Malik Stith Withdraws From Basketball Team, Will Remain As Student Assistant

Jamal White has a better shot than Stith. Why not let him take Stith's 10 minutes and 3 awful shots he used to take per game? Why is Dunlap holding him back? So one of the six decent players we have get hurt? Dunlap is not a very good head coach. Great assistant but doesn't seem to have the balls or foresight.

Ok so Harkless and Garrett are easy. Harkless will enter the draft and Garrett will leave to concentrate on baseball. But what will be the circumstances behind the exodus of the rest of SJU survivor Island?
Gods Gift- My prediction is he leaves to concentrate on becoming Pope.
Sir Dominic Pointer- leaving to become an actor like Sir Ben Kingsley and Sir Alec Guiness.
Greene-after watching Jeremy Lin has decided transfering to Harvard gives him the best chance to play in the NBA.
Harrison-after reading on these boards that Baylor pays better than SJU he has decided to transfer there.
Branch-after reading so much about Iona from Baldi and Cuse from Poison he is currently deciding between Iona and Cuse.
Lavin- after reading about Yankee GM Brian Cashman's and former Met GM Steve Phillips discretions as GM's of NY teams Mrs Lavin is requesting that Steve quit to save their marriage.
Dunlap- named new SJU coach of the "walkon five"

Ok so Harkless and Garrett are easy. Harkless will enter the draft and Garrett will leave to concentrate on baseball. But what will be the circumstances behind the exodus of the rest of SJU survivor Island?
Gods Gift- My prediction is he leaves to concentrate on becoming Pope.
Sir Dominic Pointer- leaving to become an actor like Sir Ben Kingsley and Sir Alec Guiness.
Greene-after watching Jeremy Lin has decided transfering to Harvard gives him the best chance to play in the NBA.
Harrison-after reading on these boards that Baylor pays better than SJU he has decided to transfer there.
Branch-after reading so much about Iona from Baldi and Cuse from Poison he is currently deciding between Iona and Cuse.
Lavin- after reading about Yankee GM Brian Cashman's and former Met GM Steve Phillips discretions as GM's of NY teams Mrs Lavin is requesting that Steve quit to save their marriage.
Dunlap- named new SJU coach of the "walkon five"

Lol

OK now im not even asking Sampson, just get Lavin back

something is gravely wrong

Unlike many on the board who have expressed concern, but then unravel and extrapolate out potential bad things that are going to happen based upon a few tough breaks, my theory remains that Coach being out on the recruiting trail rather on the bench provides him with the advantage of getting some of the recruits in here.  If a recruit knows he's coming back next year (or the last 2 games or so for this season as I still suspect), that should be enough for the players to commit.  The problem is that there are some factors beyond our control (S Drew, Rico's brother) that play a part (in Drew's case, a dirty part) in the process that is currently gumming up the works.  And Kansas remains a formidable opponent for JS.  Somehow, someway, because SJ's can offer much more playing time to JaKarr, it will sway him in the end.


Bottom line - people have doubted coach before on the recruiting trail, and they didn't have much to say afterwards.  I'm going to side with his track record - those are reality and facts after all as well.  These past two years are transition years anyway, and despite losing Nuri and Malik, we still have a tremendous foundation  of talent.  I'm going to wait and see what happens for 2013-2015 - those are more critical years.

Quote from: shurinaCheese on February 09, 2012, 10:41:02 AM

something is gravely wrong

Unlike many on the board who have expressed concern, but then unravel and extrapolate out potential bad things that are going to happen based upon a few tough breaks, my theory remains that Coach being out on the recruiting trail rather on the bench provides him with the advantage of getting some of the recruits in here.  If a recruit knows he's coming back next year (or the last 2 games or so for this season as I still suspect), that should be enough for the players to commit.  The problem is that there are some factors beyond our control (S Drew, Rico's brother) that play a part (in Drew's case, a dirty part) in the process that is currently gumming up the works.  And Kansas remains a formidable opponent for JS.  Somehow, someway, because SJ's can offer much more playing time to JaKarr, it will sway him in the end.


Bottom line - people have doubted coach before on the recruiting trail, and they didn't have much to say afterwards.  I'm going to side with his track record - those are reality and facts after all as well.  These past two years are transition years anyway.  I'm going to wait and see what happens for 2013-2015 - those are more critical years.

We need to keep the 6 we have. For that to happen, I think he has to come back,REAL SOON

Can't believe everyone is bashing Dunlap. Yes, he is a tough love coach, very demanding, very different as a personality than Lavin. But Dunlap is very much respected in the coaching circle as being one of the best when it comes to game preparation, in-game coaching, and getting the best out of his players.
Now obviously some idiots here will disagree based on the W-L record, but this team has improved greatly since the beginning of the season. They are beginning to understand the matchup defense better, starting to knock down shots, players like Phil Greene have more confidence out on the floor. He can't play the game on the floor, he can only direct the team and give them the tools to execute. To take as inexperienced team and as short of a bench we have...Dunlap has done admirable, and Lavin would be getting the same respect if he got this team to perform as well as this. Every opposing coach has praised St. John's because quite frankly they didn't think we'd perform this well. We have talent, it just needs time to gel and improve.
Dunlap and this staff are not taking any moral victories whatsoever. They are going out expecting to win every game, and he should! The toughness Dunlap shows them now during these tough times will make them tougher next year and down the road in furthers games/seasons. I wouldn't be shocked to hear programs offering this former NBA assistant entertaining head coaching offers from around the nation at seasons end. And if he leaves, it will be bigger than any recruit/player leaving.

As for Stith leaving, it's definitely a blow. He was the leader, the holdover from last year who was a steady head off the court. On the court he played his a** off despite being 5'8 (he is not 5'11. I am 5'11 and seeing him on campus, he's a lot shorter than I), he showed heart. He wasn't afraid to go to the basket and try and make plays and he applied good pressure on defense. Also knowing the plays also helped, which is why he got more PT earlier. It'll be a loss, and it definitely affected the team, but last night was more of a lack of execution.

I say let Jamal White get a few minutes. He's a scholarship player now, see what he can do. Some players step up when given minutes, let us see if he has anything. At this point in the season, would it really hurt to see him get 6-8 minutes? He's gonna be here next year too, so give him some PT, he showed last night he wants it.
Boris Brakalov isn't offering much based on last night and off his highlight tape on youtube. Sam Sealy is rail-thin, I weigh more than he does. He's only on the team because of his height but after that doesn't offer much. Gerard Rivers is probably the first walk-on in line off the bench. Trai Donaldson and Ateh Ayree should be happy to be on the bench, because as guards, they are not getting garbage time.

I too think that Lavin has to come back to the bench. Competing recruiters are no doubt likening our situation to that of the Costa Concordia and at a time like this our players - more than ever - need to see their captain at the helm.

I'm sure Lavin is aware of everything that's been mentioned in this thread. I expect him to be back on the bench soon.

Quote from: bball purist on February 09, 2012, 11:02:46 AM

Quote from: shurinaCheese on February 09, 2012, 10:41:02 AM

something is gravely wrong

Unlike many on the board who have expressed concern, but then unravel and extrapolate out potential bad things that are going to happen based upon a few tough breaks, my theory remains that Coach being out on the recruiting trail rather on the bench provides him with the advantage of getting some of the recruits in here.  If a recruit knows he's coming back next year (or the last 2 games or so for this season as I still suspect), that should be enough for the players to commit.  The problem is that there are some factors beyond our control (S Drew, Rico's brother) that play a part (in Drew's case, a dirty part) in the process that is currently gumming up the works.  And Kansas remains a formidable opponent for JS.  Somehow, someway, because SJ's can offer much more playing time to JaKarr, it will sway him in the end.


Bottom line - people have doubted coach before on the recruiting trail, and they didn't have much to say afterwards.  I'm going to side with his track record - those are reality and facts after all as well.  These past two years are transition years anyway.  I'm going to wait and see what happens for 2013-2015 - those are more critical years.

We need to keep the 6 we have. For that to happen, I think he has to come back,REAL SOON

That's the part that I'm concerned about Baldi, but not sure exactly why.  What effect will it have on recruits to see coach on the sideline this season, versus his discussion with them about the doctor's plans for him him this entire year, and his schedule which leads to a rested Lavs ready to go come October 13th?  I cannot answer what happens to a recruit's psyche when they see Coach on the sideline this year.


I highly suspect, based on his rep, that S Drew preyed on coach not being on the sidelines and his illness.  By almost all accounts (other coaches, reporters), that's his M.O. - nothing is beyond reproach for that prick.  I hope he gets his real soon.  Him or his assts are going to screw up again sooner rather than later.

Jamal White has a better shot than Stith. Why not let him take Stith's 10 minutes and 3 awful shots he used to take per game? Why is Dunlap holding him back? So one of the six decent players we have get hurt? Dunlap is not a very good head coach. Great assistant but doesn't seem to have the balls or foresight.

How do you know that Jamal White has a shot? Have you seen him shoot? Not trying to be a dick, but who is Jamal White?

I have no inside info, just looking at the visible circumstances- Stith says he dropped off the team as a player because of personal reasons-it seems to me if it was because of lack of PT  or because of a problem with Dunlap he wouldn't have been offered a student assistant's job with the team-he would have wanted to get as far away from the team and Dunlap as possible, not stay as close as possible, and from the coaching side- if a player was quitting on his team and/or the presiding coach (Dunlap) -why would the coach give him a position where he could continue to "sulk" and bemoan the coach in place-makes no sense so I have to believe Stith's decision is based on a more personal issue and it is really none of our business if the coaching staff is good with Stith's decision and thinks highly enough of him to give him a position with the team then it is good enough for me.  I chose to take the positive  (from a personal perspective)- a player is having personal problems and instead of feeding him to the dogs the staff enables him to continue getting his ship and education by offering what it could in assistance.  You don't do that for ingrates and disruptive forces-Stith is and has been a team player-what purpose would it serve him to quit with 8 or so games left and what good would it do the team-they can't replace him until next season regardless of when he left this semester-and though he may not have been the best player on the team he certainly seemed well liked by his teammates and he wasn't a detriment to the team-he in fact from what I have seen, read, and heard, was an asset.
Stith says it's personal-I believe him and I don't believe it had anything to do with PT or coaching and I think common sense would lead one to that determination.
Sorry for the long post but I can't believe how some people try to put a negative spin on SJU basketball no matter what goes on.

Some harsh words are being expressed for Dunlap.  I think he has done a tremendous job and I think we are fortunate to have him coaching while Lavin is out.  I think there has been huge upside in our team's development and experience this year, and the theme has been long-term development.  Lavin is a great motivator, the guy who leads our men into battle, yes ... but Dunlap is a master tactioner and a task master.  For him it is all about the fundamentals of the game.  And our guys will be better prepared in the future to respond to Lavin as a motivator after they've learned the fundamentals which has been their focus this year in games and in practice.

Everything has worked out in our favor, in terms of long term development, not only with Dunlap but also with the comings/goings of players.  We lost Polle but he was not an answer for us in the long term.  Lindsey's presence would have just stunted the development of Greene and even Branch in the long run.  Harrison was thrown into the fire, emerged as a leader, which in the longrun is better than Lindsey.  We lost out on the recruitment of Gathers, but I never felt he was the piece to the puzzle we needed.  I've felt for a long time, and others will agree, that we needed a player like Obekpa, a real 5.  And Sampson will be a great addition, but Lavin will bring in another shooter.

Losing Stith at this moment hurts because we are so thin.  We may make it to the finish line hobbling and beat up.  But we'll be stronger going forward.  Lavin will be back, Branch will be active, we'll have Obekpa and Sampson, a sharp shooter, Harkless will return, and our guys will be hungry and have the fundamentals down and the experience to draw from.

Dunlap's leadership this year with the Fresh Five will be something we will look back at next year and say that it was crucial to our team's high achievement.

Oh, just so I can be praised down the line for my foresight, as I've said before I envision Lavin returning to the bench permanently beginning with the Notre Dame game on Feb 25th!

How do you know that Jamal White has a shot? Have you seen him shoot? Not trying to be a dick, but who is Jamal White?

In only two minutes and with only 2 attempts Jamal White has scored the same 3 pointers than Amir Garrett (2-11 in Big East Conference) and more than Pointer (1-18 in Big East Conference).

As long as Lavin comes back and settles things down, things will get better.  Marillac overreacting, big surprised.  It just seems odd that STJ has lost several players since Dunlap has come in to coach.

Quote from: Poison on February 09, 2012, 11:49:18 AM

How do you know that Jamal White has a shot? Have you seen him shoot? Not trying to be a dick, but who is Jamal White?

In only two minutes and with only 2 attempts Jamal White has scored the same 3 pointers than Amir Garrett (2-11 in Big East Conference) and more than Pointer (1-18 in Big East Conference).

In all fairness to Poison.. One of those shots was a bank off the glass that im sure wasn't intended. I'm not knocking Jamal .. but i'm pretty sure if he was able to contribute at the big east level, that he would have seen some time before this.  Same with Sealy.. the kid is 6'9 and hasn't played at all. You would think that with height being our biggest issue that he would be able to spell someone at 6'9.. The coaching staff knows whats going on... That being said.. i hope Jamal banks in 50 more 3pt shots and Sealy develops into a real option down the road

If reports (NY Post-Robbins) are true that Malik left over lack of PT than that is a real joke. Hey Malik do you realize you have basically sucked for over 2 and a half years despite being given many opportunities to earn PT. Maybe Norm inflated your ego and you didn't realize you were playing 3 levels over your head. At best you are a D3 non scholly level player and I use the term player loosely. Take a hike!

If reports (NY Post-Robbins) are true that Malik left over lack of PT than that is a real joke. Hey Malik do you realize you have basically sucked for over 2 and a half years despite being given many opportunities to earn PT. Maybe Norm inflated your ego and you didn't realize you were playing 3 levels over your head. At best you are a D3 non scholly level player and I use the term player loosely. Take a hike!

Stop exaggerating because he left the team.. It isn't his fault that he was offered and accepted a ship with a Big East school.. Malik isn't a big east player.... but he could play in the Maac and do well.  D 3 ??  c'mon man

What does any of this have to with Dunlap, hes supposed to be the asst coach.

If reports (NY Post-Robbins) are true that Malik left over lack of PT than that is a real joke. Hey Malik do you realize you have basically sucked for over 2 and a half years despite being given many opportunities to earn PT. Maybe Norm inflated your ego and you didn't realize you were playing 3 levels over your head. At best you are a D3 non scholly level player and I use the term player loosely. Take a hike!

Just because Robbins says it was about PT doesn't mean it was.  I think it irresponsible reporting for him to say it was over PT unless he was told that directly by Stith or the staff and I highly doubt either told him that,yet didn't say it publicly -certainly they would have preferred spinning it the way they wanted not the way Robbins wanted, and they know telling Robbins is telling the public.  I would really hesitate to trash Stith over something someone like Robbins "thinks" might be the case-especially when the facts we can see indicate it wasn't over his problems with the team or the coach-you don't keep a disgruntled player close to the team if he isn't even playing for it.

If things don't work out for him at SJU I have a great idea for a new career for Dunlap. People could hire him to come to parties when you want people to go home. You know when you throw a party but 2 or 3 people never get the hint when you start yawning and cleaning up. Just pay Dunlap to show up towards the end of the party and use his now infamous skill of making people want to leave