http://nypost.com/2015/01/05/a-chance-for-steve-lavin-to-end-cycle-of-failed-promises/
Quite a hard hitting piece.
Quite a hard hitting piece.
Mike Vacc NY Post SJU Critique
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
Class of 72
Active member
The article reads like a requiem. He also summarized what many have been saying since last Spring:
"What he’s established is a program incapable of maintaining much of anything due to player defections, a few poor recruiting choices, and an inability to create, or build, anything resembling positive, extended momentum."
"What he’s established is a program incapable of maintaining much of anything due to player defections, a few poor recruiting choices, and an inability to create, or build, anything resembling positive, extended momentum."
beast of the east
Active member
He describes "Lavin’s incessant coddling of him was disingenuous at best and damaging at worst".
I think it's a pretty tough call on how to treat today's college players. It's hypocritical of him, and for us. Had Lavin not tolerated this stuff from a 12th man, and tossed him, no one on here or anywhere else would even care. The fact that we are talking about one of the most highly regarded recruits in the country and how much negativity for the coach his suspension generated shows how conflicted we are.
I don't think it is a tough call at all; there are rules and if they are broken there are consequences. Clearly defien the rules and the consequences and then be firm but fair. Looking the other way, making excuses and coddling only makes things worse as we are experiencing. Jordan is not the first kid who had a tough life and has experienced tragedy but using those to excuse unacceptable behavior does no one, least of all Jordan, any good. And I emphasize least of all Jordan.
Exactly. Vaccaro is no Johnny come lately. He has always been a fan of the program. Even during the Roberts years, when the program reached levels of apathy where they couldn't draw fans even if the games were free, he lamented the state of the lone major college hoops team in NYC.
He was even gracious enough to respond to a short email I sent him thanking him for being, what seemed, the last member of the media still interested in a winning SJU basketball program.
beast of the east
Active member
Yea, sure. The posts following his suspension certainly supported Lavin for suspending him? Even when Harrison was suspended, many here berated Lavin for suspending a good kid for a minor infraction. Just one game prior to the suspension, there were essentially three opinions : extend him immediately, wait out the season and then reward him based on success, or Lavin still sucks, fire him. Then Jordan gets suspended, and the immediate overwhelming view is fire him at season's end. I'd respect your opinion a lot more if you were a strong voice for the suspension when it happened, but I don't recall that.
Except Lavin never suspended Jordan; you don't "convince" someone to come back that you suspended. Like others, you are a blind suppoter of Lavin and that is fine; I'm not. I'd respect your opinion a lot more if you dealt with the reality of the situation.One last point, I could care less about what kind of opinions there are on the board, I think for myself, express myself, and am sometimes right and sometimes wrong and I live with that. As for Lavin, nothing will change my opinion on his status, to me he has been a train wreck and the state of the program reflects that.
MarkRedman
Well-known member
Excellent article
Tough but very fair
Lavin has been well compensated but has clearly underachieved
Most of us would have expected more from this program in the past 5 years
Next year, we will probably be irrelevant again
I am tired of answering people when they ask if St John's still has a basketball team
Tough but very fair
Lavin has been well compensated but has clearly underachieved
Most of us would have expected more from this program in the past 5 years
Next year, we will probably be irrelevant again
I am tired of answering people when they ask if St John's still has a basketball team
Class of 72
Active member
I agree to a certain extent about the state of the program but other than the year Lavin took off to recover from illness the results, given the level of raw talent he recruited, were expected. I called them misfits on more than one occasion for that reason. None of his recruiting pieces ever quite fit. A bunch of athletes that are marginal shooters is never a recipe for success at this level. Even D'Angelo Harrison who will become one of all time scorers is a an average shooter by percentage. What speaks volumes about his recruiting is that at year five he only has three seniors that he recruited and has had a disastrous recruiting record in trying to replace those that left and these seniors. One player signed due to Tony Chiles hard work (from Philadelphia) is all we have to look forward to and my gut tells me he will be granted his release by the next coach. There is a distinct possibility of STJ's not having any D1 level starters next season to be projected no better than near the bottom of the league and that is not where we, Fox, or the Big East envisioned year six. For those reasons, I think Lavin knows he is a gonner and even his I don't give a fck Courtside dress code says it. I think he made a few trips to California after last season's NIT fiasco hoping to land something but failed. The best he did to write off the expense was two walk ons from the state. A trip to Italy yielded a project and we still do not know WTF is going on with ADR. There is no sign of future stability so unless Diallo, Sampson and a couple of other talented players verbal by April, the biggest news will be who will be the next coach and it better be a good one.
Agree with what you wrote; I too did not expect much better record wise but did expect to see a better product on the court. This year we have seen a better product on the floor and a better record; the rest of the season, we shall see. Next year............