Lamont Jones - PG - American Christian School - Aston, PA - IONA

Hahahaha   - good stuff from Baldi....That was comedy, right Baldi?

If Baldi isn't stirring the pot with St. John's fans then he's trying to talk up Iona with St. John's fans...hilarious

I wouldn't be shocked if SJ lost to an Iona, a Fairfield or a Penn type team in November/December.

It would make for a fun afternoon if you went to one of these small time programs. However, it's what kind of team they become that will determine what their standing should be in the city.

Last year, we were the top metro team. We didn't start off that way.

Can we merge this with the Tim Cluess thread and make the longest thread in history?

Hahahaha   - good stuff from Baldi....That was comedy, right Baldi?

If Baldi isn't stirring the pot with St. John's fans then he's trying to talk up Iona with St. John's fans...hilarious

I think both SJU and Iona will float around being in the top 40 or 50 teams next season

If Penn can come within a point of knocking off Kentucky, why are Baldi's predictions so out of line?

Do we really think it's not possible that a senior team from the MAAC could be better than a freshman team from the BE?

Look around, it happens every year.

If Penn can come within a point of knocking off Kentucky, why are Baldi's predictions so out of line?

Do we really think it's not possible that a senior team from the MAAC could be better than a freshman team from the BE?

Look around, it happens every year.

Yeah and that is my point, 1 game means nothing.  Yeah under certain circumstances you can have an upset but does that mean Princeton was better then Kentucky?

Or better yet ask yourself this, give UK the Ivy schedule and then put Princeton in the SEC.  UK goes 14-0, maybe 13-1 (perhaps they lose 1 game at the buzzer), with an average margin of victory being 20+.  NOT EVEN CLOSE.  Keep in mind Memphis won C-USA under Cal like 4 years in a row with something like 2 total losses.  And that is a conference with schollies.

My point is what is his definition of BETTER?  Because the MAAC is not even remotely close to the BE in terms of coaching, talent, and overall play.  Put this freshmen laden SJU team in the MAAC and they automatically are favored to win the Conference.  Pelle, Harkless, Harrison, Nuri, Garrett, Pointer are athletes that no one in the MAAC even comes close to seeing let alone all on 1 team.

Could in a 1 game scenario a Iona beat a young SJU?  Sure.  But go back to the UK example, that does not make them better.  UCONN was a 9-9 BE team that before the BE Tourney was a combined 0-7 agains the top 5 teams in the BE last year in the regular season.  That team, UCONN, still went on to win the BE Conference Tourney, get a #3 seed in the NCAA's and then won the whole thing.  A 9-9 BE team did that.

I would go as far as saying that DePaul and Providence would win 11 to 12 games in the MAAC this year on talent alone.  You guys simply do not understand the talent difference between the two conferences even among the worst teams in the BE. 

Let me give you an example of what I mean in terms of talent and overall conference strength.  Siena was by far the most dominant MAAC team in that 3 year stretch under Fran McCaffery.  His last year they went 17-1 and all 5 of his starters made the All-MAAC 1st and 2nd team.  So put that in perspective that means of the 10 best MAAC players (5 on the 1st team and 5 on the second team) Siena had HALF of those players.  1/2 of the 10 BEST players in the ENTIRE conference were on 1 team.  Only 1 team had as many as 2 on both.   Combine that with the fact Siena won the MAAC Tourney thus completing a 20-1 MAAC season with 14 of the 20 wins being by double digits.

They played 2 BCS conference teams (SJU which only went to the NIT and Georgia Tech which snuck into the NCAA's) and lost to both.  They also played 2 other NCAA teams in the non-conference in Temple and then later Butler and lost both of those games.  They also played Purdue in the NCAA's and guess what?  They lost that game.  So probably the most dominant MAAC team in a generation had a record of 0-5 against the toughest non-conference teams they played that year.

Think about that.

Stick Iona in the BE and then stick SJU in the MAAC and tell me you are making claims Iona is the best metro team.  Iona would get buried in an 18 game BE schedule, oh and then give them a trip to Cameron and Rupp and a home game against UCLA and then the C v C just for kicks.  Then you realize the comparison is apples and oranges first off and second off on talent alone SJU is better.

Vcu beat Kansas. Does that make them the better team?

Um, yes. It does.

Vcu beat Kansas. Does that make them the better team?

Um, yes. It does.

Uh no it doesn't.  All it means is under a one and done situation sh## happens.  Fordham was not a better team then SJU and if they played a 18 game BE schedule they would have gone 0 and 18 after SJU went 12-6. But under your logic they were.

Ask any coach who is better top to bottom and it is not even close and you are proving my point.

Two years ago DePaul went 1 and 17. Their only win was against a NCAA bound Marquette team. Does that mean Marquette was worse then DePaul?

That is the stupidity of using a one time head to head matchup.

You're using the Billy Packer logic. And by that logic, VCU doesn't even make the dance.
Before you stand on your head and call everyone stupid for thinking that a mid major could be better than us, it would be wise to step and back and recognize that it happens every year in college basketball.

Every f'n year.

Maybe the best way to say this is that the better TEAM won; not the better PLAYERS.  We were still trying to become a TEAM at the time we played Fordham but look at the later results when we became a TEAM.  Then we bested the schools which clearly had better players.

Top recruiting classes very rarely being immediate success.
It would be great if they did. History says otherwise.

You're using the Billy Packer logic. And by that logic, VCU doesn't even make the dance.
Before you stand on your head and call everyone stupid for thinking that a mid major could be better than us, it would be wise to step and back and recognize that it happens every year in college basketball.

Every f'n year.

So what that does not prove anything. Billy Packer? Huh? You made a dumb assertion based on a simple observation and I disproved it with facts and you are left with nothing.

Admit you were wrong and move on. Anyone who reads my explanation and reads yours knows what makes more sense.

Top recruiting classes very rarely being immediate success.
It would be great if they did. History says otherwise.

Wanna bet on that. Ask Cal that. Dave Telep just calculated 33% of top 100 players start as freshmen.

Very simple ask any MAAC coach what roster they could choose if they could exchange theirs for either Iona or SJU.

It would not be close.

Fordham, I don't mean any offense, but I think you have a reading comprehension problem.
I never said Iona, Penn or any small time program would be better than us. I said that it's possible because it's happened before.

What exactly should I ask Cal? Would he trade John Wall for Scott Machado? Where's our John Wall. Where is anyone's? I don't know how old you are, but if you're older than me, you have short memory.

Lopez, Z, Turner, Cook etc. Ring a bell.

Fordham, I don't mean any offense, but I think you have a reading comprehension problem.
I never said Iona, Penn or any small time program would be better than us. I said that it's possible because it's happened before.

What exactly should I ask Cal? Would he trade John Wall for Scott Machado? Where's our John Wall. Where is anyone's? I don't know how old you are, but if you're older than me, you have short memory.

Lopez, Z, Turner, Cook etc. Ring a bell.

No offense taken.  And those SJU teams would beat Iona anyway.  Let's go back to the assertion that Baldi made.  He said Iona would be the best team in the metro area, and I asked not that it was possible (anything in theory is possible) I asked based on what.

Based on talent?  No.  Sorry.  Even if you accept SJU will be young that does not matter.  How do I know this?  Harkless, Nuri, Harrison and Pointer would start for Iona I don't give a damn who in the hell starts for Iona now.  Wouldn't be close.  Maybe Glover still starts but even that is iffy.  So if you accept that then by definition you are agreeing that on paper SJU has MUCH more talent then any MAAC team let alone Iona.  So I win that argument.  You cannot argue in the same breath your team is better then the other but at the same time admit the other team's players would start over yours.

OK so what else could prove his point.  Iona will be foavored to win the MAAC.  OK.  Fairfield won the MAAC at 15-3 and UCONN went 9-9 in the BE.  So I guess that means Fairfield was the best team in the state of Connecticut right?  WRONG.  Forget that UCONN went on to win the whole thing but give Fairfield UCONN's schedule and then give UCONN Fairfield's schedule and see what happens.  End of story.  Again goes back to apples and oranges comparing doing well in the MAAC compared to doing well in the BE.  DePaul could win double digit in the MAAC.

So what exatly are you left with as evidence that Iona will have the best area team.  Uh, it is possible?  OK.  Anything is possible.  If that is your argument, fine.  But that is not much of one and more importantly you better bring something more than just that or VCU beating Kansas as evidence Iona will be a better team then SJU next year.  I mean was LIU having won the NEC and having the most wins in the area last year the best team in the area?  Possible? 

Quote from: Poison on June 04, 2011, 01:08:04 PM

Fordham, I don't mean any offense, but I think you have a reading comprehension problem.
I never said Iona, Penn or any small time program would be better than us. I said that it's possible because it's happened before.

What exactly should I ask Cal? Would he trade John Wall for Scott Machado? Where's our John Wall. Where is anyone's? I don't know how old you are, but if you're older than me, you have short memory.

Lopez, Z, Turner, Cook etc. Ring a bell.

No offense taken.  And those SJU teams would beat Iona anyway.  Let's go back to the assertion that Baldi made.  He said Iona would be the best team in the metro area, and I asked not that it was possible (anything in theory is possible) I asked based on what.

Based on talent?  No.  Sorry.  Even if you accept SJU will be young that does not matter.  How do I know this?  Harkless, Nuri, Harrison and Pointer would start for Iona I don't give a damn who in the hell starts for Iona now.  Wouldn't be close.  Maybe Glover still starts but even that is iffy.  So if you accept that then by definition you are agreeing that on paper SJU has MUCH more talent then any MAAC team let alone Iona.  So I win that argument.  You cannot argue in the same breath your team is better then the other but at the same time admit the other team's players would start over yours.

OK so what else could prove his point.  Iona will be foavored to win the MAAC.  OK.  Fairfield won the MAAC at 15-3 and UCONN went 9-9 in the BE.  So I guess that means Fairfield was the best team in the state of Connecticut right?  WRONG.  Forget that UCONN went on to win the whole thing but give Fairfield UCONN's schedule and then give UCONN Fairfield's schedule and see what happens.  End of story.  Again goes back to apples and oranges comparing doing well in the MAAC compared to doing well in the BE.  DePaul could win double digit in the MAAC.

So what exatly are you left with as evidence that Iona will have the best area team.  Uh, it is possible?  OK.  Anything is possible.  If that is your argument, fine.  But that is not much of one and more importantly you better bring something more than just that or VCU beating Kansas as evidence Iona will be a better team then SJU next year.  I mean was LIU having won the NEC and having the most wins in the area last year the best team in the area?  Possible? 

Iona beat that Felipe,Zendon team

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/28/sports/college-basketball-iona-makes-its-season-as-st-john-s-hits-bottom.html

You guys are being foolish if you do not think Glover would start next year for SJU.  Next years Iona team is going to be super athletic and their style should be fun to watch.  They could be better overall than the 1985 Iona team with Burtt, Springer, Grimes, Hargraves and Coleman. 

Syracuse had no answer for Glover.... neither would SJU with a group of kids. Boeheim said "Glover is about as good as anybody we'll play against". With that being said Iona has to get off their ass and recruit some studs this year or they will be one and done.  SJU looks great on paper but we have to wait to see how they pull together.  If they do great from the start our biggest worry will be keeping the team together.

I would love to see both of these programs kick ass because it is good for NYC hoops.  Too many of our best players leave town to play Division 1 ball.

For 2011-12, Fairfield is a legit top 50 team and Iona could be.
Both teams are deep and upperclassmen dominated.
Playing cohesively and on the right day, they could beat the johnnies come November/December.

Johnnies will be very talented but super young.
It will just take some time for all that young talent to mesh.

Interesting take on some eastern teams looking to make a name for themselves in the upcoming year, but back to Momo.

Maybe he should stay at Arizona (I know the door is probably closed for him there.) for another year, then check out his NBA options.  Seems to me that is the only way he is going to get any playing time in 2011-2012.  Sitting out a year can only hinder his NBA chances.

Um Fordham, "those SJU teams would beat Iona"

Wrong. Since you're so fond of backing up your points with facts, why not google the game that Felipe Lopez and Zendon Hamilton played against Iona at MSG.

And for the record, no, Jeff Ruland wasn't on Iona at that time. Yet, they beat the snot out of us. Why? Experience.