I still think that coach Lavin is the right man for the job!

SJU would be hard pressed to find a successor to Lavin.   Do you think Coach K, Pitino, Cal or any of the greats are coming to SJU?  The guy has been lights-out great!  He has single handedly transformed this program to a 'desired destination for top 100's' which it was not under Norm or Jarvis.  This Board should spend more time thinking about how to thank him for what he has already done for the program.  Show him some Love, not the negative crap that fills this site.

+1000

You decide to try to take me to task on these boards.  I answer you on these boards.  Plain and simple. 

Yes you are SIMPLE!
Your point is that we shouldn't question the highly compensated coach's strategy but lets blame the 18 and 19 year old kids for not executing the masterful game plan of a coach whose game coaching has been questioned for years.

No, its because Lavins m.o. is to underperform with the level of talent he has. At UCLA he consistently had final-4 talent yet was only a Sweet 16 coach with mediocre records and rankings.

Hate to disagree with you.   If you think 6 straight years of finishing in the top 25 was "mediocre rankings" more power to you.  However, there was only 1 other coach during that period who could claim the same run.  If you think 5 sweet 16s or better in 5 of 6 years was mediocre, again, same power to you.  But still only one other coach matched that accomplsihment.  And one minor history lesson (sorry, oft repeated here, but apparently missed by some):

1997:  Elite 8.  Lost to Minnesota in the Elite 8, when Center Jelani McCoy suffered a fractured sternum in the Sweet 16 game, and was unable to compete.
1998:  Upset higher ranked Michigan in the round of 32 game to reach the Sweet 16, but Baron Davis tore his Achillies Tendon in that game - and they lost withoug their point guard in the S16 game.
1999:  Center Dan Gadzuric broke his leg the week before the NCAA tourney, and Baron reinjured his foot - they lost by 2 pts in the first round.
2000:  Upset higher seeded Maryland to advance to the Sweet 16, as Earl Watson had 18 pts and 16 assists.   But Earl was elbowed in the last possesion before he went out of the game, and suffered a fractured eye socket.   He had surgery to repair it, and tried to play with a goggles/helmet contraption, but he was ineffective against Jamal Tinsley and Iowa State.  They were eliminated in the Sweet 16.
2001:  Eliminated in the Sweet 16 - no injuiries, just luck of the draw - they met evenutal champ Duke in that game (Jay Williams, Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy, Shane Battier, et al).
2002:  Upset #2 seed Cincy in the round of 32 to advance to the Sweet 16 against Missouri - but team Captain Rico Hines suffered a career ending knee injury against the Bearcats.

2011:  Reached the NCAA tourney with St. Johns, but star Wing DJ Kennedy suffered an ACL tear in the final weekend before the dance and missed the tourney.  Team was eliminated in the first round.



This is basically one long "the dog ate Lavin's homework" post!

No, its because Lavins m.o. is to underperform with the level of talent he has. At UCLA he consistently had final-4 talent yet was only a Sweet 16 coach with mediocre records and rankings.

Hate to disagree with you.   If you think 6 straight years of finishing in the top 25 was "mediocre rankings" more power to you.  However, there was only 1 other coach during that period who could claim the same run.  If you think 5 sweet 16s or better in 5 of 6 years was mediocre, again, same power to you.  But still only one other coach matched that accomplsihment.  And one minor history lesson (sorry, oft repeated here, but apparently missed by some):

1997:  Elite 8.  Lost to Minnesota in the Elite 8, when Center Jelani McCoy suffered a fractured sternum in the Sweet 16 game, and was unable to compete.
1998:  Upset higher ranked Michigan in the round of 32 game to reach the Sweet 16, but Baron Davis tore his Achillies Tendon in that game - and they lost withoug their point guard in the S16 game.
1999:  Center Dan Gadzuric broke his leg the week before the NCAA tourney, and Baron reinjured his foot - they lost by 2 pts in the first round.
2000:  Upset higher seeded Maryland to advance to the Sweet 16, as Earl Watson had 18 pts and 16 assists.   But Earl was elbowed in the last possesion before he went out of the game, and suffered a fractured eye socket.   He had surgery to repair it, and tried to play with a goggles/helmet contraption, but he was ineffective against Jamal Tinsley and Iowa State.  They were eliminated in the Sweet 16.
2001:  Eliminated in the Sweet 16 - no injuiries, just luck of the draw - they met evenutal champ Duke in that game (Jay Williams, Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy, Shane Battier, et al).
2002:  Upset #2 seed Cincy in the round of 32 to advance to the Sweet 16 against Missouri - but team Captain Rico Hines suffered a career ending knee injury against the Bearcats.

2011:  Reached the NCAA tourney with St. Johns, but star Wing DJ Kennedy suffered an ACL tear in the final weekend before the dance and missed the tourney.  Team was eliminated in the first round.



This is basically one long "the dog ate Lavin's homework" post!

That is a terrible run of bad luck 

When we went to the Final Four, in the Elite 8 I believe Kenny Walker was poked in the eye early in the game and had his eye was swollen shut and played the game with goggles. Should we put an asterik next to Louie's only Final Four? Of course not. $hit happens.

 That is a pretty absurd run a crappy injuries going into the tournament. 

No, its because Lavins m.o. is to underperform with the level of talent he has. At UCLA he consistently had final-4 talent yet was only a Sweet 16 coach with mediocre records and rankings.

Hate to disagree with you.   If you think 6 straight years of finishing in the top 25 was "mediocre rankings" more power to you.  However, there was only 1 other coach during that period who could claim the same run.  If you think 5 sweet 16s or better in 5 of 6 years was mediocre, again, same power to you.  But still only one other coach matched that accomplsihment.  And one minor history lesson (sorry, oft repeated here, but apparently missed by some):

1997:  Elite 8.  Lost to Minnesota in the Elite 8, when Center Jelani McCoy suffered a fractured sternum in the Sweet 16 game, and was unable to compete.
1998:  Upset higher ranked Michigan in the round of 32 game to reach the Sweet 16, but Baron Davis tore his Achillies Tendon in that game - and they lost withoug their point guard in the S16 game.
1999:  Center Dan Gadzuric broke his leg the week before the NCAA tourney, and Baron reinjured his foot - they lost by 2 pts in the first round.
2000:  Upset higher seeded Maryland to advance to the Sweet 16, as Earl Watson had 18 pts and 16 assists.   But Earl was elbowed in the last possesion before he went out of the game, and suffered a fractured eye socket.   He had surgery to repair it, and tried to play with a goggles/helmet contraption, but he was ineffective against Jamal Tinsley and Iowa State.  They were eliminated in the Sweet 16.
2001:  Eliminated in the Sweet 16 - no injuiries, just luck of the draw - they met evenutal champ Duke in that game (Jay Williams, Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy, Shane Battier, et al).
2002:  Upset #2 seed Cincy in the round of 32 to advance to the Sweet 16 against Missouri - but team Captain Rico Hines suffered a career ending knee injury against the Bearcats.

2011:  Reached the NCAA tourney with St. Johns, but star Wing DJ Kennedy suffered an ACL tear in the final weekend before the dance and missed the tourney.  Team was eliminated in the first round.



This is basically one long "the dog ate Lavin's homework" post!

At least this disambiguates the theory that Lavin is the infallible son of the living God - if he were he'd have fused all those broken bones by the laying on of hands.

Obviously Baron"we should get an award for being the only team to make the tourney w/o a coach" Davis was a big loss.
McCoy 10.9 pppg year he got hurt
Gadzurick 8.6 ppg year he got hurt
Watson 11.4 ppg Even though he played I will concede this one
Hines this was the big one IMO, as he averaged 1.1 ppg that year
DJ bad loss, but we got smoked by Gonzaga

Obviously Baron"we should get an award for being the only team to make the tourney w/o a coach" Davis was a big loss.
McCoy 10.9 pppg year he got hurt
Gadzurick 8.6 ppg year he got hurt
Watson 11.4 ppg Even though he played I will concede this one
Hines this was the big one IMO, as he averaged 1.1 ppg that year
DJ bad loss, but we got smoked by Gonzaga

 Yet  redshirting Gift and his 3 and 2 a night is Lavin's tragic flaw this year.

 I know his numbers were better than 3 and 2..  But on par with those other players mentioned.

Quote from: we are sju on January 18, 2013, 10:05:25 AM

Obviously Baron"we should get an award for being the only team to make the tourney w/o a coach" Davis was a big loss.
McCoy 10.9 pppg year he got hurt
Gadzurick 8.6 ppg year he got hurt
Watson 11.4 ppg Even though he played I will concede this one
Hines this was the big one IMO, as he averaged 1.1 ppg that year
DJ bad loss, but we got smoked by Gonzaga

 Yet  redshirting Gift and his 3 and 2 a night is Lavin's tragic flaw this year.

52% from the floor. 9 points, 5.6 boards. You don't think this team could use that? even if he only improved marginally, he'd be a more than serviceable strong body down low.

Quote from: boo3 on January 18, 2013, 10:06:33 AM

Quote from: we are sju on January 18, 2013, 10:05:25 AM

Obviously Baron"we should get an award for being the only team to make the tourney w/o a coach" Davis was a big loss.
McCoy 10.9 pppg year he got hurt
Gadzurick 8.6 ppg year he got hurt
Watson 11.4 ppg Even though he played I will concede this one
Hines this was the big one IMO, as he averaged 1.1 ppg that year
DJ bad loss, but we got smoked by Gonzaga

 Yet  redshirting Gift and his 3 and 2 a night is Lavin's tragic flaw this year.

52% from the floor. 9 points, 5.6 boards. You don't think this team could use that? even if he only improved marginally, he'd be a more than serviceable strong body down low.

  Maybe. But do think he would put up those numbers playing at least 1/2 of the minutes he played last year?

 He played 30 minutes a game last season.

A list of the 10 most impactful injuries in the NCAA tournament. Lavin gets one: Edney, who UCLA inexplicably failed to mention. Others include Hank Gathers, Kenyon Martin, Kenny Smith, Marvin Barnes and the great Ronnie Lester.


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/371616-the-ten-most-impactful-injuries-in-ncaa-tournament-history

Yet  redshirting Gift and his 3 and 2 a night is Lavin's tragic flaw this year.

"I put it to you Greg" find one post by me questioning or even caring that GG was redshirted!
quote is from Animal House in case anyone was wondering

Again, I am happy overall with Lavin. I just find it amusing that some people think his coaching is beyond reproach. It is not!

the great Ronnie Lester.


Wow forgot about that guy! He was great, was as good as Griffith I thought. Shame what happened to him

Go figure Rico Hines not on that list, what were the odds?

Yet  redshirting Gift and his 3 and 2 a night is Lavin's tragic flaw this year.

"I put it to you Greg" find one post by me questioning or even caring that GG was redshirted!
quote is from Animal House in case anyone was wondering

Again, I am happy overall with Lavin. I just find it amusing that some people think his coaching is beyond reproach. It is not!

No one thinks that he's beyond criticism, but it's all you post about, and it's getting old. He's a better coach than you give him credit for. You say he is an "awful coach." That's just not true in my opinion. An awful coach doesn't go to 5/6 Sweet 16's. An awful coach doesn't take a group of losers to their first NCAA tournament in year 1. Top 100 players wouldn't commit year after year to an awful coach.

If you didn't state in this post that you were overall happy with Lavin, people would think you would want him fired based on your posts.

SJU would be hard pressed to find a successor to Lavin.   Do you think Coach K, Pitino, Cal or any of the greats are coming to SJU?  The guy has been lights-out great!  He has single handedly transformed this program to a 'desired destination for top 100's' which it was not under Norm or Jarvis.  This Board should spend more time thinking about how to thank him for what he has already done for the program.  Show him some Love, not the negative crap that fills this site.

Tiger, thanks for the post. You read posts on this board regarding how much money coach makes, and must produce or else as though he's paying Steve and is his boss. Coach Lavin wanted to come here and did not put the screws to the school money wise. This is a place for discussing game coaching, but bringing up money has nothing to do with that. Steve has us in a good place and more good players on the way. I think what he has done in this short time is top notch, so thank you for your post.

"No one thinks that he's beyond criticism, but it's all you post about, and it's getting old. He's a better coach than you give him credit for. You say he is an "awful coach." That's just not true in my opinion. An awful coach doesn't go to 5/6 Sweet 16's. An awful coach doesn't take a group of losers to their first NCAA tournament in year 1. Top 100 players wouldn't commit year after year to an awful coach."






I post about many things, but obviously you are not a fan of my work so I will forgive your transgression. 

This is a fan forum, and honestly I do not understand many of the things Lavin does. I welcome debate about strategies, but mostly what I get is "Stepford" Lavin fans bleating the same nonsense. It is ok to question things and unlike so many I did not expect a NCAA bid this year. I do think "youngest team in America" aside, Lavin has not done a great job this season. Overall, his recruiting and intangibles(charisma, star power) is what the program needs.

In short I don't think Lavin will ever be confused with a great coach, but as long as he can firm up his sub patterns and rotations(easiest of his faults to correct) and maybe start zeroing in on needs while recruiting, than we will be in good shape.

Quote from: Poison on January 18, 2013, 10:11:14 AM

Quote from: boo3 on January 18, 2013, 10:06:33 AM

Quote from: we are sju on January 18, 2013, 10:05:25 AM

Obviously Baron"we should get an award for being the only team to make the tourney w/o a coach" Davis was a big loss.
McCoy 10.9 pppg year he got hurt
Gadzurick 8.6 ppg year he got hurt
Watson 11.4 ppg Even though he played I will concede this one
Hines this was the big one IMO, as he averaged 1.1 ppg that year
DJ bad loss, but we got smoked by Gonzaga

 Yet  redshirting Gift and his 3 and 2 a night is Lavin's tragic flaw this year.

52% from the floor. 9 points, 5.6 boards. You don't think this team could use that? even if he only improved marginally, he'd be a more than serviceable strong body down low.

  Maybe. But do think he would put up those numbers playing at least 1/2 of the minutes he played last year?

 He played 30 minutes a game last season.

I think he would be much better. He needs practice playing defense with his feet before his arms, and he needs to pass out of the paint. He gets more comfortable doing those things, and he's every bit as good as Burrell. Garrett and Pointer can't guard every team's big man. It worked great Tues, but that's one game. If they do it for a month, then I'm okay with it, but this team, w out Sanchez and Gift is at a serious disadvantage that could have been avoided, at least in part.