Matt A

P

panther2

Well-known member
First let me state that I have known Matt since he was a freshman at St Johns in 2003. He was a manager then and Lamont Hamilton and Daryl Hill, who played AAU ball for me were both beginning their first year of eligibility. I watched him go from being a manager at St. Johns, to an intern with the Timberwolves upon graduation, then to Iowa St, where he established himself as a recruiter. My wife and I even attended his wedding in Iowa five years ago. He is now entering his fourth year at St. Johns.

At this point, I consider the young man a friend. I wanted to make this clear before I stated how disappointed I have been at some of the posts on here and other social media networks disparaging his recruiting and characterizing him as someone who does not have the best interests of the program in his heart.

Over the past 12 hours, everyone has been going crazy regarding the commitment of Mustafa Heron. Matt maintained a relationship with the young man and his father, even though he chose to attend Auburn. If you look at our current roster, from 1-13, he has been instrumental in securing all of these commitments. Remember, when he arrived in April, 2015, we did not have a team. Now we have a team that people are saying should do well in the Big East and make the NCAA tournament. Recruiting takes hard work, determination, and perseverance. Qualities which I believe Matt has.

So rather than listening to those who attempt to talk bad about him, while questioning his character, I choose to respect the job he has done in assembling our present team. Hopefully, Mustafa will get a waiver, our season will be a success, and our future much brighter.
 
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Thanks panther2 for the insight. Your bio sounds like you are well connected. Assuming Matt A. is fully responsible for the roster, he has done an incredible job improving the overall talent level. He may be the program's most important asset. Dare I say, worthy of a raise or at least an assistant. It won't be long before other programs call with offers.
 
I don’t recall people speaking badly about Matt. If anything the board is very complimentary of Matt. The board bashes the recruiting (or lack thereof) of the other coaches.
 
[quote="gman" post=287070]I don’t recall people speaking badly about Matt. If anything the board is very complimentary of Matt. The board bashes the recruiting (or lack thereof) of the other coaches.[/quote]



Wish I was more digital knowledgeable, then I would be able to show you.
 
[quote="panther2" post=287071][quote="gman" post=287070]I don’t recall people speaking badly about Matt. If anything the board is very complimentary of Matt. The board bashes the recruiting (or lack thereof) of the other coaches.[/quote]



Wish I was more digital knowledgeable, then I would be able to show you.[/quote]

I am not either and I don't read twitter unless someone points something out to me. There is a lack of civility on social media. People say some terrible things about a lot of people. It is unfortunate that this happens. I could see it being more upsetting for an ordinary person like Matt is and not a famous celebrity. I hope that he has learned to ignore any personal attacks but that is easier said then done. I also hope that there is praise and respect for him as well. Like Gman said most of the posts here are positive about him. Certainly worse things are said about the other coaches including Mulln.

Thank you though for pointing this out and I hope that people can grow up and treat people the way they want to be treated.
 
In my opinion Panther knows more about college basketball, St.John’s and life in general than anyone else on this site.

Let’s just hope he knows how to drive his car north this summer
 
[quote="panther2" post=287071][quote="gman" post=287070]I don’t recall people speaking badly about Matt. If anything the board is very complimentary of Matt. The board bashes the recruiting (or lack thereof) of the other coaches.[/quote]



Wish I was more digital knowledgeable, then I would be able to show you.[/quote]

If you have seen them I trust you. I think generally people know how hard Matt A has worked and that the roster is largely his doing. Again, I think most people have issues with other staff members not pulling their weight.

I personally like Matt because he is a suffering Mets fan just like me.
 
[quote="panther2" post=287071][quote="gman" post=287070]I don’t recall people speaking badly about Matt. If anything the board is very complimentary of Matt. The board bashes the recruiting (or lack thereof) of the other coaches.[/quote]



Wish I was more digital knowledgeable, then I would be able to show you.[/quote]

Personally I have taken some mild jabs at Matt, basically about how Braziller feels the need to tell us how important he is at every turn. Mostly I have done this in defense of the overall staff though, as there are far more posts around here that make it seem like he is the only thing standing between success and the abyss. In particular many times it has been a reaction to how rudely GSJ has been treated because he isn't old enough or something.

But clearly Matt is the pointman on all things recruiting and clearly this is a solid roster. The results show he is doing an excellent job and I have never really cared if our recruits are from HS or transfers.

I'm truly impressed with this roster, which looks solid to me for more than just one year. Good stuff, no other way that I can look at it.
 
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Panther,
Thanks for a great post. I've conversed with Matt several times over the past 3 years and found him to be what I would call an "authentic" person. I think he is tough as nails, but also think he forms legitimate relationships with the kids he goes after. I would imagine he doesn't engage in coachspeak, doesn't make promises to recruits that aren't real, or create false expectations to lure kids here.

One conversation stands out. I spoke to him about Williams playing well. His response illustrated the type of person Matt is: "I'm just so happy for him to even be on the court. He's been through so much with multiple surgeries."

I wouldn't overstate the value of another remark he made to me, since as I said, i believe him to be tough as nails. He's not made of wood though. I asked him how it is to be back in New york and back at St johns. He said it was great but that his family really doesn't like all the nasty and negative comments posted on the internet. He's certainly been around the block and was strongly inferring it didnt exist to this extent in minnesota or iowa. With multiple clients in both states I've spent a fair amount of time there and would agree. There's certainly more civility in the midwest.

Finally, while Matt will deservedly receive credit for his work, keep in mind that what he is selling is mullin, st jean, mitch and what its like to play for and go to st johns.

If Matt felt half as negatively or even one tenth about Mullin & staff as many of our posters, then he'd be the biggest phony in the world recruiting for us. He doesn't to my knowledge, and if we stopped the negativity may just be slowly witnessing the engineering of the restoration of our program and tradition.

Great post Panther. Just great
 
[quote="panther2" post=287071][quote="gman" post=287070]I don’t recall people speaking badly about Matt. If anything the board is very complimentary of Matt. The board bashes the recruiting (or lack thereof) of the other coaches.[/quote]



Wish I was more digital knowledgeable, then I would be able to show you.[/quote]

Unfortunately Panther is correct. People have posted some very derogatory comments about Matt , even most recently. Within the last week a poster who thought they were being funny made a disparaging remark about Matt’s height if a basketball was to be thrown by Mike Rice. Let me be clear and second Panthers post Matt is worth his weight in gold to SJU.
 
[quote="gman" post=287077][quote="panther2" post=287071][quote="gman" post=287070]I don’t recall people speaking badly about Matt. If anything the board is very complimentary of Matt. The board bashes the recruiting (or lack thereof) of the other coaches.[/quote]



Wish I was more digital knowledgeable, then I would be able to show you.[/quote]

If you have seen them I trust you. I think generally people know how hard Matt A has worked and that the roster is largely his doing. Again, I think most people have issues with other staff members not pulling their weight.

I personally like Matt because he is a suffering Mets fan just like me.[/quote]

Agreed. With all due respect a poster here or there making a disparaging remark on social media hardly rates as an epidemic.

The OVERWHELMING consensus is that SJU needs a staff injection in ADDITION to Matt so they can maximize recruiting.

You could probably point to a post here or there that is not particularly nice to Matt but I can show you THREAD AFTER THREAD AFTER THREAD of posts that do just the opposite.

I think people have a tendency to only see their side and actively LOOK for things that validate their opinion and simply ignore things that don't. It is quality we all share unfortunately. But it is something we need to tame.
 
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Matt A
Certainly not attempting to solicit purchasing tickets but as a huge sports fan I’m not sure there is better moment to buy season tix for @StJohnsBBall . If these games aren’t packed when will they ever be. Great time so enjoy it you all deserve it #SJUBB
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=287118]Matt A
Certainly not attempting to solicit purchasing tickets but as a huge sports fan I’m not sure there is better moment to buy season tix for @StJohnsBBall . If these games aren’t packed when will they ever be. Great time so enjoy it you all deserve it #SJUBB[/quote]

Funny, because I was just thinking the same assuming Rice and Heron are on board this year. If it happens I think you see record numbers of season tix sold in addition to donations (especially if they have a successful season). Once the process regarding CA remodeling plans moves along and it's officially announced, you will probably see more :)
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=287121][quote="Paultzman" post=287118]Matt A
Certainly not attempting to solicit purchasing tickets but as a huge sports fan I’m not sure there is better moment to buy season tix for @StJohnsBBall . If these games aren’t packed when will they ever be. Great time so enjoy it you all deserve it #SJUBB[/quote]

Funny, because I was just thinking the same assuming Rice and Heron are on board this year. If it happens I think you see record numbers of season tix sold in addition to donations (especially if they have a successful season). Once the process regarding CA remodeling plans moves along and it's officially announced, you will probably see more :)[/quote]
In current SJU financial state, the Vatican will be remodeled before CA. :)
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=287121][quote="Paultzman" post=287118]Matt A
Certainly not attempting to solicit purchasing tickets but as a huge sports fan I’m not sure there is better moment to buy season tix for @StJohnsBBall . If these games aren’t packed when will they ever be. Great time so enjoy it you all deserve it #SJUBB[/quote]

Funny, because I was just thinking the same assuming Rice and Heron are on board this year. If it happens I think you see record numbers of season tix sold in addition to donations (especially if they have a successful season). Once the process regarding CA remodeling plans moves along and it's officially announced, you will probably see more :)[/quote]

Be pretty hard to do. In our heyday would sell out all season tickets at CA and there was a waiting list.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=287121][quote="Paultzman" post=287118]Matt A
Certainly not attempting to solicit purchasing tickets but as a huge sports fan I’m not sure there is better moment to buy season tix for @StJohnsBBall . If these games aren’t packed when will they ever be. Great time so enjoy it you all deserve it #SJUBB[/quote]

Funny, because I was just thinking the same assuming Rice and Heron are on board this year. If it happens I think you see record numbers of season tix sold in addition to donations (especially if they have a successful season). Once the process regarding CA remodeling plans moves along and it's officially announced, you will probably see more :)[/quote] in the old days 6008 was every home game or I think that was the number at alumni hall
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=287118]Matt A
Certainly not attempting to solicit purchasing tickets but as a huge sports fan I’m not sure there is better moment to buy season tix for @StJohnsBBall . If these games aren’t packed when will they ever be. Great time so enjoy it you all deserve it #SJUBB[/quote] he’s right especially if Heron was eligible. If anyone was on the fence for season tickets this is the season to jump off the fence and give it a shot
 
I'm truly impressed with this roster, which looks solid to me for more than just one year. Good stuff, no other way that I can look at it.[/quote]
I agree.
 
[quote="panther2" post=287068]First let me state that I have known Matt since he was a freshman at St Johns in 2003. He was a manager then and Lamont Hamilton and Daryl Hill, who played AAU ball for me were both beginning their first year of eligibility. I watched him go from being a manager at St. Johns, to an intern with the Timberwolves upon graduation, then to Iowa St, where he established himself as a recruiter. My wife and I even attended his wedding in Iowa five years ago. He is now entering his fourth year at St. Johns.

At this point, I consider the young man a friend. I wanted to make this clear before I stated how disappointed I have been at some of the posts on here and other social media networks disparaging his recruiting and characterizing him as someone who does not have the best interests of the program in his heart.

Over the past 12 hours, everyone has been going crazy regarding the commitment of Mustafa Heron. Matt maintained a relationship with the young man and his father, even though he chose to attend Auburn. If you look at our current roster, from 1-13, he has been instrumental in securing all of these commitments. Remember, when he arrived in April, 2015, we did not have a team. Now we have a team that people are saying should do well in the Big East and make the NCAA tournament. Recruiting takes hard work, determination, and perseverance. Qualities which I believe Matt has.

So rather than listening to those who attempt to talk bad about him, while questioning his character, I choose to respect the job he has done in assembling our present team. Hopefully, Mustafa will get a waiver, our season will be a success, and our future much brighter.[/quote]

Well said. Anyone who bashes Matt is an incompetent moron. The man lives and sleeps in high school and AAU gyms throughout the country. His work ethic is one of a kind, especially compared to that of some of the other staff members. He's an asset and is doing a very good job with limited resources and a sometimes tough sell.
 
I am one who has been critical of our recruiting efforts and the two-year whif on a big man. However, Matt is the shining star. I have often wondered where the heck we would be without him? If anything, I would want him cloned!
 
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