Ray Salnave: Monmouth Grad Transfer

I do agree with your assessment that the floor is likely higher than the last staff -- I can't imagine this current staff having a season with only 1 win in conference or a worse conference record than norm roberts. 

I doubt though that people will be satisfied if the ceiling is lower than the previous staff.  The best season they put together was an 8-10 conference record and last team into the NCAA tournament. If mike anderson doesn't manage to make it into the NCAA tournament over the  next 4 years, I imagine virtually everyone will be calling for him to be fired.

steve lavin got fired after 5 years, and he made the ncaa tournament 2x, the nit 2x, and had an overall winning record in conference.  You may be over-estimating SJU's ability to accept mediocrity (even if they should).

This is kind of my point that we are in this perpetual state of we give a 1-2 season grace period then get unsatisfied with year 3-4 not meeting expectations and blow it up year 5.

- Lavin should have made adjustments to staff and administration should have bridged disconnect of Lavin on campus. Lavin had a lot of personal stuff going on that I think impacted his performance which is unfortunate but think he would have figured out a way to salvage it.

- Mullin should have made adjustments to staff as well and administration should have given him an extension instead of being lame duck. When you let Lavin go you knew Mullin would be an experiment and they should have doubled down and stayed committed to that.

- Anderson's best chance was to win last year and ride that momentum into this year. He didn't, the recruiting class is meh, but its not all bad but it's far from the level it needs to be to be contenders in the Big East. If this year is a sub-par then following year is likely going to be similar. If year 4 is better than year 3 but still not great then what?

These are my fears, concerns. If someone says we're going to be so much better this year and who knows we could...but I don't understand off what merit?

DePaul it is

Thats kind of the path we're on. They've made strides as well but all those strides still hasn't gotten them out of the cellar.

This is kind of my point that we are in this perpetual state of we give a 1-2 season grace period then get unsatisfied with year 3-4 not meeting expectations and blow it up year 5.

- Lavin should have made adjustments to staff and administration should have bridged disconnect of Lavin on campus. Lavin had a lot of personal stuff going on that I think impacted his performance which is unfortunate but think he would have figured out a way to salvage it.

- Mullin should have made adjustments to staff as well and administration should have given him an extension instead of being lame duck. When you let Lavin go you knew Mullin would be an experiment and they should have doubled down and stayed committed to that.

- Anderson's best chance was to win last year and ride that momentum into this year. He didn't, the recruiting class is meh, but its not all bad but it's far from the level it needs to be to be contenders in the Big East. If this year is a sub-par then following year is likely going to be similar. If year 4 is better than year 3 but still not great then what?

These are my fears, concerns. If someone says we're going to be so much better this year and who knows we could...but I don't understand off what merit?

So CMA should have won last year, with what? We were picked 9th and most didn't think he would finish with a winning record which he ended up doing.

This is kind of my point that we are in this perpetual state of we give a 1-2 season grace period then get unsatisfied with year 3-4 not meeting expectations and blow it up year 5.

- Lavin should have made adjustments to staff and administration should have bridged disconnect of Lavin on campus. Lavin had a lot of personal stuff going on that I think impacted his performance which is unfortunate but think he would have figured out a way to salvage it.

- Mullin should have made adjustments to staff as well and administration should have given him an extension instead of being lame duck. When you let Lavin go you knew Mullin would be an experiment and they should have doubled down and stayed committed to that.

- Anderson's best chance was to win last year and ride that momentum into this year. He didn't, the recruiting class is meh, but its not all bad but it's far from the level it needs to be to be contenders in the Big East. If this year is a sub-par then following year is likely going to be similar. If year 4 is better than year 3 but still not great then what?

These are my fears, concerns. If someone says we're going to be so much better this year and who knows we could...but I don't understand off what merit?

I don’t see how this incoming recruiting class is any worse than what St.John’s has typically added.

Are you telling us that Posh Alexander is Geno Lawrence?

Is Vince Cole a bust?

So CMA should have won last year, with what? We were picked 9th and most didn't think he would finish with a winning record which he ended up doing.

Please re-read what I wrote. I said he had his best chance of winning. We were poised to be NCAA tournament team heading into conference play and even midway through. The opportunity was there.

I don’t see how this incoming recruiting class is any worse than what St.John’s has typically added.

Are you telling us that Posh Alexander is Geno Lawrence?

Is Vince Cole a bust?

Posh is a good get for many reasons and if he was a piece and not the prize of the recruiting class we'd be heading in the direction of where we should be.

I can't tell you a thing about Vince Cole. My guess is he's somewhere around Bashir Ahmed level.

Please re-read what I wrote. I said he had his best chance of winning. We were poised to be NCAA tournament team heading into conference play and even midway through. The opportunity was there.

and my point was that was an unreasonable expectation. His best chance would have been to go 40-0 and win the National Championship I suppose.

and my point was that was an unreasonable expectation. His best chance would have been to go 40-0 and win the National Championship I suppose.

I'm really not sure how unreasonable it was. I don't want to say those expectations were likely, they were definitely possible.

Is the expectation that 2021 is more likely to be successful than 2020?

I'm really not sure how unreasonable it was. I don't want to say those expectations were likely, they were definitely possible.

Is the expectation that 2021 is more likely to be successful than 2020?

Retorical question Dave.

Posh is a good get for many reasons and if he was a piece and not the prize of the recruiting class we'd be heading in the direction of where we should be.

I can't tell you a thing about Vince Cole. My guess is he's somewhere around Bashir Ahmed level.

So what do you think is stopping Coach Anderson from landing the recruits we should be getting?

Retorical question Dave.

No you can answer that please.

I'm really not sure how unreasonable it was. I don't want to say those expectations were likely, they were definitely possible.

Is the expectation that 2021 is more likely to be successful than 2020?

This is a serious question? What's the agenda bro? My God.

This is a serious question? What's the agenda bro? My God.

I don't understand everyone trying to dodge answering it. What is the issue?

Please re-read what I wrote. I said he had his best chance of winning. We were poised to be NCAA tournament team heading into conference play and even midway through. The opportunity was there.

I don't get this view.  We were picked 9th for a reason.  New coach, a number of new players or guys who did not contribute at all the prior season.  And the conference being as strong last year as it ever has since it was reconfigured.  Heron got hurt early, after getting injured in the summer, and I think his up-and-down and overall subpar play was attributable to that until he finally shut it down for surgery (I don't think he ever "checked out" based on his demeanor the rest of the season). 

If LJ returns, and with the BE likely worse than last season, I think we have a better chance to succeed with this roster compared to last year.

I don't understand everyone trying to dodge answering it. What is the issue?

You can be the most ridiculous poster on this board and that's saying something but ok I'll play your little game-of course expectations for this coming season exceed those for last season. Just look at the early prognostications from those in the business of making predictions-as opposed to ninth most have us at least 5th or 6th and that is with adding Uconn who is picked ahead of us so with last years field that would translate to 4th or 5th.

Please re-read what I wrote. I said he had his best chance of winning. We were poised to be NCAA tournament team heading into conference play and even midway through. The opportunity was there.

After we beat West Virginia and Arizona, opposing teams quickly recognized that Rutherford and Dunn couldn’t shoot. Having no choice but the have them out there cost us a lot of close games.

It’s a fair point that guys like Sears, Rutherford and Dunn were not at the level that we needed. However, guys like Keita spent two years here, and injury or not, we didn’t see a top 100 player. We saw a guy who didn’t even resemble a top 300 recruit. Same for Ian Steere, who in his sophomore year was so out of shape that was the only thing his coach think of to say about him right before he became eligible.

Please re-read what I wrote. I said he had his best chance of winning. We were poised to be NCAA tournament team heading into conference play and even midway through. The opportunity was there.

He coached guys up that Mullin didn't play. That was not a tourny team.

He coached guys up that Mullin didn't play. That was not a tourny team.

He didn't play them because he had upperclassmen leading the way. How many minutes would they have played under Anderson if Shamorie, Simon,Clark,Lj,Heron were together? There minutes would've been cut significantly. Most freshman that aren't top recruits struggle in college hoops for minutes. You develop them in practice and let them watch at first. Could Mullin have used them a bit more in retrospect? No doubt. There is also a reason they were signed. They saw the talent in them.

The point I think Dave is making is without Mustapha Heron and not knowing if LJ comes back how is this team that much better?

 Cole and Posh have to be significant upgrades and the sophomores plus Julian have to take major leaps... it could happen.
 I still think they're a year away from competing for a tourney birth.

Heron did nothing last year for us ...we were better without him