. Boring.

Sign of autism

Sign of autism

Go easy on Carmine.

Don't take this as advocating for Cluess?  You're an Iona fan who created an account here once Cluess was considered a legitimate candidate.  Who else would you be advocating for? lol

Initially when the rumors were flying about Cluess I came here, like I do with other forums when events of interest happen, to see what the fan base thought.  I read a lot of takes about Cluess and the MAAC that I thought were just flat out wrong and that compelled me to post some info and offer to answer questions.  I think I was initially advocating for Tim at first because I like the guy and assumed he wanted to come to St. John's.  This would be a homecoming of sorts for him.  I got called out for "pimping" him - even though no one here can actually hire a SJ's coach - and I thought if I posted anything else I'll try to just post information to answer questions.  That's the whole mystery explained.  FWIW guy on the Iona board this AM claiming "insider info" says Cluess and SJ's have never even spoken and Cluess is out recruiting for Iona right now. Enjoy.

FWIW guy on the Iona board this AM claiming "insider info" says Cluess and SJ's have never even spoken and Cluess is out recruiting for Iona right now. Enjoy.

That's fantastic news!

Which is out of what, 32? So the MAAC stinks, we already knew that. If this is a disinformation campaign to stop SJU from hiring Cluess you're doing an excellent job.

Nothing against Cluess. Some wag on Twitter suggested the other MAAC schools pool their resources to pay his buy out to get him out of the league so that the other teams might stand a chance to win. Pretty funny, I almost laughed.

MAAC stinks, is one way to put it.  Not sure if you realize how difficult it is to play D-I sports in this country. Sounds like you don't have a clue. My guess is that other posters here have a better understanding of that than you do.  Some also probably have kids who play a sport at an institution that is a level below what you believe to be legitimate. Apart from that, the fundamentals of coaching and recruiting are the same at all levels. 

That's fantastic news!

If true a win for everyone.

MAAC stinks, is one way to put it.  Not sure if you realize how difficult it is to play D-I sports in this country. Sounds like you don't have a clue. My guess is that other posters here have a better understanding of that than you do. 

Your guesses may have aided your passage through the public schools but they're of no interest to me. Anyway it turns out I'm everyone's favorite poster and besides that a wit and bon vivant and an in demand after dinner speaker with a very important and well-regarded blogcast. Whereas your life is so boring and awful that you spend your drab lonely evenings googling obscure facts about some dopey team in one of the worst conferences in Division One sports and presenting them to no one who cares. Also, I'll have you know that I played field hockey at the high Division II level, which can you say that? I thought not.

Good day to you sir.

The SJU job is a graveyard for coaches.   Take the job and you disappear.  Jarvis, Franchella, Roberts, Mahoney, Lavin and now Mullin failed to live up to expectations and all never had a meaningful coaching job again.  Any coach with a decent secure job would be insane to come here.  I would be all over Pitino who loves to coach and is probably aching to get back in the game.  We all point to the deficiencies of the former coaches but the fact is at this point recruits look at a losing program, inferior athletic facilities and a mediocre campus located in scenic Queens and they look elsewhere.  We are probably doomed.  I will not give up but I'm 70 and see little hope in my lifetime. Our greatest selling point is good pizza.  Our search should focus on talented assistants with nothing to lose or a talented NYC high school coach with connections if such a person exists.  I still have hope but it is diminishing rapidly.  We have become the NYC Depaul.  The glory days are gone, probably forever.

SJU has reached out to Mike Brey, he is coming to meet with Cragg on Monday

MAAC stinks, is one way to put it.  Not sure if you realize how difficult it is to play D-I sports in this country. Sounds like you don't have a clue. My guess is that other posters here have a better understanding of that than you do.  Some also probably have kids who play a sport at an institution that is a level below what you believe to be legitimate. Apart from that, the fundamentals of coaching and recruiting are the same at all levels. 

m

The MAAC stinks relative to the Big East was the intended meaning. It’s awesome compared to high school teams. No MAAC team has ever made the Sweet Sixteen.

I’m very familiar with the league,  attending many games with my ex gf to watch her brother — who was also the son of my old coach and a starter for Marist. He was awesome in high school and even had the coach of SH (I believe it was Amaker at that time but my memory is suspect) call him after he locked down Ben Gordon in a one-pt loss to Mt. Vernon to praise him for the game played and to offer his assistance in vouching for him to other coaches at the mid-major level. Very cool thing to do btw.

One of the coolest experiences of my life was calling in a favor at St. John’s and getting her whole family first row courtside tix at MSG for a double-header with us opening and Marist playing Ga Tech and her brother defending Chris Bosh three feet away from us.