http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2008/02/25/2008-02-25_highpressure_storm_norm_roberts_feels_he.html?page=0
The meeting was relatively informal, but the kind that can go a long way toward landing a recruit. St. John's coach Norm Roberts got to spend a little time with one of New York's talented high schoolers, the kind the Red Storm has been missing out on for several years.
The player, from one of the area's top programs, expected to hear Roberts' vision of how going to St. John's would make him a better player and give him a shot to play professionally.
It's not what he got.
"The guy didn't have a good day," said one of the player's closest friends, who sat in on the conversation. "He wanted to talk about everything but what (the player) wanted to hear.
"Talk about girls? His social life? Being your buddy is what assistant coaches do."
In many ways, Roberts got dealt a tough hand when he was hired in April 2004. It was the low point of 100 years of St. John's basketball. There'd been a sex scandal in Pittsburgh and a divorce from the New York basketball community that left former coach Mike Jarvis declaring to a group of area high school coaches at one of his clinics that he would only be recruiting junior-college players.
Also, it was Roberts' first gig as head coach at a major college. And learning on the job is not the norm in the Big East.
Roberts is finishing his fourth season, and the Johnnies need a strong finish just to get back to the Big East's postseason tournament, which they reached last season for the first time in four years. The team is 10-16 after Saturday's 30-point loss at Duke, and a dialogue about the program's future is percolating. In high school gyms, on the talk-radio airwaves and among St. John's most loyal and influential supporters, the question is asked whether the school will stick with Roberts or make a change.
A determination probably is still weeks away and the value of Roberts' successes and failures will be measured by the university president, the Rev. Donald J. Harrington, and athletic director, Chris Monasch.
"I'm not willing to pass judgment on a season until it's a complete season," Monasch said. "We knew our record would probably take a step back this year. The criteria we're looking for is whether there's a good core of players to build on."
Roberts has removed the tarnish from the sex scandal and the subsequent revelation about illegal payments to a player. He and his staff have mended bridges with New York's high school and AAU programs. But on the court - where coaches are mostly measured - the Red Storm hasn't succeeded.
Nothing correlates with winning like recruiting, and this remains a problem for Roberts. Top recruits want to play for a winner, but programs don't win without top players. It's a Catch-22 that has kept the Storm circling the Big East drain.
League rivals Louisville, UConn and Notre Dame sit atop the 16-team Big East. All are getting major contributions from metro area-reared players. St. John's was in the running for several - most recently McDonald's All-Americans Sylven Landesberg from Holy Cross (who chose Virginia) and Kemba Walker from Rice (who chose UConn) - but has come up short with most top-line recruits.
"You want to see if a program is competitive and always makes the (NCAA) Tournament. You want to see what caliber of players they bring in and whether you will play," said St. Raymond's Omari Lawrence, who is sought by the Johnnies, Georgetown and Arizona among others. "But more than anything I want a coach who develops me. I want to get better and better, get a shot to play at the next level."
St. John's hasn't produced an NBA draft pick since Omar Cook in 2001, and he had little impact in the NBA compared to the parade of All-Stars who have come from Syracuse, UConn and Louisville.
"It's hard to compare Norm and them because he hasn't developed a pro yet at St. John's," said one city high school coach who requested anonymity. "No one has doubts about (Rick) Pitino's track record. To get a five-star recruit in New York or anywhere else, you need to be a coach who no one has questions about."
Said Roberts: "I understand people who follow the program aren't happy that we aren't winning and aren't happy we haven't been winning in the Garden. I want to win too, and I believe the path we're taking will get us there. I'm not happy it's taking this long, but we are doing it the right way and that's what I promised Father Harrington when he hired me."
A number of high school and AAU coaches contacted by the Daily News said the St. John's staff has been hard-working and diligent.
"The last few years you see (St. John's coaches) at more and more games," Lincoln coach Dwayne Morton said. "It's a sign they are hustling, doing their homework."
"Norm and his staff are working very hard. I don't know anyone who doesn't like them," added St. Raymond's coach Oliver Antigua. "The problem is that this is New York and you are expected to win. The city is quick to judge you on your record."
* * *
The losing is killing them. Last week, the Johnnies had four high-school recruits attend their game at the Garden against Villanova, including Lawrence. St. John's scored a season-low 13 points in the first half of an 18-point loss.
"A game like that makes it hard to consider them," Lawrence said. "They didn't stay energetic. They got stagnant. Maybe it's just too early in the process for things to be different. I want to produce and play and win on a high stage. They are on a high stage, but don't win."
"I keep St. John's in mind, but I don't know about them," said Keith Spellman of Jefferson, who counts St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova and Rutgers among his many suitors. "I want to go someplace where I can continue to win. I don't want to have to catch back up with everyone else."
But doing things honorably might be helping Roberts with coaches. When he recruited Ricky Torres out of St. Ray's in his first season, Antigua said Roberts made good on a promise that Torres would get as much help with his academics as needed. On-court issues ultimately led Torres to transfer, but Antigua said, "What (Roberts) did for Ricky on the academic side, it tells you a lot about him."
St. John's is playing eight freshmen, but has not signed a recruit for next year. Roberts says, "It's not a perfect situation, but it is getting better. We've asked our freshmen to play like juniors. I've asked Justin Burrell to play like a senior. That's tough, but it's going to pay off down the road.
"I think our freshman group is the nucleus of a winner."
The players that Roberts has landed also have met mixed reviews. Some have transferred, the most damaging loss being 6-8 Qa'rraan Calhoun, who unexpectedly left school for a personal reason. Some who stayed are improving.
"Mason's improved," said one NBA scout, referring to junior Anthony Mason Jr. "When he got there, he played most of his game on the perimeter. Now he's a scorer from all different parts of the court. He's filled out some. He has more confidence."
Calhoun went from being a bit player last season to an 11-point per-game scorer in the final six games. According to the scout, the 6-7 Burrell can be an NBA talent, but assessing him is hard when he constantly plays out of position at center.
One prominent St. John's alumnus, who requested anonymity, recently met with Harrington and discussed the program. The alum said that Harrington, who'd promised Roberts would be a "home run" when he was hired, expressed some concerns about the basketball program, but gave little indication whether a change of direction was coming.
Poor on-court performance is translating to increasingly smaller crowds, even at Carnesecca Arena, and a lower profile for the Big East in the city that hosts its premier event. The attendance issue is said to be straining St. John's relationship with the Garden. The profile issue has caused officials of the Big East Conference to quietly pine for the days when St. John's created a buzz.
"I see him as receptive to change if those around him think it's necessary," the alum said of Harrington. "But you wonder about whether the financial commitment for next year (the last on Roberts' original contract) is going to sway the decision."
In the meantime, the city's gossipy basketball community speculates.
"(My players) ask about (Roberts') future because they hear rumors," said one prominent Catholic league coach. "I'm not bringing it up with them, but they wonder and that can't be good for recruiting."
Said Antigua: "If the president or AD back him publicly ... rumors would go away."
Roberts says he gets encouragement from the administration and won't let speculation interfere with his mission to restore St. John's.
"I believe they're patient, but I don't know," he said. "What I do know is this: This school is better off for me and my staff being here. We've done the best we could and we're going to continue to do the best we can.
"If that's not good enough, that's life."