Just one persons opinion. We are better than 0-5. I think coaches decision to sit Jordan in the second half and overtime cost us the Providence game. His decision to insert Hooper late in the DePaul game cost us a win. By no means am I defending Lavin as a good coach. However, that being said, I look at the talent on the team and don't believe they are much better than 2-3 in a watered down BE. If people believe we are more talented than that tell me were that talent is and how many teams in the BE are we more talented than? I say 3 teams. DePaul, Butler, and Seton Hall. That puts us in seventh place. whoopee. So were complaining about not being in 7th place. That is also on the Coach. I like Lavin because I believe he will bring in the talent. I'm concerned about not signing anyone of merit thus far in 14'. But if he could land some top players in 15' then I would like to see what he could do with a balanced roster.
Here are the BE teams that we are more talented than:
Nova, Creighton, Butler, Seton Hall, Xavier, Georgetown, Providence, DePaul and Marquette.
The difference is that most of these programs have a coach with a clear POV.
Lavin doesn't know what he's going to do next. That's why I've had enough of him. I'm not interested in a let's see what the future brings attitude because he doesn't know what it will bring. If he returns, the University can go F itself. Sell tickets to some other a hole.
Who do you think on the STJ roster is talented? Jordan 100%, Harrison yes but he is more a grinder who can score, CO? he is a talented shot blocker and that's it. Dom? No- he is just an athlete. Sanchez? he has some talent . Sampson? Another athlete . Green, Branch, GG - I wouldnt consider talented.
CO is the best shot blocker we've ever had. In over 100 years of college basketball no one in 2, 3 or 4 years has as many blocked shots as CO. He has no go to move offensively. He doesn't box out, or hit the glass when a teammate puts a shot up. In short, he has a very rare skill, and the rest of game hasn't developed.
Branch is very talented. He's shown flashes of brilliance, but just about all of them were last season. To be effective, he has to be given a chance to play. Lavin pulls him after one turnover. So, okay, Steve, we have the lowest turnover margin in the conference, but we are dead last in assists. What has that accomplished?
Pointer is a junior. He came here with incredible athletic ability, and no jumper whatsoever. He still has no jumper. What exactly does he do in practice? I'm not blaming the kid, but come on. How does the kid not have one offensive move?
Sampson is an incredible athlete. He reminds me of a PF version of Zendon Hamilton with his raw jerkiness. He's very athletic, and he gets his fair share of boards, but for a guy that won the BE ROY, and many expected to jump to the pros after this season, his game has regressed, significantly. He plays with his head down. Give him the ball, and he approaches the possession like it's his job to score the ball himself. Harrison does the same thing. Jordan as well. All of these guys are very talented, but if the other team knows that your game plan is to take all 5 opposing players off the dribble by yourself, they'll have very little trouble stopping you.
Jordan specifically, is incredibly talented. A 6'4 PG. How lucky we thought we were. He can beat the zone some of the time by getting in the lane, and drawing a foul. Most of the time, opposing teams know that's his 1 move. He's excellent in transition. He can bounce it on the move, or he can launch it down court with great accuracy. Branch can, too. But we don't get these opportunities often enough.
We have more top 100 recruits than any BE program. It's shameful that Lavin hasn't figured out a way to establish an identity. For those who think he'll grab top recruits in the 2015 class, I'd like to ask you this: Why would they be coming to STJ to play for Lavin? What kind of basketball would they be signing up for? I still have no idea what kind of offense and defense we play.