The fact is that if Buzz Williams had this same group of guys, they would be top-15 program right now.
Lavin will always dissapoint. Get used to it now that the lazy, low IQ admin at St. Johns has rewared him for underperformance. The only hope is that he can grab elite recruits. If he can recruit elite-8 caliber talent then maybe he can field teams capable of winning 1-2 games in the dance.
Didn't Lavin beat Williams when recruiting Harrison? And didn't Lavin's team just sweep Williams?
Yes. Yes.
Buzz is a great coach with consistent success, but I think Lavin's run here has been too tumultuous to definitively state that Buzz would do better with Lav's players. Buzz didn't go through prostate cancer, death of father, etc. Lavin is a recruiter, motivator, and public figure primarily, IMO. I would wager he relies heavily on his assistant coaches for game prep, etc. Year 1 was his first year of Dunlap, and by Jan/Feb they hit their stride. Year 2 was no Lavin. Year 3 was Lavin without a true associate head coach and the results were poor. Year 4 (this year) we didn't get Whitesell until late in the game, and what do you know, but Jan/Feb they hit their stride.
If we had never hit our stride this year, I'd place heavy blame on Lavin, but it seems that with a solid associate head coach, once chemistry is formed between Lavs and such coach, good things have happened. (See 2011 and 2014). I am very excited for next year with continued consistency with Lavin/Whitesell. If they hit the ground running, this theory may be correct.
I might add too that nothing is wrong with this set up as far as I am concerned - esp. in NYC where being a public figure who can handle the media (or even thrive w media) is important and helpful. AS LONG AS we always have a top notch associate head coach, because otherwise, see 2013.