LoVett Future

To be fair, that's from Baldi, who sometimes posts stuff he actually knows and frequently posts stuff just to piss people off. Too early to say which description befits his latest rumor.
 
To be fair, that's from Baldi, who sometimes posts stuff he actually knows and frequently posts stuff just to piss people off. Too early to say which description befits his latest rumor.
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Yeah 5 days ago his scoop was Lovett staying. Those voices in his head are now giving him conflicting info
 
the other side of this is that when you are traveling your nut is bigger. So $100k (assuming you make that much) may sound like a lot to a 19 year old, figure in your expenses and it may not be. Play in Korea and make $100k and you won't even be able to get a tiny apartment (to RENT) without a huge down payment. Heck in Silicon Valley you have $100k annual and you are eating ramen every night.

Everyone talks about not begrudging kids from making a paycheck but a paycheck is there for the rest of your life and most of these kids that are the rare exceptions to make a big paycheck are too immature to hold on to it. For most playing overseas won't get them enough income to change their life or their extended families. College is a good life and 4 years to live in a bubble of fun, learning and security. You can grow and become a better version of yourself. Professional is dog eat dog forever no turning back. You have kids and the NCAA is screwing you. OK go get a paycheck. If you don't, enjoy college life for as long as you can.
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Just to point out that most overseas professional teams provide room and some if not all board expenses in addition to salary.
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And in most cases, the club will offset a player's taxes as well, so his salary would essentially be tax-free.

I do believe that Lovett would be able to get a contract around 200k in Europe. I can't fault him whatsoever if he chooses to go get his money. Fact of the matter is, 100k-200k is worth much more than the value of SJU tuition. As a basketball period he has a short period of time to cash in on his talents, and if his family isn't in a great financial situation you can't fault him one bit for wanting to support them. He can go make 6-figures in Europe and save a bit of that money each year and go back to school to get his degree once his playing career is over.

In fact, more and more schools are starting to pledge lifetime scholarships for athletes (its a good recruiting tool). Selfishly I want him to come back but can't at all fault the kid if he wants to go make some actual money which exceeds the value he's getting at SJU.
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You qualified "tuition" I'd still say that your college time is a special one that can't be replaced even with some bling and relatively insignificant cash so I think the value proposition is definitely debatable especially in the reality of where most professional athletes end up no matter how much money they make. This from someone that grew up poor OG latchkey kid, and started working when I was 9 years old all the way through high school and 4 years at St Johns. Aside from that, pretty easy to burn through that kind of money especially living abroad and if you have a posse leaching off you.
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We just make all of these rational arguments of how college life is so good, and they aren't incorrect. If I had to guess, for a kid who has had academic problems, he may not have a high interest in cracking the books AND playing college bball without a salary. I couldn't imagine trying to play a demanding D1 sport like bball that spans most of 2 semesters AND have to do school work. When I worked at SJU my office was in the Academic Computing Lab. Most basketball players came in at the end of the semester with an entire semester's work of mandatory assignments that had to be handed in. Usually they asked student workers to give them lots of assistance completing them. In my time working there, only one ball player actually came in regularly to do his assignments on his own during the school year.

Yes, 100K for those of us that know doesn't go far. For kids who sometimes come from a life of public assistance, or a single parent who earns far less than that, It sounds like and to some extent is, a fortune. But being a professional basketball player is some far flung exotic place in Europe, Asia, or South America sounds like a really cool deal to kids who have grown up poor. And it is. I do agree that a college degree changes the trajectory for any kid, so for that alone I hope he stays.

I think of guys like Reggie Carter, Frank Gilroy, George Johnson, Rudy Wright, Charles Minlend at their commencements. I saw one or two of them in cap and gown. I think of D'Angelo, Pointer, Greene, and that group at their commencement and can only imagine their ear to ear grins at earning their degrees. I actually feel good for them that there was, is, and will be a better life after basketball partly because of that degree. I hope Lovett is in that group - not for the points and wins he would provide for us along the way, but for him and his family.
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I generally agree with everything that you said. I decided to quit school after my first year even blowing off my last final and getting an F in the class. Fortunately I went back partially against my will, and while I didn't have a storybook college experience, spending more time working than partying (but did get some of that in), I took advantage of the academics and actually learned some things and when I started working as hard at that, my life changed in a way that quick cash would never make happen. Going from a no-effort c- student to being on the Dean's Highest Honors List and getting into law school and graduate school was great but more important was the internal transformation and that is the rite of passage that a college experience CAN be especially if you have some sincere and generous people like you find at many Catholic schools that are there to make a difference in the lives of these kids.

It is easy to as a spectator, throw money at problems like poverty and feel generous. And cash does help when every day is a struggle but making the harder choices makes you a better person for a lifetime not just quick fixes. Money is important but the more important you make it, the less of a person you are and getting quick money rarely ever ends well. It is beyond ridiculous that almost every single NFL player ends up bankrupt. It is something like 8 out of 10 are bankrupt or close to it within 2 years of retiring or being cut and who knows beyond that. Most of the top tier (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) pro athletes end up divorced as well and many in multiple divorces and multiple baby mamas. You could say the same thing about Lottery winners. Most of the lottery winners lose everything. There is an obvious lesson there for anyone to accept.
 
Glad to see some posters getting in their nice parting shots directed at Lovett and Mussini early.

Whatever they decide to do, good luck to them. They represented the University nicely, and are now family. By most accounts, they were good teammates and hopefully foundations of the program's turnaround.
 
To be fair, that's from Baldi, who sometimes posts stuff he actually knows and frequently posts stuff just to piss people off. Too early to say which description befits his latest rumor.
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Baldi is the ultimate pot stirrer. But many times puts out nuggets that nobody would report that are spot on. That said. I don't think Lovett has even made up his mind at this point. It is going to be an interesting month to see were the pieces fall.
 
Agree with this. By all accounts, both have been great teammates. I think both love being part of the team. If both believe there are better opportunities getting paid overseas, so be it. I do think there is value for both of these kids to stay another year in the Big East. Unlike Jakar, who I thought wouldn't gain much playing another year in the BE.

Lovett was worth having this year for sure. He was instrumental in making year 2 a productive one, and we wouldn't have had nearly as many wins in conference without him.


Glad to see some posters getting in their nice parting shots directed at Lovett and Mussini early.

Whatever they decide to do, good luck to them. They represented the University nicely, and are now family. By most accounts, they were good teammates and hopefully foundations of the program's turnaround.
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Luckily we have Simon, who has good size for a guard, if Marcus leaves.
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Wouldn't that mean Ponds becomes our point guard. Hopefully Mullin doesn't consider Ellison in that role.
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I'm pretty sure Simon is a point-- Ponds seems to play better off the ball.
 
To be fair, that's from Baldi, who sometimes posts stuff he actually knows and frequently posts stuff just to piss people off. Too early to say which description befits his latest rumor.
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Yeah 5 days ago his scoop was Lovett staying. Those voices in his head are now giving him conflicting info
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Reading tea leaves if ML leaves as I expect; Simon mans the point next to Ponds & sense Matt lands grad guard, who like Pryor this year at Georgetown, steps in for prime minutes. The remaining time between Mussini & Ellison will be interesting. Which one would be willing to play the fourth guard role? Just a guess, but the guy playing the "designated shooter" now may be inclined to accept that. We'll see.

I personally am sorry to lose LoVett, who I really looked forward to playing with Simon & Ponds. That said, I think the guard contingent will be fine,if Simon does well at the point & the mystery grad guy can play. To me, the front court really is area of concern obviously. I don't think Marvin Clark can cure this problem & it is critical to get grad transfer guy with some strength, bulk & good hands to battle the true big man we constantly get bullied by.
 
To be fair, that's from Baldi, who sometimes posts stuff he actually knows and frequently posts stuff just to piss people off. Too early to say which description befits his latest rumor.
Click to expand...

Yeah 5 days ago his scoop was Lovett staying. Those voices in his head are now giving him conflicting info
Click to expand...

Reading tea leaves if ML leaves as I expect; Simon mans the point next to Ponds & sense Matt lands grad guard, who like Pryor this year at Georgetown, steps in for prime minutes. The remaining time between Mussini & Ellison will be interesting. Which one would be willing to play the fourth guard role? Just a guess, but the guy playing the "designated shooter" now may be inclined to accept that. We'll see.

I personally am sorry to lose LoVett, who I really looked forward to playing with Simon & Ponds. That said, I think the guard contingent will be fine,if Simon does well at the point & the mystery grad guy can play. To me, the front court really is area of concern obviously. I don't think Marvin Clark can cure this problem & it is critical to get grad transfer guy with some strength, bulk & good hands.to battle the true big man we constantly get bullied by.
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Paultz you are great. But I thought we had moved past "Mystery Recruits" once Norm got fired? BTW the Norm Mystery recruit was a Marco Baldi staple back in the day.

I think it is perfectly normal for fans to be upset / worried that one of our two best players is probably leaving. Heck as a kid and then a college student I was basically praying for one more year of Berry and Artest. And those teams were going to be good even w/o those two.
Upset, mad, sad whatever. It is a normal reaction. We are STJohn's fans. Once Midnight Madness rolls around we will all talk ourselves into Simon being the next Jason Kidd and some white guy from Norway being the next Detlef Schrempf.
WE ARE ST JOHN'S!!!
 
Glad to see some posters getting in their nice parting shots directed at Lovett and Mussini early.

Whatever they decide to do, good luck to them. They represented the University nicely, and are now family. By most accounts, they were good teammates and hopefully foundations of the program's turnaround.
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I agree. Only a few hours after the season ends, and we quickly transform into that cringe-worthy stage where grown men on a message board beg and make cases for 20 year old kids to stay or go. Also, PSA, for those who refer to the player in their post as their first name, that's not going to help keep them here or send a message, it just makes it all that weirder.
 
To be fair, that's from Baldi, who sometimes posts stuff he actually knows and frequently posts stuff just to piss people off. Too early to say which description befits his latest rumor.
Click to expand...

Yeah 5 days ago his scoop was Lovett staying. Those voices in his head are now giving him conflicting info
Click to expand...

Reading tea leaves if ML leaves as I expect; Simon mans the point next to Ponds & sense Matt lands grad guard, who like Pryor this year at Georgetown, steps in for prime minutes. The remaining time between Mussini & Ellison will be interesting. Which one would be willing to play the fourth guard role? Just a guess, but the guy playing the "designated shooter" now may be inclined to accept that. We'll see.

I personally am sorry to lose LoVett, who I really looked forward to playing with Simon & Ponds. That said, I think the guard contingent will be fine,if Simon does well at the point & the mystery grad guy can play. To me, the front court really is area of concern obviously. I don't think Marvin Clark can cure this problem & it is critical to get grad transfer guy with some strength, bulk & good hands to battle the true big man we constantly get bullied by.
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Watching Xavier/Butler and Creighton/Providence last night really highlighted what we already know in how undersized we are up front. All 4 teams just loaded with forwards and centers with height, strength, or both. Particularly notable for us though I think is that not all are great players but just bring a lot of size and physicality. Don't think we need a Patton (although it would be great to get one!) but stating obvious do need 1-2 of those type of players and it seems like other teams have a lot of them so hopefully we can start to get more in mix.
 
To be fair, that's from Baldi, who sometimes posts stuff he actually knows and frequently posts stuff just to piss people off. Too early to say which description befits his latest rumor.
Click to expand...

Yeah 5 days ago his scoop was Lovett staying. Those voices in his head are now giving him conflicting info
Click to expand...

Reading tea leaves if ML leaves as I expect; Simon mans the point next to Ponds & sense Matt lands grad guard, who like Pryor this year at Georgetown, steps in for prime minutes. The remaining time between Mussini & Ellison will be interesting. Which one would be willing to play the fourth guard role? Just a guess, but the guy playing the "designated shooter" now may be inclined to accept that. We'll see.

I personally am sorry to lose LoVett, who I really looked forward to playing with Simon & Ponds. That said, I think the guard contingent will be fine,if Simon does well at the point & the mystery grad guy can play. To me, the front court really is area of concern obviously. I don't think Marvin Clark can cure this problem & it is critical to get grad transfer guy with some strength, bulk & good hands.to battle the true big man we constantly get bullied by.
Click to expand...

Paultz you are great. But I thought we had moved past "Mystery Recruits" once Norm got fired? BTW the Norm Mystery recruit was a Marco Baldi staple back in the day.

I think it is perfectly normal for fans to be upset / worried that one of our two best players is probably leaving. Heck as a kid and then a college student I was basically praying for one more year of Berry and Artest. And those teams were going to be good even w/o those two.
Upset, mad, sad whatever. It is a normal reaction. We are STJohn's fans. Once Midnight Madness rolls around we will all talk ourselves into Simon being the next Jason Kidd and some white guy from Norway being the next Detlef Schrempf.
WE ARE ST JOHN'S!!!
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f

Can't argue with your thoughts. As noted, the thought of having Simon, Ponds & Marcus together was exciting to me & put our backcourt in another stratosphere. If ML indeed leaves, it is a loss, no doubt. SImon, although well recruited as a PG initially, still has to prove himself. He has some rust, apparently needs to improve his shooting & some folks have noted he may be more of a combo guard.

The second fair question, is will a grad transfer be real solid. You don't know that for sure obviously. So, all in all, I will be really disappointed to lose a freshman who averaged 17/game, is quick & won us some games. I also may be wrong thinking we will still be fine in the backcourt, not knowing anything about the mystery guy. Clearly I can't say we will be better there with any degree of confidence, so I am in the camp of missing ML big time & not willing to rationalize his absence.
 
Kids have a right to earn a living, especially a 21-22 year old sophomore.

If you want 4 year kids you need to get out of HS, getting them after a prep or sitting a year out is tough to keep for 4 years. That is why it is important that we continue to recruit, I was a bit disappointed that we did not work on a guy or two for 2017 because there are always going to be changes.
 
To be fair, that's from Baldi, who sometimes posts stuff he actually knows and frequently posts stuff just to piss people off. Too early to say which description befits his latest rumor.
Click to expand...

Yeah 5 days ago his scoop was Lovett staying. Those voices in his head are now giving him conflicting info
Click to expand...

Reading tea leaves if ML leaves as I expect; Simon mans the point next to Ponds & sense Matt lands grad guard, who like Pryor this year at Georgetown, steps in for prime minutes. The remaining time between Mussini & Ellison will be interesting. Which one would be willing to play the fourth guard role? Just a guess, but the guy playing the "designated shooter" now may be inclined to accept that. We'll see.

I personally am sorry to lose LoVett, who I really looked forward to playing with Simon & Ponds. That said, I think the guard contingent will be fine,if Simon does well at the point & the mystery grad guy can play. To me, the front court really is area of concern obviously. I don't think Marvin Clark can cure this problem & it is critical to get grad transfer guy with some strength, bulk & good hands.to battle the true big man we constantly get bullied by.
Click to expand...

Paultz you are great. But I thought we had moved past "Mystery Recruits" once Norm got fired? BTW the Norm Mystery recruit was a Marco Baldi staple back in the day.

I think it is perfectly normal for fans to be upset / worried that one of our two best players is probably leaving. Heck as a kid and then a college student I was basically praying for one more year of Berry and Artest. And those teams were going to be good even w/o those two.
Upset, mad, sad whatever. It is a normal reaction. We are STJohn's fans. Once Midnight Madness rolls around we will all talk ourselves into Simon being the next Jason Kidd and some white guy from Norway being the next Detlef Schrempf.
WE ARE ST JOHN'S!!!
Click to expand...
f

Can't argue with your thoughts. As noted, the thought of having Simon, Ponds & Marcus together was exciting to me & put our backcourt in another stratosphere. If ML indeed leaves, it is a loss, no doubt. SImon, although well recruited as a PG initially, still has to prove himself. He has some rust, apparently needs to improve his shooting & some folks have noted he may be more of a combo guard.

The second fair question, is will a grad transfer be real solid. You don't know that for sure obviously. So, all in all, I will be really disappointed to lose a freshman who averaged 17/game, is quick & won us some games. I also may be wrong thinking we will still be fine in the backcourt, not knowing anything about the mystery guy. Clearly I can't say we will be better there with any degree of confidence, so I am in the camp of missing ML big time & not willing to rationalize his absence.
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Again just to be clear. I am sure there is nothing the staff could do that it hasn't tried and there is certainly nothing us as fans could do. My point is it is perfectly acceptable to be disappointed about this. And I know that you and I are.
 
Like most, I don't want to see anyone leave early. It's a big decision, and leaving is sometimes the right call. Gut feeling from the beginning was that ML would gain exposure and experience and likely not be here as an upper classman. FM I pegged to be a 4 year player and return to Italy with a degree and a wealth of experience. He's a pure shooter, and he has two of the best shooters in history as coaches. There will always be minutes for a sharpshooter off the bench, and it's usually one of key ingredients you see on a final four team.
 
Hopefully Lovett will read the case study on Omar Cook.

I am sure Lovett can make $300K plus playing over seas and you can not blame a kid for taking that money up front now. I am sure the majority of posters would want him to stay but we are not a dis-interested third party and can't really analyze what is best for him but can analyze what is best for the program.

It is a hard decision that I can't imagine making at such a young age. In a perfect world if you can take out the risk of injuries, I would think it would be better for Lovett to stay and work with Mullin and his contacts on developing and getting into the NBA, I do not see why after a few years Lovett wouldn't be able to make a NBA roster. I would also think that Mullin has contacts in the NBA that most college coaches do not have which only would work in Lovett's interest.

If you want to place blame here it should be on the system and the NBA. I am not a fan of early departures which has degraded the NBA product. I am also not a fan of schools making millions of dollars off a bball program and then a kid gets hit with sanctions if he borrows $20 from a staff member. There has to be some change to the system to prevent kids from taking the easy money up front.
 
Kids have a right to earn a living, especially a 21-22 year old sophomore.

If you want 4 year kids you need to get out of HS, getting them after a prep or sitting a year out is tough to keep for 4 years. That is why it is important that we continue to recruit, I was a bit disappointed that we did not work on a guy or two for 2017 because there are always going to be changes.
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OK no on disputes that. However, Lovett just turned 21 a few days ago. So he'll be a 21 year old junior with 3 years of college eligibility.
 
NBA Draft referenced in his father's basketball training group twitter post

WE WIN WEST

@WeWinWest

@NBADraft will make it's decision on @Marcus_LoVett...not our opinions of him as a student athlete...#sjubbpic.twitter.com/vZO5ETlVR2

12:03 PM - 9 Mar 2017
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Could be a good sign actually. Maybe means he wont leave SJ for Europe, only for a legit NBA opportunity. Which would be smart.

Contrary to what some here may think, Lovett does have strong NBA caliber potential. I personally think he can even be a pretty good player in the league. However, pull the trigger too early and he could miss an opportunity at a long NBA career by faltering out of the gate before he is ready. He's still inexperienced. Really nothing to lose by waiting one more year.
 
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