Any reason for optimism next year?

[quote="Paultzman" post=331357]Random thought; At times I wonder if Chris enjoys this job or coaching in particular. He looks so stressed and that can take its toll. Of course the salary is nice.[/quote]

I've wondered the same. I think he wouldn't mind it so much if it weren't a 12 month gig.. I think it would be different if he could go home each night to the wife and kids..
 
To answer the question, I would say no. While we don't know the exact makeup of next year's roster right now, I can't see it being any better than it is right now.

Unless there are significant changes to the roster and/or coaching staff, I see a regression for next season. This year's team was the one that was supposed to make some noise but, unless we suddenly wake up and start to play up to our potential, our "noise" wasn't much more than a whisper.
 
He looks miserable. Being alone with your family 2500 miles away has to tough. I don't question his work ethic but at times he appears to approach the college game with some level of apathy. As if some of the mundane aspects of the job are beneath him. .
 
Chris will resign for personal reasons. Poor recruiting class coming in and looking at a losing 20 season.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=331357]Random thought; At times I wonder if Chris enjoys this job or coaching in particular. He looks so stressed and that can take its toll. Of course the salary is nice.[/quote]

Very fair point. I'll also add, I don't think he'd stay just because of the money. The man is already very wealthy. Money never was his motivating factor of coaching here.
 
[quote="isham" post=331380]Chris will resign for personal reasons. Poor recruiting class coming in and looking at a losing 20 season.[/quote]

I think a point most fans lose sight of because we want to win so badly, is Mullin came here because he cared deeply for the school and wanted to be a part of a turnaround. He didn't come for the money, and he certainly didn't come because he was looking to get a start in coaching. So for me, I often think of that to put things in perspective. As much as you might hate the job Mullin has done here, he came for the right reasons. If anything, be mad at the administration for making an ill advised hire of someone who had no prior experience.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=331357]Random thought; At times I wonder if Chris enjoys this job or coaching in particular. He looks so stressed and that can take its toll. Of course the salary is nice.[/quote]
Spoke to someone who is in the game at the NBA level who had spoken to Chris and the impression he got was he loves the game of basketball but not coaching. Looking at the facts after his playing career he went into front office work not coaching. Think Louie asking Chris to come back to resurrect the program is what brought him into coaching. Other optics add to a reasonable opinion that no he does not particularly enjoy coaching.
 
I'm sure Mullin envisioned a playing style suitable to his personal game. Unfortunately, we don't have anybody like him on the squad, let alone 5 guys. It must be tough for these NBA greats to come back and coach. They just see the game and have qualities as players that you just can't teach. Not letting him off the hook for not adapting different styles, but just appears that he thought his prowess would translate more on the court.
 
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thanks for the previous insights -

AND not that he pays any attention to this board -
(but on top of his family concerns, his brother's death, the pressure of his HC job, his personal health and whatever private other issues)
does Chris (or his young-men players) really need to BS and nastiness he puts up with some of our posts and posters? Seems to me he has more important priorities which include in no particular order - his family, yes far away, his love of basketball, his love of St. Johns, his basketball DNA which needs to be connected to the sport which has been his life...
as some have stated, money is doubtfully a motivating factor.

God bless Chris Mullin and like many here I hope for the very best for him and the program.

If there is such a thing as deserving something well then I do NOT believe we deserve an NCAA bid - but I sure as hell hope we get in!!!
Go Storm.
 
[quote="Johnnie Drama" post=331394]I'm sure Mullin envisioned a playying style suitable to his personal game. Unfortunately, we don't have anybody like him on the squad, let alone 5 guys. It must be tough for these NBA greats to come back and coach. They just see the game and have qualities as players that you just can't teach. Not letting him off the hook for not adapting different styles, but just appears that he thought his prowess would translate more on the court.[/quote]


That's why you don't see a lot of guys who were outstanding players become outstanding coaches/managers at the college or professional level in any of the four major sports
 
We are on the verge of potentially going to the dance (God help some of you here if we DON'T get selected...or if we get the play-in game!!!!) and this is what we're focused on?!

Yes, this team underacheived this year. But it could have been way, way worse. Personally, I am just trying to enjoy the good moments and will continue to do so. We are not what we used to be. I am not even sure we were ever what we used to be...if that makes any sense.
 
[quote="MarkRedman" post=331367]To answer the question, I would say no. While we don't know the exact makeup of next year's roster right now, I can't see it being any better than it is right now.

Unless there are significant changes to the roster and/or coaching staff, I see a regression for next season. This year's team was the one that was supposed to make some noise but, unless we suddenly wake up and start to play up to our potential, our "noise" wasn't much more than a whisper.[/quote]

I think next years team may be better than this years although the starting 5 will be much worse. We currently are playing tons of isolation and one on one play. We will have more balance and big men. I am hoping we will see more team ball like Xavier and Prov. I would like to see interchangeable pieces rather than a sharp decline when you pull someone out of the game. Hoping to see a more cohesive unit with grit and determination.
 
[quote="MarkRedman" post=331406][quote="Johnnie Drama" post=331394]I'm sure Mullin envisioned a playying style suitable to his personal game. Unfortunately, we don't have anybody like him on the squad, let alone 5 guys. It must be tough for these NBA greats to come back and coach. They just see the game and have qualities as players that you just can't teach. Not letting him off the hook for not adapting different styles, but just appears that he thought his prowess would translate more on the court.[/quote]


That's why you don't see a lot of guys who were outstanding players become outstanding coaches/managers at the college or professional level in any of the four major sports[/quote]

I know, seems like it would make sense to coach, but it's obviously a tough transition. Bird was very successful in the NBA, even if only for a few years. Granted, NBA is a different animal.
 
[quote="rawdognyc" post=331348][quote="redken" post=331330][quote="rawdognyc" post=331200]Lack of intensity or effort falls on the players at this stage. This isn't CYO basketball where you have children playing the game and need the rara from the coach. These are young men and know what the impact of wins and losses are. If they can't get up and bring their "A" game, then that's on them. The part that would fall on the coaches is maybe they recruited the wrong type of players.[/quote]
Rawdog, are you suggesting that the team wasn't interested in beating Marquette and moving on to the semifinals (which would ensure their first trip to the Big Dance)? -- the same players whom you describe as "young men who know the impact of wins are losses are"? Sure, they shot poorly from the start of the Marquette game and maybe they weren't as quick defensively as they'd been against DePaul. Could be they were having an "off" night, but more likely fatigue played a big role in that loss. Then, with the crowd was cheering them on during their second-half comeback when they cut the deficit to six points, they hit the wall -- and when they did, I don't think anyone on the team was thinking, "I'm not pumped up enough tonight to bring my 'A' game anymore. I'll just coast from here on out." The fact is they won a brutally physically game the night before, a game that took its toll on a very thin roster ... and the loss had zero to do with character. As for coaches, yes, they are responsible for motivating their players, and all the great ones do it.[/quote]

I'm not suggesting that they're not bringing their best every night. I'm going by what the players themselves have stated themselves. Here is a quote from Heron after their second loss to Providence.
“We didn’t play hard. They played harder than us. Similar to the first game and there were the same results."
Marvin Clark has also made similar remarks after losses this year. It's been that way the whole BE season. The games they won you saw the intensity. You saw team ball. The games they lost you saw them going through the motions and guys taking dumb shots and not sharing the ball.
I'm looking forward to change after this season. Hopefully in both staff and players with team first mentality.[/quote]
If any player looks like he's dogging it or not giving 100%, he should be immediately taken out of the game and replaced. (The problem is, who on our paper-thin bench can replace him? On this team, the drop-off from starter to substitute is enormous.)
 
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[quote="Room112" post=331385][quote="isham" post=331380]Chris will resign for personal reasons. Poor recruiting class coming in and looking at a losing 20 season.[/quote]

I think a point most fans lose sight of because we want to win so badly, is Mullin came here because he cared deeply for the school and wanted to be a part of a turnaround. He didn't come for the money, and he certainly didn't come because he was looking to get a start in coaching. So for me, I often think of that to put things in perspective. As much as you might hate the job Mullin has done here, he came for the right reasons. If anything, be mad at the administration for making an ill advised hire of someone who had no prior experience.[/quote]

Room112 this is not a criticism of Coach Mullin and thé initial fault clearly lies with the admin who gave 15 million in guaranteed contracts to him and Slice , but you can’t say Coach did not come for the money. I can say with a great deal of certainty that there is no other school in the country that would have paid him anything close to what we are paying him to learn on the job.
Had he taken the job for $600,000 a year which is what Norm Roberts was getting paid I would agree with you. But he is getting paid a fortune for a job that is a 168 hour a week job for 50 weeks a year. There is a dead period in August and when kids are not on campus where you get a break.
Especially after he let Slice go he had to know that he would have to work much harder. I accept that the school probably would not pony up any more money to replace Slice so he had 2 choices. 1. Work much harder on the recruiting trail which he did not do as it all fell on Matt who has done an outstanding job all on his own, or 2. Take some money out of his salary to allocate for another assistant, which if you deduct the NY State taxes would not be a terrible loss for Coach.
I too am rooting like hell for Coach to succeed but let’s stop making it out like he did SJU a favour by taking the job, because all factors point to SJU having paid a fortune for a beginner coach.
I am optimistic that our AD will have a great talk with Coach after this week and point out how 2 essential areas of the program need immédiate attention
1. An additional staff member or a shake up which does not include Matt;
2. A much greater commitment on the recruiting trail by Coach.
Point 1 we will all know about in the near future because if it happens it will be public. Point 2 I will personally witness if it happens as my sons Brookwood Elite AAU team is absolutely loaded with a top 100 player at pg for 2020 and 5 kids 6 7 -7 0, and it would be a recruiting travesty if our staff was not present.
Sorry for the lengthy post.
 
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[quote="redken" post=331422][quote="rawdognyc" post=331348][quote="redken" post=331330][quote="rawdognyc" post=331200]Lack of intensity or effort falls on the players at this stage. This isn't CYO basketball where you have children playing the game and need the rara from the coach. These are young men and know what the impact of wins and losses are. If they can't get up and bring their "A" game, then that's on them. The part that would fall on the coaches is maybe they recruited the wrong type of players.[/quote]
Rawdog, are you suggesting that the team wasn't interested in beating Marquette and moving on to the semifinals (which would ensure their first trip to the Big Dance)? -- the same players whom you describe as "young men who know the impact of wins are losses are"? Sure, they shot poorly from the start of the Marquette game and maybe they weren't as quick defensively as they'd been against DePaul. Could be they were having an "off" night, but more likely fatigue played a big role in that loss. Then, with the crowd was cheering them on during their second-half comeback when they cut the deficit to six points, they hit the wall -- and when they did, I don't think anyone on the team was thinking, "I'm not pumped up enough tonight to bring my 'A' game anymore. I'll just coast from here on out." The fact is they won a brutally physically game the night before, a game that took its toll on a very thin roster ... and the loss had zero to do with character. As for coaches, yes, they are responsible for motivating their players, and all the great ones do it.[/quote]

I'm not suggesting that they're not bringing their best every night. I'm going by what the players themselves have stated themselves. Here is a quote from Heron after their second loss to Providence.
“We didn’t play hard. They played harder than us. Similar to the first game and there were the same results."
Marvin Clark has also made similar remarks after losses this year. It's been that way the whole BE season. The games they won you saw the intensity. You saw team ball. The games they lost you saw them going through the motions and guys taking dumb shots and not sharing the ball.
I'm looking forward to change after this season. Hopefully in both staff and players with team first mentality.[/quote]
If any player looks like he's dogging it or not giving 100%, he should be immediately taken out of the game and replaced. (The problem is, who on our paper-thin bench can replace him? On this team, the drop-off from starter to substitute is enormous.)[/quote]

March Badness

So tell me Mikey Dixon,
Just who put the fix in
That three years in a row
Our backup point guard had to go

Tell me, what’s the story
You want to blame Shamorie?
Dribbling just over midcourt and running on fumes
The rest of the team at a standstill contemplating their doom

Tell me what’s the answer
And enough with the big grad transfer
College is a guard’s game
And our Redmen have been turning up lame

First Mussini had to go
Alright it was for Euro
At least he had a reason
and did it before the season

But Lovett’s dad said shove it
And seemed to think nothing of it
And opposing coaches knew
Wear out Shamorie, they’re through

And you Mr. Mike
Did you just go on strike?
One more guy who could score from the point
And you decide to blow the joint

Is it the transfer from Mississippi State
Is Cameron Mack gonna be great
What is it we don’t see
that you couldn’t wait to flee?
 
[quote="redken" post=331422][quote="rawdognyc" post=331348][quote="redken" post=331330][quote="rawdognyc" post=331200]Lack of intensity or effort falls on the players at this stage. This isn't CYO basketball where you have children playing the game and need the rara from the coach. These are young men and know what the impact of wins and losses are. If they can't get up and bring their "A" game, then that's on them. The part that would fall on the coaches is maybe they recruited the wrong type of players.[/quote]
Rawdog, are you suggesting that the team wasn't interested in beating Marquette and moving on to the semifinals (which would ensure their first trip to the Big Dance)? -- the same players whom you describe as "young men who know the impact of wins are losses are"? Sure, they shot poorly from the start of the Marquette game and maybe they weren't as quick defensively as they'd been against DePaul. Could be they were having an "off" night, but more likely fatigue played a big role in that loss. Then, with the crowd was cheering them on during their second-half comeback when they cut the deficit to six points, they hit the wall -- and when they did, I don't think anyone on the team was thinking, "I'm not pumped up enough tonight to bring my 'A' game anymore. I'll just coast from here on out." The fact is they won a brutally physically game the night before, a game that took its toll on a very thin roster ... and the loss had zero to do with character. As for coaches, yes, they are responsible for motivating their players, and all the great ones do it.[/quote]

I'm not suggesting that they're not bringing their best every night. I'm going by what the players themselves have stated themselves. Here is a quote from Heron after their second loss to Providence.
“We didn’t play hard. They played harder than us. Similar to the first game and there were the same results."
Marvin Clark has also made similar remarks after losses this year. It's been that way the whole BE season. The games they won you saw the intensity. You saw team ball. The games they lost you saw them going through the motions and guys taking dumb shots and not sharing the ball.
I'm looking forward to change after this season. Hopefully in both staff and players with team first mentality.[/quote]
If any player looks like he's dogging it or not giving 100%, he should be immediately taken out of the game and replaced. (The problem is, who on our paper-thin bench can replace him? On this team, the drop-off from starter to substitute is enormous.)[/quote]
Yup.. That's the problem..our bench is/was our major weakness. Especially after Mikey bailed on us. I just don't get why he left. Been watching a lot of these games and see these coaches yelling in the face of these players that make a mistake, I never see that happen with our staff, which I feel is a good thing. So why do these kids stay in teams with these coaches that are complete lunatics and bounce on our laid back staff? There's got to be more to it as Fuschia mentions in his beautiful poem. Why can't we just have a normal staff and team? Always seems one thing or another is dysfunctional.
 
I enjoy the posts and insights - but one potentially key factor in us being as good or a better team next year:
Improvement!
I think of Mark Jackson, Jayson Williams, David Cain and others ( help me with others please) who get better and augmented the team.
It’s not just who leaves and who enters our program. It’s who is motivated to tap their inner potential and improve.
All the best.
 
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