JaKarr Sampson

Schools I can't blame kids for choosing over STJ(leaving out big east schools):

North Carolina
Duke
UCLA
Kentucky
Kansas
Indiana 

You want to go there all the best. Everyone else I think we stack up great. Especially now that we have an elite coach in place.
Click to expand...
 . A recruit has to look at PT and the schools needs. If I were a recruit and I would ride the pine at Duke or play 30 min a game for SJU I would take SJU.The recruit has to look at the whole picture.
 
Can you imagine "the press" Kevin Jones would have received this year if he was playing for St. John's.[/quos
.
THAT IS TRUE to an .extent but if you are a great player going to a big time program you will get the press
.
Click to expand...

Also, these guys are more concerned about playing in the association. If they put up numbers and/or have athletic potential the scouts will find them, even in Podunk. 
Click to expand...
 
The Basketball Diary ‏ @TheBBallDiary Close
St Johns is heading up to Endicott on Friday. Providence is heading up on Sunday. The competition for Jakarr Spongebob Sampson is fierce. 
 
 Lavin is no fool.

The fact that Coach Lavin is still pursuing Mr. Sampson is evidence that Sampson has not eliminated St.John's as some speculated last week.
 
 Lavin is no fool.

The fact that Coach Lavin is still pursuing Mr. Sampson is evidence that Sampson has not eliminated St.John's as some speculated last week.
Click to expand...
 

My thoughts exactly, if he didn't show up then I would be a little concerned. Great sign that he will be there
 
 Jakarr didn't commit to KU while he was there, which is a good thing. I still feel very good about where we are in his recruitment. Baylor landing Gathers could really end up helping us with Jakarr. I always liked Jakarr as much or better than Gathers because of his height and length. If we we end up landing Jakarr we're really cooking.
 
 Jakarr didn't commit to KU while he was there, which is a good thing. I still feel very good about where we are in his recruitment. Baylor landing Gathers could really end up helping us with Jakarr. I always liked Jakarr as much or better than Gathers because of his height and length. If we we end up landing Jakarr we're really cooking.
Click to expand...
 

Agree completely, just wish it wasn't an if we land Jakaar. His presence alone would make us a much improved team next season.
 
 Jakarr didn't commit to KU while he was there, which is a good thing. I still feel very good about where we are in his recruitment. Baylor landing Gathers could really end up helping us with Jakarr. I always liked Jakarr as much or better than Gathers because of his height and length. If we we end up landing Jakarr we're really cooking.
Click to expand...
 

Agree completely, just wish it wasn't an if we land Jakaar. His presence alone would make us a much improved team next season.
Click to expand...
 

There are other kids that would be good for us at PF. Jakarr is by far the best for us though in the 2012 class. I'm not Jakarr, but SJU should be a no-brainer with likely an instant starting spot at PF next to some guys you're already buddies with. He'd be fantastic on our frontline next to Moe. Our length would be ridiculous. He'd get great exposure and really be integrated well into this team and style. Perfect fit to me. I'm hoping its only a "when" not an "if", but we'll have to wait and see until after Brewster's season.
 
 I personally feel that Jakarr still on the board is a good thing for us. He may be waiting til after the season because perhaps he doesn't want to be in Coach Smiths dog house...We all know that the Brewster coach is trying to steer him elsewhere, so I'm holding out hope that that is the reason we haven't heard more from Jakarr about STJ
 
I have been baffled by the lack of committement by big men to the program. Only a blind man can't see that this team is built to win if we could just get some legitimate talent at the 4/5. Sampson and Obekpa IMHO are not seeing the big picture if they pass up the opportunity to be a part of this team. They would each play immediately surrounded by what has to be considered one of the top ten 1-2-3 combo's in the nation in branch, harrison, and harkless - who are supported by top notch back ups in green, pointer and garret.

Either way this decision will be made and final in the next 6 weeks. I can't wait for that point. 
 
I have been baffled by the lack of committement by big men to the program. Only a blind man can't see that this team is built to win if we could just get some legitimate talent at the 4/5. Sampson and Obekpa IMHO are not seeing the big picture if they pass up the opportunity to be a part of this team. They would each play immediately surrounded by what has to be considered one of the top ten 1-2-3 combo's in the nation in branch, harrison, and harkless - who are supported by top notch back ups in green, pointer and garret.

Either way this decision will be made and final in the next 6 weeks. I can't wait for that point. 
Click to expand...
 

I'm confident we land both Sampson and Obekpa.
 
I have been baffled by the lack of committement by big men to the program. Only a blind man can't see that this team is built to win if we could just get some legitimate talent at the 4/5. Sampson and Obekpa IMHO are not seeing the big picture if they pass up the opportunity to be a part of this team. They would each play immediately surrounded by what has to be considered one of the top ten 1-2-3 combo's in the nation in branch, harrison, and harkless - who are supported by top notch back ups in green, pointer and garret.

Either way this decision will be made and final in the next 6 weeks. I can't wait for that point. 
Click to expand...
 

I'm confident we land both Sampson and Obekpa.
Click to expand...
 

Love the confidence. Is it a gut thing, or is that the chatter you hear?
 
I have been baffled by the lack of committement by big men to the program. Only a blind man can't see that this team is built to win if we could just get some legitimate talent at the 4/5. Sampson and Obekpa IMHO are not seeing the big picture if they pass up the opportunity to be a part of this team. They would each play immediately surrounded by what has to be considered one of the top ten 1-2-3 combo's in the nation in branch, harrison, and harkless - who are supported by top notch back ups in green, pointer and garret.

Either way this decision will be made and final in the next 6 weeks. I can't wait for that point. 
Click to expand...
 

I'm confident we land both Sampson and Obekpa.
Click to expand...
 Hope your right. Those 2 are just what the doctor ordered.If it happens, we will be very good next year and great the year after. Wouldnt be bad for Sampson and Obekpa either, getting plenty of PT in the media capital of the world. And although none are excessively tall, a line up of Mo , Jakaar and Chris collectively will have plenty of height and skill.
 
I have been baffled by the lack of committement by big men to the program. Only a blind man can't see that this team is built to win if we could just get some legitimate talent at the 4/5. Sampson and Obekpa IMHO are not seeing the big picture if they pass up the opportunity to be a part of this team. They would each play immediately surrounded by what has to be considered one of the top ten 1-2-3 combo's in the nation in branch, harrison, and harkless - who are supported by top notch back ups in green, pointer and garret.

Either way this decision will be made and final in the next 6 weeks. I can't wait for that point. 
Click to expand...
 

I'm confident we land both Sampson and Obekpa.
Click to expand...
 Hope your right. Those 2 are just what the doctor ordered.If it happens, we will be very good next year and great the year after. Wouldnt be bad for Sampson and Obekpa either, getting plenty of PT in the media capital of the world. And although none are excessively tall, a line up of Mo , Jakaar and Chris collectively will have plenty of height and skill.
Click to expand...
 

We better be great next year, especially since Moe won't be around the following year.
 
I have been baffled by the lack of committement by big men to the program. Only a blind man can't see that this team is built to win if we could just get some legitimate talent at the 4/5. Sampson and Obekpa IMHO are not seeing the big picture if they pass up the opportunity to be a part of this team. They would each play immediately surrounded by what has to be considered one of the top ten 1-2-3 combo's in the nation in branch, harrison, and harkless - who are supported by top notch back ups in green, pointer and garret.

Either way this decision will be made and final in the next 6 weeks. I can't wait for that point. 
Click to expand...
 

I'm confident we land both Sampson and Obekpa.
Click to expand...
 Hope your right. Those 2 are just what the doctor ordered.If it happens, we will be very good next year and great the year after. Wouldnt be bad for Sampson and Obekpa either, getting plenty of PT in the media capital of the world. And although none are excessively tall, a line up of Mo , Jakaar and Chris collectively will have plenty of height and skill.
Click to expand...
 

We better be great next year, especially since Moe won't be around the following year.
Click to expand...
 

I'm not sold that Moe won't be around for 3-4 years. There will be plenty of wings across the country that step up their games from being very good players with potential to dominant players. Moe could lose some ground if he doesn't keep up.

There are some really good young prospects at SF in the Big East alone. The freshman, Henton, from Providence is fantastic and is their best player IMO. He is more athletic than Moe and he is already shooting over 40% from deep, averaging 14.5 and 8.5 boards per game. What about Melvin from Depaul? And Harkless is close to having Otto Porter leap over him next season.

The name of the game is potential for freshman draft prospectus. After that, they need to deliver. Quincy Miller and a bunch of other kids might clog things up next year if they stay.
 
Moe has a finesse style of play that looks great against soft defenses. Unless he adds 30 lbs to his frame and develops a more aggressive style of play, the NBA defenses will eat him alive.
 
Not saying that playing under the bright lights of New York City and in MSG doesn't have its appeal -- it certainly does -- but I don't know how much weight being the "media capital of the world" has for, say, a Midwestern or Southern kid who's being wooed by a Kansas, UNC, Duke, etc. In the world of college basketball, especially in the era of ESPN and other national cable outlets, playing for an always-contending, elite-program team in Lawrence, Chapel Hill, or Durham generates just as much media attention, if not more, as playing in NYC does. And unless this same kid finds the rare occasion of being on the back page of the Daily News or Post (which almost always goes to local pro teams in various sports) more attractive than being regularly (and prominently) featured on the back page of a newspaper in a university-centric city or town that has a rabid college-team following -- and why would he? -- that part of the media lure is not a very big attraction at all. (Heck, last week I was pleased to see that the NY Times finally gave us coverage [other than the usual an AP blurb] when we beat Notre Dame, only to discover that the main focus of the article was on Notre Dame's team, not ours.)

Luckily we have a coach who understands how to exploit any media advantages we might have -- one of them being easy assess to ESPN, where has contacts and relationships and where he can get "the word" out -- but I don't think playing in the "media capital of the world" is a high priority for most kids, especially if it means playing in an arena that's half-filled (or mostly filled by the visiting team's alumni and fans) versus a packed house in a Lawrence, Chapel Hill, Durham, etc.  
 
Not saying that playing under the bright lights of New York City and in MSG doesn't have its appeal -- it certainly does -- but I don't know how much weight being the "media capital of the world" has for, say, a Midwestern or Southern kid who's being wooed by a Kansas, UNC, Duke, etc. In the world of college basketball, especially in the era of ESPN and other national cable outlets, playing for an always-contending, elite-program team in Lawrence, Chapel Hill, or Durham generates just as much media attention, if not more, as playing in NYC does. And unless this same kid finds the rare occasion of being on the back page of the Daily News or Post (which almost always goes to local pro teams in various sports) more attractive than being regularly (and prominently) featured on the back page of a newspaper in a university-centric city or town that has a rabid college-team following -- and why would he? -- that part of the media lure is not a very big attraction at all. (Heck, last week I was pleased to see that the NY Times finally gave us coverage [other than the usual an AP blurb] when we beat Notre Dame, only to discover that the main focus of the article was on Notre Dame's team, not ours.)

Luckily we have a coach who understands how to exploit any media advantages we might have -- one of them being easy assess to ESPN, where has contacts and relationships and where he can get "the word" out -- but I don't think playing in the "media capital of the world" is a high priority for most kids, especially if it means playing in an arena that's half-filled (or mostly filled by the visiting team's alumni and fans) versus a packed house in a Lawrence, Chapel Hill, Durham, etc.  
Click to expand...
 

I think that's mostly true. Good post.
We do have advantages, but let's not fool ourselves -- so do these other programs.
Lavin will find the right guys though. Not every recruit is going to fall in love with SJU, and that's ok. We'll get our share under Lavs. I'm confident about that. This year he'll get the job done, but it may not be the kind of results we can expect in future seasons. Once the cancer and rumors are behind him, and we have some momentum on the court -- we'll get our share.
 
I have been baffled by the lack of committement by big men to the program. Only a blind man can't see that this team is built to win if we could just get some legitimate talent at the 4/5. Sampson and Obekpa IMHO are not seeing the big picture if they pass up the opportunity to be a part of this team. They would each play immediately surrounded by what has to be considered one of the top ten 1-2-3 combo's in the nation in branch, harrison, and harkless - who are supported by top notch back ups in green, pointer and garret.

Either way this decision will be made and final in the next 6 weeks. I can't wait for that point. 
Click to expand...
 

I'm confident we land both Sampson and Obekpa.
Click to expand...
 Hope your right. Those 2 are just what the doctor ordered.If it happens, we will be very good next year and great the year after. Wouldnt be bad for Sampson and Obekpa either, getting plenty of PT in the media capital of the world. And although none are excessively tall, a line up of Mo , Jakaar and Chris collectively will have plenty of height and skill.
Click to expand...
 

We better be great next year, especially since Moe won't be around the following year.
Click to expand...
 

I'm not sold that Moe won't be around for 3-4 years. There will be plenty of wings across the country that step up their games from being very good players with potential to dominant players. Moe could lose some ground if he doesn't keep up.

There are some really good young prospects at SF in the Big East alone. The freshman, Henton, from Providence is fantastic and is their best player IMO. He is more athletic than Moe and he is already shooting over 40% from deep, averaging 14.5 and 8.5 boards per game. What about Melvin from Depaul? And Harkless is close to having Otto Porter leap over him next season.

The name of the game is potential for freshman draft prospectus. After that, they need to deliver. Quincy Miller and a bunch of other kids might clog things up next year if they stay.
Click to expand...
 


Henton is not more athletic then moe. Not even close. Moe ran circles around him. Moe is outplaying those guys now, and he has more potential to get better than all of them do.
 
 Steve Lavin‏@STJCoachLavinReply
Retweet

Favorite
· Open

Snow on the ground in New England. No better place than being in the cozy confines of a gym watching prep school hoops. Popcorn in hand!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top