ESPN's Top 50 College Coaches Right Now

[OLV72]

With all the coaching talent on this site someone should inform the new president he need not enmploy an a. d. or head coach just tunein and follow instruction on this site,

You say that in jest I am sure, but the truth is I whole-heartedly believe that several posters on here have better basketball minds than Steve Lavin. And I don't think it's close.

The constant on johnny message boards is timely and valuable updates from posters like Paultzman and comical posts from posters like Desco.

Desco, SHU is looking for an assistant. With your superior basketball mind you should give it a shot.

You can say it's comical, but I'm not alone.

The analysts at ESPN don't think Lavin is one of the 50 best coaches in the NCAA.
UCLA fans had him for seven years and came to the conclusion he was full of hot air and lacked substance.
And now a good amount of St John's fans think he's not a smart basketball coach.

Why is this so routinely dismissed? At the very least you could acknowledge that what myself, Monte, and others point to is at the very least an arguable point. Like it or not, it is a very mainstream opinion that Steve Lavin is not a bright basketball coach.

If you get tired of the constant bashing, that is a separate issue entirely, and I can sympathize with that. Which is why I try to post about a variety of topics. But when the conversation comes around to our coach, I'm going to join the debate and voice my opinion. I won't apologize for that.

And one last thing, to those who find it unbelievable that fans could question a basketball coach, when we in fact are not professional coaches, let me ask you this; do you vote for president? Do you have an opinion about your mayor or president? And yet I'm willing to bet almost none of you have made strategic military decisions or designed a federal budget. I don't have to be a basketball coach to make observations about talent, skill, and management decisions. An informed and knowledgeable basketball fan can see that many of the decisions Steve Lavin makes before and during games are dubious at best, and sometimes just blatantly wrong.

Steve Lavin has been a head coach for 12 seasons now, he is not new to this industry, and he has a very firm reputation among the media, fellow coaches, and his former players: elite recruiter, treats his players great, can hold a team together during difficult times, but is a poor coach during practices and games.
I'll shut up when Lavin proves me wrong. But we had the most talented team in the Big East last season and we were 1-7 in our biggest games.

Desco, I laughed at your comment on the " better basketball minds than Steve Lavin". If Lavin's "basketball mind" is inferior to a bunch of guys posting on a hoops message board it certainly does not say much about the minds running UCLA, ESPN and St John's. They could have saved several million dollars by hiring you or Monte. I'm sure you guys would dazzle them with your impressive resume and basketball acumen.

When you go to a Yankee or Met game are you one of those guys with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other claiming that you can hit one of the park against a major league pitcher?

 

[JohnnyFan]

Correction, Desco: The analysts at ESPN don't think Lavin is one of the 75 best coaches in the NCAA. They had a list of 25 coaches who just missed the list of 50. Lavin's not on it.

And he absolutely doesn't belong in the top 75. People who know the game, and are not emotionally attached to this coach, know he is ill-equipped in major portions of the job description. The survey is additional evidence that fellow coaches and analysts see past the dazzle and can't figure out what the heck he is doing with his team.

 

[monte]

With all the coaching talent on this site someone should inform the new president he need not enmploy an a. d. or head coach just tunein and follow instruction on this site,

You say that in jest I am sure, but the truth is I whole-heartedly believe that several posters on here have better basketball minds than Steve Lavin. And I don't think it's close.

The constant on johnny message boards is timely and valuable updates from posters like Paultzman and comical posts from posters like Desco.


Desco, SHU is looking for an assistant. With your superior basketball mind you should give it a shot.

You can say it's comical, but I'm not alone.

The analysts at ESPN don't think Lavin is one of the 50 best coaches in the NCAA.
UCLA fans had him for seven years and came to the conclusion he was full of hot air and lacked substance.
And now a good amount of St John's fans think he's not a smart basketball coach.

Why is this so routinely dismissed? At the very least you could acknowledge that what myself, Monte, and others point to is at the very least an arguable point. Like it or not, it is a very mainstream opinion that Steve Lavin is not a bright basketball coach.

If you get tired of the constant bashing, that is a separate issue entirely, and I can sympathize with that. Which is why I try to post about a variety of topics. But when the conversation comes around to our coach, I'm going to join the debate and voice my opinion. I won't apologize for that.

And one last thing, to those who find it unbelievable that fans could question a basketball coach, when we in fact are not professional coaches, let me ask you this; do you vote for president? Do you have an opinion about your mayor or president? And yet I'm willing to bet almost none of you have made strategic military decisions or designed a federal budget. I don't have to be a basketball coach to make observations about talent, skill, and management decisions. An informed and knowledgeable basketball fan can see that many of the decisions Steve Lavin makes before and during games are dubious at best, and sometimes just blatantly wrong.

Steve Lavin has been a head coach for 12 seasons now, he is not new to this industry, and he has a very firm reputation among the media, fellow coaches, and his former players: elite recruiter, treats his players great, can hold a team together during difficult times, but is a poor coach during practices and games.
I'll shut up when Lavin proves me wrong. But we had the most talented team in the Big East last season and we were 1-7 in our biggest games.

Desco, I laughed at your comment on the " better basketball minds than Steve Lavin". If Lavin's "basketball mind" is inferior to a bunch of guys posting on a hoops message board it certainly does not say much about the minds running UCLA, ESPN and St John's. They could have saved several million dollars by hiring you or Monte. I'm sure you guys would dazzle them with your impressive resume and basketball acumen.

When you go to a Yankee or Met game are you one of those guys with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other claiming that you can hit one of the park against a major league pitcher?

I can't speak for Desco, but they're gonna have to pony up if they want me. .

 

[Amaseinyourface]

With all the coaching talent on this site someone should inform the new president he need not enmploy an a. d. or head coach just tunein and follow instruction on this site,

You say that in jest I am sure, but the truth is I whole-heartedly believe that several posters on here have better basketball minds than Steve Lavin. And I don't think it's close.

The constant on johnny message boards is timely and valuable updates from posters like Paultzman and comical posts from posters like Desco.

Desco, SHU is looking for an assistant. With your superior basketball mind you should give it a shot.

You can say it's comical, but I'm not alone.

The analysts at ESPN don't think Lavin is one of the 50 best coaches in the NCAA.
UCLA fans had him for seven years and came to the conclusion he was full of hot air and lacked substance.
And now a good amount of St John's fans think he's not a smart basketball coach.

Why is this so routinely dismissed? At the very least you could acknowledge that what myself, Monte, and others point to is at the very least an arguable point. Like it or not, it is a very mainstream opinion that Steve Lavin is not a bright basketball coach.

If you get tired of the constant bashing, that is a separate issue entirely, and I can sympathize with that. Which is why I try to post about a variety of topics. But when the conversation comes around to our coach, I'm going to join the debate and voice my opinion. I won't apologize for that.

And one last thing, to those who find it unbelievable that fans could question a basketball coach, when we in fact are not professional coaches, let me ask you this; do you vote for president? Do you have an opinion about your mayor or president? And yet I'm willing to bet almost none of you have made strategic military decisions or designed a federal budget. I don't have to be a basketball coach to make observations about talent, skill, and management decisions. An informed and knowledgeable basketball fan can see that many of the decisions Steve Lavin makes before and during games are dubious at best, and sometimes just blatantly wrong.

Steve Lavin has been a head coach for 12 seasons now, he is not new to this industry, and he has a very firm reputation among the media, fellow coaches, and his former players: elite recruiter, treats his players great, can hold a team together during difficult times, but is a poor coach during practices and games.
I'll shut up when Lavin proves me wrong. But we had the most talented team in the Big East last season and we were 1-7 in our biggest games.

Desco, I laughed at your comment on the " better basketball minds than Steve Lavin". If Lavin's "basketball mind" is inferior to a bunch of guys posting on a hoops message board it certainly does not say much about the minds running UCLA, ESPN and St John's. They could have saved several million dollars by hiring you or Monte. I'm sure you guys would dazzle them with your impressive resume and basketball acumen.

When you go to a Yankee or Met game are you one of those guys with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other claiming that you can hit one of the park against a major league pitcher?

There is much much more to running a college basketball ball team than having a good basketball mind. Lavin excels in those other areas. Everyone should ask themselves this question before ridiculing Desco, have you said out loud during one of our games, "what the hell is lavin doing?" I know personaly ive said it hundreds of times.

That is the point I think he is trying to make.

 

[simplyred]

With all the coaching talent on this site someone should inform the new president he need not enmploy an a. d. or head coach just tunein and follow instruction on this site,

You say that in jest I am sure, but the truth is I whole-heartedly believe that several posters on here have better basketball minds than Steve Lavin. And I don't think it's close.

The constant on johnny message boards is timely and valuable updates from posters like Paultzman and comical posts from posters like Desco.

Desco, SHU is looking for an assistant. With your superior basketball mind you should give it a shot.

You can say it's comical, but I'm not alone.

The analysts at ESPN don't think Lavin is one of the 50 best coaches in the NCAA.
UCLA fans had him for seven years and came to the conclusion he was full of hot air and lacked substance.
And now a good amount of St John's fans think he's not a smart basketball coach.

Why is this so routinely dismissed? At the very least you could acknowledge that what myself, Monte, and others point to is at the very least an arguable point. Like it or not, it is a very mainstream opinion that Steve Lavin is not a bright basketball coach.

If you get tired of the constant bashing, that is a separate issue entirely, and I can sympathize with that. Which is why I try to post about a variety of topics. But when the conversation comes around to our coach, I'm going to join the debate and voice my opinion. I won't apologize for that.

And one last thing, to those who find it unbelievable that fans could question a basketball coach, when we in fact are not professional coaches, let me ask you this; do you vote for president? Do you have an opinion about your mayor or president? And yet I'm willing to bet almost none of you have made strategic military decisions or designed a federal budget. I don't have to be a basketball coach to make observations about talent, skill, and management decisions. An informed and knowledgeable basketball fan can see that many of the decisions Steve Lavin makes before and during games are dubious at best, and sometimes just blatantly wrong.

Steve Lavin has been a head coach for 12 seasons now, he is not new to this industry, and he has a very firm reputation among the media, fellow coaches, and his former players: elite recruiter, treats his players great, can hold a team together during difficult times, but is a poor coach during practices and games.
I'll shut up when Lavin proves me wrong. But we had the most talented team in the Big East last season and we were 1-7 in our biggest games.

Desco, I laughed at your comment on the " better basketball minds than Steve Lavin". If Lavin's "basketball mind" is inferior to a bunch of guys posting on a hoops message board it certainly does not say much about the minds running UCLA, ESPN and St John's. They could have saved several million dollars by hiring you or Monte. I'm sure you guys would dazzle them with your impressive resume and basketball acumen.

When you go to a Yankee or Met game are you one of those guys with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other claiming that you can hit one of the park against a major league pitcher?

There is much much more to running a college basketball ball team than having a good basketball mind. Lavin excels in those other areas. Everyone should ask themselves this question before ridiculing Desco, have you said out loud during one of our games, "what the hell is lavin doing?" I know personaly ive said it hundreds of times.

That is the point I think he is trying to make.

I've said it about Joe Torre and Tom Landry (managers/coaches of my two other favorite sports franchises). Doesn't mean I would hold myself out as more knowledgeable than those guys. Granted, they did win championships and Lavin has not.

 

[Mike]

With all the coaching talent on this site someone should inform the new president he need not enmploy an a. d. or head coach just tunein and follow instruction on this site,

You say that in jest I am sure, but the truth is I whole-heartedly believe that several posters on here have better basketball minds than Steve Lavin. And I don't think it's close.

The constant on johnny message boards is timely and valuable updates from posters like Paultzman and comical posts from posters like Desco.

Desco, SHU is looking for an assistant. With your superior basketball mind you should give it a shot.

You can say it's comical, but I'm not alone.

The analysts at ESPN don't think Lavin is one of the 50 best coaches in the NCAA.
UCLA fans had him for seven years and came to the conclusion he was full of hot air and lacked substance.
And now a good amount of St John's fans think he's not a smart basketball coach.

Why is this so routinely dismissed? At the very least you could acknowledge that what myself, Monte, and others point to is at the very least an arguable point. Like it or not, it is a very mainstream opinion that Steve Lavin is not a bright basketball coach.

If you get tired of the constant bashing, that is a separate issue entirely, and I can sympathize with that. Which is why I try to post about a variety of topics. But when the conversation comes around to our coach, I'm going to join the debate and voice my opinion. I won't apologize for that.

And one last thing, to those who find it unbelievable that fans could question a basketball coach, when we in fact are not professional coaches, let me ask you this; do you vote for president? Do you have an opinion about your mayor or president? And yet I'm willing to bet almost none of you have made strategic military decisions or designed a federal budget. I don't have to be a basketball coach to make observations about talent, skill, and management decisions. An informed and knowledgeable basketball fan can see that many of the decisions Steve Lavin makes before and during games are dubious at best, and sometimes just blatantly wrong.

Steve Lavin has been a head coach for 12 seasons now, he is not new to this industry, and he has a very firm reputation among the media, fellow coaches, and his former players: elite recruiter, treats his players great, can hold a team together during difficult times, but is a poor coach during practices and games.
I'll shut up when Lavin proves me wrong. But we had the most talented team in the Big East last season and we were 1-7 in our biggest games.

Desco, I laughed at your comment on the " better basketball minds than Steve Lavin". If Lavin's "basketball mind" is inferior to a bunch of guys posting on a hoops message board it certainly does not say much about the minds running UCLA, ESPN and St John's. They could have saved several million dollars by hiring you or Monte. I'm sure you guys would dazzle them with your impressive resume and basketball acumen.

When you go to a Yankee or Met game are you one of those guys with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other claiming that you can hit one of the park against a major league pitcher?

There is much much more to running a college basketball ball team than having a good basketball mind. Lavin excels in those other areas. Everyone should ask themselves this question before ridiculing Desco, have you said out loud during one of our games, "what the hell is lavin doing?" I know personaly ive said it hundreds of times.

That is the point I think he is trying to make.

Fans say that kind of stuff to every coach at some point. But no way in hell do I think anyone on this site is a better coach. (disclaimer: except if there are college coaches posting)

 

[Amaseinyourface]

With all the coaching talent on this site someone should inform the new president he need not enmploy an a. d. or head coach just tunein and follow instruction on this site,

You say that in jest I am sure, but the truth is I whole-heartedly believe that several posters on here have better basketball minds than Steve Lavin. And I don't think it's close.

The constant on johnny message boards is timely and valuable updates from posters like Paultzman and comical posts from posters like Desco.

Desco, SHU is looking for an assistant. With your superior basketball mind you should give it a shot.

You can say it's comical, but I'm not alone.

The analysts at ESPN don't think Lavin is one of the 50 best coaches in the NCAA.
UCLA fans had him for seven years and came to the conclusion he was full of hot air and lacked substance.
And now a good amount of St John's fans think he's not a smart basketball coach.

Why is this so routinely dismissed? At the very least you could acknowledge that what myself, Monte, and others point to is at the very least an arguable point. Like it or not, it is a very mainstream opinion that Steve Lavin is not a bright basketball coach.

If you get tired of the constant bashing, that is a separate issue entirely, and I can sympathize with that. Which is why I try to post about a variety of topics. But when the conversation comes around to our coach, I'm going to join the debate and voice my opinion. I won't apologize for that.

And one last thing, to those who find it unbelievable that fans could question a basketball coach, when we in fact are not professional coaches, let me ask you this; do you vote for president? Do you have an opinion about your mayor or president? And yet I'm willing to bet almost none of you have made strategic military decisions or designed a federal budget. I don't have to be a basketball coach to make observations about talent, skill, and management decisions. An informed and knowledgeable basketball fan can see that many of the decisions Steve Lavin makes before and during games are dubious at best, and sometimes just blatantly wrong.

Steve Lavin has been a head coach for 12 seasons now, he is not new to this industry, and he has a very firm reputation among the media, fellow coaches, and his former players: elite recruiter, treats his players great, can hold a team together during difficult times, but is a poor coach during practices and games.
I'll shut up when Lavin proves me wrong. But we had the most talented team in the Big East last season and we were 1-7 in our biggest games.

Desco, I laughed at your comment on the " better basketball minds than Steve Lavin". If Lavin's "basketball mind" is inferior to a bunch of guys posting on a hoops message board it certainly does not say much about the minds running UCLA, ESPN and St John's. They could have saved several million dollars by hiring you or Monte. I'm sure you guys would dazzle them with your impressive resume and basketball acumen.

When you go to a Yankee or Met game are you one of those guys with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other claiming that you can hit one of the park against a major league pitcher?

There is much much more to running a college basketball ball team than having a good basketball mind. Lavin excels in those other areas. Everyone should ask themselves this question before ridiculing Desco, have you said out loud during one of our games, "what the hell is lavin doing?" I know personaly ive said it hundreds of times.

That is the point I think he is trying to make.

Fans say that kind of stuff to every coach at some point. But no way in hell do I think anyone on this site is a better coach. (disclaimer: except if there are college coaches posting)

For sure, and im not saying that anyone could do his job from the ground up either, recruiting, fundraising, marketing, keeping the team together etc.. But to think that it is unimaginable that in terms of just basketball minds, IE rotations, x's & O's etc.., that some fans might have a better grasp is a bit naive IMO. Remember there was a time when every single coach wasn't a coach, it takes a great opportunity and in many cases luck to get where they are. There isnt some test you take to get these jobs.

 

[TonyinFairfield]

Indy, great post! You are a voice of reason and sanity on this site.

 

[1and1sju]

Not to mention the Nailbiter loss to R. Morris to wind up a poor season. 20 wins did not make it a success .

Yeah Calapari should have been fired as well when they lost to Robert Morris with a few NBA first rounders on the squad. Shame on these universities!

He won a national championship the season before! The Calipari and Wright comparisons are ridiculous. By his fourth and fifth seasons Wright had a Sweet 16 and an Elite 8 appearance. Does anyone see either of those things in our future next season?

And Dinkins, you are correct - my talent comment is not fact. It's an opinion, one shared by several big east coaches. But I understand your point.
I explained my argument, I don't expect to convince posters like yourself - because you have your own strong opinion, but you at least acknowledge that there is a legitimate opinion that others have of Lavin. You don't agree with me or the UCLA fans, but you know that such an opinion is based in some reality.
You are respectful.

Others on here? Not so much.
They may want to look up the definition of a troll. Because giving an unpopular opinion is not trolling, not when you explain yourself and are happy to engage in the conversation.

 

[1and1sju]

With all the coaching talent on this site someone should inform the new president he need not enmploy an a. d. or head coach just tunein and follow instruction on this site,

You say that in jest I am sure, but the truth is I whole-heartedly believe that several posters on here have better basketball minds than Steve Lavin. And I don't think it's close.

The constant on johnny message boards is timely and valuable updates from posters like Paultzman and comical posts from posters like Desco.

Desco, SHU is looking for an assistant. With your superior basketball mind you should give it a shot.

You can say it's comical, but I'm not alone.

The analysts at ESPN don't think Lavin is one of the 50 best coaches in the NCAA.
UCLA fans had him for seven years and came to the conclusion he was full of hot air and lacked substance.
And now a good amount of St John's fans think he's not a smart basketball coach.

Why is this so routinely dismissed? At the very least you could acknowledge that what myself, Monte, and others point to is at the very least an arguable point. Like it or not, it is a very mainstream opinion that Steve Lavin is not a bright basketball coach.

If you get tired of the constant bashing, that is a separate issue entirely, and I can sympathize with that. Which is why I try to post about a variety of topics. But when the conversation comes around to our coach, I'm going to join the debate and voice my opinion. I won't apologize for that.

And one last thing, to those who find it unbelievable that fans could question a basketball coach, when we in fact are not professional coaches, let me ask you this; do you vote for president? Do you have an opinion about your mayor or president? And yet I'm willing to bet almost none of you have made strategic military decisions or designed a federal budget. I don't have to be a basketball coach to make observations about talent, skill, and management decisions. An informed and knowledgeable basketball fan can see that many of the decisions Steve Lavin makes before and during games are dubious at best, and sometimes just blatantly wrong.

Steve Lavin has been a head coach for 12 seasons now, he is not new to this industry, and he has a very firm reputation among the media, fellow coaches, and his former players: elite recruiter, treats his players great, can hold a team together during difficult times, but is a poor coach during practices and games.
I'll shut up when Lavin proves me wrong. But we had the most talented team in the Big East last season and we were 1-7 in our biggest games.

Desco, I laughed at your comment on the " better basketball minds than Steve Lavin". If Lavin's "basketball mind" is inferior to a bunch of guys posting on a hoops message board it certainly does not say much about the minds running UCLA, ESPN and St John's. They could have saved several million dollars by hiring you or Monte. I'm sure you guys would dazzle them with your impressive resume and basketball acumen.

When you go to a Yankee or Met game are you one of those guys with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other claiming that you can hit one of the park against a major league pitcher?

No, I'm a singles hitter.

 

[salty dog]

Indyredmen97 stated
Oh, how I've missed all of you (work has been a bit hectic). We are the "most talented" team yet underachieved because those who create scouting reports tell us these kids have the skill sets required to accomplish more than the amount of wins thus far produced. Some of them can jump "out of the building", have a "sick" handle, or are 6'9 and can dribble down the court and can shoot "lights out". Now while even the best pro scouts miss badly on draft picks, we blindly assume that these rankings are gospel, and when you throw a few numbers like 25, 38, 45, 85 (or whatever they are) well then they must be great talents, and not even a moron can mess that up.

As for me, I've never personally seen these young men before they step on campus, but (fill in the blank media outlet, website, "adviser", and HS coach hoping to ride coattails) all swear to me that this guy is great. To prove it, i can watch a You Tube video of him shooting jumpers by himself of dunking over kids slightly taller than me (at least the songs are good). So me being me, I go check out what my friends here might say about the players, because I respect the fact that many of you have seen some of these kids and usually offer great insight (especially when you inform us that the player actually WON something other than nicest showcase award). Sometimes we're right, sometimes we're wrong. So are NBA scouts, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, etc.

Now ESPN, a business that has a vested interest in praising coaches and programs in the conferences they themselves benefit most from, has created an ranking for the coaches themselves. Of course, I need to read this before I come on here and rip our coach to shreds? Nah, who cares, I made up my opinion when I: a) didn't get the coach I wanted in the first place; b) didn't immediately get the players that I thought we deserved or don't get them when I feel like its the most optimal time; or c) haven't improved enough to show me that he's capable of accomplishing my lofty expectations. I'll keep repeating the same points because, well you know, that will finally change your mind. And if that doesn't work, well screw it, I'll just call you sheep and be done with it. After all, I deserve to win. And if he can't do it yesterday, well I've got a list of candidates who I'm sure could!

Have I missed anything else recently?



Albert, you are the "man"

 

[plandome4]

With all the coaching talent on this site someone should inform the new president he need not enmploy an a. d. or head coach just tunein and follow instruction on this site,

You say that in jest I am sure, but the truth is I whole-heartedly believe that several posters on here have better basketball minds than Steve Lavin. And I don't think it's close.

The constant on johnny message boards is timely and valuable updates from posters like Paultzman and comical posts from posters like Desco.

Desco, SHU is looking for an assistant. With your superior basketball mind you should give it a shot.

You can say it's comical, but I'm not alone.

The analysts at ESPN don't think Lavin is one of the 50 best coaches in the NCAA.
UCLA fans had him for seven years and came to the conclusion he was full of hot air and lacked substance.
And now a good amount of St John's fans think he's not a smart basketball coach.

Why is this so routinely dismissed? At the very least you could acknowledge that what myself, Monte, and others point to is at the very least an arguable point. Like it or not, it is a very mainstream opinion that Steve Lavin is not a bright basketball coach.

If you get tired of the constant bashing, that is a separate issue entirely, and I can sympathize with that. Which is why I try to post about a variety of topics. But when the conversation comes around to our coach, I'm going to join the debate and voice my opinion. I won't apologize for that.

And one last thing, to those who find it unbelievable that fans could question a basketball coach, when we in fact are not professional coaches, let me ask you this; do you vote for president? Do you have an opinion about your mayor or president? And yet I'm willing to bet almost none of you have made strategic military decisions or designed a federal budget. I don't have to be a basketball coach to make observations about talent, skill, and management decisions. An informed and knowledgeable basketball fan can see that many of the decisions Steve Lavin makes before and during games are dubious at best, and sometimes just blatantly wrong.

Steve Lavin has been a head coach for 12 seasons now, he is not new to this industry, and he has a very firm reputation among the media, fellow coaches, and his former players: elite recruiter, treats his players great, can hold a team together during difficult times, but is a poor coach during practices and games.
I'll shut up when Lavin proves me wrong. But we had the most talented team in the Big East last season and we were 1-7 in our biggest games.

Desco, I laughed at your comment on the " better basketball minds than Steve Lavin". If Lavin's "basketball mind" is inferior to a bunch of guys posting on a hoops message board it certainly does not say much about the minds running UCLA, ESPN and St John's. They could have saved several million dollars by hiring you or Monte. I'm sure you guys would dazzle them with your impressive resume and basketball acumen.

When you go to a Yankee or Met game are you one of those guys with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other claiming that you can hit one of the park against a major league pitcher?

There is much much more to running a college basketball ball team than having a good basketball mind. Lavin excels in those other areas. Everyone should ask themselves this question before ridiculing Desco, have you said out loud during one of our games, "what the hell is lavin doing?" I know personaly ive said it hundreds of times.

That is the point I think he is trying to make.

Saying it is one thing..everyone does it once in a while.....but......standing on you Remen.com or Johnny Jungle soapbox and proclaiming it to the cyber world is another. I guess people are just tired of hearing the nonsense.

 

[Mike]

With all the coaching talent on this site someone should inform the new president he need not enmploy an a. d. or head coach just tunein and follow instruction on this site,

You say that in jest I am sure, but the truth is I whole-heartedly believe that several posters on here have better basketball minds than Steve Lavin. And I don't think it's close.

The constant on johnny message boards is timely and valuable updates from posters like Paultzman and comical posts from posters like Desco.

Desco, SHU is looking for an assistant. With your superior basketball mind you should give it a shot.

You can say it's comical, but I'm not alone.

The analysts at ESPN don't think Lavin is one of the 50 best coaches in the NCAA.
UCLA fans had him for seven years and came to the conclusion he was full of hot air and lacked substance.
And now a good amount of St John's fans think he's not a smart basketball coach.

Why is this so routinely dismissed? At the very least you could acknowledge that what myself, Monte, and others point to is at the very least an arguable point. Like it or not, it is a very mainstream opinion that Steve Lavin is not a bright basketball coach.

If you get tired of the constant bashing, that is a separate issue entirely, and I can sympathize with that. Which is why I try to post about a variety of topics. But when the conversation comes around to our coach, I'm going to join the debate and voice my opinion. I won't apologize for that.

And one last thing, to those who find it unbelievable that fans could question a basketball coach, when we in fact are not professional coaches, let me ask you this; do you vote for president? Do you have an opinion about your mayor or president? And yet I'm willing to bet almost none of you have made strategic military decisions or designed a federal budget. I don't have to be a basketball coach to make observations about talent, skill, and management decisions. An informed and knowledgeable basketball fan can see that many of the decisions Steve Lavin makes before and during games are dubious at best, and sometimes just blatantly wrong.

Steve Lavin has been a head coach for 12 seasons now, he is not new to this industry, and he has a very firm reputation among the media, fellow coaches, and his former players: elite recruiter, treats his players great, can hold a team together during difficult times, but is a poor coach during practices and games.
I'll shut up when Lavin proves me wrong. But we had the most talented team in the Big East last season and we were 1-7 in our biggest games.

Desco, I laughed at your comment on the " better basketball minds than Steve Lavin". If Lavin's "basketball mind" is inferior to a bunch of guys posting on a hoops message board it certainly does not say much about the minds running UCLA, ESPN and St John's. They could have saved several million dollars by hiring you or Monte. I'm sure you guys would dazzle them with your impressive resume and basketball acumen.

When you go to a Yankee or Met game are you one of those guys with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other claiming that you can hit one of the park against a major league pitcher?

There is much much more to running a college basketball ball team than having a good basketball mind. Lavin excels in those other areas. Everyone should ask themselves this question before ridiculing Desco, have you said out loud during one of our games, "what the hell is lavin doing?" I know personaly ive said it hundreds of times.

That is the point I think he is trying to make.

Fans say that kind of stuff to every coach at some point. But no way in hell do I think anyone on this site is a better coach. (disclaimer: except if there are college coaches posting)

For sure, and im not saying that anyone could do his job from the ground up either, recruiting, fundraising, marketing, keeping the team together etc.. But to think that it is unimaginable that in terms of just basketball minds, IE rotations, x's & O's etc.., that some fans might have a better grasp is a bit naive IMO. Remember there was a time when every single coach wasn't a coach, it takes a great opportunity and in many cases luck to get where they are. There isnt some test you take to get these jobs.

Might not be a test but you don't jump into a Div I coaching job from posting on a message board.

 

[JohnnyFan]

I don't think anyone is actually suggesting we hire a random poster to be the next SJU Head Coach. The issue is fairly simple. We know that there is a pretty strong consensus that our basketball coach is not good at coaching basketball. After that, people seem to fragment into four categories.

The categories are.......

1. Those who are absolutely disgusted with the coach. Not only do they feel he is horrible, but they feel he is phony and find it offensive. These folks often make personal attacks against Lavin.

2. Those that feel the program deserves better. They feel Lavin's deficiencies are obvious and it is clear the program will go nowhere during his tenure. These folks desperately want him fired in an effort to avoid 10 years of failure and nonsense. Disclaimer......I am in this category.

3. Those who understand that Lavin is a poor in-game and Xs and O's coach. However, they believe his strengths in other areas (i.e. recruiting, public relations) will propel the program to success. Sometimes these folks just know Lavin will never be fired, so figure they might as well root for him to succeed.

4. The hard-core "In Lavin we trust" crew. These folks will tell you that Lavin is the best coach since Louie and ask how dare anyone question Almighty Steve. These folks will try to put a positive spin on the program's every development. They will personally attack (much like the folks in category #1) anyone who suggest Lavin is no good. They will even attack a poster for complimenting another coach, as they interpret the compliment as a backhand to Lavin.

Again......I am in category #2. What are you?

 

[MJDinkins]

I don't think anyone is actually suggesting we hire a random poster to be the next SJU Head Coach. The issue is fairly simple. We know that there is a pretty strong consensus that our basketball coach is not good at coaching basketball. After that, people seem to fragment into four categories.

The categories are.......

1. Those who are absolutely disgusted with the coach. Not only do they feel he is horrible, but they feel he is phony and find it offensive. These folks often make personal attacks against Lavin.

2. Those that feel the program deserves better. They feel Lavin's deficiencies are obvious and it is clear the program will go nowhere during his tenure. These folks desperately want him fired in an effort to avoid 10 years of failure and nonsense. Disclaimer......I am in this category.

3. Those who understand that Lavin is a poor in-game and Xs and O's coach. However, they believe his strengths in other areas (i.e. recruiting, public relations) will propel the program to success.

4. The hard-core "In Lavin we trust" crew. These folks will tell you that Lavin is the best coach since Louie and ask how dare anyone question Almighty Steve. These folks will try to put a positive spin on the program's every development. They will personally attack (much like the folks in category #1) anyone who suggest Lavin is no good. They will even attack a poster for complimenting another coach, as they interpret the compliment as a backhand to Lavin.

Again......I am in category #2. What are you?

Really?

 

[JohnnyFan]

I don't think anyone is actually suggesting we hire a random poster to be the next SJU Head Coach. The issue is fairly simple. We know that there is a pretty strong consensus that our basketball coach is not good at coaching basketball. After that, people seem to fragment into four categories.

The categories are.......

1. Those who are absolutely disgusted with the coach. Not only do they feel he is horrible, but they feel he is phony and find it offensive. These folks often make personal attacks against Lavin.

2. Those that feel the program deserves better. They feel Lavin's deficiencies are obvious and it is clear the program will go nowhere during his tenure. These folks desperately want him fired in an effort to avoid 10 years of failure and nonsense. Disclaimer......I am in this category.

3. Those who understand that Lavin is a poor in-game and Xs and O's coach. However, they believe his strengths in other areas (i.e. recruiting, public relations) will propel the program to success.

4. The hard-core "In Lavin we trust" crew. These folks will tell you that Lavin is the best coach since Louie and ask how dare anyone question Almighty Steve. These folks will try to put a positive spin on the program's every development. They will personally attack (much like the folks in category #1) anyone who suggest Lavin is no good. They will even attack a poster for complimenting another coach, as they interpret the compliment as a backhand to Lavin.

Again......I am in category #2. What are you?

Really?

Thanks......your always a class act.

 

[MJDinkins]

I don't think anyone is actually suggesting we hire a random poster to be the next SJU Head Coach. The issue is fairly simple. We know that there is a pretty strong consensus that our basketball coach is not good at coaching basketball. After that, people seem to fragment into four categories.

The categories are.......

1. Those who are absolutely disgusted with the coach. Not only do they feel he is horrible, but they feel he is phony and find it offensive. These folks often make personal attacks against Lavin.

2. Those that feel the program deserves better. They feel Lavin's deficiencies are obvious and it is clear the program will go nowhere during his tenure. These folks desperately want him fired in an effort to avoid 10 years of failure and nonsense. Disclaimer......I am in this category.

3. Those who understand that Lavin is a poor in-game and Xs and O's coach. However, they believe his strengths in other areas (i.e. recruiting, public relations) will propel the program to success.

4. The hard-core "In Lavin we trust" crew. These folks will tell you that Lavin is the best coach since Louie and ask how dare anyone question Almighty Steve. These folks will try to put a positive spin on the program's every development. They will personally attack (much like the folks in category #1) anyone who suggest Lavin is no good. They will even attack a poster for complimenting another coach, as they interpret the compliment as a backhand to Lavin.

Again......I am in category #2. What are you?

Really?

Thanks......your always a class act.

 

[Jack Williams]

What's the point of pissing on Lavin anymore? For now, he's our coach, let's support him and hope he improves and brings our team to a tournament. Let's hope he can lock up some transfers like Robert Carter and Nick Faust so '15 doesn't have to be a transition year or rebuilding year but a year we can be competitive.

This is becoming so predictable, and I know we are all bored and stuff because of the offseason, but come on, it's time to move on from last season, and start looking ahead.

 

[JohnnyFan]

What's the point of pissing on Lavin anymore? For now, he's our coach, let's support him and hope he improves and brings our team to a tournament. Let's hope he can lock up some transfers like Robert Carter and Nick Faust so '15 doesn't have to be a transition year or rebuilding year but a year we can be competitive.

This is becoming so predictable, and I know we are all bored and stuff because of the offseason, but come on, it's time to move on from last season, and start looking ahead.

Thank you for voting......you have been registered as a category #3.

 

[Jack Williams]

What's the point of pissing on Lavin anymore? For now, he's our coach, let's support him and hope he improves and brings our team to a tournament. Let's hope he can lock up some transfers like Robert Carter and Nick Faust so '15 doesn't have to be a transition year or rebuilding year but a year we can be competitive.

This is becoming so predictable, and I know we are all bored and stuff because of the offseason, but come on, it's time to move on from last season, and start looking ahead.

Thank you for voting......you have been registered as a category #3.

And thank you for labeling me incorrectly. When did I say I BELIEVE he would propel us to success? Because your #3 definition says that I believe that his recruting skills will propel us to success. I never said that. The point is, it does not matter. Whether I like Lavin or not it does not matter anymore. As a supporter of St Johns Basketball, I am choosing to support Lavin and hoping he can lead this team to success. Being positive and generating positive energy is a heck of a lot more productive then what you are trying to do here, which is derail every thread that could somehow someway be linked to Lav. If Lavin is mentioned in a thread, lord knows JohnnyFan here is on the scene to write paragraphs of the same thing. We will never be good under Lavin, he can not coach, blah blah blah.

Like you said yourself, many people on here know Lavin has specific incapabilites with his in game coaching. We all know it. We are all aware, so why must you keep telling us? You keep filling our computer screens with words of information we already know and are aware of. Why? Why must you keep doing this? Why do you have to do the same thing all the time? Do you think you ae helping the cause? do you think your words could somehow be relayed to the SJU adminstration and Lavin could get fired because of your opinions?

I just want you to explain why you find it necessary to do what you do on this site. And I know you will give me your typical "I post what I want, if you do not like it, dont read". I know you will tell me that. I get it, it is a free country, whatever, post what you want. But at least explain to me why you feel the need to post this all the time.

Aren't you tired of it? All I proposed with my original post was that we start to progress and move ahead. I am proposing we understand Lavin is our coach, I do not know if he will be our coach in 2 years, 3, 4, or even after this year. But I know he is our head coach for this upcoming season. So lets support him and hope he can lead us back to an NCAA tournament. Lets root for coach Lav, lets root for our players, and lets just overall be supportive fans. There was a time to hold Lavin accountable for last season and to call out all of his problems, but that time is gone now. Lets move forward and root for our team despite Lavins issues which have been dissected by everyone multiple times. Support is what fans are for, and we really should come together and stop being so negative towards the coach. You can have your opinions on Lavin, everyone can, but we should still support coach and our guys.

That is all I have to say, I know you will come back with some smart ass response, but its fine, at least you know how I feel, and I do not want to put words into anyone elses mouth, but I think a lot of other posters feel a similar way.