Brad Stevens Leaves for the NBA

[beast of the east]

This might be the biggest overreaction I've ever seen on this board. No doubt it will hurt Butler, but this will in no way kill them. Let's wait and see first who they hire and how he performs before we bury them. Last I checked Stevens wasn't out there playing on the court. He was on the sidelines. Butler has too much national recognition and prestige to be a bad team. At worst they will be a bubble team most years IMO.

* See Indiana State after Larry bird
** See Fordham after Digger Phelps departs for Notre Dame
*** See Rutgers post Phil Sellers
**** See Providence Post Pitino
***** See UMASS post Calipari
****** See Hofstra post Jay Wright

Chances are greater that the program returns to what is was before, except for now they are in the New Big East, which should improve their chances of recruiting without Stevens. Stevens knew the time to strike was now, because perhaps his currency will never be higher.

 

[LJSA]

Not sure if it was mentioned in this thread already, but Butler is targeting Michigan assistant LaVall Jordan. If he's absorbed even half of what Beilein knows, it's a great choice.

 

[Pleasedontbanmeagain]

This might be the biggest overreaction I've ever seen on this board. No doubt it will hurt Butler, but this will in no way kill them. Let's wait and see first who they hire and how he performs before we bury them. Last I checked Stevens wasn't out there playing on the court. He was on the sidelines. Butler has too much national recognition and prestige to be a bad team. At worst they will be a bubble team most years IMO.

* See Indiana State after Larry bird
** See Fordham after Digger Phelps departs for Notre Dame
*** See Rutgers post Phil Sellers
**** See Providence Post Pitino
***** See UMASS post Calipari
****** See Hofstra post Jay Wright

Chances are greater that the program returns to what is was before, except for now they are in the New Big East, which should improve their chances of recruiting without Stevens. Stevens knew the time to strike was now, because perhaps his currency will never be higher.

All teams have golden eras or times of relevancy then times of failure. It's very cyclic. It can't 100% be attributed to the coach. And remember, if St. John's and maybe even Providence are finally back to their old glory then it takes the pressure off Butler. We don't need EVERY team to be competing for #1-3 in the conference. Butler will not be great but they will be a solid team that no one wants to play. These are high major college athletes...it's not like a coach leaves and they all of a sudden forget everything they ever knew about the game. If we all of a sudden had Rick Pitino or Calipari I don't think we'd do much better than 2011 with Lavin. Many times it's the players that make the team and not the coach. See Spolstra with the Heat or Joe Torre with the Yankees. I can be Duke's head coach and they'd still look good even though I don't have anywhere near the basketball knowledge to be one.

 

[STJ11Redmen]

This might be the biggest overreaction I've ever seen on this board. No doubt it will hurt Butler, but this will in no way kill them. Let's wait and see first who they hire and how he performs before we bury them. Last I checked Stevens wasn't out there playing on the court. He was on the sidelines. Butler has too much national recognition and prestige to be a bad team. At worst they will be a bubble team most years IMO.

* See Indiana State after Larry bird
** See Fordham after Digger Phelps departs for Notre Dame
*** See Rutgers post Phil Sellers
**** See Providence Post Pitino
***** See UMASS post Calipari
****** See Hofstra post Jay Wright

Chances are greater that the program returns to what is was before, except for now they are in the New Big East, which should improve their chances of recruiting without Stevens. Stevens knew the time to strike was now, because perhaps his currency will never be higher.

All teams have golden eras or times of relevancy then times of failure. It's very cyclic. It can't 100% be attributed to the coach. And remember, if St. John's and maybe even Providence are finally back to their old glory then it takes the pressure off Butler. We don't need EVERY team to be competing for #1-3 in the conference. Butler will not be great but they will be a solid team that no one wants to play. These are high major college athletes...it's not like a coach leaves and they all of a sudden forget everything they ever knew about the game. If we all of a sudden had Rick Pitino or Calipari I don't think we'd do much better than 2011 with Lavin. Many times it's the players that make the team and not the coach. See Spolstra with the Heat or Joe Torre with the Yankees. I can be Duke's head coach and they'd still look good even though I don't have anywhere near the basketball knowledge to be one.

Joe, college is different than the pros. The coach is both the coach and general manager. He picks the players, coaches the players and develops the players. If a program turns sour or has success the blame/praise can be fully placed on the head coach 95% of the time.

 

[Pleasedontbanmeagain]

This might be the biggest overreaction I've ever seen on this board. No doubt it will hurt Butler, but this will in no way kill them. Let's wait and see first who they hire and how he performs before we bury them. Last I checked Stevens wasn't out there playing on the court. He was on the sidelines. Butler has too much national recognition and prestige to be a bad team. At worst they will be a bubble team most years IMO.

* See Indiana State after Larry bird
** See Fordham after Digger Phelps departs for Notre Dame
*** See Rutgers post Phil Sellers
**** See Providence Post Pitino
***** See UMASS post Calipari
****** See Hofstra post Jay Wright

Chances are greater that the program returns to what is was before, except for now they are in the New Big East, which should improve their chances of recruiting without Stevens. Stevens knew the time to strike was now, because perhaps his currency will never be higher.

All teams have golden eras or times of relevancy then times of failure. It's very cyclic. It can't 100% be attributed to the coach. And remember, if St. John's and maybe even Providence are finally back to their old glory then it takes the pressure off Butler. We don't need EVERY team to be competing for #1-3 in the conference. Butler will not be great but they will be a solid team that no one wants to play. These are high major college athletes...it's not like a coach leaves and they all of a sudden forget everything they ever knew about the game. If we all of a sudden had Rick Pitino or Calipari I don't think we'd do much better than 2011 with Lavin. Many times it's the players that make the team and not the coach. See Spolstra with the Heat or Joe Torre with the Yankees. I can be Duke's head coach and they'd still look good even though I don't have anywhere near the basketball knowledge to be one.

Joe, college is different than the pros. The coach is both the coach and general manager. He picks the players, coaches the players and develops the players. If a program turns sour or has success the blame/praise can be fully placed on the head coach 95% of the time.

So you're saying if Boeheim or Coach K decided to coach DePaul they would all of a sudden be a top 10 team every year because they are just so good at coaching?

 

[STJ11Redmen]

This might be the biggest overreaction I've ever seen on this board. No doubt it will hurt Butler, but this will in no way kill them. Let's wait and see first who they hire and how he performs before we bury them. Last I checked Stevens wasn't out there playing on the court. He was on the sidelines. Butler has too much national recognition and prestige to be a bad team. At worst they will be a bubble team most years IMO.

* See Indiana State after Larry bird
** See Fordham after Digger Phelps departs for Notre Dame
*** See Rutgers post Phil Sellers
**** See Providence Post Pitino
***** See UMASS post Calipari
****** See Hofstra post Jay Wright

Chances are greater that the program returns to what is was before, except for now they are in the New Big East, which should improve their chances of recruiting without Stevens. Stevens knew the time to strike was now, because perhaps his currency will never be higher.

All teams have golden eras or times of relevancy then times of failure. It's very cyclic. It can't 100% be attributed to the coach. And remember, if St. John's and maybe even Providence are finally back to their old glory then it takes the pressure off Butler. We don't need EVERY team to be competing for #1-3 in the conference. Butler will not be great but they will be a solid team that no one wants to play. These are high major college athletes...it's not like a coach leaves and they all of a sudden forget everything they ever knew about the game. If we all of a sudden had Rick Pitino or Calipari I don't think we'd do much better than 2011 with Lavin. Many times it's the players that make the team and not the coach. See Spolstra with the Heat or Joe Torre with the Yankees. I can be Duke's head coach and they'd still look good even though I don't have anywhere near the basketball knowledge to be one.

Joe, college is different than the pros. The coach is both the coach and general manager. He picks the players, coaches the players and develops the players. If a program turns sour or has success the blame/praise can be fully placed on the head coach 95% of the time.

So you're saying if Boeheim or Coach K decided to coach DePaul they would all of a sudden be a top 10 team every year because they are just so good at coaching?

Once they were able to get their own players in, yes.

 

[simplyred]

Joe, along with "coaching", they bring in the players. If Coach K went to Depaul, he would recruit the players that would make Depaul a winning program. In college, it is almost completely about the coach.

 

[Pleasedontbanmeagain]

This might be the biggest overreaction I've ever seen on this board. No doubt it will hurt Butler, but this will in no way kill them. Let's wait and see first who they hire and how he performs before we bury them. Last I checked Stevens wasn't out there playing on the court. He was on the sidelines. Butler has too much national recognition and prestige to be a bad team. At worst they will be a bubble team most years IMO.

* See Indiana State after Larry bird
** See Fordham after Digger Phelps departs for Notre Dame
*** See Rutgers post Phil Sellers
**** See Providence Post Pitino
***** See UMASS post Calipari
****** See Hofstra post Jay Wright

Chances are greater that the program returns to what is was before, except for now they are in the New Big East, which should improve their chances of recruiting without Stevens. Stevens knew the time to strike was now, because perhaps his currency will never be higher.

All teams have golden eras or times of relevancy then times of failure. It's very cyclic. It can't 100% be attributed to the coach. And remember, if St. John's and maybe even Providence are finally back to their old glory then it takes the pressure off Butler. We don't need EVERY team to be competing for #1-3 in the conference. Butler will not be great but they will be a solid team that no one wants to play. These are high major college athletes...it's not like a coach leaves and they all of a sudden forget everything they ever knew about the game. If we all of a sudden had Rick Pitino or Calipari I don't think we'd do much better than 2011 with Lavin. Many times it's the players that make the team and not the coach. See Spolstra with the Heat or Joe Torre with the Yankees. I can be Duke's head coach and they'd still look good even though I don't have anywhere near the basketball knowledge to be one.

Joe, college is different than the pros. The coach is both the coach and general manager. He picks the players, coaches the players and develops the players. If a program turns sour or has success the blame/praise can be fully placed on the head coach 95% of the time.

So you're saying if Boeheim or Coach K decided to coach DePaul they would all of a sudden be a top 10 team every year because they are just so good at coaching?

Once they were able to get their own players in, yes.

But can't a great coach inherit 3 stars and turn them into 5 stars with how they perform in games? Otherwise coaching is just recruiting so by your definition Lavin would be a great coach.

 

[blackpeter24]

A mistake by both parties. Give me an example of a college coach who has been successful in the pros.

 

[beast of the east]

A mistake by both parties. Give me an example of a college coach who has been successful in the pros.

Larry Brown. Rick Pitino. In the pros, depending in where they went, winning wasn't a guarantee. This is why Phil Jackson cherry picked his jobs, as did Pat Riley.

 

[beast of the east]

This might be the biggest overreaction I've ever seen on this board. No doubt it will hurt Butler, but this will in no way kill them. Let's wait and see first who they hire and how he performs before we bury them. Last I checked Stevens wasn't out there playing on the court. He was on the sidelines. Butler has too much national recognition and prestige to be a bad team. At worst they will be a bubble team most years IMO.

* See Indiana State after Larry bird
** See Fordham after Digger Phelps departs for Notre Dame
*** See Rutgers post Phil Sellers
**** See Providence Post Pitino
***** See UMASS post Calipari
****** See Hofstra post Jay Wright

Chances are greater that the program returns to what is was before, except for now they are in the New Big East, which should improve their chances of recruiting without Stevens. Stevens knew the time to strike was now, because perhaps his currency will never be higher.

All teams have golden eras or times of relevancy then times of failure. It's very cyclic. It can't 100% be attributed to the coach. And remember, if St. John's and maybe even Providence are finally back to their old glory then it takes the pressure off Butler. We don't need EVERY team to be competing for #1-3 in the conference. Butler will not be great but they will be a solid team that no one wants to play. These are high major college athletes...it's not like a coach leaves and they all of a sudden forget everything they ever knew about the game. If we all of a sudden had Rick Pitino or Calipari I don't think we'd do much better than 2011 with Lavin. Many times it's the players that make the team and not the coach. See Spolstra with the Heat or Joe Torre with the Yankees. I can be Duke's head coach and they'd still look good even though I don't have anywhere near the basketball knowledge to be one.

College have success for a reason. With Butler, it was because they hit pay dirt with a great young unknown within their budget coach. Your examples of Pitino and Calipari are great ones. Pitino went to a bad Providence program, and with basically the same players took them to the Final four. (See Steve Lavin 2011). Then when he returned to college, he quickly too a Kentucky program that thirsts for championships to a title. Then in his next college go around, he brings home a title to Louisville. Caliipari wins (and cheats) everywhere he goes.

Spolstra is also a good example of how much talent means in the pros. Take away LeBron, or Wade, or Bosch (or all three), and the team would not be a championship team no matter who coaches. Joe Torre is a unique situation, because he was able to tame an older, mellower George Steinbrenner by telling him politely that he couldn't meddle. (Had Torre been the manager 15 years before that and tried it, he'd likely be fired) Baseball is a different sport, obviously. LaRussa once said a great manager is worth maybe 4 wins in a 162 game season.

Your example of Duke is a goo one also. I'd pretty much assure you that if you have no coaching skills you'd even mess up a Duke talent laden roster. Look what Doherty did at UNC with a great roster - he melted down and lost big time. However, make you coach of the Heat, and they'd still win a minimum of 50 games. That is of course, if the Resurrection of Joe doesn't piss off the team and get banned by them.

Butler may be a rising star or a shooting star. I'd bet the latter, especially if the school shows a reticence to invest in a big time coach.

 

[simplyred]

A mistake by both parties. Give me an example of a college coach who has been successful in the pros.

Larry Brown. Rick Pitino. In the pros, depending in where they went, winning wasn't a guarantee. This is why Phil Jackson cherry picked his jobs, as did Pat Riley.

This is the greatest franchise in NBA history (although I hate them). The Boston Celtics. You don't pass up that opportunity. If you last 3 years, don't make the playoffs and get fired, oh well. You've collected $22 million and you go back to college or to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

[beast of the east]

A mistake by both parties. Give me an example of a college coach who has been successful in the pros.

Larry Brown. Rick Pitino. In the pros, depending in where they went, winning wasn't a guarantee. This is why Phil Jackson cherry picked his jobs, as did Pat Riley.

This is the greatest franchise in NBA history (although I hate them). The Boston Celtics. You don't pass up that opportunity. If you last 3 years, don't make the playoffs and get fired, oh well. You've collected $22 million and you go back to college or to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

No question about the Celtics. He will walk into Boston Garden, see the parquet floors, all the championship banners. He will be in a lineage of Auerbach, Russell, Heinsohn, KC Jones, Don Nelson. It's a brass ring that is too hard not to grab at. If it were just about money, he could have gotten that plus more security if he simply waited for the next big college job to open up, maybe Duke. I'm not questioning his decision, I'm questioning the Big East inviting Butler in without thinking long and hard about how attractive butler would be without Stevens. The question really is, "Would the Big East still have extended the invitation, had Stevens already left?" The answer of course, is no.

 

[MCNPA]

A mistake by both parties. Give me an example of a college coach who has been successful in the pros.

Larry Brown. Rick Pitino. In the pros, depending in where they went, winning wasn't a guarantee. This is why Phil Jackson cherry picked his jobs, as did Pat Riley.

This is the greatest franchise in NBA history (although I hate them). The Boston Celtics. You don't pass up that opportunity. If you last 3 years, don't make the playoffs and get fired, oh well. You've collected $22 million and you go back to college or to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

No question about the Celtics. He will walk into Boston Garden, see the parquet floors, all the championship banners. He will be in a lineage of Auerbach, Russell, Heinsohn, KC Jones, Don Nelson. It's a brass ring that is too hard not to grab at. If it were just about money, he could have gotten that plus more security if he simply waited for the next big college job to open up, maybe Duke. I'm not questioning his decision, I'm questioning the Big East inviting Butler in without thinking long and hard about how attractive butler would be without Stevens. The question really is, "Would the Big East still have extended the invitation, had Stevens already left?" The answer of course, is no.

Very true. Mayb schools like Dayton or St. Louis or even Richmond or VCU would have been better choices. I never thought Butler was the obvious choice. I prefer schools that have potential for greatness, not just one great coach. Good for Brad Stevens, but Butler will now be in a much tougher position, especially entering this league.

 

[Class of 72]

A mistake by both parties. Give me an example of a college coach who has been successful in the pros.

Larry Brown. Rick Pitino. In the pros, depending in where they went, winning wasn't a guarantee. This is why Phil Jackson cherry picked his jobs, as did Pat Riley.

This is the greatest franchise in NBA history (although I hate them). The Boston Celtics. You don't pass up that opportunity. If you last 3 years, don't make the playoffs and get fired, oh well. You've collected $22 million and you go back to college or to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

No question about the Celtics. He will walk into Boston Garden, see the parquet floors, all the championship banners. He will be in a lineage of Auerbach, Russell, Heinsohn, KC Jones, Don Nelson. It's a brass ring that is too hard not to grab at. If it were just about money, he could have gotten that plus more security if he simply waited for the next big college job to open up, maybe Duke. I'm not questioning his decision, I'm questioning the Big East inviting Butler in without thinking long and hard about how attractive butler would be without Stevens. The question really is, "Would the Big East still have extended the invitation, had Stevens already left?" The answer of course, is no.

Very true. Mayb schools like Dayton or St. Louis or even Richmond or VCU would have been better choices. I never thought Butler was the obvious choice. I prefer schools that have potential for greatness, not just one great coach. Good for Brad Stevens, but Butler will now be in a much tougher position, especially entering this league.

Brad Stevens is a huge loss to Butler and the new Big East but unlike SJ they have a great track record for hiring excellent coaches. Recruiting top players will be a priority for Butler in a tougher conference and I am not sure Stevens had the charisma for that aspect of the college game. His replacement may and Butler may actually get a better pool of talent to make up for the loss of a great teacher of the game.
The one positive is that it raised St. John's profile in the conference and we are without a doubt the most important school in the Big East now with headquarters in NYC, a tourney at MSG. The pressure is on St. John's not Butler!

 

[Section9]

A mistake by both parties. Give me an example of a college coach who has been successful in the pros.

Larry Brown. Rick Pitino. In the pros, depending in where they went, winning wasn't a guarantee. This is why Phil Jackson cherry picked his jobs, as did Pat Riley.

This is the greatest franchise in NBA history (although I hate them). The Boston Celtics. You don't pass up that opportunity. If you last 3 years, don't make the playoffs and get fired, oh well. You've collected $22 million and you go back to college or to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

No question about the Celtics. He will walk into Boston Garden, see the parquet floors, all the championship banners. He will be in a lineage of Auerbach, Russell, Heinsohn, KC Jones, Don Nelson. It's a brass ring that is too hard not to grab at. If it were just about money, he could have gotten that plus more security if he simply waited for the next big college job to open up, maybe Duke. I'm not questioning his decision, I'm questioning the Big East inviting Butler in without thinking long and hard about how attractive butler would be without Stevens. The question really is, "Would the Big East still have extended the invitation, had Stevens already left?" The answer of course, is no.

The answer is of course yes, did any of the schools vetting the three new additions really believe that Stevens, arguably the hottest coach at a "mid major, would be guaranteed to be around for any length of time? Butler has a history of hiring good young coaches. Is the next hire going to be another Stevens? Probably not, but he'll be solid and the program will continue to thrive. Let's see how we match up with them in say three years before questioning Butler's invite to the conference.

 

[STJ11Redmen]

This might be the biggest overreaction I've ever seen on this board. No doubt it will hurt Butler, but this will in no way kill them. Let's wait and see first who they hire and how he performs before we bury them. Last I checked Stevens wasn't out there playing on the court. He was on the sidelines. Butler has too much national recognition and prestige to be a bad team. At worst they will be a bubble team most years IMO.

* See Indiana State after Larry bird
** See Fordham after Digger Phelps departs for Notre Dame
*** See Rutgers post Phil Sellers
**** See Providence Post Pitino
***** See UMASS post Calipari
****** See Hofstra post Jay Wright

Chances are greater that the program returns to what is was before, except for now they are in the New Big East, which should improve their chances of recruiting without Stevens. Stevens knew the time to strike was now, because perhaps his currency will never be higher.

All teams have golden eras or times of relevancy then times of failure. It's very cyclic. It can't 100% be attributed to the coach. And remember, if St. John's and maybe even Providence are finally back to their old glory then it takes the pressure off Butler. We don't need EVERY team to be competing for #1-3 in the conference. Butler will not be great but they will be a solid team that no one wants to play. These are high major college athletes...it's not like a coach leaves and they all of a sudden forget everything they ever knew about the game. If we all of a sudden had Rick Pitino or Calipari I don't think we'd do much better than 2011 with Lavin. Many times it's the players that make the team and not the coach. See Spolstra with the Heat or Joe Torre with the Yankees. I can be Duke's head coach and they'd still look good even though I don't have anywhere near the basketball knowledge to be one.

Joe, college is different than the pros. The coach is both the coach and general manager. He picks the players, coaches the players and develops the players. If a program turns sour or has success the blame/praise can be fully placed on the head coach 95% of the time.

So you're saying if Boeheim or Coach K decided to coach DePaul they would all of a sudden be a top 10 team every year because they are just so good at coaching?

Once they were able to get their own players in, yes.

But can't a great coach inherit 3 stars and turn them into 5 stars with how they perform in games? Otherwise coaching is just recruiting so by your definition Lavin would be a great coach.

Being a great coach includes the entire package. Being a great coach is based solely on your teams success because you're in charge of everything. Coaching, picking players, etc. I never said coaching is simply recruiting because there are plenty of coaches who get players but can't make them win. It's all about winning.

 

[Pleasedontbanmeagain]

A mistake by both parties. Give me an example of a college coach who has been successful in the pros.

Larry Brown. Rick Pitino. In the pros, depending in where they went, winning wasn't a guarantee. This is why Phil Jackson cherry picked his jobs, as did Pat Riley.

This is the greatest franchise in NBA history (although I hate them). The Boston Celtics. You don't pass up that opportunity. If you last 3 years, don't make the playoffs and get fired, oh well. You've collected $22 million and you go back to college or to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

No question about the Celtics. He will walk into Boston Garden, see the parquet floors, all the championship banners. He will be in a lineage of Auerbach, Russell, Heinsohn, KC Jones, Don Nelson. It's a brass ring that is too hard not to grab at. If it were just about money, he could have gotten that plus more security if he simply waited for the next big college job to open up, maybe Duke. I'm not questioning his decision, I'm questioning the Big East inviting Butler in without thinking long and hard about how attractive butler would be without Stevens. The question really is, "Would the Big East still have extended the invitation, had Stevens already left?" The answer of course, is no.

Very true. Mayb schools like Dayton or St. Louis or even Richmond or VCU would have been better choices. I never thought Butler was the obvious choice. I prefer schools that have potential for greatness, not just one great coach. Good for Brad Stevens, but Butler will now be in a much tougher position, especially entering this league.

Brad Stevens is a huge loss to Butler and the new Big East but unlike SJ they have a great track record for hiring excellent coaches. Recruiting top players will be a priority for Butler in a tougher conference and I am not sure Stevens had the charisma for that aspect of the college game. His replacement may and Butler may actually get a better pool of talent to make up for the loss of a great teacher of the game.
The one positive is that it raised St. John's profile in the conference and we are without a doubt the most important school in the Big East now with headquarters in NYC, a tourney at MSG. The pressure is on St. John's not Butler!

Nova, G'Town and Marquette are definitely more important than us in this conference, but we have just as good a roster on paper as anyone in it.

 

[Class of 72]

A mistake by both parties. Give me an example of a college coach who has been successful in the pros.

Larry Brown. Rick Pitino. In the pros, depending in where they went, winning wasn't a guarantee. This is why Phil Jackson cherry picked his jobs, as did Pat Riley.

This is the greatest franchise in NBA history (although I hate them). The Boston Celtics. You don't pass up that opportunity. If you last 3 years, don't make the playoffs and get fired, oh well. You've collected $22 million and you go back to college or to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

No question about the Celtics. He will walk into Boston Garden, see the parquet floors, all the championship banners. He will be in a lineage of Auerbach, Russell, Heinsohn, KC Jones, Don Nelson. It's a brass ring that is too hard not to grab at. If it were just about money, he could have gotten that plus more security if he simply waited for the next big college job to open up, maybe Duke. I'm not questioning his decision, I'm questioning the Big East inviting Butler in without thinking long and hard about how attractive butler would be without Stevens. The question really is, "Would the Big East still have extended the invitation, had Stevens already left?" The answer of course, is no.

Very true. Mayb schools like Dayton or St. Louis or even Richmond or VCU would have been better choices. I never thought Butler was the obvious choice. I prefer schools that have potential for greatness, not just one great coach. Good for Brad Stevens, but Butler will now be in a much tougher position, especially entering this league.

Brad Stevens is a huge loss to Butler and the new Big East but unlike SJ they have a great track record for hiring excellent coaches. Recruiting top players will be a priority for Butler in a tougher conference and I am not sure Stevens had the charisma for that aspect of the college game. His replacement may and Butler may actually get a better pool of talent to make up for the loss of a great teacher of the game.
The one positive is that it raised St. John's profile in the conference and we are without a doubt the most important school in the Big East now with headquarters in NYC, a tourney at MSG. The pressure is on St. John's not Butler!

Nova, G'Town and Marquette are definitely more important than us in this conference, but we have just as good a roster on paper as anyone in it.

I think you missed my point. From an historical perspective the schools you mentioned "were" more important. The new BE is now headquartered in NYC and to be relevant SJ needs to own msg and be an NCAA tournament team every year. PERIOD! As SJ goes so does the big east.

 

[westchesterjoe]

Butler has been building a quality BB program for most of the decade, if not longer.. Their last 3 Coaches have been Matta, Lickliter and Stevens..Basically, quality guys. And, forget Lickliter at Iowa.. Steve Alford didn't make it there, either and look where he is now. Iowa will be 3rd tier Big Ten for a long time, it's tough place to recruit kids to go there.

Butler is a top Academic school, way better than the Harrington SJU..They have a lot going for them in Indiana and, environs.. Not all Indiana kids want to go to IU and Butler in Indy is not podunk USA. Kids who are, maybe, just below the Mcd AA level can still play good BB and, some want a quality 4 year education and college experience and, want to be Doctors or Scientists and, not NBA PROS.. Butler can get those type kids from the Mid West and, has shown that they don't take a backseat to Purdue or, ND either.
They , as a program, have a 100 year tradition in BB and, they are committed to BB as a part of their identity. Their Alumni are proud and well heeled financially. John Minko of WFAN is a Alum..

So, don't underestimate them, even, without Stevens.. They will get kids who are smart, coachable and will , usually, stay 4 years.. They may not all be NBA prospects but, can shoot, rebound and play defense..

In other words, just the type of team that can bury more talented and athletic teams on any given night. Don't think that will change.

And, they have clearly stepped beyond a label of mid major, much like Gonzaga, whom they beat last year by the way.

No, for a lot of reasons, Butler to the BE was more than just Stevens.. They are a major media attraction in the Mid West and, will replace ND in that identity and, the BE needed that ..