Harrison suspended rest of the year
- Thread starter Moose
- Start date
beast of the east
Active member
Does Harrison really have a choice except to say that. A guy who is a problem for his coach on multiple occasions, who isn't really playing all that well, would only end up one level down if he transfers. No one in their right mind is going to offer a kid like this a place on his team based on the outbursts and suspensions for disrepecting a coach. As LAvin himself said, it wasn't any one thing, just a culmination of things. Last thing a top program needs is a headache. I am sure Harrison is looking, but also pretty sure the phone isn't ruinging off the hook with inquiries
beast of the east
Active member
IMO, and only opinion, your post is way off base. He didn't make A mistake. His atttitude since he stepped foot on campus has gotten progressively worse. First off, his teammates have shown remarkable restraint not taking a poke at him for his foul, insulting mouth - not just once but all season. He seems to beleive guys like you who call him one of our best ever. He isn't - isn't close by a mile. I'd take Rencher in a heartbeat, or his backcourtmate, Carter. Or Boo Harvey, or Kevin Porter, or Mark Jackson Alagia, or Glen WIlliams, or Loughery, or Mullin, or .. you get the point. He doesn't even make out top 25 guards list ever, mayb e not even top 50. Wangt to throw in forwards and centers? Your assertion is a joke. He was a high scoring guard on a very thnned bench team. Even this season, he was getting 35 minutes a game in a thin backcourt and still couldn't shoot close to 40%, no less the 50% that some of our best guards shot for their careers.
Some people around the program think he needs serious counseling, and maybe even meds for his uncontrollable anger. Think of it this way. Say you were a student, and you went off on a prof in public the way Harrison went off on Rico hines. Guarantee you you;d be an ex-student pretty quickly. I know a guy who started here and finished at LIU for precisely that reason - and that guy went off with provocation.
Intolerable behavior is just that - intolerable. Even Apple bounced its founder out the door 20 years ago because he was nasty, impossible to work with, and constantly berated peers and subordinates. You want someone around like that, just because he has D1 talent. First off, he doesn't have enough talent to make it acceptable - no one does, not even LeBron. What he has is potential that is unrefined. His decision on the court are sometimes brilliant, sometimes atrocious. His behavior is the same, sometimes encouraging and rallying teammates, other times screaming at coaches. The kid need help, and unless his grandmother makes sure he gets it, a cell might be where this guy ends up.
I'm not sayin flush the kid, but I am a little tired of the over the top praises of his ability - his overall numbers, and the teams W-L record doesn't support it. I am also tired of minimizing his behavior - it's out of control, and either he gets help, turns it around, or his life will be much worse than not playing basketball at St John's. Prisons are full of young men who couldn't control their anger, or had too much bravado and too little respect for rule of law. Let's hope he turns it around, period.
This is the kind of psychobabble, coddling, Dr. Spock crap that prevents people from getting the help they need. Harrison's attitude problem followed him almost everywhere he went as it relates to SJU basketball. I could care less if the kid is around to help us make a run next year; I hope he gets the help he needs to lead a productive, healthy life, not a self-destructive one.
westchesterjoe
Active member
Playing BB for St John's University isn't a right, it is a privilege given to precious few athletes, who receive a free education and get to play in NYC and Madison Square Garden..
While our program has become less than stellar, coinciding with FH'S tenure by the way, it is still a well known brand/franchise. Many great players have played here and contributed to the accumulation of records, both team and individual. Few brought dishonor to the program or school, save the thugs that Jarvis brought on board.
Harrison has been a troubled player from day 1 and a Coach's nightmare, despite his talent, which has been overrated by many here.He's accumulated lots of points mostly because on Lavin's flawed team, he has some offensive skills. Sampson, Harkless being exception to limited skills as they are either Pro or soon to be.
DLO'S attitude would not be tolerated at any school entering the new C7.. it is doubtful , if either Boeheim or Calhoun would tolerate such disrespect of the team's Coaches. Let alone, the petulant public displays of anger, rage, etc.
I believe Harrison has a disorder and is in need of therapy and medication to calm his hostility, just not here.
While he's a good BB Player, he's regressed as the season wore on for whatever reasons.. And, no player is above the team or school, DLO didn't get that .
While our program has become less than stellar, coinciding with FH'S tenure by the way, it is still a well known brand/franchise. Many great players have played here and contributed to the accumulation of records, both team and individual. Few brought dishonor to the program or school, save the thugs that Jarvis brought on board.
Harrison has been a troubled player from day 1 and a Coach's nightmare, despite his talent, which has been overrated by many here.He's accumulated lots of points mostly because on Lavin's flawed team, he has some offensive skills. Sampson, Harkless being exception to limited skills as they are either Pro or soon to be.
DLO'S attitude would not be tolerated at any school entering the new C7.. it is doubtful , if either Boeheim or Calhoun would tolerate such disrespect of the team's Coaches. Let alone, the petulant public displays of anger, rage, etc.
I believe Harrison has a disorder and is in need of therapy and medication to calm his hostility, just not here.
While he's a good BB Player, he's regressed as the season wore on for whatever reasons.. And, no player is above the team or school, DLO didn't get that .
Moose
Well-known member
No Jimmy B or Calhoun would NEVER EVER EVERRRRRRR tolerate that. They just harbor cheaters and criminals instead. A angry look a mohawk or some tattoos is way too much for them :huh:
He regressed so much his numbers are identical even better in most cases from his freshman year as well.
Sometimes I wonder.
Polee one year and transferred. Pelle committed, never eligible. Garrett and Sampson committed, ineligible for a year. Sanchez committed, basically ineligible for a year. Lindsey didn't make it half a year. Harrison almost made it through two years, minus couple of benchings. I'd be surprised if a player or two on the roster now does not transfer out after the season.
You're debating the wrong question. All of the above players have talent. The question is whether you build your program filling slots with players who don't stick or may not be eligible. In case you missed it we played the entire season this year down a big man because the staff redshirted Gift so they could play Sanchez ... who then couldn't play until it was too late to matter. You don't think we could have used another big this year?
In case you missed it, I said up front that it was reasonable to take some risks to raise the talent level of the program, which had nothing in the post-apocalyptic Norm fallout. The question is whether that's reasonable going forward or whether you are better off giving up a little bit of talent to bring in program-building kids as opposed to one-and-done's, maybe-eligibles, ticking time-bombs, etc. Some of those will work out (Moe, Amir) and some of them will blow up in your face (Pelle, Lindsey). When they work out it's great, but when they blow up it leaves you short a roster spot. Who's your shooting guard now? Who was your backup center (or even your center) most of the year?
There's no question that it's a lot easier to coach talent, as long as you can manage the personalities. All you have to do is create a little structure, roll the ball out, and watch yours can out-run, out-jump, and out-dunk the other guy's. It just doesn't work as well when your guys transfer, get suspended, or are ineligible is all.
I think you also missed the part where I said Harrison's shooting percentage is not entirely his fault since nothing is run for him and he has to create all of his own looks, usually with time running down on the clock. And of course the responsibility for that lies with who creates that situation. However, he also doesn't help himself with some of his shot selection. It takes both of those factors to create a shooting percentage that's better than only two players on the team (other than the walk-ons).
And reasonable minds can differ as to whether the team would have been better off all along with a balanced approach as opposed to forcing the ball to Harrison in an effort to make him the next Dwight Hardy. But of course that's much harder to teach than the approach we have been using, and it's obviously too late now to make it work for the last few games of the season.
Hopefully this episode will be a learning experience for everyone involved.
Please don't forget that our great ambassador Mullin was an alcoholic while in college.
My point is give the kid a break before bashing him to no end. Hopefully this lesson will stick.
I have doubts that he will be back but if he does I just don't see how he pulls this crap again and transfers going into senior year.
Beast- if Harrison stays for 4 years his stats will be right up there with best players we ever had.
My point is give the kid a break before bashing him to no end. Hopefully this lesson will stick.
I have doubts that he will be back but if he does I just don't see how he pulls this crap again and transfers going into senior year.
Beast- if Harrison stays for 4 years his stats will be right up there with best players we ever had.
gonzalo
Well-known member
Moose,
You are right that his numbers are identical from last season.
But look at his Big East games: last season he averaged 18.5 ppg, with these percentages: .387 fg, .402 3fg and .786 ft.
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/stjo/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/release/release.pdf (page 30 of PDF archive).
This season he is/was averaging 15.3 ppg and shooting .347 fg, .286 3fg and .732 ft.
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools..._pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/bigeast_stats.pdf
Sorry, the kid was poison on the TEAM and that is the point. You can't have one player acting like this and not expect everyone else to be unaffected. These are good kids, they are growing and getting better. Harrison is welcome to be part of it as soon as he puts the team ahead of himself and learns that his own success is based on the team's success.
I hope he is back next year, but I also hope that if this behavior continues, the suspensions start far sooner in the year.
I hope he is back next year, but I also hope that if this behavior continues, the suspensions start far sooner in the year.
Moose
Well-known member
I think going into the season everyone was expecting him to put up lower numbers since we had so many new bodies and weren't running out 6 guys again. So its all relative in that regard. Just everyone seems to be painting such a bad picture about this year but we still were 2 games above 500 with him in the BE.
westchesterjoe
Active member
Harrison's numbers have regressed over the last 5-6 games and were just terrible, albeit against the better teams in the BE..2nd half of the BE season are when his attitude exploded into the intolerable. That's regression in point output and individual contribution. No?
Boeheim and Calhoun are not the standards I would hold up as examples of discipline and yes, they have dubious history on the academic cheating, criminal side of things but, even they would not have tolerated Harrison's public conduct on the disrespect he heaped upon Hines.. I'm glad St John's wants player conduct to be at a level higher than these 2 schools, on or off the Court.
You don't see G'town kids disrespecting JT3 assistants , do you? How about Brey's? Jay Wright? Buzz Williams? Cooley?
All these schools would have done the same thing as Lavin, maybe even expel him from the school..
Moose
Well-known member
Forget the grandmother, if Harrison really wants to come back, Moose should be the one to plead his case to Lavin.
I have defended him ad nauseam but I'm not in practice. I don't know exactly what he did.
My only complaint with the suspension is I would have said INDEFINITELY. Not getting into specifics of regular season, post season etc. Play it by ear.
westchesterjoe
Active member
Really Moose? Now it's Hines's fault? The abuser blaming the victim...Court room strategy but, not for the BB Court.