What is the real reason that Gods Gift is redshirting?

This topic is fantastic. Last year during the non BE portion of the schedule, people were throwing out Wes Unseld, Dajuan Blair and every other undersized pro big man as a comparison for GG. Then when people tried to temper the insanity, they were shouted down.
Then during the BE GG showed what he was , an undersized, serviceable backup big man. However the same people throwing out crazy comparisons were now clamoring for him to not play.
Now he gets redshirted and people are starting an uproar over that.
To complete the cycle next year when he plays people will undoubtedly claim he sucks.

Great points.  If you ask me, the whole scenario smells of fan desperation. 

"If you'll wish to argue my points, I welcome that , but can we please keep the idiotic commens to a minimum?  Thanks"

No, thank you
If idiotic comments were kept to a minimum, we'd be saved from your posts permanently

Quote from: LJSA on January 02, 2013, 07:57:30 AM

Quote from: Linda Mirabella on January 01, 2013, 09:46:13 PM

If Lavin is the recruiter that everyone touts him to be, getting a solid contributor from the 13 class or the Junior College ranks shouldn't be an issue should it?  What happened to ll the confidence we had in coach Lavins recruiting skills. I just can't believe it's an all or nothing deal regarding Gods Gift.

Good big men are hard to find on a consistent basis unless your name is Self, Barnes, Izzo, K, Williams, Calipari, Donovan, Calhoun, or Few. There may be some others, but after that, it's a battle against hundreds of other programs.

Hopefully we land Lawrence and keep everyone else. Sampson, Lawrence, Obekpa, GGA, Pointer, and Garrett sounds like a decent front court to me.

Self, Barnes, Izzo, etc.  Hmmmm,  it was not too long ago that many on this site put Coach Lavin's recruiting prowess right in there with the big boys.  What's the matter fellas, is your confidence in his ability to recruit diminishing? You see, you can't have it both ways.  Either you believe that Lavin is a great recruiter, will rectify the situation and the Gift situation will become a non issue or you believe that coach Lavin is not as good as first advertised and can't recruit with the big boys, and all the assinine comments about me being Baldi's wife or Bobby Gonzalez 's sister won't change that fact. .

  From everyone's comments here, I have to  wonder that if Lawrence is as good as advertised and coach Lavin was really confident in getting him, why would the Gift situation be so important. Now I understand that many have said that Lawrence is a small forward in a power forwards body but I am sure that at 6'9, he can certainly be taught to contribute in the rebounding department.

If you'll wish to argue my points, I welcome that , but can we please keep the idiotic commens to a minimum?  Thanks

Fwiw, Gift and Lawrence are not even close to the same type of player. I'm not sure why you're even comparing them.  Lavin redshirted Gift and it could be for any number of reasons.  It certainly was not because he's unable to recruit another backup center.  That is absurd.  I think Lavin just thought the team would be deep this year with the emergence of Jones and Sanchez.  Then Sanchez hit some snags and Jones seems to have disappeared and the move didn't look as obvious to the fan base as it might have if we had an eligible Sanchez and Jones. 

Does anybody really believe it is because Lavin is afraid of having an open scholarship to grab a big guy?  Cmon...

Or perhaps this is a gift to Gift.  Would he be eligible for the "graduated with eligibility, move anywhere with no transfer year program"?  If as reported he is an academic phenom could he  use his  remaining year of eligibility at Harvard or Stanford or Columbia?

Maybe he's not the great recruiter then Linda.  Maybe we should get rid of him.

Or maybe the fact that he's the coach of the team and has a better idea/handle on what is out there and what is attainable in terms of the '13 class is more than you, me and the rest of this board knows.


See, I think this whole topic is a non issue. However, I do not think it is a big deal to question the decision to redshirt GG. Your defense of people questioning this non issue does make you look like a charter member of the Lavin cheer leeding squad that I keep accusing you of that you keep denying.

See, I think this whole topic is a non issue. However, I do not think it is a big deal to question the decision to redshirt GG. Your defense of people questioning this non issue does make you look like a charter member of the Lavin cheer leeding squad that I keep accusing you of that you keep denying.

Thanks for your feedback.  Always great to hear from you.

Lavin probably told him to redshirt so that he could improve, and when we lost Sanchez it was too late.

Thanks for your feedback.  Always great to hear from you.

Pouting is not becoming for someone named Moose. I am just trying to keep you honest Big Boy! Embrace your homerism!

Thanks for your feedback.  Always great to hear from you.

Pouting is not becoming for someone named Moose. I am just trying to keep you honest Big Boy! Embrace your homerism!

In your perfect world what do you want from Lavin and the St Johns basketball department?

Pouting is not becoming for someone named Moose. I am just trying to keep you honest Big Boy! Embrace your homerism!

So last week I was jumping off deep end.  Now I'm back to being a homer.  Impressing you was not one of my New Year's resolutions thankfully.

And you think the discussion is a non issue. But when I say that its a non issue I'm a cheerleader.  Hmmmmm, ok

Again I am a Lavin backer. I just don't think Lavin is beyond questioning. I don't think he is a great game coach, but he is not the worst I have seen either. Recruiting wise he is obviously a plus, though me personally I don't always agree with recruiting skill over position/ need. Overall I am glad he is the coach, but unless you win a couple of championships, you are subject to questioning.

In your perfect world what do you want from Lavin and the St Johns basketball department?

To answer your question, I would like us to be able to get back to 20 wins annual NCAA appearances with a Elite 8 mixed in every 10 years or so. In other words back to the Louie years.  I am easily placated. I think Lavin can attain that. Don't you?

To answer your question, I would like us to be able to get back to 20 wins annual NCAA appearances with a Elite 8 mixed in every 10 years or so. In other words back to the Louie years.  I am easily placated. I think Lavin can attain that. Don't you?

Pretty low expectations.  But also I think those expectations would enrage the majority of the 'fans' here who think we are or should be among the elite teams in the nation.

In your perfect world what do you want from Lavin and the St Johns basketball department?

To answer your question, I would like us to be able to get back to 20 wins annual NCAA appearances with a Elite 8 mixed in every 10 years or so. In other words back to the Louie years.  I am easily placated. I think Lavin can attain that. Don't you?

Honestly I would want better than that because I have seen Lavin do better here in California at UCLA.

I am a realist though, recruiting St Johns not as easy as UCLA and his game coaching could be better

I think the roster needs to evened out a bit position wise but really with his plus recruiting even at St Johns it really just comes down to the players doing what they need to do   

My expectations are our "glory years". I am not sure why people would expect things the program has never come close to doing?

My expectations are our "glory years". I am not sure why people would expect things the program has never come close to doing?

I don't want to give you a boost but I agree with you.  I've said for the longest time we can win 20 games a year for a decade and people will still incessantly complain.  Can't quite figure out why.  Not like we have 2 NCAA Championships we keep referring to.

Is St Johns hoops better than it was 4 years  ago?

Is St Johns hoops better than it was 4 years  ago?

What do you think?

Quote from: Marco Baldi on January 02, 2013, 10:31:25 AM

Is St Johns hoops better than it was 4 years  ago?

What do you think?

Right now, kinda seems we are running in place. But I'm expecting big changes when Sanchez suits up. But I was expecting better production as a whole by now

Quote from: sju89tr on January 02, 2013, 10:35:34 AM

Quote from: Marco Baldi on January 02, 2013, 10:31:25 AM

Is St Johns hoops better than it was 4 years  ago?

What do you think?

Right now, kinda seems we are running in place. But I'm expecting big changes when Sanchez suits up. But I was expecting better production as a whole by now

Orlando Sanchez is the only thing that separates running in place from being considerably better than 4 yrs ago in your mind?