Coach Anderson

[quote="panther2" post=378533][quote="jerseyshorejohnny" post=378510]https://twitter.com/CoachJimBoone/status/1231760339399794694?s=20[/quote]


JSJ, the same can be said of life in general. Thanks for sharing this. As far as Coach Anderson goes, I am reminded of a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, "Faith is taking the first step without being able to see the whole staircase". I have Faith in Coach Anderson.[/quote]


Great quotes and thoughts Panther and JSJ. Yes, I too wish we had won a few more of our close games, but think about this for a moment; No more complaints about kids dogging it. No more kids with bad attitudes. No off the court issues. I could go on but you get the point. CMA is building a foundation and a new culture
here. There was/is no quick fix. It’s going to take time, and based on what I’ve seen so far, I feel confident that CMA has our program headed in the right direction.
 
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I think we were fortunate and lucky to land Coach Anderson . The School had failed to land any of the top 4 Choices . Bobby Hurley, Moser , Odom and Cluess. Coach Anderson only surfaced after Jeff Capel recommended him to AD Cragg. It was thought he would not be available so soon after the Arkansas job . So it’s not like Mike was our last choice on someone’s list . Far from it . But , over the last 20 Years , it undeniable our BB Program has been a failure . There’s no other way to say it . And , it’s been such a failure , regardless of who our Coach has been . I’m beginning to think the decline of the Program is way more than Roberts or Lavin or Mullin . Although , all 3 have been targeted as reasons . It’s more than that . Coach Anderson’s resume is a successful one . The numbers speak for themselves . But , he’s facing the same long odds that his predecessors did . No longer are we a destination for the quality of Player that seem to be easily accessed by our fellow BE schools . Lavin recruited that great first year Class of Harkless , Harrison , Sampson , etc but , didn’t get the Delgados, Rodriguez, Carrington, etc type of player . Mullin got Ponds and 2 high profile players in Simon and Clark . Later on the transfers of Figgy and Herron , again highly touted . At this point , Coach A has brought in several 3-4 star level players . We’re going to need more than that to elevate in the BE standings . Zaun points to Providence , among BE schools we can’t seem to compete with . They have 5000 students and play in Rhode Island . Yet , other than the occasional victory over them this year , they routinely get better players than we do . Why ? It’s true Cooley has built a rep and at least , the Friars finish mid pack or better in the BE . Why can’t we ? Has the School’s BB reputation become so tarnished over 20 years that we will forever be the doormats like DePaul? It’s Sad , so very sad . Hope is about all we have but , you get to the point that it tests us beyond comprehension . I’ m one of the luckier fans and there are a few others . We saw 50 some odd years of very good to excellent BB. Fans and Alums over the last 20 haven’t . I’m sorry for them .
 
Agreed Sly...I'll give CMA this: there has really been no drama. Steere started with a bit but he was basically shown the door. Nice to see BS is not tolerated and there seems to be a classiness and respectability that we haven't had in a while. Seems like these kids actually go to class and actually commit to the program fully. So that is a nice change.

Nail on head with PC. No reasonable SJ fan is asking to be Villanova or Kansas or Kentucky. We are merely asking to be a decent program. That means recruiting 4 stars consistently and making regular NCAA appearances even if we don't go deep. It also means making occasional noise in the BET. PC and Seton Hall has absolutely nothing on us except for PC's better facilities. Providence is a dump and so is South Orange. PC's campus is beautiful and it's a good academic school but their program and SHU's program were well behind us. It wasn't long ago we would pencil in W's for DePaul, SHU, and PC. I think we even beat Butler like 106-62 5 years ago. We beat PC by like 35 one game around then too. We always had more talent than SHU. This is why fans are so frustrated...it's asking a lot to be a blue blood but it's not asking anything to be PC. We should be where PC is IMO.
 
Mike Z , I agree . I’m convinced it’s more than just who our Coach is ... With the exceptions , of a few top level players , we had in the Lavin and Mullin years , most of our Roster is MAAC or below level talent . We consistently fail to obtain the 6’9-6’11” Big Man with enough bulk to be a force in the BE . Owens and Roberts notably . Great kids who play hard but , are routinely pushed around by nearly every other BE Team ... Look at SH yesterday , forget Powell who is at a elite level but , who do we have that has the talent of McKnight , Rhoden, Mamu, Gill, Samuels, etc ? Answer , no one . Earlington , Champagne will be role players for us next year . Contributors ? Yes , but not really BE starting material . Champagne might be . Roberts , Williams , Dunn will be back ups . None of them will get us out of the second tier of the BE . We desperately need more than 1 good shooter . There are 3/4 guys on the Hall who can drain the 3 . Contested or otherwise . We don’t . Herron’s injury hurt badly . Figgy is a good player but , Coach Anderson’s schemes are not suited to his game . It shows clearly . That’s not to knock , either the Coach or Player . Actually Mullin got more out of both , Herron and Figgy , in my opinion . Just a difference of style .
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=378532][quote="rawdognyc" post=378512]I swear I'm a bit of a pacifist.. However, there's one person on this board that for the last 8 years has tested my belief. I want to pass ma fist through my phone screen and strangle him...[/quote]

Paultzman? Leave him alone Rawdog he comes in peace!

I think the main thing jaded SJ fans like myself see is SHU, PC, G'Town, Creighton, Butler, Marquette, Xavier, etc. all figuring it out while we still can't seem to. Many of the programs have sustained coaching changes and things kept humming along. Many new players and things kept humming along. There is no accepted expectation of competing once every 4 year cycle for those programs. True, some of those programs were way better than us already, but not too long ago we were looking down at PC and SHU. It wasn't always only DePaul we were a better program than. We weren't always penciled in as a W by every other fanbase except DePaul. That's what stings the most...seeing programs we used to clearly be ahead of surpassing us and leaving us in the dust. There's that attitude of "if they can do it why can't we?". I'm rooting like hell for CMA to bring us back to at least respectability but you can't act like the frustration of SJ fans is unreasonable. It's more than reasonable. Let's hope brighter days are ahead.[/quote]

The frustration among the fan base is definitely real, and is very understandable. But lets take a real look at our history over the last 20yrs. It starts with Jarvis and the prostitution scandal. When we were left with the vacant coaching spot, there wasn't exactly a long list of formidable coaches lining up at our door, so we hired Norm. His goal was to win and restore respect and dignity to our program. He succeeded in restoring the St. Johns name, but unfortunately the win-loss record simply didn't meet the standards. Then we bring in Steve Lavin. In his 5 years here, he had one losing season (the season which he had cancer), and we made 4 post seasons. But then the alumni, boosters, fans make the decision that Chris Mullin has to be our new coach, and anyone other than him is simply unacceptable. So we run Steve Lavin out of town and bring in a coach that had zero coaching experience, zero recruiting experience, and hadn't had anything to do with our program since the 80's. But he was the booster's all-time favorite player, so it had to work out, right? Well it didn't work out, and here we are.


So to the question as to why other programs can switch coaches and still be successful, but we can't? The answer is simple: We can, and we always could (we did it with Lavin). But the fans, boosters, and alumni were willing to give that up in order to hire the most famous player in program history, who also happened to be the most high-risk hire. And unfortunately, is was not the right decision.

I firmly believe that Anderson is the right coach, and will have success here, if given time. He's implementing a new system that requires a certain type of player, and we don't have a roster that currently fits that mold. But he needs to be given time, and us as fans must learn to be patient.
 
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It's a rebuild, reload, whatever you want to call it. I look big picture and see a coach who has won before and who has a system. I don't know if he will succeed here because it is a tough situation and a lot of factors are involved. I do think he has a fighting chance and that he is willing to do the fighting. That's a good start to make me want to watch and see what happens.

My biggest concern is that CMA is given the time needed. I fully expect next year to be as bad or worse. I'm not rooting for that, mind you, but it is a logical perspective. For next year I am hoping to see signs that the new talent brought in addresses some of the glaring needs and gives a better foundation for better teams. And then go from there. I'm as sick and tired of Wednesday night BE tournament games as anyone else but for now I enjoy what I am getting. I've seen a lot worse.

Hey, there are two games left but other than Villanova every home game has been either wins or very competitive losses. As someone who attends them all I appreciate that. I consider this team more interesting to watch than any of Norms six (!) teams or three out of four of Mullins. That is about half of the teams of the last twenty years that this team is more entertaining then. Considering it's year one that makes me want to see years two, three etc. for sure.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=378552]Agreed Sly...I'll give CMA this: there has really been no drama. Steere started with a bit but he was basically shown the door. Nice to see BS is not tolerated and there seems to be a classiness and respectability that we haven't had in a while. Seems like these kids actually go to class and actually commit to the program fully. So that is a nice change.

Nail on head with PC. No reasonable SJ fan is asking to be Villanova or Kansas or Kentucky. We are merely asking to be a decent program. That means recruiting 4 stars consistently and making regular NCAA appearances even if we don't go deep. It also means making occasional noise in the BET. PC and Seton Hall has absolutely nothing on us except for PC's better facilities. Providence is a dump and so is South Orange. PC's campus is beautiful and it's a good academic school but their program and SHU's program were well behind us. It wasn't long ago we would pencil in W's for DePaul, SHU, and PC. I think we even beat Butler like 106-62 5 years ago. We beat PC by like 35 one game around then too. We always had more talent than SHU. This is why fans are so frustrated...it's asking a lot to be a blue blood but it's not asking anything to be PC. We should be where PC is IMO.[/quote]

The problem is you bring up the same points after each loss.

I also still firmly believe you would've long ran off Willard if he was coaching at St. John's based on his record his first 5 seasons (although, most still know how I feel about their program :) ). You would be wailing if Cooley coached at St. John's because of his tournament record.

You're only propping 'em now because you're coveting what they are because we've been a poor team lately.
 
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[quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=378559] Figgy is a good player but , Coach Anderson’s schemes are not suited to his game . It shows clearly . That’s not to knock , either the Coach or Player . Actually Mullin got more out of both , Herron and Figgy , in my opinion . Just a difference of style .[/quote]

He only got more out of Heron and Figueroa because of who else was on the team (ie, Ponds, Clark and Simon). But why he truly was able to get more out of those two was particularly due to Ponds. Name anyone on this team that demands the same attention of Ponds?

Heron and Figueroa are more "Robin" than "Batman." That's not a bad thing, as everyone can't or aren't capable of being an alpha or the "man of a team."

You've been making subtle and passive-aggressive remarks all year, so anyone should take what you say, per usual, with a grain of salt.
 
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All coaches that have come in Post-Louie have suffered by a comparison to our fondest memories of Louie. His legacy has cast a big shadow over the program and made it nearly impossible for a successful program. How many 1985's have we had in the program's history?
I think we're on the right course with CMA. I like the pressing defense. We just need some kids that can shoot well consistently. We, as long-time fans of the program, may have the toughest job ahead of us-continued patience.
 
[quote="RJGBOOTSY" post=378498]Roberts foul shots look so much better. The hitch is gone along with the ball no longer being released from behind his head. Nice to see the improvement. I have a soft spot for this kid. Want him to stick around and improve his game to the next level. Nice job coaching him on this aspect of the game.[/quote]
Think the work he put in to improve from year 1 to 2 and the in-year improvement of his FT shooting as well shows his his determination. Always hustles. He is a keeper.

That said, needs to learn to box out with his body not his arms - and needs to bang bodies when rebounding. He played wide receiver in football so contact should not be an issue.
 
[quote="MJDinkins" post=378582][quote="Mike Zaun" post=378552]Agreed Sly...I'll give CMA this: there has really been no drama. Steere started with a bit but he was basically shown the door. Nice to see BS is not tolerated and there seems to be a classiness and respectability that we haven't had in a while. Seems like these kids actually go to class and actually commit to the program fully. So that is a nice change.

Nail on head with PC. No reasonable SJ fan is asking to be Villanova or Kansas or Kentucky. We are merely asking to be a decent program. That means recruiting 4 stars consistently and making regular NCAA appearances even if we don't go deep. It also means making occasional noise in the BET. PC and Seton Hall has absolutely nothing on us except for PC's better facilities. Providence is a dump and so is South Orange. PC's campus is beautiful and it's a good academic school but their program and SHU's program were well behind us. It wasn't long ago we would pencil in W's for DePaul, SHU, and PC. I think we even beat Butler like 106-62 5 years ago. We beat PC by like 35 one game around then too. We always had more talent than SHU. This is why fans are so frustrated...it's asking a lot to be a blue blood but it's not asking anything to be PC. We should be where PC is IMO.[/quote]

The problem is you bring up the same points after each loss.

I also still firmly believe you would've long ran off Willard if he was coaching at St. John's based on his record his first 5 seasons (although, most still know how I feel about their program :) ). You would be wailing if Cooley coached at St. John's because of his tournament record.

You're only propping 'em now because you're coveting what they are because we've been a poor team lately.[/quote]

Willard was legitimately on the hotseat and then he stole Whitehead and everything changed. I remember clear as day SHU fans wanted him out. Since, he's been to what 4-5 straight tourneys with a Big East championship? And now he has them ranked practically all year around the top 10 with many seeing them as Final Four threats if not a championship darkhorse? I still think they can't be trusted in tourney based on history, but they certainly can make the Final Four. So you're saying that I wouldn't be happy with St. John's being in the top 25 (Closer to top 10) most of the year with Final Four hype? I would rearrange my schedule entirely to be at every game. I'd buy season tickets. I'd donate to the program consistently. I'd wear my gear with pride. Completely ridiculous to think I wouldn't be happy with Willard or Cooley's performances here at SJ. That being said, yes Cooley has a ceiling and it's a real problem of his: winning in the tourney. Same with Willard. So those are still valid points but at the same time I'd be very happy we weren't one of the worst teams every year for a change and really in the thick of things playing meaningful games again. I want the feeling getting goosebumps as they announce our players at MSG playing Georgetown to punch our NCAA ticket again and winning.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=378646][quote="MJDinkins" post=378582][quote="Mike Zaun" post=378552]Agreed Sly...I'll give CMA this: there has really been no drama. Steere started with a bit but he was basically shown the door. Nice to see BS is not tolerated and there seems to be a classiness and respectability that we haven't had in a while. Seems like these kids actually go to class and actually commit to the program fully. So that is a nice change.

Nail on head with PC. No reasonable SJ fan is asking to be Villanova or Kansas or Kentucky. We are merely asking to be a decent program. That means recruiting 4 stars consistently and making regular NCAA appearances even if we don't go deep. It also means making occasional noise in the BET. PC and Seton Hall has absolutely nothing on us except for PC's better facilities. Providence is a dump and so is South Orange. PC's campus is beautiful and it's a good academic school but their program and SHU's program were well behind us. It wasn't long ago we would pencil in W's for DePaul, SHU, and PC. I think we even beat Butler like 106-62 5 years ago. We beat PC by like 35 one game around then too. We always had more talent than SHU. This is why fans are so frustrated...it's asking a lot to be a blue blood but it's not asking anything to be PC. We should be where PC is IMO.[/quote]

The problem is you bring up the same points after each loss.

I also still firmly believe you would've long ran off Willard if he was coaching at St. John's based on his record his first 5 seasons (although, most still know how I feel about their program :) ). You would be wailing if Cooley coached at St. John's because of his tournament record.

You're only propping 'em now because you're coveting what they are because we've been a poor team lately.[/quote]

Willard was legitimately on the hotseat and then he stole Whitehead and everything changed. I remember clear as day SHU fans wanted him out. Since, he's been to what 4-5 straight tourneys with a Big East championship? And now he has them ranked practically all year around the top 10 with many seeing them as Final Four threats if not a championship darkhorse? I still think they can't be trusted in tourney based on history, but they certainly can make the Final Four. So you're saying that I wouldn't be happy with St. John's being in the top 25 (Closer to top 10) most of the year with Final Four hype? I would rearrange my schedule entirely to be at every game. I'd buy season tickets. I'd donate to the program consistently. I'd wear my gear with pride. Completely ridiculous to think I wouldn't be happy with Willard or Cooley's performances here at SJ. That being said, yes Cooley has a ceiling and it's a real problem of his: winning in the tourney. Same with Willard. So those are still valid points but at the same time I'd be very happy we weren't one of the worst teams every year for a change and really in the thick of things playing meaningful games again. I want the feeling getting goosebumps as they announce our players at MSG playing Georgetown to punch our NCAA ticket again and winning.[/quote]

You obviously didn't read what I posted. I said, you would've ran Willard outta town after his first 5 years at Seton Hall. I never said anything about how you would've treated him over the past few seasons.

I'm fairly confident you'd be pissing on Cooley by now because of his lack of tournament success. Cooley has been on a Lavin's wavelength outside of winning the Big East Tournament, and you gave him hell.

Like I said, it's easier to be envious of another program, even if their accomplishments has been practically modest, when your team achievements have been nonexistent.
 
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Well I don't think Willard is some amazing coach, I've said time and time again he's slimy. He stole Whitehead at the 11th hour from us, tampered with players on other teams, was in the FBI investigation paying Whitehead, etc. This is why I think a lot of his success has come from the players he has had. Whitehead and Powell have powered them through most of these years. That's why I still want to wait and see what Willard can do in years he does not have either of those star caliber players. He sucked before they came. So yeah I probably would have been calling for his head like many SHU fans were. This was based on failure. He only turned it around quickly once he got slimy with Whitehead and that gave him momentum. At the same time of course I'd take what he has done at SHU the last 5 yrs. No one has a crystal ball...before IW he was terrible and you would've agreed too if you were a Hall fan before that.

If Cooley were here I'd be annoyed about the terrible NCAA performances, but I'd still be quite happy he got us back to consistent relevance and a Big East title. It doesn't always have to be all or nothing. With Lavin yes I was disappointed because the teams never got better, there was no plan on offense, players were almost always raw from years 1-4, and he only got athletes without much skill. Lots of off court and character issues and despite a solid record, always underperformed except 2011. It was obvious he was never getting us anywhere near consistently competing to the tune of a top 25 team making tourneys with some chances to win games there.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=378658]Well I don't think Willard is some amazing coach, I've said time and time again he's slimy. He stole Whitehead at the 11th hour from us, tampered with players on other teams, was in the FBI investigation paying Whitehead, etc. This is why I think a lot of his success has come from the players he has had. Whitehead and Powell have powered them through most of these years. That's why I still want to wait and see what Willard can do in years he does not have either of those star caliber players. He sucked before they came. So yeah I probably would have been calling for his head like many SHU fans were. This was based on failure. He only turned it around quickly once he got slimy with Whitehead and that gave him momentum. At the same time of course I'd take what he has done at SHU the last 5 yrs. No one has a crystal ball...before IW he was terrible and you would've agreed too if you were a Hall fan before that.

If Cooley were here I'd be annoyed about the terrible NCAA performances, but I'd still be quite happy he got us back to consistent relevance and a Big East title. It doesn't always have to be all or nothing. With Lavin yes I was disappointed because the teams never got better, there was no plan on offense, players were almost always raw from years 1-4, and he only got athletes without much skill. Lots of off court and character issues and despite a solid record, always underperformed except 2011. It was obvious he was never getting us anywhere near consistently competing to the tune of a top 25 team making tourneys with some chances to win games there.[/quote]

"The Best Predictor of Future Behavior Is … Past Behavior." 'Nuff said.

I'll say it again, it's easy to say that stuff now when we've toiled in the basement. It's the case of "the Joneses."
 
I watched some clips of Nolan Richardson's Arkansas teams featuring 40 min of hell to get an idea of what CMA is trying to do here. Some things I noticed:

Pros:
-Clearly shook opponents
-Every shot contested
-Wore opponents down
-Lots of TO's forced with lots of easy points

Cons:
-Lots of fouls are going to be called on you
-If they break the press consistently, opponents get lots of easy baskets

Those Arkansas teams had several guys who could make 3's with ease. They also made pinpoint outlet passes and finished their bunnies at the rim. I also noticed 95% of the time, Arkansas defenders stayed in front of their guys and cut them off on drives consistently. We will need quick players who stay in front of their guys. I also saw a lot of defense the refs allowed that would be called reach in fouls today. Should be interesting to see if we can replicate it to some degree with success nationally.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=379485]I watched some clips of Nolan Richardson's Arkansas teams featuring 40 min of hell to get an idea of what CMA is trying to do here. Some things I noticed:

Pros:
-Clearly shook opponents
-Every shot contested
-Wore opponents down
-Lots of TO's forced with lots of easy points

Cons:
-Lots of fouls are going to be called on you
-If they break the press consistently, opponents get lots of easy baskets

Those Arkansas teams had several guys who could make 3's with ease. They also made pinpoint outlet passes and finished their bunnies at the rim. I also noticed 95% of the time, Arkansas defenders stayed in front of their guys and cut them off on drives consistently. We will need quick players who stay in front of their guys. I also saw a lot of defense the refs allowed that would be called reach in fouls today. Should be interesting to see if we can replicate it to some degree with success nationally.[/quote]

I don’t think Mike Anderson has any intention of replicating it. I think we take a lot of elements from it and get to be known as a defense-first team, but we don’t and likely never will press all game. I think mike Anderson knows it’s limitations. Read the Creighton board yesterday though. Their fans were lamenting how we can switch everywhere on the court defensively and not lose out on mismatches. I love our defensive style of play and it will only get a lot better with better athletes and scorers who can parlay that defense into offense at the other end. We saw a glimpse on what it could look like a little bit yesterday against Creighton when we are playing good offense.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=379485]I watched some clips of Nolan Richardson's Arkansas teams featuring 40 min of hell to get an idea of what CMA is trying to do here. Some things I noticed:

Pros:
-Clearly shook opponents
-Every shot contested
-Wore opponents down
-Lots of TO's forced with lots of easy points

Cons:
-Lots of fouls are going to be called on you
-If they break the press consistently, opponents get lots of easy baskets

Those Arkansas teams had several guys who could make 3's with ease. They also made pinpoint outlet passes and finished their bunnies at the rim. I also noticed 95% of the time, Arkansas defenders stayed in front of their guys and cut them off on drives consistently. We will need quick players who stay in front of their guys. I also saw a lot of defense the refs allowed that would be called reach in fouls today. Should be interesting to see if we can replicate it to some degree with success nationally.[/quote]

You don't have to go too far to see how the 40 minutes of hell wears down a team, even one with the best point guard in the Big East:

 
[quote="MainMan" post=379508][quote="Mike Zaun" post=379485]I watched some clips of Nolan Richardson's Arkansas teams featuring 40 min of hell to get an idea of what CMA is trying to do here. Some things I noticed:

Pros:
-Clearly shook opponents
-Every shot contested
-Wore opponents down
-Lots of TO's forced with lots of easy points

Cons:
-Lots of fouls are going to be called on you
-If they break the press consistently, opponents get lots of easy baskets

Those Arkansas teams had several guys who could make 3's with ease. They also made pinpoint outlet passes and finished their bunnies at the rim. I also noticed 95% of the time, Arkansas defenders stayed in front of their guys and cut them off on drives consistently. We will need quick players who stay in front of their guys. I also saw a lot of defense the refs allowed that would be called reach in fouls today. Should be interesting to see if we can replicate it to some degree with success nationally.[/quote]

You don't have to go too far to see how the 40 minutes of hell wears down a team, even one with the best point guard in the Big East:

[/quote]

You went back 27 years. Thats an eternity. HAHAHAHAAHAHAHA.

Honestly though, coach mike has been a godsend to this program. I expect us to finish in the top half of the big east next year and in year 3, be competing with the big boys for the big east crown.

What he has done with this rag tag bunch of kids is a miracle.
 
Simply put, unlike our last 3 coaches, CMA so far passes the sniff test. He has done everything a winning coach is supposed to do, and then some. He has taken over the reigns and led by example. No fanfare. That’s what a true leader does. He has gotten this undermanned team to play their hearts out every minute of every game this year, and provided us with some real thrills in the process. Not only has he passed the sniff test, he comes up smelling like a bouquet of roses.
 
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We are fortunate to have this Head Coach and this Athletic Director.
Difficult not to be optimistic about the future of our program.
Beating Creighton was sweet. Maybe we can grab another W or two before we “ wait til next year “.
We have a like able Coach and team!
I am happy for Coach Mike Anderson, the possibility of him keeping his season win streak in tact; glad for the players for their constant effort; and for we fans. Maybe we will gradually get back to where we belong - with other small Catholic non football schools I.e. Villanova and Gonzaga or at least in their neighborhood. Why not dream.
All the best
 
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