Starting 5

I don't disagree with anything you wrote as well.  I'm fine with playing the transfer game, and relying on it too much causes issues, because many transfers are "flighty" by nature, have had issues elsewhere, and are more likely in my view to jump at the first sign of adversity or because of a better option.  And I'm not absolving Mullin one bit - as HC everything falls on him.  But there has been sentiment expressed many places that Matt wanted to run recruiting and be viewed as the one responsible for bringing players to SJU.  Assistant coaches have to work and play nice together when it comes to recruiting and if, as some speculate, Matt was a big driver of the Slice-divide and breakup, some of that falls on him.  Because we never replaced that role with a capable second recruiter.  It's all speculation and water under the bridge at this point anyway because we'll never know the reason behind the Slice issue, not hiring another recruiter in his place, etc.

All fair points again. I think the transfers can add to the nucleus not be the nucleus. Better athletic admin could have seen Mullin's struggles/shortcomings and help fix them. Same goes back to Lavin as well.

Most of the players are actually from Arkansas on their roster

Which is a big question for how he's going to recruit in NYC or really anywhere else in the country.

Which is a big question for how he's going to recruit in NYC or really anywhere else in the country.

Im guessing that’s why he brought Demeo, and Macon on board plus the NBA Star Pressey

All fair points again. I think the transfers can add to the nucleus not be the nucleus. Better athletic admin could have seen Mullin's struggles/shortcomings and help fix them. Same goes back to Lavin as well.

A blind man could have seen staff make up and 1 recruiter was flawed.

A blind man could have seen staff make up and 1 recruiter was flawed.

While it may have been less than ideal, I don't think the model was flawed.  The flaws in the last staff were Matt's lack of basketball knowledge/ability to evaluate talent correctly and the lack of discipline from the staff for player roles (especially being aware of their limitations) and placing an emphasis on rebounding. 

We were getting high recruits left and right under the last two staffs so it strikes me as odd that people want to go after that aspect. 

Im guessing that’s why he brought Demeo, and Macon on board plus the NBA Star Pressey

Demeo is the only one I have any trust in at all and he has the smallest role.

Respectfully I think quite the opposite. I think he's a good athlete who we took a flyer on hoping he could develop but physically was ready to compete. I'm hopeful he can turn into a poor man's Jayvaughn Pinkston.

I think he was underutilized which resulted in him being underdeveloped at season's end.

He was physically ready to compete in the sense that his body was developed and he was as strong as an ox, but everyone involved knew that he needed time to catch up to his basketball peers after being a two-sport athlete at a football powerhouse like Don Bosco. 

The time commitment in a sport like football at a school like that is insane.  They used to do two football camps plus 7 v 7s in the offseason and from August through the end of December it's not even physically possible to log any meaningful minutes in basketball.

I think by mid-season we will see what he has to offer, but it probably won't be until his junior year before he fully shows what he can do. I have no problem with him on scholarship for four years.

While it may have been less than ideal, I don't think the model was flawed.  The flaws in the last staff were Matt's lack of basketball knowledge/ability to evaluate talent correctly and the lack of discipline from the staff for player roles (especially being aware of their limitations) and placing an emphasis on rebounding. 

We were getting high recruits left and right under the last two staffs so it strikes me as odd that people want to go after that aspect. 

3 guys who had never coached college basketball players (Mitch, St. Jean, plus Matt who by your own admission never coached a second of his career) seems like a flawed staff.

None of them were the problem on their own but as a collective group it was behind everybody else. Matt was and would be a nice recruiter along side two well rounded assistants. Mitch would have been a nice selling piece if had been surrounded by experienced assistants who could hold him responsible and show him the ropes. St Jean would have been a great 3rd assistant who with much less on his plate could have grown as a coach and recruiter. 

3 guys who had never coached college basketball players (Mitch, St. Jean, plus Matt who by your own admission never coached a second of his career) seems like a flawed staff.

None of them were the problem on their own but as a collective group it was behind everybody else. Matt was and would be a nice recruiter along side two well rounded assistants. Mitch would have been a nice selling piece if had been surrounded by experienced assistants who could hold him responsible and show him the ropes. St Jean would have been a great 3rd assistant who with much less on his plate could have grown as a coach and recruiter. 

4 guys. You forgot the most important piece, the head coach.

3 guys who had never coached college basketball players (Mitch, St. Jean, plus Matt who by your own admission never coached a second of his career) seems like a flawed staff.

None of them were the problem on their own but as a collective group it was behind everybody else. Matt was and would be a nice recruiter along side two well rounded assistants. Mitch would have been a nice selling piece if had been surrounded by experienced assistants who could hold him responsible and show him the ropes. St Jean would have been a great 3rd assistant who with much less on his plate could have grown as a coach and recruiter. 

I was referring to the the general concept that a staff can't be successful with one designated recruiter.  We got a ton of highly ranked players.  This new staff isn't even on the same planet in terms of winning recruiting battles.  I hope they are better at evaluating talent--which shouldn't be too difficult.

I would have made changes to Mullin's staff for sure.  Mitch was useless as an assistant and should have remained in his original role.  Matt didn't allow others to help in any significant way.  He was a weasel...just look what he did to an established and beloved coach like Slice.  He only offers one thing to a head coach and he feels threatened when anyone else tries to recruit. He's like Little Finger in GOT.

4 guys. You forgot the most important piece, the head coach.

That really is what it all comes down to. Mullin was inexperienced and unprepared for the important responsibilities of being a Big East, college basketball head coach. The first year staff wasn't bad considering Slice - the experienced former college head coach and ace recruiter we have all been clamoring for - satisfied two important roles, and we had Zendon coaching the bigs, something we haven't had since. For example, Yakwe only got worse after ZH left and we never developed any front court since.

Neither role was filled. St Jean and Matt A filled the vacuum of a needed x/o coach and an ace recruiter. The big man coach position was never filled either. And, here we are starting over again. Really makes for a good sports management case study.

That really is what it all comes down to. Mullin was inexperienced and unprepared for the important responsibilities of being a Big East, college basketball head coach. 

The bottom line is that the greatest St. John's basketball player ever was only given 4 years and forced out after a very successful Ncaa tournament bid season. INEXCUSABLE! 

Norm Roberts got 6 year for g*ds sake.  Say what you want about his coaching and inexperience but it doesn't change the fact that he wasn't given enough time.  Same as Hollywood before him.

Probably I'll be writing the same about the Razorback one day if he ever has the misfortune of dancing here.

The bottom line is that the greatest St. John's basketball player ever was only given 4 years and forced out after a very successful Ncaa tournament bid season. INEXCUSABLE! 

Norm Roberts got 6 year for g*ds sake.  Say what you want about his coaching and inexperience but it doesn't change the fact that he wasn't given enough time.  Same as Hollywood before him.

Probably I'll be writing the same about the Razorback one day if he ever has the misfortune of dancing here.

Maybe if ya boy treated the position as a full time job he would have been given more time and if you couldn't see we were trending downward from the zenith of an 8-10 season in the less than mediocre BE I don't know what to tell you.

He was physically ready to compete in the sense that his body was developed and he was as strong as an ox, but everyone involved knew that he needed time to catch up to his basketball peers after being a two-sport athlete at a football powerhouse like Don Bosco. 

The time commitment in a sport like football at a school like that is insane.  They used to do two football camps plus 7 v 7s in the offseason and from August through the end of December it's not even physically possible to log any meaningful minutes in basketball.

I think by mid-season we will see what he has to offer, but it probably won't be until his junior year before he fully shows what he can do. I have no problem with him on scholarship for four years.

For sure. He is a project.

The bottom line is that the greatest St. John's basketball player ever was only given 4 years and forced out after a very successful Ncaa tournament bid season. INEXCUSABLE! 

Norm Roberts got 6 year for g*ds sake.  Say what you want about his coaching and inexperience but it doesn't change the fact that he wasn't given enough time.  Same as Hollywood before him.

Probably I'll be writing the same about the Razorback one day if he ever has the misfortune of dancing here.

Amen Carmine. Damn right.

There were problems. Find solutions and fix them. What coach in America (outside of Mike Anderson) wants to come here when we fired Lavin and Mullin after NCAA tourney appearances the first in about 20 years. It's a joke. Can't keep tearing down and expect Rome to be built.

Maybe if ya boy treated the position as a full time job he would have been given more time and if you couldn't see we were trending downward from the zenith of an 8-10 season in the less than mediocre BE I don't know what to tell you.

If there were issues then the should have been dealt with and held accountable. The headless operation of the school was a joke.

Also I'm not disagreeing with you he should have been more present.

There were problems. Find solutions and fix them.

If you have to tell the head coach of a college sports program that he needs to try harder at his job or you have to force him to fix the obvious flaws in the program then that's not the right guy to build Rome.

If you have to tell the head coach of a college sports program that he needs to try harder at his job or you have to force him to fix the obvious flaws in the program then that's not the right guy to build Rome.

Those were fan perceptions. Nobody knows for sure how hard he worked. I seriously doubt Chris Mullin is capable of being lazy. He took a shitty program to the dance in four years after inheriting dog sh*t. You can’t do that being as lazy as fans say he was.

Those were fan perceptions. Nobody knows for sure how hard he worked. I seriously doubt Chris Mullin is capable of being lazy. He took a shitty program to the dance in four years after inheriting dog sh*t. You can’t do that being as lazy as fans say he was.

It was a narrative pushed by the almighty internet "insider" and stalker from the other site. Then all the "Yesmen" nodded their heads in agreement.

Those were fan perceptions. Nobody knows for sure how hard he worked. I seriously doubt Chris Mullin is capable of being lazy. He took a shitty program to the dance in four years after inheriting dog sh*t. You can’t do that being as lazy as fans say he was.

Chris Mullin the athlete didn’t stand out amongst his NBA peers but in the grand scheme of things he was a tremendous one. CM the coach may not have been lazy but he seemingly got outworked by his peers. Keep in mind I was in his corner and never thought he should have been pushed out.