Any reason for optimism next year?

[quote="Jeff Smith" post=330695]Is our best 3 point shooter Caraher?[/quote]

If he is we're in trouble, since I don't think he'll be nearly quick enough to get his shot off at the Big East level. Caraher doesn't look much faster than me in videos I've seen, and I'm 47. I wouldn't be shocked if Steere shot a higher percentage from three. (Not that I want a 261-pounder standing out that far.)
 
[quote="fordham96" post=330715]Just a hunch but I have a feeling both the staff and roster are going to look very different next year.[/quote]

Hope springs eternal!
 
[quote="Marillac" post=330796][quote="Mike Zaun" post=330793]I don't remember anyone claiming next year would be great then say "nevermind it will suck". Virtually all reasonable fans have known for a while we need to win now because we are rebuilding again after the season. That hasn't changed.[/quote]

Amar Alobegovic and Christian Jones is rebuilding.

Wright-Simon-Figueroa-Williams-Trimble-Caraher-Roberts-Steere and possibly Heron is different.[/quote]
Let's not get carried away. Trimble might be a nice kid, but he's shown he's not a BE-calibre player. (As our chief reserve, he averaged 2.3 ppg, including going 0 for 5 in the tournament.) With the exception of Heron (if he's still here), Simon (who can leave if he wants) & Figueroa, the other current players haven't exactly wowed anyone (although Williams Jr. at least looked good at times in limited play) and they look like the have a long ways to go before they ever do . Wright and Steere are question marks, and until he proves otherwise, Caraher could turn out to be the second coming of Max Hooper. As for the coaching staff ...
 
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If our starting lineup is Mack-Simon-Fig-Heron-Steere I do not think we will be a pushover in a lot of games but I do not think that is enough to be close to a tournament team.

And with Heron most likely on his way out, it gets even worse
 
[quote="redken" post=330911]Caraher could turn out to be the second coming of Max Hooper. As for the coaching staff ...[/quote]

I think the numbers will be similar, but I'm going to give Caraher some credit: I don't think he'll ever screw up the end of a game as badly as Hooper did.
 
100%. My concern moving forward isn't the talent but how they are coached and more specifically his philosophy. It's an NBA system that is flawed in college. Kids don't shoot the ball as well and organized offense (structure) is needed more. I can't see Mullin as a long term solution unless he changes his approach or recruits all 5 star players. I don't see either happening which makes me pessimistic.

[quote="otis" post=330806]IMO next year is as much about the system Coach Mullin utilizes as it is about the talent in the roster.

I question whether the open NBA system that StJohn’s utilizes is effecting in college because in large part the the college players lack the talent and consistency which NBA players have to succeed in that same system.. I question whether a college team can win playing man defense whereby the defender seemingly alway switches off thereby consistently creating mismatches with its 6 foot point guard on the opposing 4 or 5. I question a system that places little emphases offensive rebounds.

I believe that this year’s StJohn’s team had talent that could have been utilized better in a different system, but hey, we are StJohn’s fans so we expect to be disappointed.
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The above having been said to feel proud of a Stjohn’s Player please go to YouTube and watch “I am Marvin Clark”[/quote]
 
Interesting how folks are assuming our players will bolt but that the players at Georgetown, Xavier, and Providence, etc., will stay and be improved.

That’s not a college basketball trend then, just a SJU problem. Until that is solved the program will go nowhere.
 
At this time last year, neither Heron nor LJ were even on our radar. I think we are glad both of those guys came on board.

Right now, it does not look good, but a lot can change between now, and the start of fall practice.
 
Sometimes you get addition by subtraction, both at the player and staff level. Let's hope so.
 
I’m not so sure that next years team will be worse. This years team to me has no balls and as others have said has looked disinterested at times and played like they thought they were better than they were. If our new guys have some fire in their bellies and a real will to win then why can’t we be better. I know they have to improve and develop but I think from a small sample that Williams, Roberts and Earlington have that. If Mack, Steere, Wright , Caraher and Manual have it then I think we can be better. Especially if Heron and Simon come back along with Figgy maybe we have a different type of team. Maybe there’s another Figgy out there that we can pick up. All I know is that sometimes that determination and shear will to win makes all the difference. That’s what I’m hoping our new guys bring and what our Freshman develop into. If that happens we can be better.
 
Until the roster and staff are set in stone, what is the point of a thread like this? It's nothing but a bunch of "ifs" and "buts".. just another silly thread to wind people up
 
They better have Williams work on his 3 pt shooting or he will be a bench player,!
Getting a little off topic I still can’t believe we can beat a team 2x then get blown out by 30 ,something is greatly wrong with ,teaching,motivating,game plan for opposing teams,basics etc We still need to bring in a power forward who can shoot play bD and rebound Coach will have to adjust now that he will have a true center and steere
The helter smelter game will have to end and play more like nova
 
The only way you get a team to play like Nova is to bring in Wright as coach, otherwise, no chance.
 
[quote="Mean Gene" post=330960]I’m not so sure that next years team will be worse. This years team to me has no balls and as others have said has looked disinterested at times and played like they thought they were better than they were. If our new guys have some fire in their bellies and a real will to win then why can’t we be better. I know they have to improve and develop but I think from a small sample that Williams, Roberts and Earlington have that. If Mack, Steere, Wright , Caraher and Manual have it then I think we can be better. Especially if Heron and Simon come back along with Figgy maybe we have a different type of team. Maybe there’s another Figgy out there that we can pick up. All I know is that sometimes that determination and shear will to win makes all the difference. That’s what I’m hoping our new guys bring and what our Freshman develop into. If that happens we can be better.[/quote]
Gene, first you state that "this team to me has no balls." Then you say that if three of those "ball-less" players -- Heron, Figueroa, and Simon -- return next year, we should be a lot better. So, given that we had no bench to speak of, was your "has no balls" comment directed at Ponds and Clark(!), or do you expect the other three to miraculously grow a pair in the off-season? And for the record, I had a seat right behind the team's bench on Wednesday night, and if there's a player in the BE who has more balls than Clark, I'd like to know who he is. The man flat-out busted his butt going up against bigger bodies from start to finish. And he's done that all year.
 
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[quote="redken" post=331014][quote="Mean Gene" post=330960]I’m not so sure that next years team will be worse. This years team to me has no balls and as others have said has looked disinterested at times and played like they thought they were better than they were. If our new guys have some fire in their bellies and a real will to win then why can’t we be better. I know they have to improve and develop but I think from a small sample that Williams, Roberts and Earlington have that. If Mack, Steere, Wright , Caraher and Manual have it then I think we can be better. Especially if Heron and Simon come back along with Figgy maybe we have a different type of team. Maybe there’s another Figgy out there that we can pick up. All I know is that sometimes that determination and shear will to win makes all the difference. That’s what I’m hoping our new guys bring and what our Freshman develop into. If that happens we can be better.[/quote]
Gene, first you state that "this team to me has no balls." Then you say that if three of those "balless" starters -- Heron, Figueroa, and Simon -- return, we should be a lot better. So, given that we had no bench to speak of, was your "has no balls" comment directed at Ponds and Clark(!), or do you expect the other three to miraculously grow a pair in the off-seaon?[/quote]

I think that this team has given up at times and I’m not the only one on this board who thinks that. I think for some reason this team has mailed it in at times and I don’t know exactly who what the problem is but it’s the personality that this team has taken on. Ponds has checked out and Clark has tanked. Just look at Mullin’s comments after yesterday’s game. He said that this team needs a break mentally, physically and emotionally. Then he says he thought they needed a break from each other. There’s a problem and unless any of us are in the locker room we will not be able to pinpoint it. But, whatever it is , this team lacks something. To me they have no guts, they don’t have that determination and guile that’s needed to be a consistent winner against better competition. Call it what you will.

As far as the three guys coming back, just as bad habits and attitudes rub off so do good habits and attitudes. If the new guys we have coming in have that will and determination to win at all costs and to leave it out there on the floor every game that will rub off on everyone else on the team. The freshman seem to get after it , I know they are raw and have to develop but It seems that they might have what it takes if they can be properly developed in the offseason. If that happens and the newcomers have a different mindset we can have a different team, a better team because they’ll have all the intangibles that this team for whatever reason is lacking. I don’t know why this team is like this. I will root like hell for them if they make it even to Dayton. But, something is not right somewhere. Hoping the new guys next season whoever they are and the maturation of the freshman can change the personality of this team. Hopefully, one of them has the fire to be a real vocal leader on the floor because our coach is laid back and the rest of the staff seems like that also so it’s going to have to come from the players themselves. So hopefully a few of these new guys can bring that. Just my opinion if that makes sense.
 
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It's a fan message board. If someone wants to start it god bless. Nothing wrong with it. Don't like it then click away
 
I think Ponds is a bad teammate. He shoved Dixon so hard one game to get to a defensive assignment that it almost knocked him down. He started in on LJ in the first 13 seconds on the bad pass.

The poor kid is proabably feeling all kinds of presssure needing to pull an insane performance out of his arse just to get picked at the end of the second round...it’s like an MMA fighter or boxer being down big in all the cards in the last round needing a knockout.

He clearly brings unneeded stress and tension to the team.
 
[quote="RedStormRising2" post=331027]I didn't even think of Simon leaving until I read this thread :([/quote]

Justin is a great teammate and student. I would take him back in a heartbeat.
If we weren't optimistic we wouldn't come back year after year. Next year is no different except some of us may not attend games like in our younger days.
I think there will be huge changes coming so even more reason for optimism.
 
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