[quote="MJDinkins" post=280671][quote="Mean Gene" post=280667][quote="MJDinkins" post=280666][quote="Paultzman" post=280658]One recruiter approach in face of rebuilding s program, as Happy noted, is astounding to me. For a team desperately in need of a grad transfer big, I was disappointed Chris was not present at Femi’s unofficial visit Sunday. Perhaps there was a reason and we still may have fanned on him, but a sense of urgency should be front and center.[/quote]
Maybe, he was at a city gym taking in a HS kid workout. He has keys to gymnasiums, right? Or, he could've possibly been trying to call a custodial employee to get in, but wasn't able to reach him.[/quote]
I just don't understand this staff at all. Are Chris and Mitch that arrogant to think that kids will just want to come here based on their Hall of Fame status? Do they really care about winning? We are literally one good grad transfer away from a very good team and these guys can't do a little work on the recruiting trail? I don't blame Matt at all. It's not practical to put everything on him recruiting wise. I will say it again, If these guys don't really want to put in the time and effort needed and perform ALL the duties and responsibilities that come along with running a program then just leave.[/quote]
I do believe he didn't know what the job entailed as a whole and the work that needed to be put in to bring the program back. Being that the program was slightly down, it was going to take a bit more initiative to get things moving in the necessary direction.
No stones should be left unturned and all 4 coaches or at the least three should have been out busting their tails trying to get this thing rectified.
There could be some form of subconscious arrogance from Mullin and Richmond. They may feel their credentials should be enough to warrant kids to want to play for St. John's. Unfortunately, that's not the way it works. Frankly, those two should be the ones out there grinding more than the other coaches, as they're the faces of the program (IMO), and could use their respective basketball careers to lure kids to the basketball program.[/quote]
This is really well said MJD. I obviously have no idea what Mullin's thinking was or is or how hard he is or isn't working. But I think you almost always have a concern with a former great player, any sport, that post-playing career goes on to be a pro or college coach, that they might not have a complete understanding of how much goes into the job, or the total sense of urgency to succeed, vs. a coach whose career is on the line with the job. The sleep on the couch in the office 4 nights in a row, roundtrip Dallas same day just to see one kid play, around the clock type stuff that is not required or determinative, but is often associated with great coaches.
That's not to say that a marginal player or non-player has a greater chance of having these qualities or succeeding as a coach. But this profile is more frequently involved in coaching as a career, as opposed to an elective, which can at a minimum motivate the sense of urgency.
In any event the key point is that no matter who you are or what your background being a high-major college hoops coach is a challenging, near 24/7/365 grind as there's almost always someone trying to outwork you. There are very few HCs who can take their foot off the gas if they wanted, because the infrastructure is in place for their program to run downhill. But most of them probably don't anyway, which is likely a big part of why their program is in the place it is in the first place. They want to win the Natty every year.
SJU is probably a harder job than many of those, not only a don't take your foot off the gas job, but a go way above and beyond job in order to really build a sustainable winning program. That said, with the right staff and approach - and at the money apparently spent the right staff should be able to be secured if this isn't it - I am at a loss why this program couldn't experience the moderate success (even though it would be major improvement for SJU) that a Marquette or a Providence have the last 5-10 years. I don't think it's quite as complex as SJU has made it seem for some time now.
