More Bad News Coming?

Some of the posters on this board almost sound excited to try to outdo each other as they post their news. Maybe we should just cancel the upcoming season. Then we could concentrate on air polution or global warming. I think what I am seeing is one player who thinks he has a reasonable shot at the NBA one who graduates and is probably going closer to home for his grad degree, and play his last yr. of eligiblility. We had one malcontent who decided to suck his thumb and move to some other program (goodridance) and lastly possibly one who was given much more playing time then his skills dictated. I think when you check that stew out John Wooden, nor any other coach could have done much. I think our locker room is getting cleaner and I think it's a good thing. Oh I know this is boring and does not stimulate everyone to pile one with their own garbage.

If I was a recruit and came accros this board, I would never give SJU another thought. This has got to stop. We are not doing anything that will improve what is going on. :yell:
 
Not that long ago the handful of posters that questioned Lavin were either dismissed or mocked. I don't read many disciples of Mr. Lavin boasting about what a great recruiter he is anymore
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My guess is they are in the same place you Lavin haters were when we were on the winning streak. ..Can we at least wait until the signing period starts before we question what he is able to do and who he does bring in. Stupid bringing up his recruiting abilities but that's what you haters do best. He sucks as an in game coach, but is a top notch recruiter and if you can't see that obviously you're blinded by your hatred for Lavin.
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Prove it...
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He was out of recruiting for six years and had a few months to scout and recruit kids he was far behind with. He landed CONSENSUS top 75 talent. Some of these kids were coach proof: Sampson, Pointer, etc. If he had 2-3 years to scout and get to know the class, he probably would have done things differently. It also really sucks losing Moe to the top 15 in the draft after one year. I think he has a couple players we don't know about to sign next week.

Okay, I'll take the bait…

I'm in the camp of those who believe Lavin has advanced the program – not to the rapid and dramatic extent I initially hoped, but incrementally.

That said, its impossible not to question what's happened over the past few months. The team underachieved and the players (who many of us thought loved Lavin) obviously have some issues with the direction of the program. I'm less concerned about the short term than the long term. Players will come and go, but if we have fundamental problems at the operational level, we're in big trouble. If that's the case, I'm all in favor of fixing it fast rather than letting it fester.

It's obvious Lavin and staff have their shortcomings, but the one thing we can't seriously rip on the guy for is recruiting. He came into a total mess of a program that hadn't landed top talent in years and, every year, upgraded our talent. Every year we questioned if we was going to land any one and he every year he pulled a rabbit out of his hat. Two Big East ROYs and Jordan, plus D'lo, Branch, Obekpa, et al. Has he done a good job with his talent? Nope. But somehow he recruited decent players to a program that was a total train wreck.

So, in defense of our defense of Lavin, I'll still give him a pass on recruiting. The other stuff? Time is running out...
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Part of recruiting players is identifying ones that fit the system and can actually play. Lavin landed a bunch of kids who cant shoot and play like morons. Its almost like he just looked at the ESPN top 100 and blindly offered anyone on it who was uncommitted. As you can see, thats not how you build a team unless youre Kentucky.
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Some of the posters on this board almost sound excited to try to outdo each other as they post their news. Maybe we should just cancel the upcoming season. Then we could concentrate on air polution or global warming. I think what I am seeing is one player who thinks he has a reasonable shot at the NBA one who graduates and is probably going closer to home for his grad degree, and play his last yr. of eligiblility. We had one malcontent who decided to suck his thumb and move to some other program (goodridance) and lastly possibly one who was given much more playing time then his skills dictated. I think when you check that stew out John Wooden, nor any other coach could have done much. I think our locker room is getting cleaner and I think it's a good thing. Oh I know this is boring and does not stimulate everyone to pile one with their own garbage.

If I was a recruit and came accros this board, I would never give SJU another thought. This has got to stop. We are not doing anything that will improve what is going on. :yell:
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Felix won't help the global warming and pollution problems with all the nets he scorches and backboards he shatters. Owww owwwww!
 
People criticizing greene and then mentioning balamou like he isn't a replica of the exact player we don't need. An athlete with minimal basketball/shooting skills.


This is more terrible news...no other way to spin it. and i have a feeling in a few more weeks we'll be down to balamou, branch, dom and jones for next year.


Over/Under at 9 wins?
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Back off Balamou if you know what's good for you.
He's the exact type of player we need...hungry, aggressive but controlled, plays actual defense, boxes out, hits the glass...
Whether that sissy Lavin gives him a real shot is another matter. You bet your ass he'd be playing at a school like Wichita State.
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Where is all the hostility coming from. "Back off Balamou if you know what's good for you" sounds like a threat to me. Also what is the purpose of calling Lavin a "sissy" ? The attitudes an posts on this board appear to have reached a new low.
As a St Johns graduate and fan of over 50 years, I was disappointed with the past season. However, I do not feel the need to threaten anyone or refer to our coach in derogatory language. Basketball is only a sport, not a matter of life and death. It almost seems as if some posters sense of self worth is directly tied to St Johns basketball.
Thank God that I have a life so the highlight of my day is not calling Lavin a "sissy" on Redmen.com !!!!!
 
People criticizing greene and then mentioning balamou like he isn't a replica of the exact player we don't need. An athlete with minimal basketball/shooting skills.


This is more terrible news...no other way to spin it. and i have a feeling in a few more weeks we'll be down to balamou, branch, dom and jones for next year.


Over/Under at 9 wins?
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Back off Balamou if you know what's good for you.
He's the exact type of player we need...hungry, aggressive but controlled, plays actual defense, boxes out, hits the glass...
Whether that sissy Lavin gives him a real shot is another matter. You bet your ass he'd be playing at a school like Wichita State.
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Where is all the hostility coming from. "Back off Balamou if you know what's good for you" sounds like a threat to me. Also what is the purpose of calling Lavin a "sissy" ? The attitudes an posts on this board appear to have reached a new low.
As a St Johns graduate and fan of over 50 years, I was disappointed with the past season. However, I do not feel the need to threaten anyone or refer to our coach in derogatory language. Basketball is only a sport, not a matter of life and death. It almost seems as if some posters sense of self worth is directly tied to St Johns basketball.
Thank God that I have a life so the highlight of my day is not calling Lavin a "sissy" on Redmen.com !!!!!
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I thought my joking tone was clear on that one. I guess I should have put in an emoticon.
But, Lavin is a sissy and that is for real.
 
Some of the posters on this board almost sound excited to try to outdo each other as they post their news. Maybe we should just cancel the upcoming season. Then we could concentrate on air polution or global warming. I think what I am seeing is one player who thinks he has a reasonable shot at the NBA one who graduates and is probably going closer to home for his grad degree, and play his last yr. of eligiblility. We had one malcontent who decided to suck his thumb and move to some other program (goodridance) and lastly possibly one who was given much more playing time then his skills dictated. I think when you check that stew out John Wooden, nor any other coach could have done much. I think our locker room is getting cleaner and I think it's a good thing. Oh I know this is boring and does not stimulate everyone to pile one with their own garbage.

If I was a recruit and came accros this board, I would never give SJU another thought. This has got to stop. We are not doing anything that will improve what is going on. :yell:
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posts like this are just as bad as all the negativity, if not worse. what else do you need to see happen?


When things are bad, its OK to acknowledge that. Its OK to vent a bit, considering we haven't won a damn tournament game in 15 years.
 
We don't need another guard at all Jordan and Harrison should and will play the majority of the minutes with branch getting minutes as well. That's a solid 3 guard rotation and we still have Felix. We just need to concentrate on bigs now.
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Problem is the perception to potential recruits that we are a program in free fall...we have beatn his deficiencies to death on these boards...But, Phil, if used properly, was an asset...He is, after all, the only relatively consistent 3 point threat left on the team...Not his fault that he was not used properly...

and he seemed like a good kid and team player (never saw him pouting on bench in the games when he was pulled)...
 
This team will go as far as Jordan and D'Lo take them. Keep those two and some depth behind them and just add 2-3 guys up front that can defend, rebound, and things will be fine for next season.

I'd rather give our guards Sampson's shots and have a kid like Thomas down low to rebound than have Sampson shooting from 17 feet with Pointer and Sanchez on the three point line and zero chance at an offensive rebound. You guys are acting like we are losing Cleanthony Early and Jabari Parker.
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If our forwards aren't a threat from 15 ft then Jordan and Harrison will be trapped on EVERY pick. Every possession they'll be doubled.
Sampson and Sanchez were at least offensive threats that had to accounted for, and even with them we weren't a very efficient offensive team.
You are putting way too much on the shoulders of Harrison and Jordan.
They're good. But they need well rounded players around them. Christian jones, Felix, and this JUCO Thomas are not going to cut it.
Next season is a big step backwards.
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Agree, I think you have to assess our offensive potential by looking at who will score and where they will score from...Sampson was pretty reliable from 12-15 on in and had to be guarded...if we have guys that don't need to be guarded it will be even more difficult on the guards that can score and we don't have many reliable options...trying to keep an open mind but it is tough
 
Something is going on behind the scene and it ain't good.
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The only 2 options that make sense are that Lavin is disliked by the players, or Lavin has told them he's bailing.
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I hate to play the "what if" game, but if Lavin has told them he's leaving, why wouldn't they wait to see who the replacement was before transferring and having to sit out a year? That scenario just doesn't make sense.
 
Something is going on behind the scene and it ain't good.
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The only 2 options that make sense are that Lavin is disliked by the players, or Lavin has told them he's bailing.
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I hate to play the "what if" game, but if Lavin has told them he's leaving, why wouldn't they wait to see who the replacement was before transferring and having to sit out a year? That scenario just doesn't make sense.
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if I'm reading twitter correctly, someone asked that of the St. John's mole, and he said no, it's the other way around. He wants to bail because they are leaving.
 
Something is going on behind the scene and it ain't good.
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The only 2 options that make sense are that Lavin is disliked by the players, or Lavin has told them he's bailing.
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I hate to play the "what if" game, but if Lavin has told them he's leaving, why wouldn't they wait to see who the replacement was before transferring and having to sit out a year? That scenario just doesn't make sense.
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if I'm reading twitter correctly, someone asked that of the St. John's mole, and he said no, it's the other way around. He wants to bail because they are leaving.
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Makes much more sense.
 
This team will go as far as Jordan and D'Lo take them. Keep those two and some depth behind them and just add 2-3 guys up front that can defend, rebound, and things will be fine for next season.

I'd rather give our guards Sampson's shots and have a kid like Thomas down low to rebound than have Sampson shooting from 17 feet with Pointer and Sanchez on the three point line and zero chance at an offensive rebound. You guys are acting like we are losing Cleanthony Early and Jabari Parker.
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Similar sentiments and the phrase "flash to bash" started rattling around in my head. Big men who carve out space and have good hands look very good when set up by guards who both score and pass and penetrate and kick. Obekpa and Sampson both brought help defenders in to the lane to thwart Rysheed and D'Lo and we all know who was in better position for defensive rebounds. We may be short a baseline 3point shooter when Rysheed or D'Lo are not on the floor together, but we have yet to see what was on Lav's shopping list, which he intimated a few weeks ago, had all the items checked.

Given Calhoun's absence and Calamari's well-deserved reputation, I am a Husky fan Monday evening.
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Lavin's shopping list better be a long one because we have 6 players. We're going to be counting on BIG minutes from projects like Jones, ADR, and Felix.
And don't kid yourself, all 3 were, and still are works in progress.

Also, fwiw, we are back to being inexperienced. And we still have a dunce for a coach, so the prospect of them "gelling" is a remote one.
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Don't worry, Kentucky has no experience.
 
Some of the posters on this board almost sound excited to try to outdo each other as they post their news. Maybe we should just cancel the upcoming season. Then we could concentrate on air polution or global warming. I think what I am seeing is one player who thinks he has a reasonable shot at the NBA one who graduates and is probably going closer to home for his grad degree, and play his last yr. of eligiblility. We had one malcontent who decided to suck his thumb and move to some other program (goodridance) and lastly possibly one who was given much more playing time then his skills dictated. I think when you check that stew out John Wooden, nor any other coach could have done much. I think our locker room is getting cleaner and I think it's a good thing. Oh I know this is boring and does not stimulate everyone to pile one with their own garbage.

If I was a recruit and came accros this board, I would never give SJU another thought. This has got to stop. We are not doing anything that will improve what is going on. :yell:
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posts like this are just as bad as all the negativity, if not worse. what else do you need to see happen?


When things are bad, its OK to acknowledge that. Its OK to vent a bit, considering we haven't won a damn tournament game in 15 years.
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and that's on Lavin, right?
 
Desco, no kidding, but part of me is hoping that we are seeing Keady's influence. Keady teams would have one scoring guard and one scoring forward and an entire roster of guys who spent the whole game wearing down opponents physically, which paid off in the closing minutes of games. (Pound the body, pound the body.) Lavins' style at UCLA felt gimmicky to me and as I have repeated here far too often, the total seemed less than the sum of the parts. Our NCAA team with Norm's players had Brownlee, Evans, and Burrell to carve out space and Brownlee and DJ were tough inside scorers. That system with a true point guard has a lot of appeal to this old Celtic fan who watched Loscutoff and Satch (yes he sharpened his elbows before every game) have long careers even though neither one could score a lick.
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I'm not against bringing in some hard nosed guys to do the dirty work, heaven knows we need them. All I'm saying is: that's not enough. We don't have enough offensive firepower to let our sf, pf, and C be just blue collar guys who hit the boards and play d.
Our offensive efficiency was crap this season, and not just because Sampson was showcasing himself. We needed another scorer before losing Sampson and Sanchez...now we really need a third option in the worst way.
 
Rysheed just tweeted Phil is leaving, guess it's true.
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This is really weird. Highly unusual for a junior starter who has earned more playing time than he deserves to transfer for his senior year. The only thing that I can think of is that someone else is coming in to take his place.
 
Rysheed just tweeted Phil is leaving, guess it's true.
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This is really weird. Highly unusual for a junior starter who has earned more playing time than he deserves to transfer for his senior year. The only thing that I can think of is that someone else is coming in to take his place.
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Highly doubt that. We already have 3 guys in Branch, Jordan and Harrison that are/should be ahead of him. It can't be that. He got plenty of. PT this season and is going to be a senior. Only two possibilities have been mentioned. Lavin is leaving, or the players have lost faith in him.
 
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