Does anyone believe Norm Roberts will ever be a good coach?

Another 2nd half collapse.  Norm Roberts cannot adjust, is a horrible coach, and doesn't deserve to be coaching in the mid-major ranks, let alone a Big East program.  I don't care if he signs Lance and then convinces Sylven Landesberg to transfer to St. John's.  Norm needs to go.  Any more years with Norm at the helm is going to mean the utter destruction of the St. John's program.  I don't even care if the coach we bring in did his last  recruiting in college for his fraternity - assistants tied to AAU programs can help that...just give me a guy who has proven on the D1 level he knows xs and os.  If he's good, and he gets assistants who are plugged in, the recruits will come, and we will win.  This is just pathetic as it stands now.

He wil never be a good head coach but he is a good asst. coach

I think he should work at the DMV

I think he should work at the DMV

Too nice for the DMV.  I think he should be a speech writing consultant for all sports teams/coaches/individuals after they lose.  He has the art of the excuse and giving credit down PAT.

I think he need a job smell testing whether milk has gone bad. Judging by the faces he makes on the sidelines, something besides his coaching stinks

I think he need a job smell testing whether milk has gone bad. Judging by the faces he makes on the sidelines, something besides his coaching stinks

Excellent!

This will come as a huge shock, but Norm is a good coach.  Look at the hand he was given this year, top player out for the year, point guard has been hurt most of the year.  What do you want him to do? Is it his fault DJ got thrown out? Is it his fault he only had a seven man rotation during the Nati game? No it is all bad luck.  This team has already beat a ranked team in ND and has been competitive in all the games besides Nova.

What do you want Norm to do?

This will come as a huge shock, but Norm is a good coach.  Look at the hand he was given this year, top player out for the year, point guard has been hurt most of the year.  What do you want him to do? Is it his fault DJ got thrown out? Is it his fault he only had a seven man rotation during the Nati game? No it is all bad luck.  This team has already beat a ranked team in ND and has been competitive in all the games besides Nova.

What do you want Norm to do?

Run a play would be a start!

i have to agree that he needs more plays

This will come as a huge shock, but Norm is a good coach.  Look at the hand he was given this year, top player out for the year, point guard has been hurt most of the year.  What do you want him to do? Is it his fault DJ got thrown out? Is it his fault he only had a seven man rotation during the Nati game? No it is all bad luck.  This team has already beat a ranked team in ND and has been competitive in all the games besides Nova.

What do you want Norm to do?

This reply is just ridiculous.  First of all, Norm is responsible for bringing in and RETAINING players as well as coaching them.  Teams all across the country have injuries and suspensions.  It is not his excuse. 

Are you aware that we rank last in the Big East in assists and assist-TO ratio?  If that is not coaching than I don' know what is.  We look confused AT BEST coming out of timeouts, we don't follow through on basic assignments on defense and we have no continuity on offense. 

When Norm gets a talented kid, he doesn't know how to utilize the kid's talents.  Wright was as good of a shooter as there was in the conference last year.  He had great form, incredible lift, and a flawless release.  He sat on the bench most of the game, though.

College basketball is the single quickest team sport to turn around.  Look at Baylor.  They had a player kill another player, players getting paid, they lost a PG, Lucas, that led OSU to the Final Four and a forward, Roberts, that was the leading scorer for Miss, another NCAA team. 

Yet their coach, Drew, goes out and immediately signs NBA talented player.  They've already made the NCAA tournament.  All we had was some kids go to a freaking strip club!  There was no coverup, there was no murder.

Keep digging into your pile of excuse.  There is one simple questin to ask in year FREAKING FIVE:  is Norm getting the job done?  The answer is no.  Adios.

When you don't have your point guard you or anyone else who is a point guard then yes you will last in the Big East in assists and assist-TO ratio.  But what do you want to do? What would you change.  All i know is the players are working their butts off to try in stay in games with more talented teams.

When you don't have your point guard you or anyone else who is a point guard then yes you will last in the Big East in assists and assist-TO ratio.  But what do you want to do? What would you change.  All i know is the players are working their butts off to try in stay in games with more talented teams.

I don't believe for a second that these other teams are more physically talented. Are they more skilled? Absolutely.  Justin, DJ, Paris, Kennedy?  These are athletes of the first class. 

I think your problem is that you are looking into a microscope game to game and season to season. You have to look at the big picture.  Norm sold the school on his ability to recruit and his ties and connections in NY.  He has not followed through on either.  Right there he should be fired.

We are in year five and the best two players we have had under Norm were Daryll Hill and Lamont Hamilton--not even close.  They were both inherited from Jarvis.  Here are some troubling facts about Norm and his teams:

1. They don't win on the road -- so even if we bring in better talent, we won't realize our optimal potential as a team and we will drop games to subpar opponents if not at home.

2. His teams are always at the bottom of the league in assists.  This has next to nothing to do with talent.  It doesn't take talent to backscreen, find teammates on cuts, pick and roll, move the ball around and screen behind it, etc. 

3. He has shown no ability to ajust to changes made during the game

4. His halftime ajustments have been awful for five years

5. His big men have lacked defensive fundamentals seen at all levels and by much less talented players.  How much talent does it take to move two feet to your left to fill the lane on a charging guard? 

When you don't have your point guard you or anyone else who is a point guard then yes you will last in the Big East in assists and assist-TO ratio.  But what do you want to do? What would you change.  All i know is the players are working their butts off to try in stay in games with more talented teams.

It's NORM's fault he didn't recruit a BACKUP PG, genius.

Quote from: MCD Red Storm on January 23, 2009, 03:40:31 PM

When you don't have your point guard you or anyone else who is a point guard then yes you will last in the Big East in assists and assist-TO ratio.  But what do you want to do? What would you change.  All i know is the players are working their butts off to try in stay in games with more talented teams.

It's NORM's fault he didn't recruit a BACKUP PG, genius.

Thank you for showing some intelligence here, Tha Kid.  This guy is driving me nuts.  If his brain was a STJ basketball player, it would be Malik Boothe. 

Why is it so hard for people to understand that the coach both recruits and coaches the players.  What do you want Norm to do about his PG going down?  For starters, you could have taken Truck Bryant.  If not Truck then a player better than Ty Edmondson!!  You have been here for five years, how can you not have a backup PG?

Quote from: Tha Kid on January 23, 2009, 03:51:18 PM

Quote from: MCD Red Storm on January 23, 2009, 03:40:31 PM

When you don't have your point guard you or anyone else who is a point guard then yes you will last in the Big East in assists and assist-TO ratio.  But what do you want to do? What would you change.  All i know is the players are working their butts off to try in stay in games with more talented teams.

It's NORM's fault he didn't recruit a BACKUP PG, genius.

Thank you for showing some intelligence here, Tha Kid.  This guy is driving me nuts.  If his brain was a STJ basketball player, it would be Malik Boothe. 

Why is it so hard for people to understand that the coach both recruits and coaches the players.  What do you want Norm to do about his PG going down?  For starters, you could have taken Truck Bryant.  If not Truck then a player better than Ty Edmondson!!  You have been here for five years, how can you not have a backup PG?

It's unbelievable to me when people use the injury excuse w boothe.  Norm has had a backup PG like ONE year his entire career...while Geno SUCKED, Norm was lucky enough that he was never hurt.  Even Marco Baldi would realize you need a backup PG...especially when your PG is 5'6 100 pounds and likely to get hurt playing with the big boys...and no Muggsy Bogues...

I agree with you that it was highly stupid of Norm to not recruit a point guard, it is obvious he has to much faith in Ty

Quote from: MCD Red Storm on January 23, 2009, 01:53:46 PM

This will come as a huge shock, but Norm is a good coach.  Look at the hand he was given this year, top player out for the year, point guard has been hurt most of the year.  What do you want him to do? Is it his fault DJ got thrown out? Is it his fault he only had a seven man rotation during the Nati game? No it is all bad luck.  This team has already beat a ranked team in ND and has been competitive in all the games besides Nova.

What do you want Norm to do?

Run a play would be a start!

To be fair... I have seen him run a few plays.

However, he is only averaging about 1 to 2 successful plays per season. One came last night in a loss against Cincinatti in the first half, which resulted in a 3 by Horne. Therefore, I guess we are only due for one more. 

I am in the middle on this one. For instance, I do think you can't put the blame on some of things beyond his control such as injuries. Which obviously makes him look alot worse than he is. However, when fully staffed, I haven't exactly seen the improvement we are all looking for.

I do think that if we didn't get the injuries we have had this year, we would be looking better than we are. However, since we do have injuries, I don't see Norm trying to make adjustments to give us a fighting shot at winning. For instance, I don't think Cincy is a great shooting team from the outside. Therefore, he could have used zone last night to save some energy for our guys on the offensive end. Secondly, he could have tried to have Horne and Roberts force it down low to Burrell and Evans to post their players up and draw some additional fouls. Third, any game Evans (or anyone else) hits less than 60% from the stripe, he can have him shoot 500 to 1000 FT shots a day until the next game!

Back to my somewhat defense of NR...

I do think that the blame doesn't fall on NR himself (even though a good portion does fall on him). Alot of it has to do with the Adminstration. For instance:
- Charging so much for tickets when our attendance sucks!
- Not recognizing earlier that our facilities can compete with other BE schools
- Etc...

Sorry for rambling... but in summary... I agree with another poster that its probably going to take more time for him to become a good HEAD coach (IF he ever becomes one). However, it's time that alot of us are not willing and don't want to wait for anymore. We have waited long enough.

Maybe he should go back to being an assistant head coach for sometime and let us bring in someone who can get this program back to where we all want it to be!
   

norm obviously doesn't have the intellect to be a good coach.  you might as well hire him to be treasury secretary.

he's waaaaayyy out of his league.

I agree with newsman that Norm has to be held somewhat accountable for what has happened to the program but give he some more time, also you make very good points that the adminstration has to do a better job.

I agree with newsman that Norm has to be held somewhat accountable for what has happened to the program but give he some more time, also you make very good points that the adminstration has to do a better job.

I thought you were being serious at first, but now I realize you are joking/trying to stir the pot.  If you can't turn a program around in three years you should be fired.  Forget six.