Lets Keep Lavin and and this team in perspective.

[Class of 72]

As you can see I agree with many of the pros and cons posted here, both about our coaches and player development.
As for our coach in particular, I see a man who has gone through a very difficult period in his life that began last year with a cancer diagnosis and the illness and death of his beloved father this year.  Unless you have walked in those shoes, you cannot appreciate the emotional impact they have had on the man.  I think it will make him a stronger coach for next year since he is a good student of the game and will learn for his many mistakes this year. 
My disappointment has been with not replacing coach Dunlap with a respected tactician.  We know he had a highly respected HS coach on his list but hiring another UCLA buddy was dumb.  When you have a coach with Keady's experience on your bench and do not move him to associate head coach, it is either because coach K does not want the job or you made a bad decision.  
If he did not want it, it may have been time to pool that salary and that of Dunlap and hired a top assistant.  IMO, there are none on this team.
As for recruiting, coach Chiles has the major responsibility but he has not been involved with a top 25 player since being hired and even the top 100 for 2014 do not impress me. Without the players, a weak x and o coach like Lavin is doomed.  
For next year we need a strong assistant to be hired and at least one guard to be signed as we should never be subjected to seeing a walk-on play in a Big East tourney ever again, unless we were winning.
As for D'Lo, if Lavin can sign another guard I would have no problem should he not be reinstated.  Personally, I think Lavin will wait for Jordan's decision before deciding on Harrison,  but when your coach suspends you for the year during the most important part of the schedule, all signs point to the player and the desire of the coach to part ways with that player.  
In a world of "what-ifs", if Harrison had not hit rock bottom as a player during the Big East games this year, the results  may  have been dramatically different.  His one-man show likely cost SJ at least 3 games this year and hindered the development of other players getting into an offensive rhythm.  Part of that of course was Lavin's fault for implementing an unstructured offense.  But offense is developed in practices and that is where the assistants pay dividends. None of the assistants having any coaching experience and it shows.  
Seeing the resurrection of "Slice" would do wonders for this team.  
Make him an offer, because Lav will never be confused with Mark Few and only great recruits will save this program from being a bottom half Big East team with the arrival of teams like Butler and Xavier.  

I also was a bit wary of the hiring of a UCLA guy to fill the role of Dunlap. I wouldn't go so far to call it dumb, though.

Actually, Chiles has been involved with top 25 kids since has hired. Heck! He was just involved with one last summer.... Jarrell Martin? Rysheed Jordan (he's not a consensus top 25, but Rivals has him at #25). I can name others, but that is just the most recent ones, in which Chiles has led the charge.

IMO, "Slice" is only known as a recruiter, and he's only worth it within the NYC metro-area. Who do you get rid of to place "Slice" on the staff? Otherwise, it's redundant to bring him in at this moment.

Hiring a full time assistant just because he was a former UCLA player with no recruiting connections was not smart.......how is that? At Pitt, Slice brought in players from across the country not just NY, which was a bonus. Tony has been involved marginally with some national players but it was Lavin that pursued the likes of Gathers and Martin. Very few other top 25's have put us on their final list....as of late. IMO, involved does not just mean making an "offer" it means aggressively pursuing and making a player feel like they are a top priority. If you re-visit the comments of lost recruits like Gathers, Martin, Lawrence and a few others, they all repeat the same line line.......that the school they chose pursued them the hardest.
While at Manhattan, Lavin had made Slice an offer but he chose to stay with the Jaspers. A great coach he is not but as a recruiter he is a bulldog.
I personally think he would have made a big difference but the current make up of the staff is not showing individual results in player improvement. All of the assistants are nice guys but you know what they say about nice guys?

 

[MJDinkins]

As you can see I agree with many of the pros and cons posted here, both about our coaches and player development.
As for our coach in particular, I see a man who has gone through a very difficult period in his life that began last year with a cancer diagnosis and the illness and death of his beloved father this year.  Unless you have walked in those shoes, you cannot appreciate the emotional impact they have had on the man.  I think it will make him a stronger coach for next year since he is a good student of the game and will learn for his many mistakes this year. 
My disappointment has been with not replacing coach Dunlap with a respected tactician.  We know he had a highly respected HS coach on his list but hiring another UCLA buddy was dumb.  When you have a coach with Keady's experience on your bench and do not move him to associate head coach, it is either because coach K does not want the job or you made a bad decision.  
If he did not want it, it may have been time to pool that salary and that of Dunlap and hired a top assistant.  IMO, there are none on this team.
As for recruiting, coach Chiles has the major responsibility but he has not been involved with a top 25 player since being hired and even the top 100 for 2014 do not impress me. Without the players, a weak x and o coach like Lavin is doomed.  
For next year we need a strong assistant to be hired and at least one guard to be signed as we should never be subjected to seeing a walk-on play in a Big East tourney ever again, unless we were winning.
As for D'Lo, if Lavin can sign another guard I would have no problem should he not be reinstated.  Personally, I think Lavin will wait for Jordan's decision before deciding on Harrison,  but when your coach suspends you for the year during the most important part of the schedule, all signs point to the player and the desire of the coach to part ways with that player.  
In a world of "what-ifs", if Harrison had not hit rock bottom as a player during the Big East games this year, the results  may  have been dramatically different.  His one-man show likely cost SJ at least 3 games this year and hindered the development of other players getting into an offensive rhythm.  Part of that of course was Lavin's fault for implementing an unstructured offense.  But offense is developed in practices and that is where the assistants pay dividends. None of the assistants having any coaching experience and it shows.  
Seeing the resurrection of "Slice" would do wonders for this team.  
Make him an offer, because Lav will never be confused with Mark Few and only great recruits will save this program from being a bottom half Big East team with the arrival of teams like Butler and Xavier.  

I also was a bit wary of the hiring of a UCLA guy to fill the role of Dunlap. I wouldn't go so far to call it dumb, though.

Actually, Chiles has been involved with top 25 kids since has hired. Heck! He was just involved with one last summer.... Jarrell Martin? Rysheed Jordan (he's not a consensus top 25, but Rivals has him at #25). I can name others, but that is just the most recent ones, in which Chiles has led the charge.

IMO, "Slice" is only known as a recruiter, and he's only worth it within the NYC metro-area. Who do you get rid of to place "Slice" on the staff? Otherwise, it's redundant to bring him in at this moment.

Hiring a full time assistant just because he was a former UCLA player with no recruiting connections was not smart.......how is that? At Pitt, Slice brought in players from across the country not just NY, which was a bonus. Tony has been involved marginally with some national players but it was Lavin that pursued the likes of Gathers and Martin. Very few other top 25's have put us on their final list....as of late. IMO, involved does not just mean making an "offer" it means aggressively pursuing and making a player feel like they are a top priority. If you re-visit the comments of lost recruits like Gathers, Martin, Lawrence and a few others, they all repeat the same line line.......that the school they chose pursued them the hardest.
While at Manhattan, Lavin had made Slice an offer but he chose to stay with the Jaspers. A great coach he is not but as a recruiter he is a bulldog.
I personally think he would have made a big difference but the current make up of the staff is not showing individual results in player improvement. All of the assistants are nice guys but you know what they say about nice guys?

"Slice" made his bones by bringing in players from the NYC area when he was an assistant at Pitt. Go take a look at Pitt's roster during "Slice's" time in the Steel City. It was mainly comprised of NYC-area recruits.

Chiles was the main recruiter throughout the spring and summer when it came to Martin. Trust me on that one. He's also been the lead guy for Jordan. The top 25 kids we've gone after have placed us on their final list. We're not Kentucky, so we're not gonna be involved (nor are all the top 25 kids are gonna want us involved) with nearly the entire top 25.

We've been, for the most part, on the final lists of the top 25 kids the staff has been involved with since coming on board. Do not always believe the trite line about "who's coming at them the hardest," as being the school they ended up choosing in the end. Do you really think Baylor was going after Gathers any harder than St. John's, and a few others on his list? That line may occasionally play a role, but it isn't always the truth.

Slice is only beneficial on the NYC scene, and he's known for making his bones as a recruiter (we have a recruiter in Chiles). Once again, who do you let go, in order, to place Slice on the bench?

 

[Moose]

Slice is too busy right now 'working' for someone else.

 

[MJDinkins]

Slice is too busy right now 'working' for someone else.

LOL

 

[SJUalum98]

We don't need another recruiter on the staff. We need an Xs & Os coach in the worst way. Tell Darrick to have a nice day.

Lavin's "CEO" approach works when you have a teacher backing him up. This year, that was desperately missing.

This team is undisciplined and fundamentally flawed.

He's tried Allocco twice and been rejected twice. Darrick Martin brought absolutely nothing to the table this year as evidenced by Greene's play and our backcourt in general.

You can get low 100 recruits but in the right system, they can excel. We need an Assistant coach who can design plays to create easier shots for all of our players. D'Angelo would've probably led the conference in scoring if he took better shots.

Bottom line, we need the bad cop to Lavin's good cop.

 

[Class of 72]

Slice is too busy right now 'working' for someone else.

Slice and his suits fit Vegas, Pitt and NYC well. Boise......not that much.

 

[Class of 72]

We don't need another recruiter on the staff. We need an Xs & Os coach in the worst way. Tell Darrick to have a nice day.
Bottom line, we need the bad cop to Lavin's good cop.

We actually have both right now in Gene Keady. He is "consigliere" to the coach. I am sure Lavin has many conversations with him about the game. Maurice Harkless was an anomaly. St. John's and NYC need star power and none of the current group offer that, with all due respect to Jakarr. This is a league, a team and a city in need of a star and only a top recruiter will help that. Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington, has been landing better talent. Just being "good" in NYC will not cut it. You have the celebrity coach....now you need the player.

 

[ZanMan]

I don't think it's irrational to get a solid Xs and Os guy on the bench who can really connect with the kids' and their
learning of a good offensive plan. I just don't know if that is something that they have on their list of priorities.

I know one thing...next year is a crucial one for Coach. Not only are the fans patiently waiting, but a new conference will also have their fingers crossed that the red and white team from NYC does really well.

 

[Moose]

Slice is too busy right now 'working' for someone else.

Slice and his suits fit Vegas, Pitt and NYC well. Boise......not that much.

That's just the job that pays him. Did I say pay???

 

[jerseyshorejohnny]

We don't need another recruiter on the staff. We need an Xs & Os coach in the worst way. Tell Darrick to have a nice day.

Lavin's "CEO" approach works when you have a teacher backing him up. This year, that was desperately missing.

This team is undisciplined and fundamentally flawed.

He's tried Allocco twice and been rejected twice. Darrick Martin brought absolutely nothing to the table this year as evidenced by Greene's play and our backcourt in general.

You can get low 100 recruits but in the right system, they can excel. We need an Assistant coach who can design plays to create easier shots for all of our players. D'Angelo would've probably led the conference in scoring if he took better shots.

Bottom line, we need the bad cop to Lavin's good cop.

Is it true that Frank cut Mullin's son ??? Heard that story from, what I believe to be, a credible source.

 

[jerseyshorejohnny]

We don't need another recruiter on the staff. We need an Xs & Os coach in the worst way. Tell Darrick to have a nice day.
Bottom line, we need the bad cop to Lavin's good cop.

We actually have both right now in Gene Keady. He is "consigliere" to the coach. I am sure Lavin has many conversations with him about the game. Maurice Harkless was an anomaly. St. John's and NYC need star power and none of the current group offer that, with all due respect to Jakarr. This is a league, a team and a city in need of a star and only a top recruiter will help that. Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington, has been landing better talent. Just being "good" in NYC will not cut it. You have the celebrity coach....now you need the player.

Could not agree more !

 

[Moose]

We don't need another recruiter on the staff. We need an Xs & Os coach in the worst way. Tell Darrick to have a nice day.

Lavin's "CEO" approach works when you have a teacher backing him up. This year, that was desperately missing.

This team is undisciplined and fundamentally flawed.

He's tried Allocco twice and been rejected twice. Darrick Martin brought absolutely nothing to the table this year as evidenced by Greene's play and our backcourt in general.

You can get low 100 recruits but in the right system, they can excel. We need an Assistant coach who can design plays to create easier shots for all of our players. D'Angelo would've probably led the conference in scoring if he took better shots.

Bottom line, we need the bad cop to Lavin's good cop.

Is it true that Frank cut Mullin's son ??? Heard that story from, what I believe to be, a credible source.

Didn't hear specifics but I did hear that Mullin wasn't a fan.