@StJohnsBBall: Congrats @StJohnsBBall graduates Sir'Dominic, D'Angelo, Phil, Jamal, Khadim #SJUBB @stjohnsalumni @StJohnsUhttp://t.co/P8idMrTDwD
Congrats to Seniors
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
SJU14
Well-known member
@StJohnsBBall: Congrats @philgreene31 new @stjohnsalumni #SJUBBhttp://t.co/hccsbfgb5k
@StJohnsBBall: .@StJohnsU new alumnus @DangeloHarrison #SJUBB @stjohnsalumnihttp://t.co/TlXvm1h9sH
@StJohnsBBall: .@Sirdom1 on way to receive his @StJohnsU degree, strikes a pose with Eric Rienecker (Dir. Academic Support Services)http://t.co/6SaAdGBQFO
@StJohnsBBall: .@StJohnsU new alumnus @DangeloHarrison #SJUBB @stjohnsalumnihttp://t.co/TlXvm1h9sH
@StJohnsBBall: .@Sirdom1 on way to receive his @StJohnsU degree, strikes a pose with Eric Rienecker (Dir. Academic Support Services)http://t.co/6SaAdGBQFO
JackofVirginia
Active member
Have to give credit to Lavin and staff for a job well done.
jumbo_peanuts
Active member
Anyone know what they got their degrees in?
Allow me to fully break character and be corny for a moment....
Congratulations to this exceptional group of student athletes. This class should be universally revered and remembered as one of the most important classes in the history of our beloved program. Think about the risks each of these kids took coming here at a time when our program had only won a combined 17 conference games the three years prior (a combined 33 the seven years prior), spent nearly a decade as a bottom-feeder, and couldn't attract serious attention from any top recruits. They all traveled over a thousand miles, left their friends, family and everything they knew, and took incalculable risks by choosing St. John's University over many much safer (and closer) options.
Once they got to campus, they had plenty of opportunities (and reasons) to find better situations elsewhere. They stayed through it all and remained loyal. They volunteered their time at the St. John's Bread and Life Program, represented the university well, grew up before our eyes on and off the court, took care of their academic responsibilities, went above and beyond to help with recruiting (especially Phil), and helped mentor some of the younger guys--a tougher task than it probably should have been.
It's easy to overlook what they meant to this program. The excitement of the former staff, the great 2011 recruiting class, and the amazing 2010-2011 season inspired some pretty lofty and, in retrospect, unfair and unrealistic expectations. We went from the dark ages to thinking about Sweet 16's in a matter of weeks.
These guys didn't have the benefit of playing with any veterans, they were all asked to do too much too soon and put the team well before their own basketball interests. They endured a conference change, lost their head coach to cancer their first season, lost the centerpiece of their class to the NBA draft after just a season, lost another star to the NBA draft before their final season, had to adjust to two lead assistants/head x's and o's guys with vastly different systems, saw many teammates transfer and potential teammates fail to qualify or change their minds, and had to play without the benefit of a full roster nearly their entire careers through no fault of their own.
We're not UNC, Kentucky or Kansas--and may never get back to anywhere near that level again--but it's not only about wins and losses. That has never been more clear than right now, watching this group graduate and thinking how fortunate we fans have been to see this great group take the baton from another great group of easy to root for guys, the 2011 graduating class, and hand it off to Ellison, Sima, Owens, Alibegovic, Wiliams, (Mussini and/or Larrier?), and the rest of our Mullin-led future.
These guys put us back on the map.
Congratulations to this exceptional group of student athletes. This class should be universally revered and remembered as one of the most important classes in the history of our beloved program. Think about the risks each of these kids took coming here at a time when our program had only won a combined 17 conference games the three years prior (a combined 33 the seven years prior), spent nearly a decade as a bottom-feeder, and couldn't attract serious attention from any top recruits. They all traveled over a thousand miles, left their friends, family and everything they knew, and took incalculable risks by choosing St. John's University over many much safer (and closer) options.
Once they got to campus, they had plenty of opportunities (and reasons) to find better situations elsewhere. They stayed through it all and remained loyal. They volunteered their time at the St. John's Bread and Life Program, represented the university well, grew up before our eyes on and off the court, took care of their academic responsibilities, went above and beyond to help with recruiting (especially Phil), and helped mentor some of the younger guys--a tougher task than it probably should have been.
It's easy to overlook what they meant to this program. The excitement of the former staff, the great 2011 recruiting class, and the amazing 2010-2011 season inspired some pretty lofty and, in retrospect, unfair and unrealistic expectations. We went from the dark ages to thinking about Sweet 16's in a matter of weeks.
These guys didn't have the benefit of playing with any veterans, they were all asked to do too much too soon and put the team well before their own basketball interests. They endured a conference change, lost their head coach to cancer their first season, lost the centerpiece of their class to the NBA draft after just a season, lost another star to the NBA draft before their final season, had to adjust to two lead assistants/head x's and o's guys with vastly different systems, saw many teammates transfer and potential teammates fail to qualify or change their minds, and had to play without the benefit of a full roster nearly their entire careers through no fault of their own.
We're not UNC, Kentucky or Kansas--and may never get back to anywhere near that level again--but it's not only about wins and losses. That has never been more clear than right now, watching this group graduate and thinking how fortunate we fans have been to see this great group take the baton from another great group of easy to root for guys, the 2011 graduating class, and hand it off to Ellison, Sima, Owens, Alibegovic, Wiliams, (Mussini and/or Larrier?), and the rest of our Mullin-led future.
These guys put us back on the map.
beast of the east
Active member
Really a statement for these guys to have graduated on time, within 4 years.
Basketball is a grueling, two semester sport that challenges even the most academically qualified student athletes. I'm going to guess that each of these kids went right from spring semester into summer school to keep them on track for graduation. Good for them.
While each of our seniors will have opportunities to play basketball somewhere, whenever their playing days ultimately end, each will have a future that will offer them more opportunities because of their SJU degree. Both Chris Mullin and Walter Berry know the value of a degree, and both attained degrees years after their SJU playing days ended.
Good for these kids, who get the lion's share of credit, and also to Lavin for stressing the importance of academics to his players.
Basketball is a grueling, two semester sport that challenges even the most academically qualified student athletes. I'm going to guess that each of these kids went right from spring semester into summer school to keep them on track for graduation. Good for them.
While each of our seniors will have opportunities to play basketball somewhere, whenever their playing days ultimately end, each will have a future that will offer them more opportunities because of their SJU degree. Both Chris Mullin and Walter Berry know the value of a degree, and both attained degrees years after their SJU playing days ended.
Good for these kids, who get the lion's share of credit, and also to Lavin for stressing the importance of academics to his players.
jumbo_peanuts
Active member
I agree with everything you said.....these kids represented us well (for the most part) and have done everything that was asked of them.
However, going forward it really needs to be only about wins and losses. That is how you thrive as a basketball program in today's world. The days of promoting the idea of 'student-athletes' are long gone...