I was 11 at the time so I didn't quite have the perspective, but why did the team underperform in Louie's last season? I know we tied for best BE record, but we didn't get to 20 wins (19), weren't ranked to end the season, and got outplayed by Tulane from start to finish in the tourney.Sealy, Buchanan, Werdann, and Sproling were all seniors. Shawnelle Scott was a So. Middleton was a very useful transfer. Feel like they never really got it going coming off the Elite 8 run. Why didn't it all click? Werdann's injuries? Lack of depth on the bench? Winning is hard with some random luck thrown in?
Louie's Last Season
- Thread starter MattyHoops
- Start date
Larry Wright
Well-known member
Didn’t have reliable 2nd scorer behind Sealy
Spoling played out of his mind the previous year in tournament.
Spoling played out of his mind the previous year in tournament.
Yeah, Sealy was the only double digit scorer. Buchanan really regressed. Werdann was injured for a chunk of the year. They needed someone to take the leap.
Larry Wright
Well-known member
Derek Brown should have played more
Maybe David Cain too. Though I don't remember playing well in the minutes given. Obviously was a revelation that following season.
Larry Wright
Well-known member
He did not
His Senior year was by far the most surprising good thing I have seen since a fan
Buchanan got into a horrible shooting slump. They started 4-5 in the league and then won 8 out of 9 to end the season (8 out of 10 total they lost to Notre Dame in non-con). They actually had a chance to win the conference outright but lost at home last game of year to SHU.
But this game against UCONN is what sparked the turnaround after a very disappointing start. But yeah despite winning a share of the BE regular season it was overall a very disappointing season because of the expectations. But this blowout of UCONN always brings a smile to my face.
But this game against UCONN is what sparked the turnaround after a very disappointing start. But yeah despite winning a share of the BE regular season it was overall a very disappointing season because of the expectations. But this blowout of UCONN always brings a smile to my face.
If we would have known at that time how productive Cain would be as a senior, he would have been an upgrade over Buchanan. Jason had a terrible senior season and made terrible decisions. Tulane game included a no look behind the head 3-1 fast break pass out of bounds. Pretty much set the tone for Lou’s last game.
I recall Werdann's injuries being a huge factor and the season just being a big "meh" coming off the elite 8. Sproling remained an enormous disappointment (at least to me) as he had been for the prior seasons save 91 tourney yet Louie stuck with him. I don't recall there being nearly enough three point shooting when the dominant teams of the era all had realized you needed that. Sound familiar?
L J S A
Well-known member
I never made it up to the Bronx to watch but I'm sure some guys here definitely saw Cain play. I think he averaged 17 and 11 apg as a senior, and pretty sure Stevenson made it all the way to the Fed championship game. Not sure if he was just too tiny to play earlier or what, but Cain definitely would have done wonders for our team if he was ready to play a year sooner.
Cain was magnificent in HS leading Stevenson to I believe two PSAL titles jr. and sr. year. I recall he dominated Lincoln's star Norman Marbury (# 2 in the Marbury dynasty) in his junior year at the garden in the title game to announce his arrival. He played with Anthony Pelle in HS and would drive and at the last instant dish to Pelle for monster dunks. Louie then saw fit to sit him for 3 years.
Louie was one of the nicest people to grace Alumni Hall. As a coach, he led the program to a high level of mediocrity. Carmine Calzonetti told me that when he was an assistant coach, Louie told him to sign just one number one draft pick a year. Other good, but not great, players will follow. That explains no Julius Erving who went to Roosevelt down the road and ended up at UMASS (John Warren, Joe Depre and Calzonetti were players then)...no Akeem Olajuwon who was left alone at the airport...no Gary Payton, who signed with us, but was told by Louie he was no longer wanted.
In other words, no depth...plus a slow-down style that didn't work for every recruit led to a highly mediocre coda to end Louie's career.
In other words, no depth...plus a slow-down style that didn't work for every recruit led to a highly mediocre coda to end Louie's career.
In fairness Buchanan had a terrific Junior year (90-91), second team All-BE, and they went to the Elite 8. His sophomore year he was at shooting guard ahead of Sproling who was a Prop 48 Sophomore because of course the PG that year was Boo Harvey. Of course Boo sat out all of 88-89 because of academics which forced Buchanan to play PG as a true freshman.
So not sure where Cain was supposed to play. And if you look at the end of that 91-92 season when Buchanan was struggling shooting Cain played more. I remember they beat BC at Conte Forum and Cain played a lot in the 2nd half including the end of the game with the starters. And Looie was asked after the game about why he played Cain over JB late and he said nothing in particular just he thought Cain had been playing well and deserved more time.
Luigi was stuck in the 60's. The game passed him by while he was eating at Dante's!
That game was awesome.
The last season to me wasn’t disappointing except for losing to freaking Tulane in the first round of the tourney. It I’m remembering the right game that was the afternoon game we watched at JPODs and got completely bombed on nickel draft beer happy hour but then again we went to JPODs a lot so the happy hour memories are a little fuzzy 
Forget the lofty expectations. 91-92 was a bad team even with one of the most talented Redmen ever. They simply couldn't score. Would often just stand around and watch Malik do his thing.
Starters:
Sealy: an all-time great with no help who had to carry the team on his back like no other before him.
Werdann: injuries to a kid who at worst should've been 2nd team all BE.
Shawnelle Scott: huge kid, great rebounder who had a hard time hitting the broadside of a barn with a shot.
Chucky Sproling: went back to old, tentative self after awesome NCAA run the year before. Constantly played scared. But hit game winner against Cuse at the Garden.
Buchanan: the biggest head-scratcher of that season. I really thought he'd emerge as one of the best PGs after the NCAA run. But just the opposite.
Bench: Barely any scoring at all
Cain: continued to play out of control often so he sat.
Middleton: a lunch pail tweener - not big enough to challenge big men, not skilled enough to spell Malik effectively.
Mitch Foster: a JUCO transfer banger, rebounder.
Derek Brown: a surprise, no-name recruit who showed unbelievable skills at times. Thought he might emerge as a scorer. Didn't happen.
Lee Green: a defense-first guard with no outside game, turned it over a lot.
Starters:
Sealy: an all-time great with no help who had to carry the team on his back like no other before him.
Werdann: injuries to a kid who at worst should've been 2nd team all BE.
Shawnelle Scott: huge kid, great rebounder who had a hard time hitting the broadside of a barn with a shot.
Chucky Sproling: went back to old, tentative self after awesome NCAA run the year before. Constantly played scared. But hit game winner against Cuse at the Garden.
Buchanan: the biggest head-scratcher of that season. I really thought he'd emerge as one of the best PGs after the NCAA run. But just the opposite.
Bench: Barely any scoring at all
Cain: continued to play out of control often so he sat.
Middleton: a lunch pail tweener - not big enough to challenge big men, not skilled enough to spell Malik effectively.
Mitch Foster: a JUCO transfer banger, rebounder.
Derek Brown: a surprise, no-name recruit who showed unbelievable skills at times. Thought he might emerge as a scorer. Didn't happen.
Lee Green: a defense-first guard with no outside game, turned it over a lot.
Larry Wright
Well-known member
There was a game on CBS where Brown scored 12 or 14 points hitting a couple 3 ‘s and throwing down a dunk.
But Louie was loyal , stubborn and hated non superstar freshman so he never got consistent minutes after that .
I remember watching sju classic game along time ago and his game stuck out. Lefty right? DownTownDerekBrown coulda worked as a screen name.
The 1991-92 team just could not get going. A big part of the reason they could score was only Sealy had a break out senior season.
Werdann had the injury bug all season, while Buchanan regressed, and Sproling lost total confidence in his shot.
Billy Singleton’s (one of my all-time favorites) leadership was missed. He was a calming influence to the group the year before.
Sealy was not an emotional leader. Not his personality. He absolutely fell under the category of “leading by example”.
Despite that, they still should have beaten Tulane in the first round however.
Werdann had the injury bug all season, while Buchanan regressed, and Sproling lost total confidence in his shot.
Billy Singleton’s (one of my all-time favorites) leadership was missed. He was a calming influence to the group the year before.
Sealy was not an emotional leader. Not his personality. He absolutely fell under the category of “leading by example”.
Despite that, they still should have beaten Tulane in the first round however.