Next Season

Quote from: boo3 on March 24, 2013, 02:58:43 PM

  Wonder if Lavin will be here?  I heard some talk today, and I'm sure "my guy" is different than Baldi's.

 Be careful what ya'll wish for... the grass may not be much greener n the other side. 

I mentioned during the BET that the rumor I heard is that Lavin is going to USC and Mullin will be our next coach.  I don't believe it and, as much as I love Chris, i hope it's not true.

If Lavin were to leave, which I think would be a mistake unless he really wants to be back out west, I would make 1 phone call and one call only to Billy Donovan and basically offer him the keys to the vault.  As a program we shouldn't go backwards and hire and up and comer.  Should be major player in BE from the get go. 

That said, i truly don't think lavin is leaving, think he wants to finish what he has started at st johns.

That Florida Gulf Coast team is the most athletic 15th ranked team in the history of the world. The little point guard is a bad little dude! Everyone should stop complaining and watch those guys.
Oh yeah this is a SJU board. Um I am really looking forward to the Lipscomb era. I think next year he puts us over the top and we make the sweet 16 of the NIT or whatever you call the 16 in the BIT? Sour 16?

Quote from: simplyred on March 24, 2013, 03:12:33 PM

Quote from: boo3 on March 24, 2013, 02:58:43 PM

  Wonder if Lavin will be here?  I heard some talk today, and I'm sure "my guy" is different than Baldi's.

 Be careful what ya'll wish for... the grass may not be much greener n the other side. 

I mentioned during the BET that the rumor I heard is that Lavin is going to USC and Mullin will be our next coach.  I don't believe it and, as much as I love Chris, i hope it's not true.

If Lavin were to leave, which I think would be a mistake unless he really wants to be back out west, I would make 1 phone call and one call only to Billy Donovan and basically offer him the keys to the vault.  As a program we shouldn't go backwards and hire and up and comer.  Should be major player in BE from the get go. 

That said, i truly don't think lavin is leaving, think he wants to finish what he has started at st johns.

We offered him over 3M last time but it was the same salary he was already making.

Billy D said no already. Lavin is stuck here. He's got no other option. SC isn't hiring him unless they are stupid.

Quote from: newsman13 on March 24, 2013, 06:34:50 PM

i'll just cut and paste from the the other site...comments??

this is one of the most disappointing seasons i can remember. if we had a worse shooting team in school history, i'd like to find out which year. this was downright embarassing. yes, we made a post season tournament as we did when looie coached. the difference is these guys were highly touted. the coaches were highly touted. so what happened?

besides the consistant embarassment at the three point line and the foul line...our number two problem is no point guard. can you imagine a big east team with no point guard? there's a reason quarterbacks in football get paid the big bucks. someone has to run the show. maybe we get jordan...maybe...but is he really a savior? maybe harvard hooper is being taught to run the point. i'd guess he's smart enough. no one else is at this point. maybe branch or greeneIV will have epiphanies. it happened to david cain back in the day. right now, branch gets a C with an E for effort playing hurt. greene merits no more than a D. maybe he turns lavin's head in practice...but on the floor he's horrendous.

harrison gets a C-. i'm being generous here. sure, he was third leading scorer in the big east. he's the consummate chucker who occasionally finds the basket. he's a cancer in the locker room. he hasn't learned basketball is a game where you're supposed to have fun and not a war. his attitude takes most of the fun out of watching the games. i'd prefer lavin tell him to stay home and let him go out and find a high schooler who plays no D but scores 30 odd points a game on high percentage shooting.

garrett is also a C player based on his skill set and how that translated to what he brought to the floor.

pointer and obekpa are B's. both improved enough to warrant higher grades than the others. maybe obekpa could get extra credit for being second in the nation in blocked shots. as with the others...these guys must take a thousand shots a day to bring that portion of their games to respectability. the same with sampson. yes, he was the big east rookie of the year. someone is seeing something. i'm missing it. he's another bricklayer.

incompletes go to jones, balamou and bourgault. jones played himself out of a starting spot...but who expected him to start anyway? balamou didn't want to red shirt. he looked good at first, then he didn't. bourgault's failure is on the coach. you bring in a player who has a history of shooting 40 percent from three. you play him single digit minutes and pull him after one miss...thus screwing up his confidence. the only reason i can see for this is lavin wanted to keep up with his mantra that "we're the youngest team in the country". when someone pointed out bourgault is skewing that number...frenchie sat.

i'm generous giving the coaching staff a C. we have nba coaches...and not much improvement in player skills. maybe the players aren't smart enough to get it in one year. not everyone can be reached. we have a hall of famer in keady. we have lavin whose record at ucla is something we'd dream about here. i don't know what happened. the recruiting was fine when it came to getting top 100 players. we're not even talking to mcdonald aa's or top ten high schoolers. without them, we're condemned to remain at the usual high level of mediocrity we experienced during the looie years.

sanchez? he averaged maybe a dozen points and eight rebounds in junior college. the skill levels are much lower there. don't believe the hype that he can play in the nba today. he'll be a good player. he won't be a savior. god's gift. he might be the savior we're looking for.

at least real baseball is about a week away. there's always something for the sports fan.

Ok, I'll bite.

First off, if a season in which St. John's had a winning record is "one of the most disappointing you can remember" then you must've missed the past decade of STJ hoops. "Down right embarrassing"? Sure, we could've done better, but I think that's a bit over the top. We have highly rated recruits, but we were a young team, and young teams tend to make a lot of mistakes, we saw that.

I think Branch will end up being a fine PG for us next year. He was basically a Freshman this year.

I agree with you that the shooting needs to be addressed. I'm not giving up on Bourgault just yet, as I think he could improve. Hopefully Hooper can give us a 3pt threat. Having Harrison back would be huge. I also think Branch is a better jumpshooter than he showed this year, I'd like to see him shoot a little more.

How the hell you can give Amir a higher grade than D'Angelo is beyond me. And a C- for the 3rd BE scorer? You're lost.

Obekpa will get better. Probably a lot better next year. We all know he can block shots, but I think his offensive game will develop too.

Sanchez has been touted by some as being NBA quality.

To be honest, I think your post is probably the most glass half empty summary of this season that could possibly be written, congrats.

We got 17 wins with just Freshman and Sophomores, and now it seems like many of you think it's impossible for us to add 3-5 wins next year with a more experienced team. Not sure why you feel that way, but for me, if we get Harrison back, I'm going to be really, really excited for next season.

In all seriousness, if Sanchez was as good as an NBA player now, why on earth wouldn't he be entering the draft?

Quote from: stjohns86 on March 24, 2013, 10:03:42 PM

Quote from: simplyred on March 24, 2013, 03:12:33 PM

Quote from: boo3 on March 24, 2013, 02:58:43 PM

  Wonder if Lavin will be here?  I heard some talk today, and I'm sure "my guy" is different than Baldi's.

 Be careful what ya'll wish for... the grass may not be much greener n the other side. 

I mentioned during the BET that the rumor I heard is that Lavin is going to USC and Mullin will be our next coach.  I don't believe it and, as much as I love Chris, i hope it's not true.

If Lavin were to leave, which I think would be a mistake unless he really wants to be back out west, I would make 1 phone call and one call only to Billy Donovan and basically offer him the keys to the vault.  As a program we shouldn't go backwards and hire and up and comer.  Should be major player in BE from the get go. 

That said, i truly don't think lavin is leaving, think he wants to finish what he has started at st johns.

We offered him over 3M last time but it was the same salary he was already making.

Regardless of whether Lavin leave or stays to see this through, I think we'll be fine at head coach.  The $4mm a year from Fox should ensure that we'll have enough bank to keep paying for a good coach.  I think the allure of NYC/MSG will always be there.  Importantly, Lavin has gotten us back on the map.  Either he, or the next coach can take us to the next level.    I'm really not sweating this.

Quote from: simplyred on March 24, 2013, 03:12:33 PM

Quote from: boo3 on March 24, 2013, 02:58:43 PM

  Wonder if Lavin will be here?  I heard some talk today, and I'm sure "my guy" is different than Baldi's.

 Be careful what ya'll wish for... the grass may not be much greener n the other side. 

I mentioned during the BET that the rumor I heard is that Lavin is going to USC and Mullin will be our next coach.  I don't believe it and, as much as I love Chris, i hope it's not true.

If Lavin were to leave, which I think would be a mistake unless he really wants to be back out west, I would make 1 phone call and one call only to Billy Donovan and basically offer him the keys to the vault.  As a program we shouldn't go backwards and hire and up and comer.  Should be major player in BE from the get go. 

That said, i truly don't think lavin is leaving, think he wants to finish what he has started at st johns.

Going to USC would hardly be mistake. He'd make more money, more years of security, better facilities, and better conference. USC is a much more attractive job than St. John's. USC's interest in Lavin however isn't strong and they're targeting other guys first. This isn't new either it's been circulating since last April.

Quote from: newsman13 on March 24, 2013, 06:34:50 PM

he's a cancer in the locker room. he hasn't learned basketball is a game where you're supposed to have fun and not a war

This cancer bit though is a bit over the top. In the first place there's no evidence of what Harrison exactly did, unless you believe the rumors. I don't. I have my own ideas as to why DH was suspended and they have nothing to do with anybody rolling their eyes. Leaving that aside, SJ won 15 games with Harrison and about 3 without him. If he was the cancer the patient died after the tumor was removed.

What's your theory, again, regarding Harrison's suspension?

Quote from: stjohns86 on March 24, 2013, 10:03:42 PM

Quote from: simplyred on March 24, 2013, 03:12:33 PM

Quote from: boo3 on March 24, 2013, 02:58:43 PM

  Wonder if Lavin will be here?  I heard some talk today, and I'm sure "my guy" is different than Baldi's.

 Be careful what ya'll wish for... the grass may not be much greener n the other side. 

I mentioned during the BET that the rumor I heard is that Lavin is going to USC and Mullin will be our next coach.  I don't believe it and, as much as I love Chris, i hope it's not true.

If Lavin were to leave, which I think would be a mistake unless he really wants to be back out west, I would make 1 phone call and one call only to Billy Donovan and basically offer him the keys to the vault.  As a program we shouldn't go backwards and hire and up and comer.  Should be major player in BE from the get go. 

That said, i truly don't think lavin is leaving, think he wants to finish what he has started at st johns.

Going to USC would hardly be mistake. He'd make more money, more years of security, better facilities, and better conference. USC is a much more attractive job than St. John's. USC's interest in Lavin however isn't strong and they're targeting other guys first. This isn't new either it's been circulating since last April.

Dont think its a better conference.

Quote from: Dave on March 24, 2013, 10:13:50 PM

Quote from: stjohns86 on March 24, 2013, 10:03:42 PM

Quote from: simplyred on March 24, 2013, 03:12:33 PM

Quote from: boo3 on March 24, 2013, 02:58:43 PM

  Wonder if Lavin will be here?  I heard some talk today, and I'm sure "my guy" is different than Baldi's.

 Be careful what ya'll wish for... the grass may not be much greener n the other side. 

I mentioned during the BET that the rumor I heard is that Lavin is going to USC and Mullin will be our next coach.  I don't believe it and, as much as I love Chris, i hope it's not true.

If Lavin were to leave, which I think would be a mistake unless he really wants to be back out west, I would make 1 phone call and one call only to Billy Donovan and basically offer him the keys to the vault.  As a program we shouldn't go backwards and hire and up and comer.  Should be major player in BE from the get go. 

That said, i truly don't think lavin is leaving, think he wants to finish what he has started at st johns.

Going to USC would hardly be mistake. He'd make more money, more years of security, better facilities, and better conference. USC is a much more attractive job than St. John's. USC's interest in Lavin however isn't strong and they're targeting other guys first. This isn't new either it's been circulating since last April.

Dont think its a better conference.

Also, why is it more years of security? If a school has a tendency to can its coaches, why can't it do it again?

Quote from: Amaseinyourface2 on March 24, 2013, 10:22:49 PM

Quote from: Dave on March 24, 2013, 10:13:50 PM

Quote from: stjohns86 on March 24, 2013, 10:03:42 PM

Quote from: simplyred on March 24, 2013, 03:12:33 PM

Quote from: boo3 on March 24, 2013, 02:58:43 PM

  Wonder if Lavin will be here?  I heard some talk today, and I'm sure "my guy" is different than Baldi's.

 Be careful what ya'll wish for... the grass may not be much greener n the other side. 

I mentioned during the BET that the rumor I heard is that Lavin is going to USC and Mullin will be our next coach.  I don't believe it and, as much as I love Chris, i hope it's not true.

If Lavin were to leave, which I think would be a mistake unless he really wants to be back out west, I would make 1 phone call and one call only to Billy Donovan and basically offer him the keys to the vault.  As a program we shouldn't go backwards and hire and up and comer.  Should be major player in BE from the get go. 

That said, i truly don't think lavin is leaving, think he wants to finish what he has started at st johns.

Going to USC would hardly be mistake. He'd make more money, more years of security, better facilities, and better conference. USC is a much more attractive job than St. John's. USC's interest in Lavin however isn't strong and they're targeting other guys first. This isn't new either it's been circulating since last April.

Dont think its a better conference.

Also, why is it more years of security? If a school has a tendency to can its coaches, why can't it do it again?

because a new deal would probably be 6 years 12plus mill where I think he has 3 and less than 6mill left here

Quote from: bk8664 on March 24, 2013, 10:39:27 PM

Quote from: Amaseinyourface2 on March 24, 2013, 10:22:49 PM

Quote from: Dave on March 24, 2013, 10:13:50 PM

Quote from: stjohns86 on March 24, 2013, 10:03:42 PM

Quote from: simplyred on March 24, 2013, 03:12:33 PM

Quote from: boo3 on March 24, 2013, 02:58:43 PM

  Wonder if Lavin will be here?  I heard some talk today, and I'm sure "my guy" is different than Baldi's.

 Be careful what ya'll wish for... the grass may not be much greener n the other side. 

I mentioned during the BET that the rumor I heard is that Lavin is going to USC and Mullin will be our next coach.  I don't believe it and, as much as I love Chris, i hope it's not true.

If Lavin were to leave, which I think would be a mistake unless he really wants to be back out west, I would make 1 phone call and one call only to Billy Donovan and basically offer him the keys to the vault.  As a program we shouldn't go backwards and hire and up and comer.  Should be major player in BE from the get go. 

That said, i truly don't think lavin is leaving, think he wants to finish what he has started at st johns.

Going to USC would hardly be mistake. He'd make more money, more years of security, better facilities, and better conference. USC is a much more attractive job than St. John's. USC's interest in Lavin however isn't strong and they're targeting other guys first. This isn't new either it's been circulating since last April.

Dont think its a better conference.

Also, why is it more years of security? If a school has a tendency to can its coaches, why can't it do it again?

because a new deal would probably be 6 years 12plus mill where I think he has 3 and less than 6mill left here

It just means he has more leverage here to negotiate an extension here - i.e. see Dixon as an example.  I think he has a chance of lasting longer here from this point on than in USC.    We can pay him.

Regardless, we have the bucks to pay a coach going forward, whether him or someone else.

Quote from: simplyred on March 24, 2013, 03:12:33 PM

Quote from: boo3 on March 24, 2013, 02:58:43 PM

  Wonder if Lavin will be here?  I heard some talk today, and I'm sure "my guy" is different than Baldi's.

 Be careful what ya'll wish for... the grass may not be much greener n the other side. 

I mentioned during the BET that the rumor I heard is that Lavin is going to USC and Mullin will be our next coach.  I don't believe it and, as much as I love Chris, i hope it's not true.

If Lavin were to leave, which I think would be a mistake unless he really wants to be back out west, I would make 1 phone call and one call only to Billy Donovan and basically offer him the keys to the vault.  As a program we shouldn't go backwards and hire and up and comer.  Should be major player in BE from the get go. 

That said, i truly don't think lavin is leaving, think he wants to finish what he has started at st johns.

St. John's is never getting Billy Donovan. End of story.

Seriously, what is everybody talking about? We have a good HC who has brought very talented players to SJU. There have been some bumps in the road. First and foremost, coach got cancer. Harkless left early for the NBA. Dunlap was offered a HC job in the NBA. Sanchez wronged by the NCAA.

Yes, it was a disappointing season. Yes, I think it's fair to expect a step forward next year. NIT would be a major disappointment in Year 4. But let's not pretend finding a coach with Lavin's reputation is easy. The program is lucky to have him and I still believe that if he sticks around he'll make our program a consistent winner again.

Truth is, despite all the venting today, there is good cause to be optimistic about next season.

Take a look at the most recent Big East Rookies of the Year (Harkless, Melvin, Lance, Monroe, Blair, Johnny Flynn,  Scottie Reynolds, Jeff Green, Rudy Gay, Carmello)  All big impact players in college.  And for once it's St Johns that has a player of that caliber returning.   
We add two big bodies, and another shooter.   Are they Tim Duncan and Steve Kerr?  No, they are not.   But beef in the middle and shooting are our biggest needs.  So Sanchez, Hooper, and yes, even Gift, can only help.
There's the possibility of Rhysheed Jordan.  And, at the very least, a healthy Jamal Branch.
And probably most importantly, we have the possibility that an entire team of sophomores and freshmen will return undisturbed.  That kind've stablility is rare and most coaches would love to be in this situation.   Our guys are only going to get better.

There's plenty to criticize about this past season.   But, truth is, there's also every reason to think we'll be better next year.  It's just a question of how much better.
And on that note, not that anyone cares, but I'm out of here for awhile.   The wife-to-be made me promise that after the season I would take a break from basketball talk and give my free attention to invitations, flowers, djs and all that 'good' stuff.  Assuming there's no coaching change or mass transfers, I'll talk to you guys when summer recruiting heats up. 

Quote from: stjohns86 on March 24, 2013, 10:03:42 PM

Quote from: simplyred on March 24, 2013, 03:12:33 PM

Quote from: boo3 on March 24, 2013, 02:58:43 PM

  Wonder if Lavin will be here?  I heard some talk today, and I'm sure "my guy" is different than Baldi's.

 Be careful what ya'll wish for... the grass may not be much greener n the other side. 

I mentioned during the BET that the rumor I heard is that Lavin is going to USC and Mullin will be our next coach.  I don't believe it and, as much as I love Chris, i hope it's not true.

If Lavin were to leave, which I think would be a mistake unless he really wants to be back out west, I would make 1 phone call and one call only to Billy Donovan and basically offer him the keys to the vault.  As a program we shouldn't go backwards and hire and up and comer.  Should be major player in BE from the get go. 

That said, i truly don't think lavin is leaving, think he wants to finish what he has started at st johns.

St. John's is never getting Billy Donovan. End of story.

Seriously, what is everybody talking about? We have a good HC who has brought very talented players to SJU. There have been some bumps in the road. First and foremost, coach got cancer. Harkless left early for the NBA. Dunlap was offered a HC job in the NBA. Sanchez wronged by the NCAA.

Yes, it was a disappointing season. Yes, I think it's fair to expect a step forward next year. NIT would be a major disappointment in Year 4. But let's not pretend finding a coach with Lavin's reputation is easy. The program is lucky to have him and I still believe that if he sticks around he'll make our program a consistent winner again.

No one blames Lavin for what was out of his hands. We are all relieved that he is cancer free, and we all (or least most of us) understand that he could not be with the team because he had to be with his family when his father passed.

That said, this team, in their 33rd game looked like they hadn't learned anything. They don't stop the ball on defense. They don't pass well. They don't move without the ball. They don't rebound. They don't follow their missed shots. They don't understand spacing on the break. And they don't play well together.

They are tremendously athletic, but that isn't enough to beat good teams. This group is a collection of summer leaguers who have poor instincts. Lavin does need an assistant coach to help him teach these players how to play the game more intelligently. Doesn't that strike you as something he should be qualified to do?

We've hired a face. A salesman. And we've got to support him, and hope that he gets better, because if he leaves, we're starting over again, and I don't think anyone wants that.

Truth is, despite all the venting today, there is good cause to be optimistic about next season.

Take a look at the most recent Big East Rookies of the Year (Harkless, Melvin, Lance, Monroe, Blair, Johnny Flynn,  Scottie Reynolds, Jeff Green, Rudy Gay, Carmello)  All big impact players in college.  And for once it's St Johns that has a player of that caliber returning.   
We add two big bodies, and another shooter.   Are they Tim Duncan and Steve Kerr?  No, they are not.   But beef in the middle and shooting are our biggest needs.  So Sanchez, Hooper, and yes, even Gift, can only help.
There's the possibility of Rhysheed Jordan.  And, at the very least, a healthy Jamal Branch.
And probably most importantly, we have the possibility that an entire team of sophomores and freshmen will return undisturbed.  That kind've stablility is rare and most coaches would love to be in this situation.   Our guys are only going to get better.

There's plenty to criticize about this past season.   But, truth is, there's also every reason to think we'll be better next year.  It's just a question of how much better.
And on that note, not that anyone cares, but I'm out of here for awhile.   The wife-to-be made me promise that after the season I would take a break from basketball talk and give my free attention to invitations, flowers, djs and all that 'good' stuff.  Assuming there's no coaching change or mass transfers, I'll talk to you guys when summer recruiting heats up. 

Good lock desco and enjoy your hiatus haha. I may need one myself.

Truth is, despite all the venting today, there is good cause to be optimistic about next season.

Take a look at the most recent Big East Rookies of the Year (Harkless, Melvin, Lance, Monroe, Blair, Johnny Flynn,  Scottie Reynolds, Jeff Green, Rudy Gay, Carmello)  All big impact players in college.  And for once it's St Johns that has a player of that caliber returning.   
We add two big bodies, and another shooter.   Are they Tim Duncan and Steve Kerr?  No, they are not.   But beef in the middle and shooting are our biggest needs.  So Sanchez, Hooper, and yes, even Gift, can only help.
There's the possibility of Rhysheed Jordan.  And, at the very least, a healthy Jamal Branch.
And probably most importantly, we have the possibility that an entire team of sophomores and freshmen will return undisturbed.  That kind've stablility is rare and most coaches would love to be in this situation.   Our guys are only going to get better.

There's plenty to criticize about this past season.   But, truth is, there's also every reason to think we'll be better next year.  It's just a question of how much better.
And on that note, not that anyone cares, but I'm out of here for awhile.   The wife-to-be made me promise that after the season I would take a break from basketball talk and give my free attention to invitations, flowers, djs and all that 'good' stuff.  Assuming there's no coaching change or mass transfers, I'll talk to you guys when summer recruiting heats up. 

What if it doesn't heat up?

1) I don't think Lavin is going anywhere.  I think he'll be here building for a while.

2) IF he does leave by chance, he has already turned this into a much, much better destination.  If this NCAA tourney wasn't enough evidence, there are bunches of really good coaches out there. 

Either way, I don't think there is much to worry about at this point. 

1) I don't think Lavin is going anywhere.  I think he'll be here building for a while.

2) IF he does leave by chance, he has already turned this into a much, much better destination.  If this NCAA tourney wasn't enough evidence, there are bunches of really good coaches out there. 

Either way, I don't think there is much to worry about at this point. 

On a scale of 1-100 what's your worry level?

Quote from: MCNPA on March 25, 2013, 12:19:49 AM

1) I don't think Lavin is going anywhere.  I think he'll be here building for a while.

2) IF he does leave by chance, he has already turned this into a much, much better destination.  If this NCAA tourney wasn't enough evidence, there are bunches of really good coaches out there. 

Either way, I don't think there is much to worry about at this point. 

On a scale of 1-100 what's your worry level?

Worry level about Lavin leaving or about us finding a good replacement if by chance he does?  Worried that Lavin will leave?  30, Worried that we wouldn't find a great replacement?  10.

I like Lavin.  I think he's a great recruiter, good face for the program.  I think he has the ability to out it together, but we have had more stumbling blocks than we should have had this season and even over the last few with recruiting mistakes etc.  I don't think he's as bad of a coach as some on these boards do, but I don't think he's Beilein either.  He certainly has restored our program to competitive level, and recruiting to a high level. 

I'd like to see him around for a few more years to see what he can do with a blend of upper/lower classmen and a little better mix of athletes and skilled basketball players.  Some of that issue is that he had to replace too many players in one or two seasons. 

I've seen enough to know that there are tons of guys who could come in and coach really well.  Finding a guy that an recruit talent like Lavin is and get more success coaching-wise isn't easy to find.  I hope we keep Lavin here for at least another contract cycle.  I think he has some recruiting tools that might not be easily replaced.