Agreed Bama. If Thibs is doing this I don't think it's above Mullin to do so. Especially after the season Chicago is having, people have come to respect Thibodeau even more. Not sure "having a job" is something that is pertinent in this case. There is always room to learn and improve and it's worth making the time to do so.
Mullin Update
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
curious if you guys think the dynamic of the sideline coaching will be the same as last year. Seemed like St Jean was the x/o's white board guy, while Mully re-enforced things. With a year under his belt, I wonder what kind of adjustments, if any he will make. Talent wise, we have improved greatly.
I think Mullin answered that fairly well in that Newsday article last month. If they all get better, then I don't expect much to change unless games are close
For those who didn't see it, here's the link and the excerpt about coaching delegation
http://www.newsday.com/sports/colle...weathers-the-storm-of-first-season-1.11542056
Delegation observations
Mullin, too, has become the target of some snark as St. John’s losses mounted this season. ESPN commentator Jeff Goodman isn’t the first to comment on how animated 26-year-old assistant Greg St. Jean is on the sideline and in huddles, but he has made a point of calling the Red Storm St. Jean’s team.
It’s true Mullin has given significant responsibility to St. Jean, who is the son of Garry St. Jean, who coached Mullin at Golden State and preceded him there as general manager. Mullin regards the young St. Jean as a rising coaching prodigy, but there’s no question about who is running St. John’s program.
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Mullin cites the great Larry Bird, his former coach with the Indiana Pacers and his teammate on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team, as the model for his collaborative approach. “The thing I loved about Larry — obviously, I looked up to him and his great playing career — is that he had [assistants] Rick Carlisle and Dick Harter, an offensive guy and a defensive guy,” Mullin said. “Larry oversaw both.”
The media would give him flak, Mullin said. “ ‘Rick’s doing that.’ The more successful we got, he didn’t waver. He wasn’t going to go, ‘Oh, I’ve got to run it.’ Larry was confident in himself. He was comfortable in his own skin.”
At times, Mullin sits in the huddle and directs his players, but he also has given St. Jean a prominent role in running practice and providing sideline instruction during games. That sometimes includes diagramming plays.
“Whatever we do, I tell him what I want written up, and he writes it up,” Mullin said.
“You do most of your preparation in practice. You can’t give these kids too much in a timeout. If you give them one thing and they remember it, you’re a genius.”
Mullin described the notion that Bird — and by extension himself — doesn’t know how to diagram a play as “comical,” and added that basketball really comes down to finding a way to put the ball in the basket.
“Larry would say, ‘Are you going to make a shot or what?’ That’s what it was. Period. Now, getting good looks, moving the ball, that’s the details you work on.
“To me, it’s like, Wow, they [media] really don’t know what happens in a basketball setting, do they? They think that a 30-second timeout is coaching. If you don’t know what you’re running and you’ve got to diagram it, you’re screwed.”
For those who didn't see it, here's the link and the excerpt about coaching delegation
http://www.newsday.com/sports/colle...weathers-the-storm-of-first-season-1.11542056
Delegation observations
Mullin, too, has become the target of some snark as St. John’s losses mounted this season. ESPN commentator Jeff Goodman isn’t the first to comment on how animated 26-year-old assistant Greg St. Jean is on the sideline and in huddles, but he has made a point of calling the Red Storm St. Jean’s team.
It’s true Mullin has given significant responsibility to St. Jean, who is the son of Garry St. Jean, who coached Mullin at Golden State and preceded him there as general manager. Mullin regards the young St. Jean as a rising coaching prodigy, but there’s no question about who is running St. John’s program.
advertisement | advertise on newsday
Mullin cites the great Larry Bird, his former coach with the Indiana Pacers and his teammate on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team, as the model for his collaborative approach. “The thing I loved about Larry — obviously, I looked up to him and his great playing career — is that he had [assistants] Rick Carlisle and Dick Harter, an offensive guy and a defensive guy,” Mullin said. “Larry oversaw both.”
The media would give him flak, Mullin said. “ ‘Rick’s doing that.’ The more successful we got, he didn’t waver. He wasn’t going to go, ‘Oh, I’ve got to run it.’ Larry was confident in himself. He was comfortable in his own skin.”
At times, Mullin sits in the huddle and directs his players, but he also has given St. Jean a prominent role in running practice and providing sideline instruction during games. That sometimes includes diagramming plays.
“Whatever we do, I tell him what I want written up, and he writes it up,” Mullin said.
“You do most of your preparation in practice. You can’t give these kids too much in a timeout. If you give them one thing and they remember it, you’re a genius.”
Mullin described the notion that Bird — and by extension himself — doesn’t know how to diagram a play as “comical,” and added that basketball really comes down to finding a way to put the ball in the basket.
“Larry would say, ‘Are you going to make a shot or what?’ That’s what it was. Period. Now, getting good looks, moving the ball, that’s the details you work on.
“To me, it’s like, Wow, they [media] really don’t know what happens in a basketball setting, do they? They think that a 30-second timeout is coaching. If you don’t know what you’re running and you’ve got to diagram it, you’re screwed.”
I think I'm
Missing something here...
Since many (not all) in the college ranks considered Chris Mullin the All American college player a "coach on the court" and many (not all) in the NBA circuit considered Chris Mullin the NBA all-star a coach in the court...
Why are we doubting his acumen on the Red Storm sidelines...good to see CM addresses this in Newsday article shared above.
Let's not forget (you can
go to the videotape for critical posts circa April-June 2015) where many doubted his HS recruiting ability e.g. High School kids do not know who Mullin is) IMHO,very humble, we are fine and fortunate with our HC & staff!
(PS next Fall when we are winning our share, no one will give a crap if Chris, his entire staff and our whole damn dance team
is sitting on the scorer's table - not sweating who's writing up Xs and Os -
The hell with Xs and Os, we will begin to accumulate Ws!)
The whole article is so true but the last paragraph says it all. Unfortunately, it also rings true for many fans. Game coaching is so overrated but it is an easy mark for the talking heads. Jay Wright ran the last play forever in practice, for three YEARS with 4 of the 5 players on the court for that opportunity; he would still be the same coach had Jenkins missed but he sure as heck wouldn't have the accolades ( which are all well deserved and very much earned.)
I am at a loss to understand why anyone cares who holds the white board and diagrams "Xs & Os".
The fact that Yukon Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun let George Blaney "X & O", or that Bob Huggins has let long time assistants Billy Hahn and Larry Harrison "X & O", does not seem to bother their respective fan bases.
If Mullin elects to allow one of the assistants he has hired articulate " Xs & Os" then who cares so long as StJohn's increases it's "Ws".
There's a gray area when it comes to this. We are talking about grabbing that board nearly every timeout. While other assistants and the HC are twiddling their thumbs, a 20-something year-old is coaching the team. That definitely doesn't sit well all the time.
its a great article, but when he stated that if you have to draw up plays your screwed, that struck me as odd because to me sometimes you need to adjust or draw up a play off what the defensive assignments are. The board is made to make adjustments to your plays or system you already have in place. Look, this is just my view, Mullin has a million hours in the gym and a HOF player. Im sure they will be really good this year but don't agree with that. For every player turned coach that he named that is passive in the huddle, there are tons of players turned coaches that are very active. Anyway, can't wait for Nov......Go Johnnies!!!!
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Coach Norman Dale let a drunk call plays for him and he won the Indiana State HS championship so I guess it is OK that Mullin lets ST Jean coach the team.
we are sju
Active member
Actually Dennis Hopper was a little shaky as a game coach as he called the game winning play for Merle when he had Jimmy Chitwood on the floor. It worked but not a great decision.
ST Jean did not have the luxury of coaching Chitwod. Hopefully he does better with more talent
Mullin needs to straighten this out ASAP. Too many chiefs, not enough indians.
Did Slice not make the trip because of the acrimony on the staff?
Did Slice not make the trip because of the acrimony on the staff?
I think that's more of a issue at SEC schools.