My pitch for Chris Mullin as Coach

[rawdognyc]

This is strictly anecdotal, but it seems that those who favored Lavin are more likely to support the Mullin hiring.

Yes, I do see some exceptions. But largely.....

I like the idea of Mullin... I wouldn't mind Hurley...i could live with Mas... Anyone other than those 3 aside from Barnes and i think we are effd

 

[MCNPA]

I think Mullin could truly be a home run but I have quite a few reservations.

1) has never coached. I think he could be excellent at it potentially, but is still an unknown. Still would have to implement a style, defenses etc.

2) desire. Not everybody is a salesperson and whomever the head coach is, they have to play the roll of beckon call quite a bit with recruits etc. it's a bitter pill for some any not everybody enjoys that role.

3) should he do a poor job, how do you fire your program's golden boy? Seriously, this is a big one. Say Mullin obtains at best mediocrity. You can walk away from a guy like Lavin who did a solid if unspectacular job. It's not so easy to just punt Mullin out at head coach.

It's impossible to figure out any of those issues without hiring him first. Those are significant risks and question marks. I think maybe it's smarter to hire a guy like Hurley who is a legit choice right now, with great pedigree, great track record, was born into coaching and has few if any detractors.

I think Hurley is a clear upgrade because he has the X's and O's ability which we are certain about, great pedigree and I believe also excellent recruiter. Mullin high risk, high reward choice. Hurley low risk, high reward imo.

 

[shamsman2]

This is strictly anecdotal, but it seems that those who favored Lavin are more likely to support the Mullin hiring.

Yes, I do see some exceptions. But largely.....

I like the idea of Mullin... I wouldn't mind Hurley...i could live with Mas... Anyone other than those 3 aside from Barnes and i think we are effd[/quote

I love Hurley and like Mullin choice, and I wanted Laving to stay.

 

[JohnnyFan]

This is strictly anecdotal, but it seems that those who favored Lavin are more likely to support the Mullin hiring.

Yes, I do see some exceptions. But largely.....

Why draw a line in the sand like that? I didn't like Lavin at the end, but I want mullin and it has nothing to do with my stance on Lavin.

As mentioned, I wouldn't say it is everyone.

However, I think it is fair to say that supporting the Mullin hiring represents the placement of value on "sizzle". It also represents a willingness to take a risk in the area of X's & O's, game management and recruiting. In other words, Mullin might be a natural in these areas, but nobody could know that for sure.

 

[paultzman]

This is strictly anecdotal, but it seems that those who favored Lavin are more likely to support the Mullin hiring.

Yes, I do see some exceptions. But largely.....

Why draw a line in the sand like that? I didn't like Lavin at the end, but I want mullin and it has nothing to do with my stance on Lavin.

As mentioned, I wouldn't say it is everyone.

However, I think it is fair to say that supporting the Mullin hiring represents the placement of value on "sizzle". It also represents a willingness to take a risk in the area of X's & O's, game management and recruiting. In other words, Mullin might be a natural in these areas, but nobody could know that for sure.

Suspect Mullin would have an immediate positive effect on fundraising & possibly going forward, assuming he would be successful.

 

[JohnnyFan]

This is strictly anecdotal, but it seems that those who favored Lavin are more likely to support the Mullin hiring.

Yes, I do see some exceptions. But largely.....

Why draw a line in the sand like that? I didn't like Lavin at the end, but I want mullin and it has nothing to do with my stance on Lavin.

As mentioned, I wouldn't say it is everyone.

However, I think it is fair to say that supporting the Mullin hiring represents the placement of value on "sizzle". It also represents a willingness to take a risk in the area of X's & O's, game management and recruiting. In other words, Mullin might be a natural in these areas, but nobody could know that for sure.

Suspect Mullin would have an immediate positive effect on fundraising & possibly going forward, assuming he would be successful.

Agreed. I guess I just really want a proven basketball coach.

 

[redfazed]

Newsday's take: "Anointing Chris Mullin a no-brainer for St. John's"

http://www.newsday.com/sports/colum...-mullin-a-no-brainer-for-st-john-s-1.10148339

Excerpt:
"If Mullin wants that responsibility, the job should be his for the taking. Never mind that he never has been a coach. That can be fixed with the addition of a veteran bench coach, and if you think Mullin doesn't know his X's and O's, you don't know what you're talking about."

I'd personally be very happy with Mullin or Danny Hurley. Both are obsessive workaholics with unimpeachable basketball pedigrees.

 

[Russ2374]

I think Mullin could truly be a home run but I have quite a few reservations.

1) has never coached. I think he could be excellent at it potentially, but is still an unknown. Still would have to implement a style, defenses etc.

2) desire. Not everybody is a salesperson and whomever the head coach is, they have to play the roll of beckon call quite a bit with recruits etc. it's a bitter pill for some any not everybody enjoys that role.

3) should he do a poor job, how do you fire your program's golden boy? Seriously, this is a big one. Say Mullin obtains at best mediocrity. You can walk away from a guy like Lavin who did a solid if unspectacular job. It's not so easy to just punt Mullin out at head coach.

It's impossible to figure out any of those issues without hiring him first. Those are significant risks and question marks. I think maybe it's smarter to hire a guy like Hurley who is a legit choice right now, with great pedigree, great track record, was born into coaching and has few if any detractors.

I think Hurley is a clear upgrade because he has the X's and O's ability which we are certain about, great pedigree and I believe also excellent recruiter. Mullin high risk, high reward choice. Hurley low risk, high reward imo.

The more I think about it, the more I agree that Hurley may be our best choice. A lot would depend upon who would be on Mullin's staff and whether he enjoys the job. If he wants it and is surrounded by a great staff I believe he will succeed. I'm just not sure he would be doing this for the right reasons. Is he doing us a favor or does he really want it? If he really wants it, we have to give him the job! If we are working on convincing him to take it and will go with our backup plan if he says no, I think its the wrong move.

I hope he really wants the job and brings with him a great staff (including a potential successor) but at this point I'm not convinced that he does.

Out of all our underwhelming candidates, I'd go with D Hurley. I could see Hurley coaching here for 10 years (if he does well) but I'm not sure Mullin would want to do it that long. If he is ready to make that type of commitment though, the job should be his.

 

[stjohnnie75]

Whether mullin will work out as a successful head coach, im not 100 percent sure... However this BS that just cuz these kids are 16 or 17 that they don't know who Mullin is is just plain ignorant.

IMO, it is being over rated. Only the first or second year would it even matter if kids knew Mullin as a player or not. You would hope by year 2-3 they would know a bit about him for his coaching. Plus kids could throw his name into google/YouTube if they even cared to find out more.

 

[MCNPA]

Mullin definitely still has name recognition that would resonate with the youth and wouldn't have to kiss nearly as much ass on the recruiting trail due to that. Hed command instant respect. All anybody has to do is tell the kid that Mullin dropped 38 pts on Michael Jordan and they'd understand. I'm not worried about that aspect. Im worried about whether he'd want to deal with what the job description entails.

 

[johnsliva]

This is strictly anecdotal, but it seems that those who favored Lavin are more likely to support the Mullin hiring.

Yes, I do see some exceptions. But largely.....

Why draw a line in the sand like that? I didn't like Lavin at the end, but I want mullin and it has nothing to do with my stance on Lavin.

As mentioned, I wouldn't say it is everyone.

However, I think it is fair to say that supporting the Mullin hiring represents the placement of value on "sizzle". It also represents a willingness to take a risk in the area of X's & O's, game management and recruiting. In other words, Mullin might be a natural in these areas, but nobody could know that for sure.

I would not say X's and O's are even a question. Chris instinctively knows the game and situations and always has been ice under pressure.. The question is can he get the kids to listen and react as he would and not get frustrated when they don't. Larry Bird is the best example of this and why he quit coaching. If Chris can be mentoring, he is a home run.

As far as recruiting if he gets his slice equivalent, he just needs to be the closer. He is a college and NBA hof and hard to argue or recruit against his credentials and connections to the NBA. He wont get them all but he will get his share. We wont have the paper bag around but we will get some kids who want NY. It would be nice if we could establish a wall street internship program for kids (and maybe jobs for some parents) let the kids earn some side money and get some conference room meals.. We can use any edge we get and many wall street types would love to hob nob with Chris..

 

[Andrew]

If you play NBA2K15 you will know that Mullin advises players in the game. Good enough for me.

 

[ADORAZ]

Whether mullin will work out as a successful head coach, im not 100 percent sure... However this BS that just cuz these kids are 16 or 17 that they don't know who Mullin is is just plain ignorant.

I strongly disagree. Only those who study the history of the game know him. Mullin hasn't been in the spotlight for 15 years. Jackson is much more well known than he is.

I'm not saying he'd be a bad choice, but he hasn't been relevant since these kids were babies.

What are you basing this on? I think you're selling these kids short... I could name hall of famers in both basketball and baseball that were dead 30 years before i was born..

If they study the history of the game then yes they'll probably know him. Otherwise there's little reason they'd know him. For what it's worth I asked about ten friends in their mid 20's what they thought about Mullin to SJU (all follow college basketball), and only two knew him (one went to SJU with me). For the casual fans, those who mostly watch Sportscenter and games, they don't know Mullin unless they go out of their way to research him. Requiem for the Big East is probably most relevant he's been been in mainstream media for the past 15 years. That's saying a lot. More young people know Jackson or Artest than Mullin.

 

[Marillac]

HS Coach to Mullin: So glad you are back at St. John's. What type of sets do you plan on running?

Mullin: Ummm . . . Can I get back to you on that one?

Yeah, Mullin, who has been continuously involved with basketball for over 40 years--spending the last 30 in the NBA--would not be able answer what kind of sets he would like to run to a high school coach. You got us there.

Mullin could give a five-hour impromptu clinic on the intricate details of the different types of screens, shooting mechanics, man-to-man defense, help D, spacing the floor, team rebounding, or a number of other topics. It's pretty insulting to the man to think he couldn't knock the socks off of anyone that asked him that question. That would be like Marillac, an amateur troll, giving Marco Baldi, the master troll, tips on getting under posters skin.

 

[redfazed]

Whether mullin will work out as a successful head coach, im not 100 percent sure... However this BS that just cuz these kids are 16 or 17 that they don't know who Mullin is is just plain ignorant.

I strongly disagree. Only those who study the history of the game know him. Mullin hasn't been in the spotlight for 15 years. Jackson is much more well known than he is.

I'm not saying he'd be a bad choice, but he hasn't been relevant since these kids were babies.

What are you basing this on? I think you're selling these kids short... I could name hall of famers in both basketball and baseball that were dead 30 years before i was born..

If they study the history of the game then yes they'll probably know him. Otherwise there's little reason they'd know him. For what it's worth I asked about ten friends in their mid 20's what they thought about Mullin to SJU (all follow college basketball), and only two knew him (one went to SJU with me). For the casual fans, those who mostly watch Sportscenter and games, they don't know Mullin unless they go out of their way to research him. Requiem for the Big East is probably most relevant he's been been in mainstream media for the past 15 years. That's saying a lot. More young people know Jackson or Artest than Mullin.

Rest assured that the parents and handlers of today's top high school players, along with every single coach of every elite high school program in the country know exactly who Chris Mullin is.

 

[ADORAZ]

Whether mullin will work out as a successful head coach, im not 100 percent sure... However this BS that just cuz these kids are 16 or 17 that they don't know who Mullin is is just plain ignorant.

I strongly disagree. Only those who study the history of the game know him. Mullin hasn't been in the spotlight for 15 years. Jackson is much more well known than he is.

I'm not saying he'd be a bad choice, but he hasn't been relevant since these kids were babies.

What are you basing this on? I think you're selling these kids short... I could name hall of famers in both basketball and baseball that were dead 30 years before i was born..

If they study the history of the game then yes they'll probably know him. Otherwise there's little reason they'd know him. For what it's worth I asked about ten friends in their mid 20's what they thought about Mullin to SJU (all follow college basketball), and only two knew him (one went to SJU with me). For the casual fans, those who mostly watch Sportscenter and games, they don't know Mullin unless they go out of their way to research him. Requiem for the Big East is probably most relevant he's been been in mainstream media for the past 15 years. That's saying a lot. More young people know Jackson or Artest than Mullin.

Rest assured that the parents and handlers of today's top high school players, along with every single coach of every elite high school program in the country know exactly who Chris Mullin is.

Very true.

 

[paultzman]

Whether mullin will work out as a successful head coach, im not 100 percent sure... However this BS that just cuz these kids are 16 or 17 that they don't know who Mullin is is just plain ignorant.

I strongly disagree. Only those who study the history of the game know him. Mullin hasn't been in the spotlight for 15 years. Jackson is much more well known than he is.

I'm not saying he'd be a bad choice, but he hasn't been relevant since these kids were babies.

What are you basing this on? I think you're selling these kids short... I could name hall of famers in both basketball and baseball that were dead 30 years before i was born..

If they study the history of the game then yes they'll probably know him. Otherwise there's little reason they'd know him. For what it's worth I asked about ten friends in their mid 20's what they thought about Mullin to SJU (all follow college basketball), and only two knew him (one went to SJU with me). For the casual fans, those who mostly watch Sportscenter and games, they don't know Mullin unless they go out of their way to research him. Requiem for the Big East is probably most relevant he's been been in mainstream media for the past 15 years. That's saying a lot. More young people know Jackson or Artest than Mullin.

Rest assured that the parents and handlers of today's top high school players, along with every single coach of every elite high school program in the country know exactly who Chris Mullin is.

Very true.

Plus Chris would certainly be able to introduce his players to as many NBA stars as anyone.

 

[redfazed]

Whether mullin will work out as a successful head coach, im not 100 percent sure... However this BS that just cuz these kids are 16 or 17 that they don't know who Mullin is is just plain ignorant.

I strongly disagree. Only those who study the history of the game know him. Mullin hasn't been in the spotlight for 15 years. Jackson is much more well known than he is.

I'm not saying he'd be a bad choice, but he hasn't been relevant since these kids were babies.

What are you basing this on? I think you're selling these kids short... I could name hall of famers in both basketball and baseball that were dead 30 years before i was born..

If they study the history of the game then yes they'll probably know him. Otherwise there's little reason they'd know him. For what it's worth I asked about ten friends in their mid 20's what they thought about Mullin to SJU (all follow college basketball), and only two knew him (one went to SJU with me). For the casual fans, those who mostly watch Sportscenter and games, they don't know Mullin unless they go out of their way to research him. Requiem for the Big East is probably most relevant he's been been in mainstream media for the past 15 years. That's saying a lot. More young people know Jackson or Artest than Mullin.

Rest assured that the parents and handlers of today's top high school players, along with every single coach of every elite high school program in the country know exactly who Chris Mullin is.

Very true.

Plus Chris would certainly be able to introduce his players to as many NBA stars as anyone.

Not to mention the many relationships he no doubt has with NBA general managers, coaches, scouts.

 

[cappy105]

Mullin....MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!!

 

[cpavin]

Mullin is the cream of the choices that are being thrown out. Who better to attract players with NBA aspirations than a man who has a lifetime of success there.

Mullin made it because he's a gym rat and a relentless worker...not because he had the best gifts in the world. He has been coached by all time greats. That's surely rubbed off on him.

Sure, I'd prefer the Shaka Smarts of the world as a surer bet, but they aren't giving us a sniff. Be realistic here.

I agree. Of all the names being mentioned Mullin is our best option. There is always a chance it might not work out and that would be disappointing but what if it did work out. How amazing would it be if SJU's golden boy returned home and led the team back to the final four. There are no guarantees in life but Mullin has an incredible basketball IQ and there is no reason to think that he won't be a top notch college coach. Hopefully if the admin does go in this direction that they do it fully supporting him and paying for a top notch recruiter and staff. If the admin does hire Chris they better be all in with all the support he needs.