I had said yesterday that "We will know tomorrow if this team (a) is prepared with a game plan to stop the Hoya guards, (b) run past Smith, the slowest center in the NCAA and (c) put together a lineup that will position us for a win. (C) is highly doubtful given Lavin's propensity for not knowing his team's strengths and weaknesses and head scratching substitution patterns."
Well, we certainly did not need to worry about Smith. You see, the Wizard of Lavinwood totally threw off the Hoya center and coaching staff by starting walk-on Khadim Ndiaye, a 6'6" practice player to play him head to head and in his 7 minutes he totally demoralized Smith who went on to score just 5 points.
As for the Hoya guards the wizard not only lacked a game plan but the invisible defense by the hapless Harrison and supporting misfits allowed Smith-Rivera a career game while Starks just needed to play his game to totally embarrass Jordan, Branch, Greene and 3 other Johnnies who looked confused and defeated after just 8 minutes of the first half.
As for item (C) above Lavin did not disappoint! The starting lineup was reminiscent of Jarhead in his final days as coach where he was sending everyone an "I no longer give a Fk" message. As Lavin did last year, when he benched Harrison, he has started the dismantling of this year's team by starting walk-ons, benching his "stars" and using 13 players like the lab rats of a mad scientist to embarrass them and St. John's University on national television on a cold Saturday afternoon.
The players themselves indicated they came unprepared and unmotivated.
The mantra by some apologists that Lavin is a great recruiter has been slowly dispelled by unqualified players, transfers, non-existent player development, outright lies about players talents and the total disinterest by most major recruits. Forget this year as the great recruiter struck out with a dozen offers.
Some are questioning Lavin's motives for the crazy lineups, including today's public flogging and benching of his "great recruits". Well, after some discussions today with a couple of big time followers of the program, it appears the wizard is no fool at all! The conclusion is that he has lost interest in the program and has even called off the recruiting push that Tony Chiles started with a few players this year to sabotage the program. Why??
He has little interest in his 5th year and departing voluntarily would cost him a fat one year's guaranteed salary. This crazy ass hypnotizing was done over a few bottles of wine so it could be the liquor talking but one friend thinks the players have gotten wind of the wizard's boredom and have translated it into inattentive and unfocused practices and resentment. The players obviously will not get paid as handsomely as their coach if they give up but a losing attitude is like a cancer when it comes from the top.
I am hoping that when I sober up I will see things differently but when your players cannot put together an offensive play in over 8 minutes and the lineup at jump ball includes an Khadim Ndiaye and Felix Balamou you guys will have a tough time convincing me that Lavin did not "throw" this game to serve a personal agenda.
