Lavin loves where St. John's is going

[1and1sju]

 I don't care what anyone says, this team as-is wil be great with just Branch. Anything else is just gravy. Show me a better back court next year than Branch-Greene-Harrison. #Sweeet Sixteen

 

This team won't be "great" with just Branch. That's a stretch and I think you know it Marillac.
Good, very good, I can get on board with those predictions. Great is reaching for something that's not there yet.

And as much as we'd like to project his ability, Branch is a huge unknown at this point. He was highly rated, but nothing he did at Texas AM suggests he's a can't miss player. In 20mins a game he was averaging 4pts and 2 assists.
What's surrounding D'angelo is still largely up in the air.

 

I think you might be underselling the kid as well as our staff. The kid came off the bench and doesn't have the benefit of Rico Hines and Dunlap working with him. I don't care about his numbers in limited action. Kid is a top player and our staff has shown that they can both evaluate talent and develop it. Look how all our guys this season have progressed. Branch is practicing now and was a top 50 player out of HS. I don't think it is that unknown. Even guys like DeAndre Daniels, Naadir Tharpe, Josiah Turner and lots of other top players who had limited impact their first season for various reasons. I'd take all of them if I could, because they are truly talented kids. I'll go out on a limb and say that I think Branch will be legit for SJU. He's obviously got the talent. He's also now got the coaching staff. 

We also won't "just" have Branch here. We'll have more guys, and whomever they are won't be marginal guys. Lavin just doesn't go after those guys.

 

Oh I'm excited about Branch, and wouldn't put anyone ahead of our staff in terms of development.
I just think we haven't seen enough of him at this level to say him and Harrison make for the best backcourt in college basketball. But I really don't doubt that he's a huge addition. I saw tape of him at AM and he's obviously very talented. A case could be made we needed a true pg even more than a pf/c.

My point was just that you can't say the team will be "great" as it stands today.

And you're right Coach will be adding to the roster. But the original post was that we'll be great even if he comes up empty. That's an overvaluation of what we have.

 

[Della9250]

 Branch at A&M was dealing with a staff and a system he didn't sign up for. He'll be in SJU's system for a year before stepping on the court.

 

[MainMan]

Pretty easy to say that a team with any size and talent up front will continue to kill us (regardless of how well our talented frosh progress) unless we bring in some decent bigs.  

 

[Marillac]

Pretty easy to say that a team with any size and talent up front will continue to kill us (regardless of how well our talented frosh progress) unless we bring in some decent bigs.  

 

I'm a big "best five" guy. We came a shot away from a final four (after RUNNING over every opponent before Ohio St.) with a starting frontline of 6'5, 6'7, 6'8 and no depth. We've already got two 6'6 SF's and we've got 6'8.5 and 6'7 for us. GG will be so much. Egret next year and Moe will be INSANE.

Amir is the x-factor. #Sweet Sixteen

 

[MCNPA]

Pretty easy to say that a team with any size and talent up front will continue to kill us (regardless of how well our talented frosh progress) unless we bring in some decent bigs.  

 

I'm a big "best five" guy. We came a shot away from a final four (after RUNNING over every opponent before Ohio St.) with a starting frontline of 6'5, 6'7, 6'8 and no depth. We've already got two 6'6 SF's and we've got 6'8.5 and 6'7 for us. GG will be so much. Egret next year and Moe will be INSANE.

Amir is the x-factor. #Sweet Sixteen

 

If Lavin brings in even a decent 3-4 guys in addition to Branch, we can be excellent.

 

[MainMan]

Pretty easy to say that a team with any size and talent up front will continue to kill us (regardless of how well our talented frosh progress) unless we bring in some decent bigs.  

 

I'm a big "best five" guy. We came a shot away from a final four (after RUNNING over every opponent before Ohio St.) with a starting frontline of 6'5, 6'7, 6'8 and no depth. We've already got two 6'6 SF's and we've got 6'8.5 and 6'7 for us. GG will be so much. Egret next year and Moe will be INSANE.

Amir is the x-factor. #Sweet Sixteen

 

Depth > than no depth.

And even Albert Richardson, Don Emanuel and Chudney Gray were there as the 7, 8, 9 men to at least give someone a rest, if nothing else.

Our core is great. But we need some talent up front to take us to where we want to be.

 

[newsman13]

"great" means we'll be top ten and contending for a national championship next year. i'll go with mcnpa's "excellent". 

 

[BrookJersey Redmen]

 Best part of the article:

"We've been together 10 years, and for seven years when I was in television, all we ever talked about was, 'What if the St. John's job opens?' "
Now Lavin has it, and he plans to keep it.

 

AGREE TOTALLY

 

[1and1sju]

 Here we go again...

We have three "nice" wins in a row. All at home. And now you guys are saying we'll be "great" or "excellent" next year, and predicting sweet sixteens.

Where's the middle ground? Let's walk before we run. I'm not saying they can't make it that far, just that it's ridiculous to be predicting that at this point.

Two weeks ago Seton Hall embarrassed us by 30, and we are the same team now we were then. We still have A LOT of areas that need improvement. Down low we're susceptible to big men. When the other team has a shot blocker our offense becomes a shell of itself. And despite what alot of you are saying - we still leave a ton of 3 point shooters wide open. Yes we defended the 3 better against ND, but they still shot the ball atrociously. They had a handful of wide open shots that they missed which could've changed the game. We played more aggressive, but we were also lucky.

It's way too early to be throwing around words like great and excellent. There's a lot of promise and reason for excitement. Let's just see how the spring signing period goes and take it from there. 

 

[Sherman Sheridan & Grant]

 http://www.newsday.com/sports/college/st-johns/lavin-loves-where-st-john-s-is-going-1.3557678

Best piece yet. Answers all the important questions.  Have been waiting to read an article like this one. Debunks the nonsense. I'm still amazed he's reiterating the great recruiting class. I want to see what Lavin comes up with.

 

MCNPA

Great post and as I (and others) have said before, Lavin has given us NO reason to doubt his efforts and predictions.

He has done everything possible and NO other coach could have done better (as well perhaps) not Coach K, no thing, nobody - assembling the staff, recruiting at the last minute, getting the seniors to play their hearts out last year, the positive publicity, and so forth. Having top kids consider us with genuine interest. Let's see.

Wheaties should put him on the cover (if they still make Wheaties and if people know what being on the cover meant etc.).

The Empire State Building should flash "SF" in red and white.

The Garden should name one of the men's rooms after him, no wait, I mean eventually I would like to see Coach Lavin's name on the rafters with 500+ SJU wins.

all the best  

 

[ras]

 It appears that all the stars have to be lined up right for us to get a GREAT recruiting class. Sometimes things arent the way they appear. Im hopimg this is one of those times.

 

[Della9250]

 Here we go again...

We have three "nice" wins in a row. All at home. And now you guys are saying we'll be "great" or "excellent" next year, and predicting sweet sixteens.

Where's the middle ground? Let's walk before we run. I'm not saying they can't make it that far, just that it's ridiculous to be predicting that at this point.

Two weeks ago Seton Hall embarrassed us by 30, and we are the same team now we were then. We still have A LOT of areas that need improvement. Down low we're susceptible to big men. When the other team has a shot blocker our offense becomes a shell of itself. And despite what alot of you are saying - we still leave a ton of 3 point shooters wide open. Yes we defended the 3 better against ND, but they still shot the ball atrociously. They had a handful of wide open shots that they missed which could've changed the game. We played more aggressive, but we were also lucky.

It's way too early to be throwing around words like great and excellent. There's a lot of promise and reason for excitement. Let's just see how the spring signing period goes and take it from there. 

 

If six players can basically play .500 with this schedule, which would be 15 wins, to say next season could be excellent is not an understatement.

 

[beast of the east]

 I don't care what anyone says, this team as-is wil be great with just Branch. Anything else is just gravy. Show me a better back court next year than Branch-Greene-Harrison. #Sweeet Sixteen

 

This team won't be "great" with just Branch. That's a stretch and I think you know it Marillac.
Good, very good, I can get on board with those predictions. Great is reaching for something that's not there yet.

And as much as we'd like to project his ability, Branch is a huge unknown at this point. He was highly rated, but nothing he did at Texas AM suggests he's a can't miss player. In 20mins a game he was averaging 4pts and 2 assists.
What's surrounding D'angelo is still largely up in the air.

 

A case could be made we needed a true pg even more than a pf/c.

You could make the case, but it would be a weak case. To be a top 20 team we need length and talent up front.  

 

[1and1sju]

 I don't care what anyone says, this team as-is wil be great with just Branch. Anything else is just gravy. Show me a better back court next year than Branch-Greene-Harrison. #Sweeet Sixteen

 

This team won't be "great" with just Branch. That's a stretch and I think you know it Marillac.
Good, very good, I can get on board with those predictions. Great is reaching for something that's not there yet.

And as much as we'd like to project his ability, Branch is a huge unknown at this point. He was highly rated, but nothing he did at Texas AM suggests he's a can't miss player. In 20mins a game he was averaging 4pts and 2 assists.
What's surrounding D'angelo is still largely up in the air.

 

A case could be made we needed a true pg even more than a pf/c.

You could make the case, but it would be a weak case. To be a top 20 team we need length and talent up front.  

 

I was just pointing out that pg was a pretty big need as well. But you're absolutely right we need to fortify the front court.

But apparently some people think we have enough length and talent up front already because they're saying we're going to be great next season regardless.

It seems everyone's at one extreme or the other. The sky is falling or we're going to be "excellent", "great" etc 

 

[beast of the east]

 I don't care what anyone says, this team as-is wil be great with just Branch. Anything else is just gravy. Show me a better back court next year than Branch-Greene-Harrison. #Sweeet Sixteen

 

This team won't be "great" with just Branch. That's a stretch and I think you know it Marillac.
Good, very good, I can get on board with those predictions. Great is reaching for something that's not there yet.

And as much as we'd like to project his ability, Branch is a huge unknown at this point. He was highly rated, but nothing he did at Texas AM suggests he's a can't miss player. In 20mins a game he was averaging 4pts and 2 assists.
What's surrounding D'angelo is still largely up in the air.

 

A case could be made we needed a true pg even more than a pf/c.

You could make the case, but it would be a weak case. To be a top 20 team we need length and talent up front.  

 

I was just pointing out that pg was a pretty big need as well. But you're absolutely right we need to fortify the front court.

Apparently some people think we have enough length and talent up front already because they're saying we're going to be great next season regardless.

It seems everyone's at one extreme or the other. The sky is falling or we're going to be "excellent", "great" etc

 

I wasn't so down when we hit the wall a few weeks ago, and am not so up because we have won a few in a row. We are 6-10 in the Big East, and the best guess is we will go 7-11. Without adding considerable talent we may win 1-2 games more next season, nothing more. If we add 2 more big time recruits, 11 or 12 wins are not out of the question in league next season, which will put us around 4-7th in league. As sophs, that would be a major accomplishment as well as a trip to the dance as a team that could surprise and go 2 or 3 rounds.

 

[1and1sju]

 I don't care what anyone says, this team as-is wil be great with just Branch. Anything else is just gravy. Show me a better back court next year than Branch-Greene-Harrison. #Sweeet Sixteen

 

This team won't be "great" with just Branch. That's a stretch and I think you know it Marillac.
Good, very good, I can get on board with those predictions. Great is reaching for something that's not there yet.

And as much as we'd like to project his ability, Branch is a huge unknown at this point. He was highly rated, but nothing he did at Texas AM suggests he's a can't miss player. In 20mins a game he was averaging 4pts and 2 assists.
What's surrounding D'angelo is still largely up in the air.

 

A case could be made we needed a true pg even more than a pf/c.

You could make the case, but it would be a weak case. To be a top 20 team we need length and talent up front.  

 

I was just pointing out that pg was a pretty big need as well. But you're absolutely right we need to fortify the front court.

Apparently some people think we have enough length and talent up front already because they're saying we're going to be great next season regardless.

It seems everyone's at one extreme or the other. The sky is falling or we're going to be "excellent", "great" etc

 

I wasn't so down when we hit the wall a few weeks ago, and am not so up because we have won a few in a row. We are 6-10 in the Big East, and the best guess is we will go 7-11. Without adding considerable talent we may win 1-2 games more next season, nothing more. If we add 2 more big time recruits, 11 or 12 wins are not out of the question in league next season, which will put us around 4-7th in league. As sophs, that would be a major accomplishment as well as a trip to the dance as a team that could surprise and go 2 or 3 rounds.

 

See, that makes sense to me. I can get on board that. 3 wins at home don't make us world beaters, and if we lose the next two it doesn't mean we'll be a doormat next season either.

I think your predictions are pretty much on point. If we get a player or two we'll be improved obviously, probably middle of the pack in the BE, 8-9 wins. If we clean up in this spring recruiting period, and everybody returns, then we have a shot to be pretty good. Borderline top 25 team, and an NCAA bid. Once we get there it's all about matchups, so who knows.

 

[MCNPA]

The bottom line is that we are going to add several kids for next year on top of Branch. Too many people seem to think we are going to come away with nobody, but that is not going to be the case. We certainly need some big guys like Pf/C types. Lavin knows this. We will land at least 2 front court guys to bolster our lines. Who is a different story. I really feel we are there for Jakarr, and even he alone would be a huge upgrade to our frontcourt. We have Branch here which IMO is HUGE for us. Having a pure PG type that is 6'3"+ is going to be monstrous for us in the backcourt. It can't be underscored. Let's see who we sign come April signing. We are a few talented kids away from really having a top team.

 

[BrookJersey Redmen]

Let's get back to the topic of the thread and the most exciting part of the article, our Coach said that "for SEVEN years he was watching for our job to open up and not only him but him and his wife....."

WOW, that makes me excited, having a coach that really wanted the job, means to me he wants to turn it into something way bigger than it was before he got here!

That's what I took away most from this great article.

 

 

[bobre45]

 Here we go again...

We have three "nice" wins in a row. All at home. And now you guys are saying we'll be "great" or "excellent" next year, and predicting sweet sixteens.

Where's the middle ground? Let's walk before we run. I'm not saying they can't make it that far, just that it's ridiculous to be predicting that at this point.

Two weeks ago Seton Hall embarrassed us by 30, and we are the same team now we were then. We still have A LOT of areas that need improvement. Down low we're susceptible to big men. When the other team has a shot blocker our offense becomes a shell of itself. And despite what alot of you are saying - we still leave a ton of 3 point shooters wide open. Yes we defended the 3 better against ND, but they still shot the ball atrociously. They had a handful of wide open shots that they missed which could've changed the game. We played more aggressive, but we were also lucky.

It's way too early to be throwing around words like great and excellent. There's a lot of promise and reason for excitement. Let's just see how the spring signing period goes and take it from there. 

 

Finally the voice of reason. You could insert "and they all lived happily ever after" to most of the posts about next year's roster. May can't come soon enough.

 

[LJSA]

 Here we go again...

We have three "nice" wins in a row. All at home. And now you guys are saying we'll be "great" or "excellent" next year, and predicting sweet sixteens.

Where's the middle ground? Let's walk before we run. I'm not saying they can't make it that far, just that it's ridiculous to be predicting that at this point.

Two weeks ago Seton Hall embarrassed us by 30, and we are the same team now we were then. We still have A LOT of areas that need improvement. Down low we're susceptible to big men. When the other team has a shot blocker our offense becomes a shell of itself. And despite what alot of you are saying - we still leave a ton of 3 point shooters wide open. Yes we defended the 3 better against ND, but they still shot the ball atrociously. They had a handful of wide open shots that they missed which could've changed the game. We played more aggressive, but we were also lucky.

It's way too early to be throwing around words like great and excellent. There's a lot of promise and reason for excitement. Let's just see how the spring signing period goes and take it from there. 

 

Finally the voice of reason. You could insert "and they all lived happily ever after" to most of the posts about next year's roster. May can't come soon enough.

 


"The coaching setback was several weeks ago. I've traveled on the job and learned to hate it. There's just noplace like home. I don't know but I believe Steve's psyche is in very fragile shape after what he went through and that affects his thought patterns. He's just uncomfortable being seen at less than 100% by thousands rather than a recruit and his parents. I hope he's getting counseling for that because attitude is important during recovery. There re two issues here - the health of the coach and that of the program. Sorry but I have my doubts about both right now....."

Yep, you are certainly the perfect person to identify "the voice of reason."