What makes this whole situation frustrating is that pretty much since Coach C retired St. John's has been a cock tease of a program. What I mean is that there comes certain points where it looks like St. John's is back and ready to rumble just to fall back to obscurity is embarrassing fashion it seems...
SJU started to build some momentum with Fraschilla a raising star just to see him get fired for looking for a new job and unique motivation technique.
Jarvis came in which I think everybody could agree at the time seem like a great decision and showed that SJU was serious about basketball. After an elite eight run (should have beat freaken Ohio state!) and a #2 seed things were looking up. There was rumors at one point that Jarvis was in the running to coach the Nets....Well we all know what happened...
Norm Roberts who was know as a good recruiter with KU and a local guy that loved the Johnnies became a potential Hallmark story, ended up not so magical.
Out of no where we have Lavin who is charismatic, who says all the right things, made a magical run, had the #3 recruiting class. and got the Johnny nation to start believing again....
Here comes this year...Big East is falling apart, Lavin is out longer then anybody thought (not blaming anybody on this), that #3 class is falling apart, and know the sense of "here we go again" is starting to creep in.
I still think Lavin can right the ship and set things straight, but I will be lying to everyone that the thought of he is a west coast guy who is married to an actress and may want to go back to the west coast did not cross my mind.
In the end Lavin does deserve some blame for the player debacle because he is the head the coach. Lavin's report card will not be complete until two seasons for now until he recruits his team and when all his systems have been established and are in place.