Julian Champagnie - SF - ST. JOHN’S

Dave is more vocal not because of Mullin (although he has said he should have been retained) but because of his buddy Matt A and his exodus from Jamaica.

I know this is a hot take lately but simply not true.

I had really good relationships with staffs as a whole with Lavin and Mullin. Perhaps that was amplified due to my job & relationship with Under Armour.

I’m not here to be an analyst or report. I offer information and opinions from time to time. I’d like to think my opinions are fair and balanced.

I have major concerns with current direction and schools ability to ever be successful. It’s less about CMA, he’s a good coach but I don’t think he maximizes potential here. I do think he can have a really good year with existing players next year

I think it's more that Dave has a lot of connections to local guys that either want to be a part of SJU or want a another local guy to turn the ship around and that it was kind of a slap in the face when they instead hired a guy from the south with zero connections to this area

Not even remotely close. I could care less about coaches. I care about brands/players

I know this is a hot take lately but simply not true.

I had really good relationships with staffs as a whole with Lavin and Mullin. Perhaps that was amplified due to my job & relationship with Under Armour.

I’m not here to be an analyst or report. I offer information and opinions from time to time. I’d like to think my opinions are fair and balanced.

I have major concerns with current direction and schools ability to ever be successful. It’s less about CMA, he’s a good coach but I don’t think he maximizes potential here. I do think he can have a really good year with existing players next year

"I have major concerns with current direction and schools ability to ever be successful."

What?!

Top notch AD...
Winning Coach...
New Nike Deal...
Plans to reinvigorate facilities...
More games at the Garden...

Am I missing something?

I don't think anyone is expecting a complete 180, but damn, to say the school may never be successful, you're making it sound like there's other things happening that aren't public...

"I have major concerns with current direction and schools ability to ever be successful."

What?!

Top notch AD...
Winning Coach...
New Nike Deal...
Plans to reinvigorate facilities...
More games at the Garden...

Am I missing something?

I don't think anyone is expecting a complete 180, but damn, to say the school may never be successful, you're making it sound like there's other things happening that aren't public...

Bobby, Oliva and the Crew are still in charge, that may be what he is referring to. Their past performance does not bode well for the future. But who knows?

Bobby, Oliva and the Crew are still in charge, that may be what he is referring to. Their past performance does not bode well for the future. But who knows?

Sure. But at same time he thinks that Mullin should’ve stayed with adjustments to staff?? That direction would’ve been ok???  No doom and gloom?

"I have major concerns with current direction and schools ability to ever be successful."

What?!

Top notch AD...
Winning Coach...
New Nike Deal...
Plans to reinvigorate facilities...
More games at the Garden...

Am I missing something?

I don't think anyone is expecting a complete 180, but damn, to say the school may never be successful, you're making it sound like there's other things happening that aren't public...

- New AD who wasn't allowed to properly do his own coaching hire.
- 60 year old coach who has never lived 100 miles away from Arkansas
- New Nike deal which will be bottom basic deal. Don't expect to get Cuse or Georgetown like treatment.
- Slapping more lipstick on pig?
- With no plan on how to fill the garden or anything short to long term planning.

Look I'm not trying to sound negative but the facts are there are a lot of fundamental issues with the university that need wholesale changes. I really like Mike Cragg but he needs to be able to drain the swamp.

I think it's more that Dave has a lot of connections to local guys that either want to be a part of SJU or want a another local guy to turn the ship around and that it was kind of a slap in the face when they instead hired a guy from the south with zero connections to this area

If a Cluess was hired or another "must have local" just for the sake of being "a local" this program would have been set back very far. We would have lost more of the team this year and in a few years would have to be thinking we are an A-10 school.

- New AD who wasn't allowed to properly do his own coaching hire.
- 60 year old coach who has never lived 100 miles away from Arkansas
- New Nike deal which will be bottom basic deal. Don't expect to get Cuse or Georgetown like treatment.
- Slapping more lipstick on pig?
- With no plan on how to fill the garden or anything short to long term planning.

Look I'm not trying to sound negative but the facts are there are a lot of fundamental issues with the university that need wholesale changes. I really like Mike Cragg but he needs to be able to drain the swamp.

1. Do his job? Specifically? Who did he want that he didn’t get? Cluess? Hurley? 

2. Sure he’s older. But do you come from the school of thought that to succeed here you need to be from the NE? Isn’t that a bit antiquated?

3. I don’t expect the same deal as other schools but you can’t argue the Nike brand means more to kids than UA. 

4. What do you think we can afford?  A totally new campus arena? Where’s that money coming from? If it hasn’t happened by now don’t think it’ll ever happen.

5. Winning fills the garden.

1. Do his job? Specifically? Who did he want that he didn’t get? Cluess? Hurley?

Wut? Were you even paying attention? Hurley worked AD Mike "whatever you say Coach K" Cragg for a raise and so did Porter Wagoner Moser and Tim Cluess and Ryan Odom said please for god sake don't offer me the job and when all that fell through he had to go through Jeff Capel to get Coach third choice to take his calls and if that hadn't happened we'd all be celebrating the arrival of new head coach Paul Hewitt. Good grief.

Wut? Were you even paying attention? Hurley worked AD Mike "whatever you say Coach K" Cragg for a raise and so did Porter Wagoner Moser and Tim Cluess and Ryan Odom said please for god sake don't offer me the job and when all that fell through he had to go through Jeff Capel to get Coach third choice to take his calls and if that hadn't happened we'd all be celebrating the arrival of new head coach Paul Hewitt. Good grief.

Cluess left his hat in the ring for quite some time and was left twisting in the wind as we went through candidates before finally withdrawing his name from consideration after it became apparent he was the last resort. Luckily we wound up with what might be a better choice though who knows for sure what CMA will do as compared with what Cluess might have done.

- New AD who wasn't allowed to properly do his own coaching hire.
- 60 year old coach who has never lived 100 miles away from Arkansas
- New Nike deal which will be bottom basic deal. Don't expect to get Cuse or Georgetown like treatment.
- Slapping more lipstick on pig?
- With no plan on how to fill the garden or anything short to long term planning.

Look I'm not trying to sound negative but the facts are there are a lot of fundamental issues with the university that need wholesale changes. I really like Mike Cragg but he needs to be able to drain the swamp.

Agree with Dave, while the same players are on top, hard to see us being more than mediocre. Love what MA has done so far, but it all starts at the Bobby and crew. There is a reason we have sucked for last 20 years, must let Cragg run the show, with some oversight of course.

before […] it became apparent he was the last resort.

Not quite the last resort dummy. We got the last resort.

Not quite the last resort dummy. We got the last resort.

Nope hundreds, no thousands more could have turned us down you  rear of a donkey.

I have major concerns with current direction and schools ability to ever be successful. It’s less about CMA, he’s a good coach but I don’t think he maximizes potential here. I do think he can have a really good year with existing players next year

Your concerned with the current direction? We went from a coach that has zero head coaching experience, who didn’t go on the road to recruit, didn’t run his practices, who didn’t even run his own huddles during time outs. To a proven coach who has won every where he’s been. He has more NCAA tournament victories than we have appearances from the beginning of the millennium.

It’s clear your concerned with his ability to recruit.
We haven’t won a NCAA tournament game in 18 years!!! I don’t care how many stars are next to a recruits name, CMA will bring sustained success we haven’t seen in a while.

Mike Anderson was a better choice than most of the other candidates that were pursued first by a good margin.  Just because the search was spearheaded by a few bozos like gempesaw and Olivia at first doesn’t mean much.  I think the guy we hired, if we weren’t gonna get a young up-and-comer, was the best choice by far.  He has. Great overall record of success and is far from too old at 59. 

Julian Champagnie talks to Prep Circuit on his commitment to St. John's - "It’s really a dream come true"

https://www.prepcircuit.com/news_article/show/1025321

So many people are so delusional. I like the hire of coach Mike Anderson but everyone saying this is such a great hire and all these recruits are phenomenal are out of your minds. Can we wait to see how the teams perform on the court before we say how great a coach is.

Also, calling Mike Cragg top notch already is a bit much. Again, I think he can be great for us if he is able to deliver on his vision, but the 2 idiots get involved way to much and I don't feel like that will change much. He needs full autonomy if we want this team and program to ever be successful.

So many people are so delusional. I like the hire of coach Mike Anderson but everyone saying this is such a great hire and all these recruits are phenomenal are out of your minds. Can we wait to see how the teams perform on the court before we say how great a coach is.

Also, calling Mike Cragg top notch already is a bit much. Again, I think he can be great for us if he is able to deliver on his vision, but the 2 idiots get involved way to much and I don't feel like that will change much. He needs full autonomy if we want this team and program to ever be successful.

Has any one person said any of the recruits were phenomenal?

This board is bi-polar.

You have the guys who don't want to give MA a chance and the guys who think he can't do anything wrong.  I like this hire.  MA has been successful everyone he has been.  Don't see why he cant repeat that here.  I loved Chris Mullin as a player.  Don't think he was the right choice as a coach. 

Has any one person said any of the recruits were phenomenal?

Not exactly, but so many people say oh this recruit is perfect for coach Anderson's system! How on earth would they know by watching a high school youtube reel against crappy competition? I liked the hire and think he has a great track record, but I'm a realest, and until he does something well I will be skeptical.