He recruited DeAndre Kane and Melvin Ejim among several others. Amazing job. Come back to SJU Matt A!
Jon Rothstein: Mullin Likely To Take SJU Job
- Thread starter NYCRedmen
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He recruited DeAndre Kane and Melvin Ejim among several others. Amazing job. Come back to SJU Matt A!
indyredmen97
Member
What a range of emotions and thoughts in only a month, and I just got back here to NY! (Maybe Coach Mullin can hire me too
. First a few thoughts about Coach Lavin and his contributions. I think Lavin was a bit of a victim of his early success both on the court and the recruiting trail. Our program was completely irrelevant both nationally and in the competing interests of the former Big East. Coach and his staff maximized the skills of the players he inherited, parlayed that into a trip to the NCAA's and used his undervalued sales skills to turn a small gym and few trips to the Garden into a destination for student athletes (something Coach Roberts was not only incapable of, but was considered a crutch by him and his apologists). Then there was cancer. I've always felt that some of us have treated Lavin's bout with cancer as a one year mulligan instead of the life changing, health destroying, perspective adding wrecking ball that it truly is, even when there is a recovery. If Coach took his foot off the pedal with personal recruitment, enjoyed a few nicer meals and the best zip code NYC has to offer a bit more with his wife and family, then so be it, between losing his father and is bout with cancer a man's perspective on the importance of 7 footers can only suffer with by comparison. But this is a results based business, and the results these past couple of seasons were below expectations, with brutal finishes, and recruitment/character issues that led to too few eligible players and bare coffers. It was an appropriate time to part ways, but his work should be acknowledged and thanked.
Coach Mullin? I've been waiting to say that since he retired from the NBA. This is not only the best hire for St. John's endowment, it's the single greatest unifier this campus and alumni can achieve. The greatest player of the greatest post cable team, a local boy with a basketball acumen to rival anyone, deciding to come home to take over this program? A complete no-brainier for a first year president trying to put his own stamp on the University. Are there concerns that he's never coached a game at this or any other level? Understandably a couple.(though I think X's and O's and recruiting concerns are being blown out of proportion, the admin will give Mullin every resource he needs to transition, and I can't imagine he would agree to come here and be set up for failure). I'm a bit more concerned about whether he can adjust to lesser players/lesser minds than he, as it's always a 50/50 proposition for athletes who were exceptionally to deal with those who lack the vision/drive/talent to succeed. But those concerns pale in comparison to the upside of this move. Here is a man who can do anything in the professional ranks CHOOSING to come here, his alma mater. No need to worry that a school in the ACC, Big Ten, or Big 12 will lure him to their university. We won't have to fear the indignity Marquette suffered last year, or play the lucrative extension game the Hurley's are getting quite good at these days. This is Mullin's school, and if he is lured it will be by the absurd money in the NBA that would lure anyone not named Coach K. If that happens it will have meant that he had success here. This is fantastic. I for one can't wait for an official announcement.
...oh and if anyone is looking to hire...
. First a few thoughts about Coach Lavin and his contributions. I think Lavin was a bit of a victim of his early success both on the court and the recruiting trail. Our program was completely irrelevant both nationally and in the competing interests of the former Big East. Coach and his staff maximized the skills of the players he inherited, parlayed that into a trip to the NCAA's and used his undervalued sales skills to turn a small gym and few trips to the Garden into a destination for student athletes (something Coach Roberts was not only incapable of, but was considered a crutch by him and his apologists). Then there was cancer. I've always felt that some of us have treated Lavin's bout with cancer as a one year mulligan instead of the life changing, health destroying, perspective adding wrecking ball that it truly is, even when there is a recovery. If Coach took his foot off the pedal with personal recruitment, enjoyed a few nicer meals and the best zip code NYC has to offer a bit more with his wife and family, then so be it, between losing his father and is bout with cancer a man's perspective on the importance of 7 footers can only suffer with by comparison. But this is a results based business, and the results these past couple of seasons were below expectations, with brutal finishes, and recruitment/character issues that led to too few eligible players and bare coffers. It was an appropriate time to part ways, but his work should be acknowledged and thanked.Coach Mullin? I've been waiting to say that since he retired from the NBA. This is not only the best hire for St. John's endowment, it's the single greatest unifier this campus and alumni can achieve. The greatest player of the greatest post cable team, a local boy with a basketball acumen to rival anyone, deciding to come home to take over this program? A complete no-brainier for a first year president trying to put his own stamp on the University. Are there concerns that he's never coached a game at this or any other level? Understandably a couple.(though I think X's and O's and recruiting concerns are being blown out of proportion, the admin will give Mullin every resource he needs to transition, and I can't imagine he would agree to come here and be set up for failure). I'm a bit more concerned about whether he can adjust to lesser players/lesser minds than he, as it's always a 50/50 proposition for athletes who were exceptionally to deal with those who lack the vision/drive/talent to succeed. But those concerns pale in comparison to the upside of this move. Here is a man who can do anything in the professional ranks CHOOSING to come here, his alma mater. No need to worry that a school in the ACC, Big Ten, or Big 12 will lure him to their university. We won't have to fear the indignity Marquette suffered last year, or play the lucrative extension game the Hurley's are getting quite good at these days. This is Mullin's school, and if he is lured it will be by the absurd money in the NBA that would lure anyone not named Coach K. If that happens it will have meant that he had success here. This is fantastic. I for one can't wait for an official announcement.
...oh and if anyone is looking to hire...
jumbo_peanuts
Active member
Overall I like the Mullin hire, if it does happen. However, I definitely think that we jumped the gun way too early with the hire. The problem was that I think the administration listened to way too many boosters and fans, and ultimately gave in and gave them what they wanted, before actually sitting down and properly evaluating the situation. To me, there are still some questions about Mullin out there, and they should have at least interviewed someone else.
We fire a coach on a Friday, and two days later we supposedly have a new one, without even interviewing him or anyone else? You could use the argument that he was our top choice, and we got him, so there is no need to interview anyone else. That makes sense, but then again, what if Mullin wasn't interested? If Mullin turned us down, we would have been screwed. Looking at that situation now, it may come to be that 'Mullin to SJU' was done way before the season ever ended, so there was never a worry about possibly having to interview someone else.
Here's how I'm guessing things went down. At some point during the season, we contacted Mullin and told him that the job was pretty much his whenever he wanted it. He called back and told us that when the job was available, he would accept it. I think the school would have offered it to him right then and there, but, out of respect to Lavin, wanted to wait to see how the season played out (who knows, maybe we go on a run and win a few games in the tournament). Fast forward a couple of months, and our season was over after one game in the tourney. At that point it was decided that Lavin was out, and Mullin was in. So after deciding that Mullin would be the next coach, whenever that may be, they sat down with Lavin and told him that they would not be giving him a contract extension. However, they would honor the final year of his contract, if he wanted. Knowing that he would lose his job next year anyways, Lavin decided to leave. I mean, why would anyone stay and try to help a school that was getting rid of them? Lavin and the admin mutually agreed to part ways, we called Mullin and offered him the job, and he accepted. We told him to give us a few days to write up a contract. And as soon as he signs the contract, it is done.
I can't believe how happy I am this morning. I rarely post although I've been reading the site for many years. I liked Lavin and wasn't very happy when I first read the news he was gone. I was not impressed with the names being mentioned to replace our coach and felt if we couldn't upgrade, change wouldn't be a good thing. But what is being talked about now is just off the charts. Can't wait for the official announcement.
I think it's clear that the administration knew Mullin was very interested and that Mullin knew an offer was very likely. After 30 years, Mullin gets into the Hall of Fame just eight weeks ago? The timing is too good. We can speculate as to who first approached Mullin all we want, but it doesn't matter now. The admin felt safe that they'd get their man and it looks like they did. Tough to be critical of how this went down, and it's kind of hard to believe that SJU would move so swiftly.