Who do you guys think? I'd pick Ellison, he really hasn't shown anything at all. Yesterday's game was as awful as it can get, missing two layups that third graders hit 100% of, missing badly on 3 pointers, jogging back on defense with the ball being dribbled right up his ass; etc. Comical that the announcing crew picked him as the guy that can create his own shots. Yes he can, if by "shots" you mean flings towards the basket with his body contorted because the defense was all over him! Does he even have a place on this team moving forward?
Biggest Disappointment??
- Thread starter McClancy
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Class of 72
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1. Durand Johnson
2. Ron M'ouvika
3. Ellison
In reality, not one player on this team is starter material. Sima needed a year as a back up and Mussini should be a sub all 4 years if he stays. Yakwe is at least a year away because his offense is the furthest behind of all the frosh. Sima will be the only returning player who will start next year. You can take that to the bank.
2. Ron M'ouvika
3. Ellison
In reality, not one player on this team is starter material. Sima needed a year as a back up and Mussini should be a sub all 4 years if he stays. Yakwe is at least a year away because his offense is the furthest behind of all the frosh. Sima will be the only returning player who will start next year. You can take that to the bank.
jumbo_peanuts
Active member
What were you really expecting from Ellison? He is averaging almost 7pts/game for us. And it's not like he was a highly touted recruit coming in to begin with....
Christian Jones has been the biggest disappointment. I admire the amount of charges he has drawn. He has an absolutely ridiculous frame but has rock like hands near the rim. He travels quite a bit and everyone has figured out that little hook that fell in the beginning of the season. Freshman playing this many minutes in the BE will always get exposed. Even Ellison gets a pass from me this year.
All the other upperclassman have been average as well. However Mvouika provides leadership, charisma and the occasional hot touch from 3. Johnson has been our best scorer (I know
) and is literally the only guy who can create some kind of shot. Balamou provides this on energy that can't be quantified, even though he's 6'9 mentality playing in a 6'4 guard frame. Alibegovic has next year to truly prove what kind of player he is. I regard him in a favorable position, especially next year. The effort he puts out will start to produce some performance next year.
All the other upperclassman have been average as well. However Mvouika provides leadership, charisma and the occasional hot touch from 3. Johnson has been our best scorer (I know
) and is literally the only guy who can create some kind of shot. Balamou provides this on energy that can't be quantified, even though he's 6'9 mentality playing in a 6'4 guard frame. Alibegovic has next year to truly prove what kind of player he is. I regard him in a favorable position, especially next year. The effort he puts out will start to produce some performance next year.As much as Johnson has been criticized he has been the best scoring option for St. John's even though he is a high-volume shooter. Christian Jones has improved since he first arrived but still needs to establish himself as an interior presence. I do love Balamou's energy and athleticism but he does have a forwards skill set in a gurads body. Alibegovic does seem to have the most potential for growth because he had size is a decent rebounder and can shoot the 3. Next season it will be interesting to see how he develops because AA skillset compliments Yakwe's.
redfanOO0098jj
Member
The biggest disappointment are Rysheed Jordan and Chris Obekpa bailing on the team when a new regime came in. They are weak as they couldn't shape up and be true players because they actually had a coach who would hold them accountable. Hammer to the Rock
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Typical Lavin recruits. Talented yet selfish, lazy and undisciplined. Good riddance!
Joe Tempesta
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I agree completely about Obekpa. He was Lavin's greatest failure. Obekpa came in as a shot blocker, and he left as a shot blocker. With his wing span, someone should have taught him how to score. If he had developed a hook shot, and been taught to play above the rim, ten points out of him every game might have led to more success for the team. He came back from one summer at a BB camp, and he scored ten points. Then he reverted to shot blocking, exclusively. We continued to lose games by ten or twelve points.
Now, Sima, Owens, Yakwe, Lovett, Bashir, and RF, and Alkins, and Ponds, will do well. As for Mussini, he was recruited as a two guard. Suddenly, he is handed the ball and told he is the Point. I am surprised he did not turn around and go back to play for Italy, at his natural position, for some bucks. I think his attention is divided, and his confidence is faltered a bit. Next year, give him a chance to concentrate on shooting, and I think he will regain the form that got him here. WAIT 'TILL NEXT YEAR!! I am optimistic, and I love this staff, and these players.
Now, Sima, Owens, Yakwe, Lovett, Bashir, and RF, and Alkins, and Ponds, will do well. As for Mussini, he was recruited as a two guard. Suddenly, he is handed the ball and told he is the Point. I am surprised he did not turn around and go back to play for Italy, at his natural position, for some bucks. I think his attention is divided, and his confidence is faltered a bit. Next year, give him a chance to concentrate on shooting, and I think he will regain the form that got him here. WAIT 'TILL NEXT YEAR!! I am optimistic, and I love this staff, and these players.
Someone said that Ellison wasn't a bigtime recruit, so he isn't that much of a disappointment, but shouldn't we have expected the son of an NBA player to have SOME basketball sense? How about expecting him to through a pass somewhere close to catchable? Yesterday's classic moment was playing defense parallel to his man, giving him the whole baseline, just pathetic.
I'd also like to add the coaching staff to this disappointment thread, all 17 of them, is anyone actually improving? There's more coaches on the bench than players, that's a recipe for disaster.
I'd also like to add the coaching staff to this disappointment thread, all 17 of them, is anyone actually improving? There's more coaches on the bench than players, that's a recipe for disaster.
Ken - I can see and respect your frustration but I it's not fair to assume Ellison will be like his dad... Hard enough just to get to this level, let alone have expectations to be a college force like your father (even if his NBA career left much to the imagination).
He's played badly, but so has the rest of the team... If we call him out for a bad pass, then Yakwe should equally be called out for a Hail Mary yesterday... Love Yakwe on D, but he scares me anytime he attempts to shoot.
As far as the staff count.. not sure what you're seeing here that's much different from any other major program.
Put this season in perspective is all we can do.... If we played St. Thomas Aquinas again, do you think it would be a blowout like it was in early Nov ?
Hang in there... we'll get there.
He's played badly, but so has the rest of the team... If we call him out for a bad pass, then Yakwe should equally be called out for a Hail Mary yesterday... Love Yakwe on D, but he scares me anytime he attempts to shoot.
As far as the staff count.. not sure what you're seeing here that's much different from any other major program.
Put this season in perspective is all we can do.... If we played St. Thomas Aquinas again, do you think it would be a blowout like it was in early Nov ?
Hang in there... we'll get there.
Lovett not being able to play is the biggest disappointment. (That's not a knock on him)....... Without a true PG and a stretch 4 your doomed in college hoop today. We know we have those pieces coming. As far a Rico he's playing out position and will be fine in the future playing off the ball and coming off the bench.
I don't see Ellison staying all 4 years. Better days ahead!
I don't see Ellison staying all 4 years. Better days ahead!
jumbo_peanuts
Active member
So do you put DLo, Pointer, and Phil in that category as well? Since, you know, they were all Lavin recruits as well.
I absolutely love those three guys you mentioned. But they were the only three that ever came to play here seriously for four years. Every other lavin recruit besides branch, Ali, godsgift, felix and those three had problems. The talent we had here was wasted, Lavins last two years here should have produced better results. Plain and simple.
jumbo_peanuts
Active member
To say that those three were the only ones that ever came to play here for four years makes zero sense. Ali and Felix are still on the team, and they probably will play four years here. Branch and GodsGift were both transfers, so it wasn't possible to get them for four years. And if I remember correctly, Jordan made it pretty clear that he wasn't going to be a 4yr player. That really only leave Obekpa...so I'll giv e you that one.
Class of 72
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Jumbo, remember I said TALENTED but......
In his first 2 years Harrison was very selfish and undisciplined to the point of where he was kicked off the team!
Pointer was undisciplined his entire first 3 years. Phil was a selfish player all 4 years. Christian Jones, Felix Balamou and Alibegovic do not fall into those categories because they are not talented.
Nurideen Lindsey, Rasheed Jordan and Chris Obekpa were huge disappointments. Of course I'll leave the preferred walk ons he recruited in lieu of scholarship players because he stopped recruiting in his 4th year of coaching to focus on restaurant week.
Your first statement is correct. But I did say a SERIOUS four years, not the four years someone like Felix and alibegovic might give us. There's a huge difference. Regardless of reason (transfer, attitude, NBA), we never got enough four year players that could make a meaningful contribution, besides our beloved trio I mentioned earlier. You can't build a sustainable program if you're not graduating layers and maximizing their eligibility. Only blue bloods have proven that formula successful.
Tonight's Ellison scorecard--two more missed layups, actually hits a three, and feeling so confident, chucks up a brick the next time he touches the ball. The Ellison blooper of the night though-gets beat off the dribble for a dunk and then bitches Yakwe out for not being there. That was YOUR man Malik!!!
Is this team really any better than it was a few months ago? Nothing changes, only guy that improved(Mussini) has totally run out of steam. Johnson still just chucks and chucks, Mvouika still might as well not come back on D, Felix still travels at least two times a game, AA, Jones? UGH!!! Yakwe trying to run the break? I ask again, what are all those coaches doing?
Other than Sima and Yakwe, in defensive roles, can any of these guys contribute next year, assuming the new players are as good as we hope?
Other than Sima and Yakwe, in defensive roles, can any of these guys contribute next year, assuming the new players are as good as we hope?
Johnson, Mvouika, Felix and possiblly Jones are gone next year. So no matter how good our incoming class is, they will have to contribute. Ellison, AA and Mussini will also contribute next year. These guys just can't score except an occasionally hot Muss, but the defense and effort is there. That alone will carve out minutes for them.