Is the Big East the Right Place for us Now?

redmanwest

redmanwest

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I've been a St. John's fan since Frankie Alagia days, and all I really want is for St. Johns to be competitive year in and year out. As an original member of the conference, it is hard to imagine SJU playing in any other. But, it is now the 3rd permutation of "rebuild". When Norm was here I said that I would prefer to be competitive each year in a lower tier conference than be at the bottom or near bottom of the BE each year.

As time goes on, and as the issues (oft cited by many) persist about the competiveness of the conference, and the deficiencies in the SJU decision making, at some point we will have to revisit whether or not we have (or ever will) the commitment from the top to remain in the BE. It's all fine and good to say that renewal and success are on the horizon, but we've heard that. It takes a commitment at the University executive level to maintain a competitive program. At some point everyone, including the fans, should examine if the conditions will ever exist again where the university will consistently compete in this conference each year.

The post by Paultzman about Providence and how they consistently are good and consistently get good recruits to sustain their success kills me. There is NO reason that PC should ever be superior (as a draw for kids, coaching talent etc.). over SJU. But, apparently, their administration has made the commitment ours hasn't. Hiring Chris Mullin seemed to be a commitment, but maybe not. Maybe we needed an experienced coach.

For me, I will be happier rooting for SJU if it is competitive each year in a lower conference than I have been the last 10 or 15. There's no shame in that. Perhaps, after next year, if the hoped for improvement proves once again elusive, the time will have come for a conference self-examination. I am hopeful that next year will be better, but if not, I would seriously consider looking for a new conference home.
 
If we dropped to a lower conference, I'd most likely give up on the program. And while this is not coming from a super long-timer like some of the guys here, I've been a die-hard fan for 35 or so years. But that would probably be the death knell for me. I don't think we'd even be able to compete in a smaller conference; I think we'd struggle to recruit.
 
You know what I long for is home and home series with the Siena Saints. Wow that would get the juices flowing. Maybe we can play it at the local YMCA. There is a good change the air quality would be better than Carnesecca though
 
Literally the only good thing about St. John's over the past 15 years has been our conference affiliation. If it wasn't for that we'd be completely irrelevant and wouldn't be bringing in top 100 players.

Fordham, Iona, Stony Brook, etc would all trade their current positions for the Big East basement (with hopes of one day getting out of it).

Gonzaga is the only exception, but considering there's about 300 mid major programs worse than Gonzaga I'm not willing to take that risk.

1. Big East
2. MSG

Without those two, we are nothing.
 
I like redmanwest a lot as a poster. Please tell me someone hacked his account because I want to burn this thread
 
Gee, these were the same sentiments during the last year of Norm's tenure, and they went away completely with all the excitement of hiring Lavin. Season ticket sales were up before be even played a game, and his first game there was a great crowd. By this time in his 1st campaign we were nationally ranked, and no one would admit to have advocated such a stupid (but reasonable at the time) thing.

This is our lot. I guess you can give up and go away. A lot of fans have. Or if you know basketball, try to enjoy what's in front of your eyes. When Ponds slipped between a double team at the left of the foul line, leaving both defenders behind, he then beat a third guy who picked him up for a spectacular layup. It was worth the price of may FS1 cable bill for the month.

I'll be there tomorrow.
 
Look I understand the reluctance to consider it. I’d be very disappointed to see it happen.

But if the university isn’t going to commit to being serious then it has to be an option. I don’t think it’s stupid. It’s reality.

I got into the team before I attended the university because it was fun and exciting. It hasn’t been that way for a long time. And incidentally SJU basketball was amazing even before Gavitt thought up the Big East. There is basketball life outside the BE. A lot of times it eats our lunch so it is a silly to be a BE snob.

Conference prestige is a piss poor reason for staying in a conference where you make the NCAA tourney twice Or theee times every 20 year’s, and fail to be competitive most other years.

Sorry I’d rather be competitive. But that’s assuming the admin isn’t serious about the program.

As a co-season ticket holder for around 40 year’s, and many more, life’s too short to be mad and frustrated and disappointed every year for something that’s supposed to enjoyable.

Or it could be I’m just stupid.

(I will be there tomorrow too)
 
Look I understand the reluctance to consider it. I’d be very disappointed to see it happen.

But if the university isn’t going to commit to being serious then it has to be an option. I don’t think it’s stupid. It’s reality.

I got into the team before I attended the university because it was fun and exciting. It hasn’t been that way for a long time.

Conference prestige is a piss poor reason for staying in a conference where you make the NCAA tourney twice Or theee times every 20 year’s, and fail to be competitive most other years.

Sorry I’d rather be competitive. But that’s assuming the admin isn’t serious about the program.

As a co-season ticket holder for around 40 year’s, and many more, life’s too short to be mad and frustrated and disappointed every year for something that’s supposed to enjoyable.

Or I’m stupid.
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The school is spending well over 3 million a year in salaries. Well over. How could that not committed ?
 
With all due respect this is the dumbest post ever. You must also believe Chris Mullin is our last hope, the $2 million coach-in-training idiot savant saviour, and there is no Big East basketball life worth living should he fail! Jesus Cristos the apocalyptic vision of the old guard reminds me of the blind followers of Jim Jones willing to drink the poison Kool Aid to avoid dealing with the reality of the situation. Mismanagement of an organization as large as St. John's doesn't mean liquidating the organization. It means removing bad management from the organization. It also means isolating the parasites that have infected the university with a parochial school mindset. Unless your plan is to turn St. John's into a Fordham academically, the self-defeating demotion into an irrelevant MAAC school is shortsighted and defeatist.
 
Agree with other replies. Moving out of the BE is 1) a recipe for disaster; and 2) an express elevator to obsolescence. Just look at our former BE colleague to the north, the UConnvicts. Dazzled by their own self-importance, and betrayed by their own stubbornness, they have become a failing program and irrelevant in the basketball world. There is no way out of the AAC for them, and they know it. Stay in the BE, SJU. Play against the best competition every night. (Re)build the program.
 
Gee, these were the same sentiments during the last year of Norm's tenure, and they went away completely with all the excitement of hiring Lavin. Season ticket sales were up before be even played a game, and his first game there was a great crowd. By this time in his 1st campaign we were nationally ranked, and no one would admit to have advocated such a stupid (but reasonable at the time) thing.

This is our lot. I guess you can give up and go away. A lot of fans have. Or if you know basketball, try to enjoy what's in front of your eyes. When Ponds slipped between a double team at the left of the foul line, leaving both defenders behind, he then beat a third guy who picked him up for a spectacular layup. It was worth the price of may FS1 cable bill for the month.

I'll be there tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Beast i just did a post on the "step away from the ledge" thread.
first 3 years norms worst was 3 wins in conf, if Mullin doesn't get 3 wins in the last 10, he'll have done worse then norm not once but twice. Mullin is on pace to be our worst coach ever. Even worse then norm. I'm still a Chris guy, but he better show something next year.

As far as the title of this thread. I know it's asking about Now, but I'll answer this question after 8 games next season, when we have a full roster.
 
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