Have to give credit

[we are sju]

No matter where you stand, and I have been a critic, Lavin has to get credit for the team not imploding after terrible BE start. Think how easy it would have been for the seniors to lose faith, feel bad for themselves and start looking out for themselves. It is pretty easy for things to snowball. You don't have to look far. See what happened at Seton Hall. Credit obviously goes to the players but Lavin would have gotten the blame, so he gets the credit.

Look Lavin is far from perfect, but based on what we were before he got here and where we are now, he deserves the extension. It would have been easy to pull a Seton Hall, but instead we will see SJU flash across the screen on selection Sunday. And for me anway that is all I ever expect from the program. Anything after that has always been gravy for me.

Think about this. I thought coach did a terrible job last year. But really only 2 or so more wins that year and he would have had almost universall acceptance around here. Going by our recent history only people with an agenda would find complaint with 3 tourney's in 5 years.

I really hope this does not turn into a Lavin debate. As I stated I have been a critic and he sometimes drives me crazy but at the end of the day I am just appreciative that I can throw away a couple lines on a SJU final four ticket.

 

[beast of the east]

can a mod consolidate all these new topics that can be placed within other topics. We're getting creamed with new topics with themes present in other threads..

 

[mattc]

He's been here 5 years, and coached 4 of them. In those 4 seasons we've won 20 games three times and are on our way to our second NCAA appearance. He has a .635 win % and represents the university well.

Far from perfect (too many ineligible players, poor '14 recruiting), but I think he's done a solid job overall.

 

[Marillac]

can a mod consolidate all these new topics that can be placed within other topics. We're getting creamed with new topics with themes present in other threads..

I don't have a problem with it.
When a long time poster wants to reverse ship, I think it's deserving of its own thread.

 

[Marillac]

Give me this every few seasons with a reason to watch Selection Sunday and I'm a very happy camper regardless of how many adjectives our coach uses or how scrutinized his recruiting or coaching are:

 

[prjohnnies]

Agree with We Are SJU. What I do want to see though is Lavin and Co. remain hungry and focused on the recruiting trail. I understand waiting for the big fish - a la Briscoe and Diallo - but need to have better options if those types fall through as opposed to scrambling last minute. The Sampson get is a great one and it seems like Doughty is the type of 4-year guy who we want to balance out classes, but coach needs to get the job done for 2015. I'm remaining cautiously positive.

 

[Avon Barksdale]

after the DePaul debacle a 10-7 record was very unlikely and i will also give credit to the team for literally coming back from the dead. Despite my stance on the staff, which i am holding firm on, they absolutely deserve credit for this year just like they deserved to be bashed when things go bad. It works both ways.

have won games on the road, and despite being masacred twice in the stretch by GT and Butler those games are forgivable because theyve beaten everyone they are supposed to beat plus stolen one on the road at X (and PC earlier in the year)....

Villanova game is not a must win.

I would think even if we lost the BET first game we are still in the 7-9 range, but it would be nice to see the kids get to play in the semis on Friday night.

 

[we are sju]

I do not really follow recruiting outside of occasionally glancing at the ESPN top 100.
My question is how come Lavin was bale to recruit so well his first year, but not so much outside of Jordan since. Are there real theories other than you do not like Lavin?

 

[prjohnnies]

One theory advanced by someone on the other board (I forget who) is that Lavin had an easier sales pitch year 1 - playing time off the bat, Dunlap, his UCLA success (along with the other stuff like the Garden, NYC, other staff members having pro experience, which we still have) -- and that the shine has been diminished by the past few years. I don't know how much I buy that. I think the problem is that we have cast too narrow a net the past few years - targeting some big fish, but not having enough quality plan B's. Part of that is no doubt attributable to a lack of PT available at certain spots, but part of that is the staff's fault, especially last year.

If we got Briscoe, I think he may have had the Harkless-pied piper effect, so that miss was big. Still getting Sampson from LSU's backyard was HUGE and a great get, but need to close the deal. I have to think that this year helps put some shine back on Lavin's sell job, and getting both Harkless and Sampson to the NBA (plus maybe Dom or D-lo) helps too.

 

[Ray Morgan]

When the team turned it around last year, one of the players said that Lavin had such a positive attitude that the players never believed they were out of contention. His strengths are not likely to be Xs and Os, but his ability to recruit and motivate. This team was on the verge of implosion several times, including after the Harrison suspension and after the NIT first round debacle last year. The fact that Harrison came back and Greene and Obekpa didn't transfer is telling. Coach deserves credit for keeping the team together.

As for his system, Lavin put players in the right position to excel this year. He is also behind the rapid pace they play, exhorting them to push the ball on offense every chance they get. The more I see of this team, it appears that last year's team, although much deeper and more talented, was just not the right mix. This year's team is. Dom could never thrive with Sampson around. He is where he should be, playing point forward on offense and playing power forward on defense. It would have been nice to have a few quality back ups, but that didn't happen. I'm just going to enjoy the ride for now.

 

[we are sju]

One theory advanced by someone on the other board (I forget who) is that Lavin had an easier sales pitch year 1 - playing time off the bat, Dunlap, his UCLA success (along with the other stuff like the Garden, NYC, other staff members having pro experience, which we still have) -- and that the shine has been diminished by the past few years. I don't know how much I buy that. I think the problem is that we have cast too narrow a net the past few years - targeting some big fish, but not having enough quality plan B's. Part of that is no doubt attributable to a lack of PT available at certain spots, but part of that is the staff's fault, especially last year.

If we got Briscoe, I think he may have had the Harkless-pied piper effect, so that miss was big. Still getting Sampson from LSU's backyard was HUGE and a great get, but need to close the deal. I have to think that this year helps put some shine back on Lavin's sell job, and getting both Harkless and Sampson to the NBA (plus maybe Dom or D-lo) helps too.

Like I said I really don't follow the recruiting part like most do which is why I never criticize lack of recruiting, even under Norm. Only reason I questioned is becuase of how successful he was with his first class.