building a winning team with local talent

ghostzapper

ghostzapper

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Coach Mullin expressed a belief that the ability to effectively recruit locally will be a key to sustaining the program's success going forward. While there is much debate about how deep the talent pool is in and around New York these days, the concept of doing this well has much merit. If you doubt this, look no further than the roster of one of the two teams in tonight's national championship game.

While the Duke roster is filled with the national Mcdonald's All American types typical of a Mega-program, Wisconsin has built a team based on acquiring solid local talent. In fact all of their players, except one, come from either Wisconsin (7), border states Illinois (3), Minnesota (2) or nearby Ohio (3).

While we are not exactly Wisconsin, it makes more sense to me philosophically to mine your local resources than to try to mimic mega-programs like Duke or Kentucky. In fact in the post Carnesecca era our best team was filled with local NY talent like (Artest, Barkley, Jessie, Grant, Gray and even Lavor Postell who had family in Queens). I realize you need to get players wherever you can find them, but in the long run I believe Coach Mullin is right that we need to keep a fair share of local talent at home.

Below are the rosters for tonight's game:

Wisconsin Badgers
2 Jordan Smith
G 6-1 180 JR Orono, MN
3 Zak Showalter
G 6-2 192 SO Germantown, WI
4 Matt Ferris
G 6-5 190 FR Appleton, WI
5 Aaron Moesch
F 6-8 200 FR Green Bay, WI
10 Nigel Hayes
F 6-7 250 SO Toledo, OH
11 Jordan Hill
G 6-3 170 SO Pasadena, CA
12 Traevon Jackson
G 6-2 208 SR Westerville, OH
13 Duje Dukan
F 6-9 220 SR Deerfield, IL
15 Sam Dekker
F 6-9 220 JR Sheboygan, WI
20 T.J. Schlundt
G 6-5 200 FR Oconomowoc, WI
21 Josh Gasser
G 6-3 190 SR Port Washington, WI
22 Ethan Happ
F 6-8 200 FR Milan, IL
24 Bronson Koenig
G 6-3 190 SO La Crosse, WI
30 Vitto Brown
F 6-8 237 SO Bowling Green, OH
35 Riley Dearring
G 6-5 180 FR Minnetonka, MN
44 Frank Kaminsky
F 7-0 234 SR Lisle, IL

Duke Blue Devils
2 Quinn Cook
G 6-2 185 SR Washington, DC
3 Grayson Allen
G 6-4 195 FR Jacksonville, FL
5 Tyus Jones
G 6-1 190 FR Apple Valley, MN
12 Justise Winslow
F 6-6 225 FR Houston, TX
13 Matt Jones
G 6-5 210 SO Desoto, TX
15 Jahlil Okafor
C 6-11 270 FR Chicago, IL
21 Amile Jefferson
F 6-9 215 JR Philadelphia, PA
34 Sean Obi
F 6-9 270 SO Kaduna, Nigeria
40 Marshall Plumlee
C 7-0 255 JR Warsaw, IN
42 Sean Kelly
G 6-3 195 SR Raleigh, NC
45 Nick Pagliuca
G 6-3 195 SO Weston, MA
 
Agree that many programs that don't fit the "mega program" category have to be successful in recruiting locally and regionally. But we shouldn't overlook the development factor. If you put that Wisco roster under any other coach, I don't think they would be in the championship game.

Ryan deserves kudos for getting the best out of his athletes and running a system that works.
 
Many college teams are not located in areas that have a plethora of D-1 prospects
They must recruit outside their immediate area or nationally to get talent
We are fortunate that there are still lots of high major players in the NY metro area
I would love to see us make the NY metro area our primary base of recruiting
We can fill in areas of need with kids from elsewhere
Besides HS kids, we also need to recruit more JUCO's, transfers and 5th year kids
This would help us more evenly balance our classes
 
Here are the starting hometowns of some of our best teams in the post Mullin years.

1991 - Elite 8
G. Syracuse
G. Colorado
F. Bronx
C. Queens
F. Bronx

1999 - Elite 8
G. Queens
G. Baltimore
F. Queens
C. Brooklyn
F. Georgia

2011 -1st rd loss
G: Bronx
G: Delaware
F: Pittsburgh
F: California
F: Georgia
 
Coach Mullin expressed a belief that the ability to effectively recruit locally will be a key to sustaining the program's success going forward. While there is much debate about how deep the talent pool is in and around New York these days, the concept of doing this well has much merit. If you doubt this, look no further than the roster of one of the two teams in tonight's national championship game.

While the Duke roster is filled with the national Mcdonald's All American types typical of a Mega-program, Wisconsin has built a team based on acquiring solid local talent. In fact all of their players, except one, come from either Wisconsin (7), border states Illinois (3), Minnesota (2) or nearby Ohio (3).

While we are not exactly Wisconsin, it makes more sense to me philosophically to mine your local resources than to try to mimic mega-programs like Duke or Kentucky. In fact in the post Carnesecca era our best team was filled with local NY talent like (Artest, Barkley, Jessie, Grant, Gray and even Lavor Postell who had family in Queens). I realize you need to get players wherever you can find them, but in the long run I believe Coach Mullin is right that we need to keep a fair share of local talent at home.

Below are the rosters for tonight's game:

Wisconsin Badgers
2 Jordan Smith
G 6-1 180 JR Orono, MN
3 Zak Showalter
G 6-2 192 SO Germantown, WI
4 Matt Ferris
G 6-5 190 FR Appleton, WI
5 Aaron Moesch
F 6-8 200 FR Green Bay, WI
10 Nigel Hayes
F 6-7 250 SO Toledo, OH
11 Jordan Hill
G 6-3 170 SO Pasadena, CA
12 Traevon Jackson
G 6-2 208 SR Westerville, OH
13 Duje Dukan
F 6-9 220 SR Deerfield, IL
15 Sam Dekker
F 6-9 220 JR Sheboygan, WI
20 T.J. Schlundt
G 6-5 200 FR Oconomowoc, WI
21 Josh Gasser
G 6-3 190 SR Port Washington, WI
22 Ethan Happ
F 6-8 200 FR Milan, IL
24 Bronson Koenig
G 6-3 190 SO La Crosse, WI
30 Vitto Brown
F 6-8 237 SO Bowling Green, OH
35 Riley Dearring
G 6-5 180 FR Minnetonka, MN
44 Frank Kaminsky
F 7-0 234 SR Lisle, IL

Duke Blue Devils
2 Quinn Cook
G 6-2 185 SR Washington, DC
3 Grayson Allen
G 6-4 195 FR Jacksonville, FL
5 Tyus Jones
G 6-1 190 FR Apple Valley, MN
12 Justise Winslow
F 6-6 225 FR Houston, TX
13 Matt Jones
G 6-5 210 SO Desoto, TX
15 Jahlil Okafor
C 6-11 270 FR Chicago, IL
21 Amile Jefferson
F 6-9 215 JR Philadelphia, PA
34 Sean Obi
F 6-9 270 SO Kaduna, Nigeria
40 Marshall Plumlee
C 7-0 255 JR Warsaw, IN
42 Sean Kelly
G 6-3 195 SR Raleigh, NC
45 Nick Pagliuca
G 6-3 195 SO Weston, MA
Click to expand...

It would be interesting to see what the best possible lineup of NY kids would look like.
 
Coach Mullin expressed a belief that the ability to effectively recruit locally will be a key to sustaining the program's success going forward. While there is much debate about how deep the talent pool is in and around New York these days, the concept of doing this well has much merit. If you doubt this, look no further than the roster of one of the two teams in tonight's national championship game.

While the Duke roster is filled with the national Mcdonald's All American types typical of a Mega-program, Wisconsin has built a team based on acquiring solid local talent. In fact all of their players, except one, come from either Wisconsin (7), border states Illinois (3), Minnesota (2) or nearby Ohio (3).

While we are not exactly Wisconsin, it makes more sense to me philosophically to mine your local resources than to try to mimic mega-programs like Duke or Kentucky. In fact in the post Carnesecca era our best team was filled with local NY talent like (Artest, Barkley, Jessie, Grant, Gray and even Lavor Postell who had family in Queens). I realize you need to get players wherever you can find them, but in the long run I believe Coach Mullin is right that we need to keep a fair share of local talent at home.

Below are the rosters for tonight's game:

Wisconsin Badgers
2 Jordan Smith
G 6-1 180 JR Orono, MN
3 Zak Showalter
G 6-2 192 SO Germantown, WI
4 Matt Ferris
G 6-5 190 FR Appleton, WI
5 Aaron Moesch
F 6-8 200 FR Green Bay, WI
10 Nigel Hayes
F 6-7 250 SO Toledo, OH
11 Jordan Hill
G 6-3 170 SO Pasadena, CA
12 Traevon Jackson
G 6-2 208 SR Westerville, OH
13 Duje Dukan
F 6-9 220 SR Deerfield, IL
15 Sam Dekker
F 6-9 220 JR Sheboygan, WI
20 T.J. Schlundt
G 6-5 200 FR Oconomowoc, WI
21 Josh Gasser
G 6-3 190 SR Port Washington, WI
22 Ethan Happ
F 6-8 200 FR Milan, IL
24 Bronson Koenig
G 6-3 190 SO La Crosse, WI
30 Vitto Brown
F 6-8 237 SO Bowling Green, OH
35 Riley Dearring
G 6-5 180 FR Minnetonka, MN
44 Frank Kaminsky
F 7-0 234 SR Lisle, IL

Duke Blue Devils
2 Quinn Cook
G 6-2 185 SR Washington, DC
3 Grayson Allen
G 6-4 195 FR Jacksonville, FL
5 Tyus Jones
G 6-1 190 FR Apple Valley, MN
12 Justise Winslow
F 6-6 225 FR Houston, TX
13 Matt Jones
G 6-5 210 SO Desoto, TX
15 Jahlil Okafor
C 6-11 270 FR Chicago, IL
21 Amile Jefferson
F 6-9 215 JR Philadelphia, PA
34 Sean Obi
F 6-9 270 SO Kaduna, Nigeria
40 Marshall Plumlee
C 7-0 255 JR Warsaw, IN
42 Sean Kelly
G 6-3 195 SR Raleigh, NC
45 Nick Pagliuca
G 6-3 195 SO Weston, MA
Click to expand...

At the end of the day, I think you need to do whatever you have to do to build a winning team. You need to get the best team possible, regardless of where they are from.

I don't want to ever have a situation where we don't look at a kid because he isn't from new york, or we offer a scholarship to someone and one of the main reasons we offer is because they are local.

We need to get the best players possible, and if they are local, great. But if they are not local, oh well.
 
jumbo_peanuts wrote: At the end of the day, I think you need to do whatever you have to do to build a winning team. You need to get the best team possible, regardless of where they are from.

I don't want to ever have a situation where we don't look at a kid because he isn't from new york, or we offer a scholarship to someone and one of the main reasons we offer is because they are local.

We need to get the best players possible, and if they are local, great. But if they are not local, oh well.

Of course you have to get the best players available. I think that goes without saying. However I think the point is what is your approach to do this. Our last bunch of coaches have used different approaches to focus on their recruiting efforts. Mahoney and Fraschilla focused on top local talent as did Lou before them. Jarvis definitely burned connections with local schools and programs to look elsewhere. Norm tried to restore those local connections but was unable to get the higher end recruits to come here. Lavin recruited nationally and focused less on local relationships.

Coach Mullin says we need to be stronger here at home. I think this is valid and can work for us. We still are the premiere program in the number one city in America. That has to count for something!
 
Local stars still have to be a staple for us. We will definitely recruit nationally. But we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot, like Lavin did, by not cultivating the local products. 13 scholarships to give out. No reason we shouldn't have a handful of tri-state area kids.
 
Of course it doesn't matter where our talent comes from as long as our roster is strong. Hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million New Yorkers came from somewhere else, and consider themselves New Yorkers/. Hop that to grandparents and the vast majority of New Yorkers came from somewhere else. Of course that's not the point. New York City basketball is tough, physical play, and well suited for Big East basketball.

The real story here is that Mullin knows how to play to his strengths. Of course everyone in basketball above the age of 40 knows who Chris Mullin is, but Mullin is revered in New York. If he makes a recruiting call in Louisiana or Nebraska he does not have the same advantage as he does in the NYC area. So it makes perfect sense that Mullin recruits NYC hard, and that he develops relationship around the area that creates a network of HS coaches and AAU program. These guys not only want to be connected to SJU but likely rooted for us in the day, and were lost beginning with Jarvis' arrogance, Robert's ineptness, and Lavin's aloofness or laziness.
 
Coach Mullin expressed a belief that the ability to effectively recruit locally will be a key to sustaining the program's success going forward. While there is much debate about how deep the talent pool is in and around New York these days, the concept of doing this well has much merit. If you doubt this, look no further than the roster of one of the two teams in tonight's national championship game.

While the Duke roster is filled with the national Mcdonald's All American types typical of a Mega-program, Wisconsin has built a team based on acquiring solid local talent. In fact all of their players, except one, come from either Wisconsin (7), border states Illinois (3), Minnesota (2) or nearby Ohio (3).

While we are not exactly Wisconsin, it makes more sense to me philosophically to mine your local resources than to try to mimic mega-programs like Duke or Kentucky. In fact in the post Carnesecca era our best team was filled with local NY talent like (Artest, Barkley, Jessie, Grant, Gray and even Lavor Postell who had family in Queens). I realize you need to get players wherever you can find them, but in the long run I believe Coach Mullin is right that we need to keep a fair share of local talent at home.

Below are the rosters for tonight's game:

Wisconsin Badgers
2 Jordan Smith
G 6-1 180 JR Orono, MN
3 Zak Showalter
G 6-2 192 SO Germantown, WI
4 Matt Ferris
G 6-5 190 FR Appleton, WI
5 Aaron Moesch
F 6-8 200 FR Green Bay, WI
10 Nigel Hayes
F 6-7 250 SO Toledo, OH
11 Jordan Hill
G 6-3 170 SO Pasadena, CA
12 Traevon Jackson
G 6-2 208 SR Westerville, OH
13 Duje Dukan
F 6-9 220 SR Deerfield, IL
15 Sam Dekker
F 6-9 220 JR Sheboygan, WI
20 T.J. Schlundt
G 6-5 200 FR Oconomowoc, WI
21 Josh Gasser
G 6-3 190 SR Port Washington, WI
22 Ethan Happ
F 6-8 200 FR Milan, IL
24 Bronson Koenig
G 6-3 190 SO La Crosse, WI
30 Vitto Brown
F 6-8 237 SO Bowling Green, OH
35 Riley Dearring
G 6-5 180 FR Minnetonka, MN
44 Frank Kaminsky
F 7-0 234 SR Lisle, IL

Duke Blue Devils
2 Quinn Cook
G 6-2 185 SR Washington, DC
3 Grayson Allen
G 6-4 195 FR Jacksonville, FL
5 Tyus Jones
G 6-1 190 FR Apple Valley, MN
12 Justise Winslow
F 6-6 225 FR Houston, TX
13 Matt Jones
G 6-5 210 SO Desoto, TX
15 Jahlil Okafor
C 6-11 270 FR Chicago, IL
21 Amile Jefferson
F 6-9 215 JR Philadelphia, PA
34 Sean Obi
F 6-9 270 SO Kaduna, Nigeria
40 Marshall Plumlee
C 7-0 255 JR Warsaw, IN
42 Sean Kelly
G 6-3 195 SR Raleigh, NC
45 Nick Pagliuca
G 6-3 195 SO Weston, MA
Click to expand...


Interesting that there is not one New Yorker among them.
 
Coach Mullin expressed a belief that the ability to effectively recruit locally will be a key to sustaining the program's success going forward. While there is much debate about how deep the talent pool is in and around New York these days, the concept of doing this well has much merit. If you doubt this, look no further than the roster of one of the two teams in tonight's national championship game.

While the Duke roster is filled with the national Mcdonald's All American types typical of a Mega-program, Wisconsin has built a team based on acquiring solid local talent. In fact all of their players, except one, come from either Wisconsin (7), border states Illinois (3), Minnesota (2) or nearby Ohio (3).

While we are not exactly Wisconsin, it makes more sense to me philosophically to mine your local resources than to try to mimic mega-programs like Duke or Kentucky. In fact in the post Carnesecca era our best team was filled with local NY talent like (Artest, Barkley, Jessie, Grant, Gray and even Lavor Postell who had family in Queens). I realize you need to get players wherever you can find them, but in the long run I believe Coach Mullin is right that we need to keep a fair share of local talent at home.

Below are the rosters for tonight's game:

Wisconsin Badgers
2 Jordan Smith
G 6-1 180 JR Orono, MN
3 Zak Showalter
G 6-2 192 SO Germantown, WI
4 Matt Ferris
G 6-5 190 FR Appleton, WI
5 Aaron Moesch
F 6-8 200 FR Green Bay, WI
10 Nigel Hayes
F 6-7 250 SO Toledo, OH
11 Jordan Hill
G 6-3 170 SO Pasadena, CA
12 Traevon Jackson
G 6-2 208 SR Westerville, OH
13 Duje Dukan
F 6-9 220 SR Deerfield, IL
15 Sam Dekker
F 6-9 220 JR Sheboygan, WI
20 T.J. Schlundt
G 6-5 200 FR Oconomowoc, WI
21 Josh Gasser
G 6-3 190 SR Port Washington, WI
22 Ethan Happ
F 6-8 200 FR Milan, IL
24 Bronson Koenig
G 6-3 190 SO La Crosse, WI
30 Vitto Brown
F 6-8 237 SO Bowling Green, OH
35 Riley Dearring
G 6-5 180 FR Minnetonka, MN
44 Frank Kaminsky
F 7-0 234 SR Lisle, IL

Duke Blue Devils
2 Quinn Cook
G 6-2 185 SR Washington, DC
3 Grayson Allen
G 6-4 195 FR Jacksonville, FL
5 Tyus Jones
G 6-1 190 FR Apple Valley, MN
12 Justise Winslow
F 6-6 225 FR Houston, TX
13 Matt Jones
G 6-5 210 SO Desoto, TX
15 Jahlil Okafor
C 6-11 270 FR Chicago, IL
21 Amile Jefferson
F 6-9 215 JR Philadelphia, PA
34 Sean Obi
F 6-9 270 SO Kaduna, Nigeria
40 Marshall Plumlee
C 7-0 255 JR Warsaw, IN
42 Sean Kelly
G 6-3 195 SR Raleigh, NC
45 Nick Pagliuca
G 6-3 195 SO Weston, MA
Click to expand...


Interesting that there is not one New Yorker among them.
Click to expand...

Isn't that something?

Let's take it one step further and look at Kentucky's roster:

00 Marcus Lee F Antioch, CA
1 Devin Booker G 6-6 Grand Rapids, MI
2 Aaron Harrison G 6-6 Richmond, TX
3 Tyler Ulis G 5-9 Lima, OH
5 Andrew Harrison G 6-6 Richmond, TX
12 Karl-Anthony Towns F 6-11 Piscataway, NJ
13 Sam Malone G 5-11 Scituate, MA
15 Willie Cauley-Stein F 7-0 Olathe, KS
21 Tod Lanter G 6-2 Lexington, KY
22 Alex Poythress F 6-8 Clarksville, TN
24 EJ Floreal G 6-4 Palo Alto, CA
25 Dominique Hawkins G 6-0 Richmond, KY
32 Brian Long G 5-9 Dumont, NJ
35 Derek Willis F 6-9 Mount Washington, KY
41 Trey Lyles F 6-10 Indianapolis, IN
44 Dakari Johnson C 7-0 Brooklyn, NY

And here is Michigan State's Roster:

0 Marvin Clark Jr. F 6-6 Kansas City, MO
2 Javon Bess F 6-5 Columbus, OH
3 Alvin Ellis III G 6-4 Matteson, IL
5 Bryn Forbes G 6-3 Lansing, MI
10 Matt Costello F 6-9 Linwood, MI
11 Lourawls Nairn Jr. G 5-10 Nassau, Bahamas
13 Trevor Bohnhoff F 6-7 Saginaw, MI
15 Keenan Wetzel G 6-4 Monroe, MI
20 Travis Trice G 6-0 Huber Heights, OH
22 Branden Dawson G-F 6-6 Gary, IN
25 Kenny Goins F 6-6 Troy, MI
30 Matt Van Dyk F 6-5 Imlay City, MI
34 Gavin Schilling F 6-9 Chicago, IL
41 Colby Wollenman F 6-7 Big Horn, WY
45 Denzel Valentine G 6-5 Lansing, MI
-- Eron Harris NA 6-3 Indianapolis, IN



So out of the four final 4 teams, only one player is from NYC. The only hope that I have is that was sort of follow what Michigan State has done, and recruit locally and hope they develop into something....
 
Just get the best players from wherever you can. If they came up in NY and played at a prep school in Virginia so be it. If they stayed in NY through high school that's good too. If they're coming to NY for the first time and they can play, that'll work too.
 
Here is the problem with this analysis for St. Johns. From a New York perspective, the players who made up Wisconsin are not the kinds of local players we've strategically gone after because St. Johns isn't perceived as the right fit for them. Yes, Wisconsin is made up of "area players" but if you dig into it you realize they get either cream-of-crop or the grinders they develop. They are not just pulling boys off the farm. Sam Decker was ranked #12 in the country by Rivals coming out of high school, the only player ranked higher in NYC at that time was Kyle Anderson. And its the same with Bronson Koenig, he was the #1 player in the state and would have been the #4 player from the whole NY area if he were from here (only Kentan Facey, Tyler Ennis and Jermaine Lawrence were ranked higher). Most of the rest of the team is made up of 2-star type players who go to Wisconsin out of pride, tradition and the experience. They buy into the community, and it makes them a star for life once they go home. Even bench players are Gods when they go back to Beloit or where ever once school ends. Do you think anyone in Syosset gives a crap when you go home after logging bench time at St. Johns??? When you grow up in Lisle, IL, Wisconsin and Marquette are a big thing. At Wisconsin you are a part of something that will sustain you for the of your life in a much different way than St. Johns. That community and the track record of building players like Frank Kaminsky is the reason the unrated players will commit and sacrifice for the program.

You see my point? We cant get that mix of players, it isn't happening at St. Johns right now and very likely forever. The vast majority of top stars in NY leave, and the 3rd and 4th tier players don't have any incentive or path to follow to see themselves developing and thriving at St. Johns. Emerging NY players are much better off going to say Miami of Ohio and being the man from day one and try to build themselves into NBA players in the sticks.

For sure Mullin will help us change this perceptions but actually convincing local coaches and parents that its a new day will be really hard. Hopefully Mullin and Matt Abdelmassih have a strategy in mind of what a program looks like moving forward. My own belief is that we can never become a nursery in the way Wisconsin and Gonzaga are. St. Johns needs to develop its own strategy between the One-and-done Kentucky and Duke-way and Wisconsin-way. And like it or not, it will likely look very much like Louie's template from the late 70's, 1 or 2 gritty super-stars, NY sleepers in the Matt Brust mold, very good JUCO's and transfers coming home and some 3-stars that leaked through from elsewhere that have NY ties (Mac Jr., Lavor Postell, James Scott, etc.)

Given that, my biggest concern is not Mullin/Abdelmassih's ability to recruit, its their ability to scout. For this middle way to work we are going to have to take some risks both on talent and personalities. And I have to say Mullin's experience dealing with recovery issues may be just as powerful a tool in this regard as his basketball skills.
 
Put it this way, I don't envision 10 of the 13 scholarships to be filled by NY players. In the current recruiting landscape, that isn't realistic anymore.

I think Mullin is simply stressing that St. John's needs to be involved in more local kids. This year you saw Jessie Govan sign with GU, Damon Wilson sign with Pitt, and Matt Ryan sign with ND. Not saying SJU should've landed all of these kids, but the % should be a lot higher than it currently is.
 
Local stars still have to be a staple for us. We will definitely recruit nationally. But we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot, like Lavin did, by not cultivating the local products. 13 scholarships to give out. No reason we shouldn't have a handful of tri-state area kids.
Click to expand...

Lavin did not shoot himself in the foot. He went after McCullough and Whitehead, Syracuse beat him on McCullough and Whitehead had to have his coach along. Syracuse got so many players out of NY under Looie's nose I don't even want to remember. Those were the top 2 players in NY. You can't get them all.
 
Put it this way, I don't envision 10 of the 13 scholarships to be filled by NY players. In the current recruiting landscape, that isn't realistic anymore.

I think Mullin is simply stressing that St. John's needs to be involved in more local kids. This year you saw Jessie Govan sign with GU, Damon Wilson sign with Pitt, and Matt Ryan sign with ND. Not saying SJU should've landed all of these kids, but the % should be a lot higher than it currently is.
Click to expand...

It's not just about NY. NJ is just as important if not more so since they currently have better talent. I'd also like to keep recruiting Pennsylvania and other nearby states for the guys that want to get away but not go too far. I'll take guys like DJ Kennedy anyday.
 
MCNPA I 100% agree with you but if you look at where THE WHINER has really thrived its not recruiting Super Stars from NYC like Pearl its cultivating a certain type of NY prospect. St. Johns could learn some lessons from the pedophile shielder.

But Boehiem has really focused on certain type of kid and he really goes after the emerging big men. He hits them early and he makes them feel special. And in many cases their support system of boosters and coaching supporters has played an active role shuttling these kids to new environments fostering their progress before they even step on campus. He's build a culture around creating viable D1 power forwards. How many 6'8 - 6'9 NY guys has he from the NY area, its astonishing...

Eric Williams
Conrad McCray
Etan Thomas
Terrence Roberts
James Southerland
Mookie Jones
Chris McCullough
etc. etc.

These are the kinds of 3rd and 4th big guys that win championships for you. And Boehiem has made a career working the angles to get them and make them succeed. Look at Eric Williams, he was at Robeson in the city and then moved to Rome Free Academy at the behest of someone, probably a Syracuse car dealer. And there are cases like this over and over. There doing it again now with this Lydon kid from upstate=1746228 Lawrence Moten also attended New Hampton.

I am not suggesting we should break the rules the way Syracuse has for many years but that huge group of committed boosters themselves is a great thing and Jim Boehiem is their leader. He's a College basketball wonk. We haven't had that since Louie. Mullin needs build similar relationships with the money and power base of the program. He certainly has the gravitas and background to do it. And god knows they take his calls but does her have the where with all to follow through? Is he as much of a grinder in the boardroom as he was in the Gym? I don't know?
 
I think that we are trying to change from a mom & pop operation. Got to change how we are viewed. Got to do it all--a little at a time.
 
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