Matt A/Recruiting junkie!

[Andrew]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

 

[RedStormNC]

I hope that relationship has been vetted..

But they can always do carpool karaoke to bond. St. Jean in back seat just for kicks

 

[redmannorth]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

 

[Class of 72]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

 

[monte]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

Chris and Mitch provide the name recognition/marquee value, and can help seal the deal. Matt does the bulk of leg work. Seems to me to be a good recruiting business model, and a formula for success.

 

[redmannorth]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

 

[Class of 72]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

 

[redken]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

 

[beast of the east]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

The Mullin-Berry-Wennington-Jackson-Shelton Jones-Willie Glass recruiting overlap was the best example, but certainly not the rule in SJU recruiting. IT seemed that we'd get an NBA type of player - Mel Davis, George Johnson, Mullin, Sealy etc, every 3-4 years and those players stayed 4 years. We'd fill in with transfers and JUCO's who wanted to come home (Searcy, Reggie Carter, Rencher, etc.) and put a formidable squad on the floor. Today, any NBA worthy player is almost certain to be gone in 1-2 seasons, so talent concentration has to be more frequent.

 

[monte]

BH, FF, MJ and of course Louie, all recruited well here. Norm had his hands tied by the administration, and had his limitations. Lavin, well he was/is Lavin. But clearly all the posters who talked about how tough it is to recruit to SJU, how the metropolitan area no longer produces any talent, etc. etc, etc(loser excuses), have been proven dead wrong by this staff. And with the exception of Norm, no other coach has had to re-stock a roster as completely and as quickly as Chris has, thanks to his predecessor. Once again I say they have done and continue to do an incredible job under very tough circumstances. Don't think we could have expected any more.

 

[Class of 72]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

....and thankfully he didn't play under the underachieving Mahoney. He flourished under Fran and Jarhead.

 

[redken]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

....and thankfully he didn't play under the underachieving Mahoney. He flourished under Fran and Jarhead.

Don't know if he was an underachiever -- the guy did try -- as much as just a poor head coach.

 

[paultzman]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

....and thankfully he didn't play under the underachieving Mahoney. He flourished under Fran and Jarhead.

Don't know if he was an underachiever -- the guy did try -- as much as just a poor head coach.

His Manhattan record was quite a clue.

 

[bamafan]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

....and thankfully he didn't play under the underachieving Mahoney. He flourished under Fran and Jarhead.

Don't know if he was an underachiever -- the guy did try -- as much as just a poor head coach.

His Manhattan record was quite a clue.

Hey, 16-62 is nothing to sneeze at!

 

[monte]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

....and thankfully he didn't play under the underachieving Mahoney. He flourished under Fran and Jarhead.

Don't know if he was an underachiever -- the guy did try -- as much as just a poor head coach.

His Manhattan record was quite a clue.

Hey, 16-62 is nothing to sneeze at!

Norm's 24-84 at Queens college is pretty impressive as well.

 

[Class of 72]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

....and thankfully he didn't play under the underachieving Mahoney. He flourished under Fran and Jarhead.

Don't know if he was an underachiever -- the guy did try -- as much as just a poor head coach.

His Manhattan record was quite a clue.

Hey, 16-62 is nothing to sneeze at!

Norm's 24-84 at Queens college is pretty impressive as well.

Norm, Brian, and now Mullin. Our history of hiring home run coaches with dubious experience has been the like a baseball team inserting the pitcher who hits .025 at the bottom of the 9th with bases loaded and the game tied.

 

[monte]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

....and thankfully he didn't play under the underachieving Mahoney. He flourished under Fran and Jarhead.

Don't know if he was an underachiever -- the guy did try -- as much as just a poor head coach.

His Manhattan record was quite a clue.

Hey, 16-62 is nothing to sneeze at!

Norm's 24-84 at Queens college is pretty impressive as well.

Norm, Brian, and now Mullin. Our history of hiring home run coaches with dubious experience has been the like a baseball team inserting the pitcher who hits .025 at the bottom of the 9th with bases loaded and the game tied.

Mullin???? I will say this, 3 of our last 5 prior coaches were fired from thier previous head coaching jobs. You would think that would have sent up red flags to the administration.

 

[Class of 72]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

....and thankfully he didn't play under the underachieving Mahoney. He flourished under Fran and Jarhead.

Don't know if he was an underachiever -- the guy did try -- as much as just a poor head coach.

His Manhattan record was quite a clue.

Hey, 16-62 is nothing to sneeze at!

Norm's 24-84 at Queens college is pretty impressive as well.

Norm, Brian, and now Mullin. Our history of hiring home run coaches with dubious experience has been the like a baseball team inserting the pitcher who hits .025 at the bottom of the 9th with bases loaded and the game tied.

Mullin???? I will say this, 3 of our last 5 prior coaches were fired from thier previous head coaching jobs. You would think that would have sent up red flags to the administration.

Yes, Mullin. I am referring to coaching experience. Those that actually coached, from high school through college had mediocre records yet we hired them anyway. Mullin topped them all. He had Zero, silcth, nada, experience coaching No high school, no junior college, no NAIA, nuttin honey! WE ARE SJU!

 

[monte]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

....and thankfully he didn't play under the underachieving Mahoney. He flourished under Fran and Jarhead.

Don't know if he was an underachiever -- the guy did try -- as much as just a poor head coach.

His Manhattan record was quite a clue.

Hey, 16-62 is nothing to sneeze at!

Norm's 24-84 at Queens college is pretty impressive as well.

Norm, Brian, and now Mullin. Our history of hiring home run coaches with dubious experience has been the like a baseball team inserting the pitcher who hits .025 at the bottom of the 9th with bases loaded and the game tied.

Mullin???? I will say this, 3 of our last 5 prior coaches were fired from thier previous head coaching jobs. You would think that would have sent up red flags to the administration.

Yes, Mullin. I am referring to coaching experience. Those that actually coached, from high school through college had mediocre records yet we hired them anyway. Mullin topped them all. He had Zero, silcth, nada, experience coaching No high school, no junior college, no NAIA, nuttin honey! WE ARE SJU!

Guess it depends on whether you prefer a poor track record(as a HC) or no track record. I prefer the later. In any event Mullin was not your typical HC hire, so all normal pre-requisites go by the wayside.

 

[stjohnschris]

I really hope Matt connects with Mitch Richmond. They could be a solid duo.

Andrew our recruiting has never been better.
What we now need is player development and improved coaching.
I too hope Mitch can recruit and I have no doubt he can and will relate well to the players but we have other glaring weaknesses or unknowns that must be addressed and improved. If Mitch can help in those 2 areas he will be a big asset to the program. If he can't we have to hope the staff can recruit well enough to overcome their deficiencies.

I have no doubt player development will be the best we have had at St. John's in years. The M&M recruiting duo should put us on the list of major recruits and, I, for one, think getting the right players is 80 percent of a coach's job success. Actual in game coaching is the other 20 percent. Top programs get top players every single year like Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Over the past 35 years we have had only two periods where we recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. The Mullin/Berry era and the Artest/Barkley era. Mullin knows he can't win without top talent and that is priority 1, 2 and 3 for him to thrive.

72 I agree with everything except where you say we have recruited at that level for more than two consecutive years. To my knowledge , and I only go back to 1981, we have never had 3 good recruiting classes in a row. 82 was terrible, 83 very good , 84 great, 85 mediocre at best , Marco Baldi. Fran had 2 very good classes then Jarvis. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am not comparing St. John's to a Kentucky or UNC where they sign 3 or 4 Top 50 players every single year. A good year is when you sign a top player and key recruit to go with existing talent. Sometimes that means one outstanding program changer. In the Mullin era, Chris Jackson and Berry were from three different years and they started their careers in separate years but they played together at some point with Wennington and other very good players which produced a final 4 level team. That is what Kansas does every single year.
The Fraschilla/Jarvis years also produced that same final 4 level of talent with Artest, Barkley, Cook, Thornton, Postell, etc.who did not arrive in one class en mass which is Kentucky and Duke type recruiting.
I see the same type of recruiting now with key pieces added every year which should translate into being contenders for the Big East title every year starting next season and hopefully beyond.

Point well taken, but for the record, Postell was a Mahoney recruit.

....and thankfully he didn't play under the underachieving Mahoney. He flourished under Fran and Jarhead.

Don't know if he was an underachiever -- the guy did try -- as much as just a poor head coach.

His Manhattan record was quite a clue.

Hey, 16-62 is nothing to sneeze at!

Norm's 24-84 at Queens college is pretty impressive as well.

Norm, Brian, and now Mullin. Our history of hiring home run coaches with dubious experience has been the like a baseball team inserting the pitcher who hits .025 at the bottom of the 9th with bases loaded and the game tied.

Mullin???? I will say this, 3 of our last 5 prior coaches were fired from thier previous head coaching jobs. You would think that would have sent up red flags to the administration.

Yes, Mullin. I am referring to coaching experience. Those that actually coached, from high school through college had mediocre records yet we hired them anyway. Mullin topped them all. He had Zero, silcth, nada, experience coaching No high school, no junior college, no NAIA, nuttin honey! WE ARE SJU!

If it's broke, you try to fix it. "It's" been broke for a long long time. The head coaches out there that there was mutual interest, were not on the A list, and this has been for well over a decade. Hitching the wagon to Mullin is unorthodox, a risk, a potential big time backfire, and I love the move just as much today as I did the day it was announced.