Coach Anderson

[quote="Knight" post=372925]They can't fill the seats when tickets are free to students. Discouraging.[/quote]

We are not filling the MSG seats unless we can draw the non-SJU basketball fan to games. We are not going to draw those fans unless there’s a buzz around our team. We have no marquee player(s) that fans want to come see, and we are no longer winning. Hard to generate buzz without at least one of those 2 things, ideally both.
 
[quote="Monte" post=373318][quote="Knight" post=372925]They can't fill the seats when tickets are free to students. Discouraging.[/quote]

We are not filling the MSG seats unless we can draw the non-SJU basketball fan to games. We are not going to draw those fans unless there’s a buzz around our team. We have no marquee player(s) that fans want to come see, and we are no longer winning. Hard to generate buzz without at least one of those 2 things, ideally both.[/quote]

Monte, I was referring to CA.
 
[quote="Knight" post=373339][quote="Monte" post=373318][quote="Knight" post=372925]They can't fill the seats when tickets are free to students. Discouraging.[/quote]

We are not filling the MSG seats unless we can draw the non-SJU basketball fan to games. We are not going to draw those fans unless there’s a buzz around our team. We have no marquee player(s) that fans want to come see, and we are no longer winning. Hard to generate buzz without at least one of those 2 things, ideally both.[/quote]

Monte, I was referring to CA.[/quote]

I stand corrected Knight. As for CA, still need somewhat of a buzz to pack the house. A scrappy junk yard team that loses much more often then it wins(now that we’re in league play) isn’t much of a draw. Especially when ticket prices have been increased substantially. Even students want to watch a winner. That’s the tough reality of the situation; we win, we draw.
 
He said when he took the Mizzou jog, they were a mess.
Did they have any shooters/scorers?
How was Arkansas when he took over them.

Just trying to figure out if had a more difficult job then this year.
 
[quote="CMA TIME" post=373460]He said when he took the Mizzou jog, they were a mess.
Did they have any shooters/scorers?
How was Arkansas when he took over them.

Just trying to figure out if had a more difficult job then this year.[/quote]

Missouri team culture was a mess. They had some talent, but buy in was tough. He honestly just had to clean out the locker room. By the time he had his guys in his third year, the chemistry took off.

His first Arkansas team was BAD with culture issues. Lot hi best player in the 3rd or 4th game. That team barely had any talent. No real scorers after Marshawn Powell went down. Still finished above .500 that year by some miracle.

At least this team is buying in. Just don’t have much in the talent department.
 
Zach B


“With every loss, St. John’s fans seem to grow more skeptical of first-year coach Mike Anderson.

I get emails, text-messages and tweets about it. My message: Breathe. This was never going to be a quick fix, not after Justin Simon and Shamorie Ponds left early for the professional ranks.

This team, now 2-9 in the Big East and 13-11 overall, was picked ninth in the Big East by the league’s coaches because of a shortage of talent. Many of the players on this roster don’t fit Anderson’s pressing, up-tempo style. It’s his first year in the Big East and he’s learning the league.

I frequently hear a common refrain from St. John’s fans, that they’re tired of the losing. It’s been 20 years since the Johnnies last won an NCAA Tournament game. That’s not Anderson’s fault. He just got here.

Give him time, let him recruit. It’s not a coincidence he’s never had a losing season before in 17 previous seasons as a head coach, and I still don’t think he will wind up with one this year, either.“

https://nypost.com/2020/02/09/seton-hall-is-final-four-caliber-team-weve-waited-21-years-for/
 
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[quote="Paultzman" post=376335]Zach B


“With every loss, St. John’s fans seem to grow more skeptical of first-year coach Mike Anderson.

I get emails, text-messages and tweets about it. My message: Breathe. This was never going to be a quick fix, not after Justin Simon and Shamorie Ponds left early for the professional ranks.

This team, now 2-9 in the Big East and 13-11 overall, was picked ninth in the Big East by the league’s coaches because of a shortage of talent. Many of the players on this roster don’t fit Anderson’s pressing, up-tempo style. It’s his first year in the Big East and he’s learning the league.

I frequently hear a common refrain from St. John’s fans, that they’re tired of the losing. It’s been 20 years since the Johnnies last won an NCAA Tournament game. That’s not Anderson’s fault. He just got here.

Give him time, let him recruit. It’s not a coincidence he’s never had a losing season before in 17 previous seasons as a head coach, and I still don’t think he will wind up with one this year, either.“

https://nypost.com/2020/02/09/seton-hall-is-final-four-caliber-team-weve-waited-21-years-for/[/quote]

It's reasonable but at the same time you have to take into account that SJ fans have been hearing the same stuff for 20+ years. If you keep telling fans to have hope and just wait and maybe next year but nothing good ever happens, they're going to roll their eyes. I realize being a fan of our college program is a hobby and it's not life or death...it's a way to escape life. But even in the time I've been a big fan since 2011, we've gone from looking like we might just be waking up and started getting back in the national spotlight, great recruiting, and clearly better than PC, SHU, DePaul, etc. to clearly worse than PC, SHU, and the only team as bad as us is DePaul but even they recruit way better shady or not. We are not just mediocre in 6th. We are literally at the bottom and it has begun to feel normal which is dangerous. Every game, teams like PC have a real shot to win regardless of which conference team they play. And they're far from a juggernaut. Creighton and Butler find these shooters like they're hunting fish in a barrel. They're making 3's from almost half court, making 3's with hands in their face, making 3's without even touching the net. And yet, the best we can do is find a JUCO who maybe has a shot of making a 3 but no one else? In today's game that ain't gunna fly.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=376336][quote="Paultzman" post=376335]Zach B


“With every loss, St. John’s fans seem to grow more skeptical of first-year coach Mike Anderson.

I get emails, text-messages and tweets about it. My message: Breathe. This was never going to be a quick fix, not after Justin Simon and Shamorie Ponds left early for the professional ranks.

This team, now 2-9 in the Big East and 13-11 overall, was picked ninth in the Big East by the league’s coaches because of a shortage of talent. Many of the players on this roster don’t fit Anderson’s pressing, up-tempo style. It’s his first year in the Big East and he’s learning the league.

I frequently hear a common refrain from St. John’s fans, that they’re tired of the losing. It’s been 20 years since the Johnnies last won an NCAA Tournament game. That’s not Anderson’s fault. He just got here.

Give him time, let him recruit. It’s not a coincidence he’s never had a losing season before in 17 previous seasons as a head coach, and I still don’t think he will wind up with one this year, either.“

https://nypost.com/2020/02/09/seton-hall-is-final-four-caliber-team-weve-waited-21-years-for/[/quote]

It's reasonable but at the same time you have to take into account that SJ fans have been hearing the same stuff for 20+ years. If you keep telling fans to have hope and just wait and maybe next year but nothing good ever happens, they're going to roll their eyes. I realize being a fan of our college program is a hobby and it's not life or death...it's a way to escape life. But even in the time I've been a big fan since 2011, we've gone from looking like we might just be waking up and started getting back in the national spotlight, great recruiting, and clearly better than PC, SHU, DePaul, etc. to clearly worse than PC, SHU, and the only team as bad as us is DePaul but even they recruit way better shady or not. We are not just mediocre in 6th. We are literally at the bottom and it has begun to feel normal which is dangerous. Every game, teams like PC have a real shot to win regardless of which conference team they play. And they're far from a juggernaut. Creighton and Butler find these shooters like they're hunting fish in a barrel. They're making 3's from almost half court, making 3's with hands in their face, making 3's without even touching the net. And yet, the best we can do is find a JUCO who maybe has a shot of making a 3 but no one else? In today's game that ain't gunna fly.[/quote]

Your response is longer than his commentary of course. Your suggestion is what?;

Dump MA now

Drop basketball

Switch leagues

Magically get five star kids in face of our being mired in mud most seasons

Switch to rooting for another team

Give Anderson a few more seasons to see if he can succeed as he has done elsewhere.

I have suffered with demise of SJ program far longer than most, but team is my blood and despite my angst find practicality in letting MA get his players & see if he can make it work here. If not, the sun will still rise. (I hope) :)
 
Yes, I have been a die hard too longer than most (since at least 1972), and while that does not make me any more knowledgeable or my opinion any more valid, it is impossible for me not to root for the team and want the best for it. And, YES, it has been far too long since we've been a reliably consistent and successful program.

It is vexing and disappointing to me. But, as Paultz points out, if we want to continue to be fans, we MUST support coach and his efforts to bring that success here, and NOT attribute the past failures to him, or make his window smaller due to our impatience.

NO, as hard as it is, you have to let it play out, and continue to have HOPE. That's really all there is. When the (predictably) ill-fated Mullin experiment ended, and the crazy and embarrassing coaching search was underway, I think that it was apparent that coaches with clear-cut paths to immediate success was not to be. I think we were lucky to have fallen ass-backwards into a guy like Anderson who has had demonstrated success in several other big conference jobs and consistency. THAT is what we need right now, if we are ever going to be able to climb back to respectability. That may be a modest expectation for a program that was (decades ago now, in a much different college bb world) always in the mix, but I believe it is the only realistic outlook.

Hope, faith and fingers crossed. I am not ready to give up my fandom as I suspect most of us here are not, so let's give coach some slack and see how things develop in the next few seasons (and the remainder of this one). I know this is a fan site and opinions and complaining is part of it, but the constant harping and doom and gloom is tedious, and maybe, just maybe, some of you/us can forebear for a little while?
 
I think it's healthy to allow fans to vent their frustration instead of holding it in for others. That's the main point where we differ. No reason we should be 2-9 right now with LJ and Heron on this team even if it's a rebuilding year overall. Through our first 10-11 games in conference play the past 5 years we have to be something like 6-44. Not mediocre. I'll tell you what I would do...fire Oliva and get fresh blood. I also wouldn't have alienated Repole who would've helped upgrade our facilities single-handedly. I would've let him buy all the influence he wanted, because we aren't raising money any other way. We all want the best for this team and I'll continue to root for the program, but I also think fan dissatisfaction should not be dismissed as if it's unwarranted.
 
I'd like to know where Zach feels we're getting the wins to avoid a losing record.

We need 3 more for that, possibly 4. If we don't get the next 2 games, then I don't see where the wins are coming from. Heck, I could see us finishing with a losing record even if we win both of the next 2 games. That's how tough the remaining schedule is. Not sealing the deal against Georgetown made a losing season likely, IMO.
 
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[quote="Mike Zaun" post=376341]I think it's healthy to allow fans to vent their frustration instead of holding it in for others. That's the main point where we differ. No reason we should be 2-9 right now with LJ and Heron on this team even if it's a rebuilding year overall. Through our first 10-11 games in conference play the past 5 years we have to be something like 6-44. Not mediocre. I'll tell you what I would do...fire Oliva and get fresh blood. I also wouldn't have alienated Repole who would've helped upgrade our facilities single-handedly. I would've let him buy all the influence he wanted, because we aren't raising money any other way. We all want the best for this team and I'll continue to root for the program, but I also think fan dissatisfaction should not be dismissed as if it's unwarranted.[/quote]
To my knowledge, Oliva has nothing to do with SJ basketball at this point.

Re: Repole, it is always better to have potential benefactors in our corner, but obviously that may take time in this case. Cragg seems to be a gifted people person, so I’ll leave it to him to mend fences if that is practical.

Lastly, of course all of us have right to vent & I certainly have done my fair share. Beating a dead horse does not work for me, would prefer being targeted and selective. Of course you, a avid fan, are entitled to take your approach. Venting constantly just not mine.
 
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[quote="SJU61982" post=376343]I'd like to know where Zach feels we're getting the wins to avoid a losing record.

We need 3 more for that, possibly 4. If we don't get the next 2 games, then I don't see where the wins are coming from. Heck, I could see us finishing with a losing record even if we win both of the next 2 games. That's how tough the remaining schedule is. Not sealing the deal against Georgetown made a losing season likely, IMO.[/quote]
I tend to agree, but obviously differing by one game is not a chasm.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=376347][quote="SJU61982" post=376343]I'd like to know where Zach feels we're getting the wins to avoid a losing record.

We need 3 more for that, possibly 4. If we don't get the next 2 games, then I don't see where the wins are coming from. Heck, I could see us finishing with a losing record even if we win both of the next 2 games. That's how tough the remaining schedule is. Not sealing the deal against Georgetown made a losing season likely, IMO.[/quote]
I tend to agree, but obviously differing by one game is not a chasm.[/quote]

You're getting too intelligent for me, Paultz! I had to look up the word chasm.

I agree, though. Even if we wind up something like 15-17, that's more to build on, then say, Mullin's first year. That's something you can at least sell to young kids (that we won 15 games, and are a program on the upswing), since they may not know any better.
 
Regarding streak, if we can win our next two at home against PC & Xavier, suspect we'd have a good chance of stealing 1 of final 5 to get to 16 wins. If we don't get next two don't see it happening. I've been a die hard Johnnie fan since 1964 or 1965, seen plenty of good years but other than Lavin's first year which had lots of high points, not much success in last twenty. I am very comfortable with where staff seems to be taking us and would be happy if by 21-22 season we are comfortably out of the Wednesday play in game.
 
[quote="NCJohnnie" post=376351]Regarding streak, if we can win our next two at home against PC & Xavier, suspect we'd have a good chance of stealing 1 of final 5 to get to 16 wins. If we don't get next two don't see it happening. I've been a die hard Johnnie fan since 1964 or 1965, seen plenty of good years but other than Lavin's first year which had lots of high points, not much success in last twenty. I am very comfortable with where staff seems to be taking us and would be happy if by 21-22 season we are comfortably out of the Wednesday play in game.[/quote]

That would be great, because starting next year, more teams are going to be playing on Wednesday, then not. Top 5 will get byes, and a tripleheader on Wednesday, to start things off. So, 6/11 have to win 4 games in 4 days.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=376346][quote="Mike Zaun" post=376341]I think it's healthy to allow fans to vent their frustration instead of holding it in for others. That's the main point where we differ. No reason we should be 2-9 right now with LJ and Heron on this team even if it's a rebuilding year overall. Through our first 10-11 games in conference play the past 5 years we have to be something like 6-44. Not mediocre. I'll tell you what I would do...fire Oliva and get fresh blood. I also wouldn't have alienated Repole who would've helped upgrade our facilities single-handedly. I would've let him buy all the influence he wanted, because we aren't raising money any other way. We all want the best for this team and I'll continue to root for the program, but I also think fan dissatisfaction should not be dismissed as if it's unwarranted.[/quote]
Get your facts together Mike, Oliva has nothing to do with SJ basketball at this point.

Re: Repole, it is always better to have potential benefactors in our corner, but obviously that may take time in this case. Cragg seems to be a gifted people person, so I’ll leave it to him to mend fences if that is practical.

Lastly, of course all of us have right to vent & I certainly have done my fair share. Beating a dead horse does not work for me, would prefer being targeted and selective. Of course you, a avid fan, are entitled to take your approach. Venting constantly just not mine.[/quote]

Let's go Johnnies!
 
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Mike Zaun, received a suggestion & edited my post re Joe Oliva. Sorry for any angst it may have caused.
 
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