2016-2017 Season Thread

Call me nuts but I am sticking by my prediction that we win 10 more games than this year.
We will be improved at every single position not to mention having a much deeper bench.
We go from no pg to a top 100 pg who will be 20 or 21 next season who had a year of practice , that alone can be a 5 win difference. Marcus will have back up in Mussini , ponds and Ellison.
We go from a fifth year transfer shooting guard who could not start on any other big east team to a top 40 shooting guard in Ponds with back up in Mussini and Ellison.
Our back court will be young again but so improved.
Thank you Durand for the year you gave us but JC AA Bashir will be much better and even if his stats are not better he will not be the absent minded player Durand was. He will be backed up by top 50 recruit RF. I imagine RF will also be a much smarter player than Durand.
Love Yakwe at the 4 and the sky is the limit for this kid. Apparently he is a very hard worker and I look for a double digit scorer with 7 boards and a bunch of blocks per game. He will team up with CJ who shows he definitely belongs in the BE and if coach can improve his confidence over the next 8 months he can be a beast on a nightly basis.
As with Yakwe the sky is the limit for Sima. He too can be a double digit scorer , good rebounder and great shot blocker. He now has a proper backup in Owens whom I will reserve judgment on until he plays 10 games, but we do have a back up center.
That still leaves us with AA , Williams and a possible additional recruit.
Every possible reason for there to be a big jump.
 
One player can make a huge difference to a basketball team. Lovett can be that player.
 
One player can make a huge difference to a basketball team. Lovett can be that player.
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Yeah. He's the next Larry Bird.
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Doesn't have to b...look what Maurice Watson did for Creighton this year...bet most on the board would welcome that level of year-over-year improvement
 
If Lovett plays like Watson in year 1, that's as good as we can hope for without overly lofty expectations.

Hopefully he plays organized ball over the summer for game feel. I do recall a few months back someone noted he may have had an injury at the time. Not sure what it was or how severe but hopefully it cleared up or won't be the type that is repetitive.
 
One player can make a huge difference to a basketball team. Lovett can be that player.
Click to expand...

Yeah. He's the next Larry Bird.
Click to expand...

Doesn't have to b...look what Maurice Watson did for Creighton this year...bet most on the board would welcome that level of year-over-year improvement
Click to expand...

The expectations some have for this kid are a bit unreal. Wait till he plays like a freshmen for a couple of games along with his other freshmen and sophomores. We have another rough season of growling pains and hopefully an improved record. Creighton played many close games last season. They have experience in coaching and in players.

Just tempering expectations. Lovett will be key in this rebuild, but give him time to learn to play at this level.
 
One player can make a huge difference to a basketball team. Lovett can be that player.
Click to expand...

Yeah. He's the next Larry Bird.
Click to expand...

Doesn't have to b...look what Maurice Watson did for Creighton this year...bet most on the board would welcome that level of year-over-year improvement
Click to expand...

The expectations some have for this kid are a bit unreal. Wait till he plays like a freshmen for a couple of games along with his other freshmen and sophomores. We have another rough season of growling pains and hopefully an improved record. Creighton played many close games last season. They have experience in coaching and in players.

Just tempering expectations. Lovett will be key in this rebuild, but give him time to learn to play at this level.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. As talented as he may be, and as much of an improvement he'll provide at PG, it sounds to me like LoVett has a lot of showboat in him. So I'm anticipating a lot of freshman-like, ill-advised moves and mistakes from him, especially in the first half of the season and in early conference play.
 
One player can make a huge difference to a basketball team. Lovett can be that player.
Click to expand...

Yeah. He's the next Larry Bird.
Click to expand...

Doesn't have to b...look what Maurice Watson did for Creighton this year...bet most on the board would welcome that level of year-over-year improvement
Click to expand...

The expectations some have for this kid are a bit unreal. Wait till he plays like a freshmen for a couple of games along with his other freshmen and sophomores. We have another rough season of growling pains and hopefully an improved record. Creighton played many close games last season. They have experience in coaching and in players.

Just tempering expectations. Lovett will be key in this rebuild, but give him time to learn to play at this level.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. As talented as he may be, and as much of an improvement he'll provide at PG, it sounds to me like LoVett has a lot of showboat in him. So I'm anticipating a lot of freshman-like, ill-advised moves and mistakes from him, especially in the first half of the season and in early conference play.
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" it sounds to me like LoVett has a lot of showboat in him."
Well hopefully Mullin told him to cut the crap out, and he's been practicing serious, with the coaches around.

Without the coaches around who cares.
 
Ive put my thoughts about next season on another thread but will reiterate here. With Lovett, ponds, bashir, freudenberg and Owens joining the squad next season we are adding quite a bit of very good talent. And more importantly we will have guys that can handle the ball. This season our biggest issue was no point guard.... guys being the primary ball handlers when they normally would have had the ball in their hands 20% of the time instead of 70% that equals turnovers galore and poor decision making

Sorry for my optimism but I see us in the NCAA tourney next year with the full squad. Lovett ponds and bashir are a big difference. I know many here like to temper win total expectations but I don't see it. I tempered expectations this year once our pg Lovett wasn't playing...im raising them with our talent coming in. My opinion is that ponds is playing like the 5 star that we all want and him, Lovett and bashir will add a lot more than many will let themselves admit to
 
Another way of predicting improvement for next year. Playing this season's Butler, Creghton and Marquette squads who are in the running for a possible NCAA and two NIT bids SJU was a 7 to 10 point home underdog. That means about 11 to 15 point dogs on a neutral court.
Is expecting Yawke and Sima as two returning starters to improve two points a game next year and Bashir , Ponds and Lovett to each make a difference of two points a game over this year's other starters asking too much?
Count on Mussini , Ellison, Owen and the German recruit to improve a few points a game over this year's bench and SJU is now in the running for a post season tournament next season. Always the optimist.
 
Another way of predicting improvement for next year. Playing this season's Butler, Creghton and Marquette squads who are in the running for a possible NCAA and two NIT bids SJU was a 7 to 10 point home underdog. That means about 11 to 15 point dogs on a neutral court.
Is expecting Yawke and Sima as two returning starters to improve two points a game next year and Bashir , Ponds and Lovett to each make a difference of two points a game over this year's other starters asking too much?
Count on Mussini , Ellison, Owen and the German recruit to improve a few points a game over this year's bench and SJU is now in the running for a post season tournament next season. Always the optimist.
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Hopefully you have convinced yourself by now. :)
 
Oh man. I know we have nothing else to talk about because it is so hard, no next to impossible to figure out who is going to be here let alone on the other teams. I think we first need to figure out the obvious questions.

1- Who will return?
2- Who will show up on campus even if committed (anyone ineligible?)
3- Are we done recruiting?
4- Are all the coaches/recruiters still 100% St Johns?

These things are a given for most programs and I hope Mullin is bringing that stability. We'll see.
 
Oh man. I know we have nothing else to talk about because it is so hard, no next to impossible to figure out who is going to be here let alone on the other teams. I think we first need to figure out the obvious questions.

1- Who will return?
2- Who will show up on campus even if committed (anyone ineligible?)
3- Are we done recruiting?
4- Are all the coaches/recruiters still 100% St Johns?

These things are a given for most programs and I hope Mullin is bringing that stability. We'll see.
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1. All but one player.
2. All
3. No
4. Don't get Q ?
 
Paultzman, I respect your opinions since I find that you are usually on the money. However, having followed this program for years I would say the following:
1- I'll believe you here you are clearly closer than I.
2- Not sure anyone can answer this. The SJU story has been expect the unexpected>.
3- I would love to see one more player quality player added. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
4- I have just seen so much uncertainty, I don't want to lose any of the staff after one year. I think we need complete stability.

Thanks for your knowledge. I am sitting here watching the BE Final and I so want us to be excited and in the mix like the old days. Its been way too long.
 
Oh man. I know we have nothing else to talk about because it is so hard, no next to impossible to figure out who is going to be here let alone on the other teams. I think we first need to figure out the obvious questions.

1- Who will return?
2- Who will show up on campus even if committed (anyone ineligible?)
3- Are we done recruiting?
4- Are all the coaches/recruiters still 100% St Johns?

These things are a given for most programs and I hope Mullin is bringing that stability. We'll see.
Click to expand...

1. All but one player.
2. All
3. No
4. Don't get Q ?
Click to expand...

Ohhhh a player leaving

You pot stirrer
 
Is jones a graduate transfer? Cause spending his last year of eligibility in a mid major could be very good for him he could put up numbers
 
Is jones a graduate transfer? Cause spending his last year of eligibility in a mid major could be very good for him he could put up numbers
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Yes & yes it would.
 
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