What exactly has changed?

Quote from: boo3 on March 15, 2013, 02:48:09 PM

He did not do a good job coaching the last month of season. 

I still think he's the right man for job.

I'm confident in the future of program.

Good summary Boo.
sounds about right to me too.


I think we'll see some new wrinkles in terms of offensive strategy.  I can't imagine how that's not a priority for the staff. 

Also, I don't foresee any transfers.  I think everyone is back.   Except gift, of course. 

What happened to Gift?

Nothing, I just don't like him as a player, and I'm convinced he won't be here.
But that's just my opinion.   Most people think he will be our savior. 

You wouldn't have liked 10 pts, 6 boards per game from him this year?

You wouldn't have liked 10 pts, 6 boards per game from him this year?

I would.  But I think he's a liability defensively, and honestly not as good a rebounder as he should be.   

For me all I need to know is Dunlap started playing Moe at the 5, Garret at the 4, and bringing Gift off the bench.   If he could've contributed this year I think Lavin would've used him. 

Nothing, I just don't like him as a player, and I'm convinced he won't be here.
But that's just my opinion.   Most people think he will be our savior. 

Savior? I don't think even the most irrational people thought that. He was thrown right in the fire last year, and he had an underwhelming season. That doesn't mean he couldn't have helped us.

The guy isn't a stiff. He had some moments, and if this kid is such a hard worker in the classroom, I'm okay w guessing that his improvement would extend to the court bec of that commitment.

We had only a handful of respectable wins last year. One of them was Lehigh, and Gift was terrific in that game. Yes, plenty to work on, but I think he'll be noticeably improved next season.

These kids can play, Roberts had a couple that could play with this group. As bad as we were this year offensively. This group had the ability to rally. The Roberts years had us done once we were down 8 or more. He had a couple of sharp assistants as coaches but he was so worried and insecure that he won't let them interject. I still think C. Casey will be given a shot.

I think he's a liability defensively, and honestly not as good a rebounder as he should be.   

As opposed to all the other lock down defenders slash rebounding machines we had? No offense but your obsession with GGA is bobresque. He wasn't going to turn the season around but having him might have helped and certainly couldn't have hurt.

For me all I need to know is Dunlap started playing Moe at the 5, Garret at the 4, and bringing Gift off the bench.   If he could've contributed this year I think Lavin would've used him.

Lavin threw his best player off the team; he buried Sophie Marceau for half the season and then started him and then buried him again; he spent the first month of the season raving about Chris Jones, the starting center at the beginning of the year who saw his time dwindle to nothing; 30 games into the season he started extolling to side line reporters the virtues and value of his walkons. Lavin not playing Gift is more likely a indication that he might have been able to contribute than the opposite.

Quote from: desco80 on March 15, 2013, 09:34:48 PM

I think he's a liability defensively, and honestly not as good a rebounder as he should be.   

As opposed to all the other lock down defenders slash rebounding machines we had? No offense but your obsession with GGA is bobresque. He wasn't going to turn the season around but having him might have helped and certainly couldn't have hurt.

Quote

For me all I need to know is Dunlap started playing Moe at the 5, Garret at the 4, and bringing Gift off the bench.   If he could've contributed this year I think Lavin would've used him.

Lavin threw his best player off the team; he buried Sophie Marceau for half the season and then started him and then buried him again; he spent the first month of the season raving about Chris Jones, the starting center at the beginning of the year who saw his time dwindle to nothing; 30 games into the season he started extolling to side line reporters the virtues and value of his walkons. Lavin not playing Gift is more likely a indication that he might have been able to contribute than the opposite.

Yea, I recognize that my comments on GG have me teetering on the edge.  I'd like to think I've got some room before I hit bobre territory though. 
I don't feel like looking up the stats, but by now you know my argument; 5 rebounds a game when you're the only center on a team with 5 scholarship freshmen, doesn't exactly make you Patrick Ewing. 

Regardless, with Obekpa and Sampson returning, and assuming Sanchez has some talent; I don't see where his minutes come from. 
But who knows.   Nobody besides Lavin can explain why Lipscomb was in the game Weds, so I guess it's possible GGA has a sizeable role next year. 

Quote from: Poison on March 15, 2013, 02:03:45 PM

I think a more appropriate comparison is Jay Wright. That's who we should hope Lavin becomes.

Boom.  The smartest thing you posted and the closest analogy.  BTW-I think we are poised to do even better then what Nova has done under Wright and I think Wright has done a heckuva of a job.

Let's look at Wright.  First year he goes 9-7 with Lappas' leftovers and nearly gets them in the NCAA's.  Then he recruits a widely acclaimed class of Foye, Raye, Sumpter and Jason Fraser.  Over the next two years he would add guys like Nardi and Lowery.  But the next two years only included 2 more NIT years. 

Included in that was a 3rd year in which there was a scandal involving rolling supsension of players because they were caught in a phone card incident on campus.  The rolling suspensions were due to the fact that if they were all suspended at once Villanova could NOT FIELD A TEAM.  He goes 16-16 that 3rd year to the NIT.

Think they were upset they fired/pushed out Lappas?  Lappas had far more success at Nova then Norm did at SJU.  Looking back now NO.  It may not have gone perfectly smoothly but Jay got Nova back to being relevent again.

Jay is a good recruiter but the reason I think Lavin is in a position to do even better is I think Lavin has more connections nationally.

We are poised to go to the final four, sweet 16, be ranked nearly every year and make the tourney like 7 times in the past 10 years? Highly doubt that, but I'd take it. Nova has done more in the past decade and change than we have in practically our entire history.

Quote from: fordham96 on March 15, 2013, 02:12:15 PM

Quote from: Poison on March 15, 2013, 02:03:45 PM

I think a more appropriate comparison is Jay Wright. That's who we should hope Lavin becomes.

Boom.  The smartest thing you posted and the closest analogy.  BTW-I think we are poised to do even better then what Nova has done under Wright and I think Wright has done a heckuva of a job.

Let's look at Wright.  First year he goes 9-7 with Lappas' leftovers and nearly gets them in the NCAA's.  Then he recruits a widely acclaimed class of Foye, Raye, Sumpter and Jason Fraser.  Over the next two years he would add guys like Nardi and Lowery.  But the next two years only included 2 more NIT years. 

Included in that was a 3rd year in which there was a scandal involving rolling supsension of players because they were caught in a phone card incident on campus.  The rolling suspensions were due to the fact that if they were all suspended at once Villanova could NOT FIELD A TEAM.  He goes 16-16 that 3rd year to the NIT.

Think they were upset they fired/pushed out Lappas?  Lappas had far more success at Nova then Norm did at SJU.  Looking back now NO.  It may not have gone perfectly smoothly but Jay got Nova back to being relevent again.

Jay is a good recruiter but the reason I think Lavin is in a position to do even better is I think Lavin has more connections nationally.

We are poised to go to the final four, sweet 16, be ranked nearly every year and make the tourney like 7 times in the past 10 years? Highly doubt that, but I'd take it. Nova has done more in the past decade and change than we have in practically our entire history.

Stop.  They've made 4 Sweet 16's in the last 25 years.  One less than Steve Lavin has made in his 9 year coaching career.  Villanova is barely in the tournament this year and missed it last year.  They're not world beaters.

Quote from: RedStormyNight on March 17, 2013, 12:59:17 AM

Quote from: fordham96 on March 15, 2013, 02:12:15 PM

Quote from: Poison on March 15, 2013, 02:03:45 PM

I think a more appropriate comparison is Jay Wright. That's who we should hope Lavin becomes.

Boom.  The smartest thing you posted and the closest analogy.  BTW-I think we are poised to do even better then what Nova has done under Wright and I think Wright has done a heckuva of a job.

Let's look at Wright.  First year he goes 9-7 with Lappas' leftovers and nearly gets them in the NCAA's.  Then he recruits a widely acclaimed class of Foye, Raye, Sumpter and Jason Fraser.  Over the next two years he would add guys like Nardi and Lowery.  But the next two years only included 2 more NIT years. 

Included in that was a 3rd year in which there was a scandal involving rolling supsension of players because they were caught in a phone card incident on campus.  The rolling suspensions were due to the fact that if they were all suspended at once Villanova could NOT FIELD A TEAM.  He goes 16-16 that 3rd year to the NIT.

Think they were upset they fired/pushed out Lappas?  Lappas had far more success at Nova then Norm did at SJU.  Looking back now NO.  It may not have gone perfectly smoothly but Jay got Nova back to being relevent again.

Jay is a good recruiter but the reason I think Lavin is in a position to do even better is I think Lavin has more connections nationally.

We are poised to go to the final four, sweet 16, be ranked nearly every year and make the tourney like 7 times in the past 10 years? Highly doubt that, but I'd take it. Nova has done more in the past decade and change than we have in practically our entire history.

Stop.  They've made 4 Sweet 16's in the last 25 years.  One less than Steve Lavin has made in his 9 year coaching career.  Villanova is barely in the tournament this year and missed it last year.  They're not world beaters.

Stop what? Did they not just go to the final four and sweet 16 very recently? Nova is not barely in the tournament. They have been locks for a while now. And compared to us, yes they are world beaters. In the new conference, Nova is going to be the 2nd best team after G'Town. We are one of those teams that needs to get MUCH better if we want to be respected again. We have had as bad a decade as you can possibly have. We have nothing to show for it. Right now at this stage in the game, Nova is lightyears ahead of us. 3 top 5 wins, and beat us twice.

Leading the country in blocked shots and consecutive BE rookies of the year.

Leading the country in blocked shots and consecutive BE rookies of the year.

and the team still sucks.

Quote from: carmineabbatiello on March 19, 2013, 12:02:03 AM

Leading the country in blocked shots and consecutive BE rookies of the year.

and the team still sucks.

True.