Steve DeMeo

You say we signed 3 marginal BE players, can you elaborate and speak on their limitations and where they will struggle defensively playing in the BE?

None of them have the skills or athleticism that would put them on this level. They'll struggle defensively and offensively creating space.

These guys belong in American East not Big East.

I’m not criticizing MA for this.  I’m saying in a nutshell that Matt also had some marginal players that were added to the roster and we just added 3 more. That makes nearly half our roster heading into next year when we lose a lot of our bonafide Big East talent.  This is a problem that started under Mullin and Abdelmassih.  Adding the three that we did doesn’t inspire confidence in replacing production we lost in Ponds, Clark, Simon and the talent we are going to lose in Heron, LJ etc.   

I would have preferred that out of our 3 signed thus far, at least one would have been a player that was more in the blue chip range whether it be transfer, top 15 type juco or Hs kid.  We do have 2 ships to give but the best players are flying off the board.  I have my doubts we will land a top notch kid or two at this point.  If that is the case, I’d rather we hold the ships and save em unless it is two grad transfers we can grab.

I can't say this with certainty but I think if the future was guaranteed for Mullin & co I think this year's class would have had more splash.

Cam Mack alone would have significantly improved this team. Oh well.

I can't say this with certainty but I think if the future was guaranteed for Mullin & co I think this year's class would have had more splash.

Cam Mack alone would have significantly improved this team. Oh well.

If Matt was leaving even if Mullin was extended then what splash would we have made?

Anderson isn't inheriting a complete overhaul but not near as good as how Jarvis had it. Not even close.

Lets look at the Big East and where do we stack up?

Villanova- Even losing a ton their freshman are monsters and expect them to be very good
Georgetown- Lose Govan but love everyone who they are returning and bringing in. They're back!!
Marquette- Going to be Markus Howard show but the wheels could fall off here
Seton Hall- Powell chance to be POY and they're likely to be better than us
Providence- Return everyone who was impact guy and they'll be better than us
Creighton- Return everyone and will be middle of the road team again
Butler- Return everyone and add Battle. They'll be dangerous
Xavier- Return everyone and KyKy Tandy will make them better
DePaul- Well they should be last.

We are arguably anywhere from 7-9 imo.

If Matt was leaving even if Mullin was extended then what splash would we have made?

I'm not sure he would have left if Mullin was extended and as a result he was extended. I really have no personal knowledge of that but all coaches chase guaranteed years of income.

None of them have the skills or athleticism that would put them on this level. They'll struggle defensively and offensively creating space.

These guys belong in American East not Big East.

I can see offensively, but we will see how correct your assessment is. I find it hard to believe the staff is that far off on their own assessment if true.

Come on, CMA has nothing compared to what Fran left Jarvis.

You need a new weed dealer.

Artest, Barkley, Bootsy, Postell and Grant were the most talented and most seasoned team we’ve had since 1985. Oh, and Chudney Gray, who would be our starting point guard next year.

How in the world is that comparable to Heron, Figueroa and a roster made up of question marks?

It's comparable because Artest, Barkley and Thorton had one year of D1 experience between them. It's also comparable because I qualified what I said, which qualification you ignored in building your strawman, which they call it that because it doesn't have a brain.

I do though need a new weed dealer if you know anybody.

I can see offensively, but we will see how correct your assessment is. I find it hard to believe the staff is that far off on their own assessment if true.

There isn't much water in the well this late in the spring. I don't think they are expecting these guys to be impact players but they all have a redeeming quality or two they are hopeful they can play up and minimize their weaknesses.

It's a dangerous game. Do you not take a player and you're short handed (we've seen this play out and it's not good) or do you reach on some guys and maybe you get lucky and if not you turn & burn them when you get more talent in the door.

Who knows maybe they had convos with the guys too and said listen you want to play at this level well just know if it doesn't work out, see ya. It's not unheard of

As far as the new comers are concerned, they need to play before I’ll label them as marginal.

There's an entire industry devoted to rating HS basketball players that comprises people who all they do all day long is watch kids play basketball. In the exercise of their expertise, they seem to think these players are marginal. So they probably are. Just like the 5-star recruits are probably pretty good. If 50 food critics go to a restaurant and they all say the food stinks, the food probably stinks. Obviously you're free to go eat a shitty meal for yourself, as free as I am to consider you a lunatic. 

Prediction: if coach third choice somehow manages to land a 5-star recruit you won't be quite as skeptical of his talent as you are of the 2-stars we've reeled in so far.

It's comparable because Artest, Barkley and Thorton had one year of D1 experience between them. It's also comparable because I qualified what I said, which qualification you ignored in building your strawman, which they call it that because it doesn't have a brain.

I do though need a new weed dealer if you know anybody.

You said it was close. It’s not close. What’s wrong with you?

I can't say this with certainty but I think if the future was guaranteed for Mullin & co I think this year's class would have had more splash.

Cam Mack alone would have significantly improved this team. Oh well.

I just couldn’t stand Mullin’s management and stubbornness to make appropriate changes. I was actually a fan of Matt A’s and thought he was a big asset to us.  You know him well Dave, but I don’t know if it was Mullin’s refusal to hire more recruiters or if Matt couldn’t play in the sandbox with others. 

Mullin structures the whole thing poorly and was too thickheaded to get out of his own way.  It would have been simple to hire another good assistant or two who could focus on more high school recruiting etc. 

I like Anderson and he seems like a good guy and very good coach.  Did he hire the right assistants? Time will tell.  He did hire “older” names that have been around for a long time.   A guy like Hsu, while maybe a bit more of a wheeler-dealer surely would have reaped earlier dividends for us.  The staff chosen was very safe but well put together it seems.  Just could have used one quick trigger recruiting shark like Hsu or whomever. 

You said it was close. It’s not close. What’s wrong with you?

What's wrong with me from your perspective is I'm not stupid and you're too stupid to recognize that.

Anyway it's close enough for me. Coach third choice is inheriting 60 minutes PG that comprised 40 percent of the team's scoring, three four star recruits and a former freshman of the year. Jarvis inherited one stud in Artest, two pretty good players in Grant and Postell, two players with no D1 experience and a otherwise a bunch of misfits: Gray Charles, Jessie, Richardson and Donald Emanuel. The larger point being that this being a "total rebuild" is nonsense.

None of them have the skills or athleticism that would put them on this level. They'll struggle defensively and offensively creating space.

These guys belong in American East not Big East.

You may be right about offense (at least for the two bigger guys) but I see absolutely no reason any of them can’t be league average or better on defense.

I’m not sure what you are basing it on. Athleticism only counts for so much. I’d rather have someone with the right mentality and IQ/anticipation.

There isn't much water in the well this late in the spring. I don't think they are expecting these guys to be impact players but they all have a redeeming quality or two they are hopeful they can play up and minimize their weaknesses.

It's a dangerous game. Do you not take a player and you're short handed (we've seen this play out and it's not good) or do you reach on some guys and maybe you get lucky and if not you turn & burn them when you get more talent in the door.

Who knows maybe they had convos with the guys too and said listen you want to play at this level well just know if it doesn't work out, see ya. It's not unheard of

Finally making some sense. This is the reason I don't understand why people including you are so concerned about the guys Anderson landed so far not being 4 or 5 star guys. I don't know if Anderson and this staff will be able to land top-level talent, but just because their first few commits are lower rated guys doesn't mean they can't land good players in the near future.

Anderson and this staff had several scholarships to fill, somewhat of a nucleus in place, and a place that hasn't and isn't a highly desirable destination for 4 and 5 star players anyway. Instead of swinging and missing on bigger prospects and going into next season with 8 scholarship players, Anderson decided to fill those scholarships with guys that he thinks fits his system. Maybe he gets lucky and one of them turns into a very good player over time. Maybe the ceiling for these guys at this level is just being role players maxing out at 12-15 mins per game. Maybe it becomes clear these guys simply can't hack it at this level and end up transferring after a year or 2 like what seems like 25-30% of division 1 players do.

Anderson also left a couple scholarships open at this point in case a solid prospect does surface this late in the game, as much of a long-shot as that is.

So yes, Anderson's first few guys are lower rated. But he had scholarships to fill and I fail to see how these lower rated guys preclude this staff from landing better players in the '20 and '21 classes.

What's wrong with me from your perspective is I'm not stupid and you're too stupid to recognize that.

Anyway it's close enough for me. Coach third choice is inheriting 60 minutes PG that comprised 40 percent of the team's scoring, three four star recruits and a former freshman of the year. Jarvis inherited one stud in Artest, two pretty good players in Grant and Postell, two players with no D1 experience and a otherwise a bunch of misfits: Gray Charles, Jessie, Richardson and Donald Emanuel. The larger point being that this being a "total rebuild" is nonsense.

Ok, so let me see if I’ve got this... Erick Barkley and Bootsy Thornton were not studs?

Weed will not be strong enough.

There is a difference between an Eli Wright, who played 10 minutes a game if we was lucky and scored two points and Erick Barkley who should have his number hanging in Alumni Hall. So should Bootsy.

Ok, so let me see if I’ve got this... Erick Barkley and Bootsy Thornton were not studs?

This is one of those rare occasions where you do got this. Before they played a D1 game neither of them were studs.

Finally making some sense. This is the reason I don't understand why people including you are so concerned about the guys Anderson landed so far not being 4 or 5 star guys.

Pretty much no one is "so concerned" that coach third choice has not in three weeks landed a four star recruit. Rational posters are mocking the skeptical of the idea that the two star recruits that he's signed because he needs bodies are really four star recruits that are perfect for his amazing system that will turn them into seven star recruits and that therefore he's gettin er dun. He's signed players that if any one else had signed them posters would be asking WTF are these players being signed for.

Pretty much no one is "so concerned" that coach third choice has not in three weeks landed a four star recruit. Rational posters are mocking the skeptical of the idea that the two star recruits that he's signed because he needs bodies are really four star recruits that are perfect for his amazing system that will turn them into seven star recruits and that therefore he's gettin er dun. He's signed players that if any one else had signed them posters would be asking WTF are these players being signed for.

I don't think anybody is saying these three guys Anderson has signed will become all-conference caliber players just because they fit his system and because Anderson is some genius. At least I haven't seen anybody really saying that. Maybe they are, and if so they are equally as dumb as those saying "oh no, the first three guys Anderson has signed are two star players, this proves he won't be able to get good players" two months into his tenure. And there are people saying that.

Like you said, we needed bodies and I'd rather the coach go out and find character guys that he thinks will fit here over burning a scholarship for two years on a guy like Sedee Keita just because he was a 4 star recruit coming out of high school.

Who knows how these guys will end up. Maybe they'll turn into solid role players. Or maybe they'll contribute as little as more heralded players like Sedee Keita, Mikey Dixon, Kassoum Yakwe, Richard Freundenberg, Yankuba Sima, Malik Ellison did.

On campus today we have a kid that started only 8 games for his JUCO (with bad grades to boot) and a kid that started only 15 games and averaged only 5 pts for Monmouth.

This looks promising 🙄

This is one of those rare occasions where you do got this. Before they played a D1 game neither of them were studs.

Bootsy and Eric weren't studs ? Bootsy was runner up juco player of the year. That's not bad. Eric I seem to remember was big time in high school and prep too and was mcdonald's AA I think