Mike Anderson - Former Coach
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
I believe that President Shanley and Cragg know what must be done, but do not know how to accomplish it, that being raise the $7.5M to $9M to buyout the remainder of Anderson's contract and another $3M+ plus to hire another the new coach.
That is a lot of money for StJohn’s which has, like many other colleges, a series of cutbacks.
He sits a few rows of front of me at CA, he watches very closely. No BSing with anyone during the game
Does anyone know what Coach Anderson’s buy out is ? I highly doubt it and would be shocked if it was in the range you are proposing, I believe it would be much less.
And while a buy out may or may not be possible for the reason you put forth a change in Associate head coach to help CMA is easily attainable. I suggested same many months ago and got lambasted by some as how do I know what is going on in practice. Clearly I don’t and I am not even fortunate enough to be able to watch games , though many of you may say I am lucky in that respect
, but it is clear from a reading of the board which I do vociferously , that the team is not playing well, there is no half court offense , our best player has regressed drastically, CMA appears to have lost the team, players are given far too much offensive freedom, and I will stop there. We all have limitations and successful people surround themselves with those whose strengths can help them. What appears to be clear is that CMA needs help on the coaching side of the equation, that is where we are currently deficient.
I hope and trust our AD can require CMA to cut bait with his nephew and replace him with someone who has a strong fundamental coaching background and who has the intestinal fortitude to stand up during the huddle , talk to CMA and provide direction to both him and the team , something that young people want to receive and often thrive on.
This is a major change that is easily attainable.
So once again SJU has saddled themselves with a bad business deal, CMA's contract and then the extremely foolish renegotiation. Do you have any sense of how profitable our basketball program is, as opposed to how profitable it would be if it was successful? In other words, are we talking about a difference of 1 Mil annually? 10 Mil? 100 Mil? In what business does the owner/board look to skimp on the hiring of the head of one of their most profitable divisions? It makes no business sense. Honestly, at this point, if they cannot afford a top of the line coach, fire CMA and eat his contract. then go out and hire some young coach at a fraction of the cost. Give that coach a few years to turn things around. Hopefully he does and by then they'll be done paying off CMA and can reward the new coach.
There are a number of factors that a buyout will not hinder a change in coaching. For starters, there will be a lot “help” making that happen.
Secondly, Anderson was not hired by Fr. Shanley.
Third, Fr. Shanley is the first university president who truly understands what a successful basketball program can do to the university’s bottom line. And by that, I do not mean they have to become Wright’s Villanova (although no one would complain), but at least consistently being in the NCAA tournament discussion.
Fr. Shanley does not appear to be in awe of the celebrity status our prior president had when cutting Lavin off at the knees to hire Mullin.
Finally, Fr. Shanley is a Friar. Don’t laugh, but they do not follow the Vincentian doctrine that they “provide compassion, simplicity, integrity, gentleness and concern for all people, in everyday situations especially the outcast, rejected, or deprived in our community”, by painfully being a member of that group at the same time.
In other words, we can have nice things and help those in need.
Secondly, Anderson was not hired by Fr. Shanley.
Third, Fr. Shanley is the first university president who truly understands what a successful basketball program can do to the university’s bottom line. And by that, I do not mean they have to become Wright’s Villanova (although no one would complain), but at least consistently being in the NCAA tournament discussion.
Fr. Shanley does not appear to be in awe of the celebrity status our prior president had when cutting Lavin off at the knees to hire Mullin.
Finally, Fr. Shanley is a Friar. Don’t laugh, but they do not follow the Vincentian doctrine that they “provide compassion, simplicity, integrity, gentleness and concern for all people, in everyday situations especially the outcast, rejected, or deprived in our community”, by painfully being a member of that group at the same time.
In other words, we can have nice things and help those in need.
I agree with what you're saying about the staff, but I resptfully disagree that the AD should be giving CMA direction. CMA is a pro and is getting paid like a pro. If he cannot recognize his weaknesses and hire assistants who have complimentary strengths, then he needs to go.Does anyone know what Coach Anderson’s buy out is ? I highly doubt it and would be shocked if it was in the range you are proposing, I believe it would be much less.
And while a buy out may or may not be possible for the reason you put forth a change in Associate head coach to help CMA is easily attainable. I suggested same many months ago and got lambasted by some as how do I know what is going on in practice. Clearly I don’t and I am not even fortunate enough to be able to watch games , though many of you may say I am lucky in that respect
We all have limitations and successful people surround themselves with those whose strengths can help them. What appears to be clear is that CMA needs help on the coaching side of the equation, that is where we are currently deficient.
I hope and trust our AD can require CMA to cut bait with his nephew and replace him with someone who has a strong fundamental coaching background and who has the intestinal fortitude to stand up during the huddle , talk to CMA and provide direction to both him and the team , something that young people want to receive and often thrive on.
This is a major change that is easily attainable.
I don’t disagree with you but if you look back at my post I started by saying a buy out may not be attainable but what would be attainable is a change of associate coach from a CMA disciple to someone who can help CMA.
I am assuming that a but out is not attainable but let’s fix what can easily be fixed.
Makes sense. Just the fact that CMA can't figure this out on his own makes me angry.
I hear you loud and clear Monte, I find it so disappointing and part of that is on Cragg. If together they could not get it done at Arkansas why would they have better success in the BE ? It is not like the coaches in the BE were a bunch of novices.
For those that are unaware my buddy Joey changed his Associate Head Coach after last season and went in a completely different direction and went looking to assemble the toughest and hungriest group of ladies he could get and to date it has paid off.
Separate from a coaching change, which involves many moving pieces and is unlikely to happen immediately. I would suggest attempting the following adjustments:
Play AJ Storr
We have a deficit in perimeter shooting and Storr is probably the best perimeter shooter on this roster. His defense is admittedly below average, and at times poor, but as Mase has mentioned, it wouldn't be a significant drop-off from what the rest of the team is playing now. He is not growing from sitting on the bench and is seemingly losing patients with the process. This is a talented kid -get him out there and coach into his mistakes.
Short Leash on Bello
This uber talented PG can either help or hurt the team depending on how he chooses to "use his powers". He has the ability to create shots for others, but can also be a turnover machine. I believe his currency is playing time and when he gets reckless, he should sit.
More Stanley & Nywie
We have been out rebounded in our last three conference games and we also can't shoot from the outside (a brutal combination). Soriano's play has been the lone bright spot so let's accentuate the positive by giving him some help. Stanley and Nywie are bringing energy and two guys that are not hanging their head when things unravel. While playing Posh and Bello together, we often give up mismatches on defense and wind up with excess perimeter ball movement on offense. When playing Soriano with another big we could mitigate the mismatches and, in some cases, create mismatches in our favor. CMA has done this limitedly and it has been fairly successful in my opinion.
Time Out!
As many of you know, media timeouts come at four minute intervals (or at under 16, 12, 8 and 4 minutes remaining). I know we are all scratching our heads on why CMA hasn't called TO to stop the bleeding on these deep runs. But another reason to use them is to keep our pressure defense (which we are trying to play) fresh. Perhaps using our time outs to further segment the game (especially if they are not being used for strategy sessions) could help.
Just some ideas.......we certainly need to make some adjustments.
Play AJ Storr
We have a deficit in perimeter shooting and Storr is probably the best perimeter shooter on this roster. His defense is admittedly below average, and at times poor, but as Mase has mentioned, it wouldn't be a significant drop-off from what the rest of the team is playing now. He is not growing from sitting on the bench and is seemingly losing patients with the process. This is a talented kid -get him out there and coach into his mistakes.
Short Leash on Bello
This uber talented PG can either help or hurt the team depending on how he chooses to "use his powers". He has the ability to create shots for others, but can also be a turnover machine. I believe his currency is playing time and when he gets reckless, he should sit.
More Stanley & Nywie
We have been out rebounded in our last three conference games and we also can't shoot from the outside (a brutal combination). Soriano's play has been the lone bright spot so let's accentuate the positive by giving him some help. Stanley and Nywie are bringing energy and two guys that are not hanging their head when things unravel. While playing Posh and Bello together, we often give up mismatches on defense and wind up with excess perimeter ball movement on offense. When playing Soriano with another big we could mitigate the mismatches and, in some cases, create mismatches in our favor. CMA has done this limitedly and it has been fairly successful in my opinion.
Time Out!
As many of you know, media timeouts come at four minute intervals (or at under 16, 12, 8 and 4 minutes remaining). I know we are all scratching our heads on why CMA hasn't called TO to stop the bleeding on these deep runs. But another reason to use them is to keep our pressure defense (which we are trying to play) fresh. Perhaps using our time outs to further segment the game (especially if they are not being used for strategy sessions) could help.
Just some ideas.......we certainly need to make some adjustments.
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All very valid points but as others have pointed out it is so sad our staff does not see this.
Agree with most of what you're saying, but as I mentioned in another thread, Nyiwe and to a lesser degree Stanley, give us close to zero offensive contribution. And on a team which already struggling to put the ball in the basket, having either or both on the floor for more then a few minutes a game is not good IMO. They also do not possess the kind of skill sets(dribbling, passing) conducive to playing in an uptempo game. And since we have no half court game, we need our uptempo game to score. All of this goes back to the point this is a very poorly assembled team. One which lacks complimentary parts and, contrary to what many on this board have been touting, is short on talent and depth.
Unless we have a super complicated offense or défense, which I don’t believe we do, this is pure crap. These kids have been playing ball for 15 plus years and are not performing brain surgery.
Sorry I just don’t buy this excuse.
I hear you on the problematic make-up of the team, however I am particularly intrigued with Stanley on the offensive end. I would like to see them both get a little more burn and look for their shot while out there. I think Stanley especially, if given an opportunity, could go on spurts (offensive rebounds, put-backs, blocks, mid range jumpers). Again, at this point, what do we have to lose.
Larry Wright
Well-known member
St. John’s shows little fight after Seton Hall run in loss: ‘We just quit’
When the going got tough, St. John’s couldn’t get going.
nypost.com
MarkRedman
Well-known member
This is absolute and unadulterated B.S.!!!!!
1. We play well against teams like Central Conn. State. We don't play well against any good teams
2. Every team deals with roster turnover every year in this age of open transfers. A garbage excuse!!
CMA should just admit that they're not getting the job done and stop making ridiculous excuses. He sounds dumber and dumber trying to come up with lame explanations as to why the team is underachieving. You want to know why the team quit in the last game (as openly stated by Joel Soriano)? JUST LOOK IN THE MIRROR!!! THE BUCK STOPS WITH YOU, COACH!!!!! DON'T DEFLECT THE BLAME ELSEWHERE!!
Sorry for shouting. I just needed to get that off my chest!! I feel much better now!!
