Berkshire Hathaways - 59
Repole Stables - 78
Repole Stables - 78
First Round Matchup
- Thread starter NCJohnnie
- Start date
jc1305us
Active member
I used to donate to the school like clockwork. Not a ton, but $100 every time they asked. After the criminal Harrington and his boyfriend were given a golden parachute, I said never again. (And I worked in the fundraising department when I went to school to make a few bucks!) However, I will likely start donating again, especially after this year. The school needs our support.
Don’t forget Red.fans. We could use your donation to help run this site.
19854ever,
I won't disagree with you perspective about Roberts versus Jarvis. Anyone's take on that subject is largely based on what one focuses on.
To clarify my perspective about this, I wasn't trying to say that Norm Roberts tenure and all his losing seasons did not take the Program down a deep rabbit hole, because those six seasons of losing did set the culture of winning back significantly. However the Norm Roberts hire was never totally about winning. The Jarvis years, despite having two great seasons coaching Fran Fraschilla recruits, was largely defined by scandal, program mismanagement, arrogance, loss of control of its players, bizarre decision making (see passing on Ben Gordon for Willie Shaw) and ultimately blackening the Program's reputation built up for many decades by men of character such as Joe Lapchick and Lou Carnesecca.
If you read between the lines of the quote (see below) at the time of Norm Roberts hire, he was brought in largely to shepherd the Program's integrity and restore St. John's reputation as a reputable program. While failing miserably as an Xs and Os Basketball coach, Norm did lead his players honorably, ran a largely scandal free program and displayed character on and off the court. While these characteristics may have been obscured by six poor seasons on the court, the reasons that it was important to look for those character traits, in hiring him in the first place, was largely due to the neglect by Mike Jarvis as a Program shepherd (see L.A. Times article link below).
Mike Jarvis did well on the court, mainly in the beginning of his tenure, but as time went on he arrogantly cut off relationships with recruiting partners that had been the pipeline of success for SJU for decades, ignored player accountability off the court, oversaw considerable decline for the on-court product and did not seem to have any concern for shepherding the Program.
I will never disagree with anyone who was critical of Norm Roberts ability to be a successful Head Basketball Coach because the on-court results speak for themself (32 and 70 in Big East Conference play). However he was a much better shepherd of the Program than Mike Jarvis ever was. Right after Roberts left, Steve Lavin took over his players and was able to win with them right off the bat. When Roberts took over from Mike Jarvis he was left to take over a total dumpster fire.
"We are very excited to have Norm take the reins of our men's basketball program," said Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of St. John's. "At a time when we needed a skilled coach, a leader and a man of great character, we managed to find all three in Norm. We have every confidence that he will be the kind of coach our University needs, leading our players both on an off the court."
Scandal Roils Once-Great St. John's
It can be hard for people on this side of the country to understand what St.
www.latimes.com
This thread is about our first game matchup. Please stay on topic.