Catching up with Eugene Lawrence [NY Post]

In the two months since Steven Lavin took over as the St. John’s University men’s basketball coach, he has received praise from players, coaches, and media members alike. While Eugene Lawrence has yet to meet Lavin, the former UCLA head man and ESPN broadcaster, and would like to soon, he wasn’t happy to see Norm Roberts go.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/high_school/basketball/nike_heart_city_notebook_roberts_9sgxO1EA3WWHIg7upeAaJP#ixzz0sKxfgAh6

" He really brought the student first, athlete second back,” he said."

  Unfortunately this doesn't cut it if you want to be a big time college basketball program. Nice article though. 

" He really brought the student first, athlete second back,” he said."

Except for the 12 guys that transferred because Norm wanted to find better talent.
Funny, for a nice guy, that wasn't a very nice thing to do.

" He really brought the student first, athlete second back,” he said."

Except for the 12 guys that transferred because Norm wanted to find better talent.
Funny, for a nice guy, that wasn't a very nice thing to do.

Transfers happen everywhere

Quote from: Poison on June 30, 2010, 10:49:03 AM

" He really brought the student first, athlete second back,” he said."

Except for the 12 guys that transferred because Norm wanted to find better talent.
Funny, for a nice guy, that wasn't a very nice thing to do.

Transfers happen everywhere

  12 in 5 years?

Quote from: Marco Baldi on June 30, 2010, 10:50:57 AM

Quote from: Poison on June 30, 2010, 10:49:03 AM

" He really brought the student first, athlete second back,” he said."

Except for the 12 guys that transferred because Norm wanted to find better talent.
Funny, for a nice guy, that wasn't a very nice thing to do.

Transfers happen everywhere

  12 in 5 years?

And all 12 went on to great careers. And dont give me the Cedrick Jackson example, he didnt explode until his final year and would have graduated had he stayed at SJU. Not a Big East player

haha, anyone see the typo in the caption under the pic?

Lawrence credited Roberts with turning around the program with regards to its public image. The year before he took over, St. John’s was rocked by an alleged rape scandal that was proved to be fraudulent in a Pittsburgh-area hotel. But in Lawrence’s four years in Jamaica, Queens, the perception changed.



Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/high_school/basketball/nike_heart_city_notebook_roberts_9sgxO1EA3WWHIg7upeAaJP#ixzz0sLmZU93f

12 in 5 years?

Of all the accusations hurled at Norm, this one is the most ridiculous. Three points.

1. I count D Gray, Cedric J, Ricky Torres, Avery Patterson, Q Calhoun, Mike Cavataio, Tyshwan E, Larry Wright, Tyler Jones, Phil Wait. I assume I'm missing a couple. (But Omari doesn't count, since he transferred post Norm; Maybank graduated; Epperson and Kitchen didn't qualify; and Tyler Jones wasn't Norm's player.) But assume 12. Other than Cedric - and when he was here pretty much no one thought he was anything - none of these players have gone on to anything other than marginal basketball success and almost none of them have done so at a Division 1 school.  The fact is that these were kids who should not have been playing D1 in the first place, who were recruited for the most part from necessity, and who transferred to schools more commensurate with their abilities. Even Larry Wright, arguably the best of the bunch, struggled at what could charitably be called a mid major.

2. Except in a few cases, there's no proof that Norm forced players out. At best that statement is surmise and at worst it's a lie. Patterson was insubordinate; Calhoun refused summer work outs; they were likely forced out. The more likely scenario for the rest is that Norm told them they were bring recruited over or that they simply wouldn't play - or that the players themselves realized they were overmatched. Considering that he didn't force the appalling Tomas Jasilionustein out, it's hard for me to believe that he forced the rest out.

3. There were about 300 D1 transfers this year, meaning an average of about one per school. If Norm had 10 or 12 kids transfer in 5 years that's a little higher than average but certainly not outlandishly so, especially for a school in the situation SJ was in 2004.

Don't get me wrong. Transfers and the lack of continuity they engender were one of the many things that doomed Norm. Seniors > freshman all day long. But the idea that these particular tranfers say anything about Norm's character is just wrong headed.

Quote from: boo3 on June 30, 2010, 10:57:00 AM

Quote from: Marco Baldi on June 30, 2010, 10:50:57 AM

Quote from: Poison on June 30, 2010, 10:49:03 AM

" He really brought the student first, athlete second back,” he said."

Except for the 12 guys that transferred because Norm wanted to find better talent.
Funny, for a nice guy, that wasn't a very nice thing to do.

Transfers happen everywhere

  12 in 5 years?

And all 12 went on to great careers. And dont give me the Cedrick Jackson example, he didnt explode until his final year and would have graduated had he stayed at SJU. Not a Big East player

  Who cares?   The student comes first, right.   

"3. There were about 300 D1 transfers this year, meaning an average of about one per school. If Norm had 10 or 12 kids transfer in 5 years that's a little higher than average"


  ya think?  i'm no math major, but twice the average is a lot.. 

Quote from: Marco Baldi on June 30, 2010, 11:03:24 AM

Quote from: boo3 on June 30, 2010, 10:57:00 AM

Quote from: Marco Baldi on June 30, 2010, 10:50:57 AM

Quote from: Poison on June 30, 2010, 10:49:03 AM

" He really brought the student first, athlete second back,” he said."

Except for the 12 guys that transferred because Norm wanted to find better talent.
Funny, for a nice guy, that wasn't a very nice thing to do.

Transfers happen everywhere

  12 in 5 years?

And all 12 went on to great careers. And dont give me the Cedrick Jackson example, he didnt explode until his final year and would have graduated had he stayed at SJU. Not a Big East player

  Who cares?   The student comes first, right.   

at some places

"3. There were about 300 D1 transfers this year, meaning an average of about one per school. If Norm had 10 or 12 kids transfer in 5 years that's a little higher than average"


  ya think?  i'm no math major, but twice the average is a lot..

Not when the average is one. When the average is one, twice the average is two. Two is not a lot. In fact, it's the opposite of a lot: it's a few.

   You have 12 players on a team, lets take the 2 token walkons out of the equation,  that's 10. you lose , on average 2 per season, that's 20% of your team leaving every year.  Spin away.  Its a lot.  You should work for the Obama administration spinning unemployment numbers .   

 Regardless, its a moot point thankfully. 

   You have 12 players on a team, lets take the 2 token walkons out of the equation,  that's 10. you lose , on average 2 per season, that's 20% of your team leaving every year.  Spin away.  Its a lot.  You should work for the Obama administration spinning unemployment numbers .   

So to recap. Since 12 minus 2 equals 10, and 20 percent of 10 is 2, which is twice as much as 1, therefore 2 is a lot, because smiley face.

Priceless.

Quote from: boo3 on June 30, 2010, 01:10:51 PM

   You have 12 players on a team, lets take the 2 token walkons out of the equation,  that's 10. you lose , on average 2 per season, that's 20% of your team leaving every year.  Spin away.  Its a lot.  You should work for the Obama administration spinning unemployment numbers .   

So to recap. Since 12 minus 2 equals 10, and 20 percent of 10 is 2, which is twice as much as 1, therefore 2 is a lot, because smiley face.

Priceless.

ill give the benefit of the doubt here, so no ones feelings are hurt and say that it is simply a difference of opinion...the difference between 10% and 20% is a noteworthy difference to many...maybe not when you are talking about the discount on a dvd, but it is when you are talking about, well, human beings

btw, excellent math foad, i didnt understand it when boo said it but after your post it came to me like a bolt of lightning

One of the proudest things about being a StJ Alumnus is that a quality young man like Eugene Lawrence has joined our ranks as a graduate. He took the chance on us when we were about as low as we could go and played with class, courage, heart, and pride for four years to help bring us and our reputation back to normal. When he came to us he was a champion and, in spite of his best efforts, he shared in 4years of disapointments that made most of us dispair while he was giveing  every ounce of what he had with both dignity and enthusiasm.  He is a wonderful human being who was expressing loyalty to the coach who gave him a chance to get a quality education,  a college degree, and a chance to restore dignity, if not lots more wins, to a NY institution.  He and Coach Roberts worked together to deliver on all three and both should be lauded for that.

One of the proudest things about being a StJ Alumnus is that a quality young man like Eugene Lawrence has joined our ranks as a graduate. He took the chance on us when we were about as low as we could go and played with class, courage, heart, and pride for four years to help bring us and our reputation back to normal. When he came to us he was a champion and, in spite of his best efforts, he shared in 4years of disapointments that made most of us dispair while he was giveing  every ounce of what he had with both dignity and enthusiasm.  He is a wonderful human being who was expressing loyalty to the coach who gave him a chance to get a quality education,  a college degree, and a chance to restore dignity, if not lots more wins, to a NY institution.  He and Coach Roberts worked together to deliver on all three and both should be lauded for that.

   Well said Mrs. Lawrence

Quote from: oldfan on June 30, 2010, 05:51:13 PM

One of the proudest things about being a StJ Alumnus is that a quality young man like Eugene Lawrence has joined our ranks as a graduate. He took the chance on us when we were about as low as we could go and played with class, courage, heart, and pride for four years to help bring us and our reputation back to normal. When he came to us he was a champion and, in spite of his best efforts, he shared in 4years of disapointments that made most of us dispair while he was giveing  every ounce of what he had with both dignity and enthusiasm.  He is a wonderful human being who was expressing loyalty to the coach who gave him a chance to get a quality education,  a college degree, and a chance to restore dignity, if not lots more wins, to a NY institution.  He and Coach Roberts worked together to deliver on all three and both should be lauded for that.

   Well said Mrs. Lawrence

ha, come on man, geno was good enough...id rather him that boothe...well, junior year geno than boothe...he was a good player for us for 4 years

  nah, it was a good post.  I have nothing against Geno.  That was just a little over the top,  no?