NAILS, TOUGH GUYS, GRIT & CHARACTER

 In all the commentary about what we can become, there has been little discussion about a very traditional STJ ingredient, a gym rat catch and release shooter, Mullin and Loughery were our two best but Kenny Mac, and endless Schaeffer and Cluess brothers who made teams pay as the clock ran down also created a lot of victories. Can DeLo fill this role when there is greater overall offensive balance when we have a full team, or is this an undiscussed specific recruiting need? Bobre has been talking about recruiting shooters but I specifically want a catch and release guy as opposed to a rhythmn shooter. Rhythm shooters give defenses time to recover.
 
As far as scoring, I think this team will be a run and gun team that averages 90 a game as early as next season.
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This season the highest scoring team is North Carolina (85.2 ppg).
The highest scoring Big East team is Syracuse (79.9 ppg).
Only one Lavin team (1997-98 UCLA) has averaged more than 80 ppg.
Our team is averaging 66.0 ppg.

With more depth and with players with more experience we will score more points next season but please, let´s be rational with the expectations.
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Yes, but ...

"In 2003-04, Dunlap led Metro State to a school-record 30-consecutive victories, including a perfect 19-0 slate in RMAC play. It was the first time a RMAC team went undefeated in eight seasons. The Roadrunners led the nation in margin of victory (+28.1 ppg) and were third in scoring offense (93.4 ppg)."

If Lavin gets all the players he really wants, I think we have the potential to be very explosive.
 
 Yes, he can do that. He's a fantastic player and I look forward to his improvement each year. With a few more guys next year, we can take 5-10 minutes off his playing time so he can keep his legs all game and I think he'll play better because of it.
 
 I dont think the season is over yet. I can see this team making a run in february and in the BE tourney
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We'll win some more games simply because our freshmen will become sophomores experience wise, however we won't be any bigger or deeper so I doubt we'll be making any "runs" this year.
 
If we keep Moe and Harrison for two years we are looking at a national championship. Greene and Garrett are starting to break out. Pointer will be more consistent as he is showing signs of learning to play at this level. We are lucky to have these guys. Coach is doing a great job and will bring in more great kids in the future. 
 
If we keep Moe and Harrison for two years we are looking at a national championship. Greene and Garrett are starting to break out. Pointer will be more consistent as he is showing signs of learning to play at this level. We are lucky to have these guys. Coach is doing a great job and will bring in more great kids in the future. 
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Mo and DLo may be future AA and each of PG, AG and DP should be very good college players in time but we still need more help up front before we can even dream of a national championship.
 
If we keep Moe and Harrison for two years we are looking at a national championship. Greene and Garrett are starting to break out. Pointer will be more consistent as he is showing signs of learning to play at this level. We are lucky to have these guys. Coach is doing a great job and will bring in more great kids in the future. 
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Mo and DLo may be future AA and each of PG, AG and DP should be very good college players in time but we still need more help up front before we can even dream of a national championship.
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C'mon North, you know they're a dime a dozen. 
 
If we keep Moe and Harrison for two years we are looking at a national championship. Greene and Garrett are starting to break out. Pointer will be more consistent as he is showing signs of learning to play at this level. We are lucky to have these guys. Coach is doing a great job and will bring in more great kids in the future. 
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Mo and DLo may be future AA and each of PG, AG and DP should be very good college players in time but we still need more help up front before we can even dream of a national championship.
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C'mon North, you know they're a dime a dozen. 
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How right you are.
Sometimes our fan's expectations are just wild.
I have been following the team for 31 seasons and only once have we had a roster in my opinion that had 5 very good/excellent starters and a good bench and that was 1985. Otherwise we have been flawed. Coach Lavin did an amazing job recruiting year 1 and brought in 5 very good freshmen who with a player or two more could compete for the national championship as juniors or seniors. Unfortunately Mo and D'Lo will not be around too long, they are just too good and the allure of big money is far too tempting to stay in college. They only way I see them staying is if Coach can bring in 2-3 more high quality players this season in order that we can finish top 15-20 in 2013 as well as 2-3 additional high quality players for 2014 where Mo and D'Lo can be convinced they can play for the national championship in 2014.
Irrespective when they leave we will never be in the same rut again.
 
Thank you team for fighting to the end! Already looking forward to next season! With a full roster I can't wait to see this current squad and new recruits battle every night!!! fight :fight: :fight: :fight:  I see more smiles next year. Continue to work hard on and off the court!

THANK YOU!!! The record doesn't show the blood and sweat you left on the court every night! New York Loves You!
 
I wrote the below three years ago. The fight that the seniors and rest of the team have shown makes New York proud. Thank you team! Thank you coaches! Now let's finish this season strong! The team has taken a huge step in extending their season and bringing New York fans along with them. Thank you! Love this team!!!


To the team,

This season has been a challenge on and off the court. Hang tight, New York Loves You! You are growing before our eyes and you will only get stronger every day!!! You are handling the adversity like MEN and we Love it! There will be some Big East losses this year, but get stronger and better. Brighter days are ahead!!!


What you've been through and are going through -

- Part of a reloaded roster (actually only half full do to circumstances!)
- A completely new team (99% of scoring gone??)
- 5 New Starters
- 3 top recruits not cleared by the NCAA even though they attended an accredited institution and did the work they thought they were supposed to do (Not close to this but this made no sense. Rules are rules, so I don't understand what happened here. This looks like a case of admin pencil pushers not know kids lives are at stake. If something is wrong with an institution (their summer school) it needs to be dealt with at that level, not with the kids. Makes me furious reading about what happened. I don't have the details, but this isn't passing the smell test.)
- Decommitments from Pelle and Sampson (hopefully Sampson is back in the fold, sad that Pelle won't make it if true; MAJOR props to Amir for toughing it out!!!)
- Lindsay leaving. Don't know the story here but wish he would have worked through the season. Losing a key cog on an undermanned team wasn't good. In the long run it may work out because Branch saw an opening (Welcome to the bright nights Mr. Branch!).
- Decommitments from Woods and Gathers. These hurt a lot but hopefully they come back to the fold. 2012 could still be VERY SPECIAL with you!
- Now, the big elephant in the room. Coach's health. The fact that coach's cancer has set him back from being on the sidelines is a HUGE hit. No one can deny it. It was reported during the season last year that the cancer was identified but doctor's were ok with him going through the season. Thanks Coach for giving it your all last year and giving last year's kids a ride to the NCAA's. Maybe to your own detriment?? To those judging his character I think they are full of it. I don't know the whole story but I'm sure he had options that would have taken him of the bench last season too. To say he doesn't care about his team is CRAZY in my mind. Some have questioned Coach's integrity. I think that is VERY UNFAIR. I think those who have been affected by cancer or know someone with cancer understand that it is very serious but can be managed very well with today's medical advancements. You can be diagnosed as going really well one second and can take a sudden 360 the next. He has excellent Doctors and that's all you can ask for in this situation. Coach is not the expert on Cancer, but has experts advising him. Am thankful that he has had a SUCCESSFUL surgery and hope to have him on the sideline's for the next 20 years. Plenty of Coach's, Friends and Family have been through this. It isn't easy, but it can be beaten. UCONN Coach Calhoun seems to be doing just fine and just got a national title to boot. Coach is on the recruiting trail continuing to build a team for his players, for St John's, for New York. 2012 is the year in my mind and I bet it is in his. Sure he can't wait to get on the sideline, whether it be at the end of this season or the beginning of next.

This has been a long diatribe, but just wanted to say thanks to the current and future team. 
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