New Players
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boo haarvey
Active member
Ha ha, I'm not sure exhibition games are the best predictor of future performance. My recollection is that Obekpa averaged a triple double in exhibition games last year, but I'm not sure we should be expecting that from him night in and night out next year.
boo haarvey
Active member
Except for Sima apparently.
I will feel at ease when he signs. His HS worries me. Then again on eligibility issue, I tend to worry.
Paultz I am confident that in light of went on with the Sanchez, Thomas and ADR sagas, that both the staff and the compliance dept will be far more vigilant in evaluating kid's academic records. Having said that, there are always going to be risks and I'm fine the taking those risks provided there are fall back options
I am not taking a shot a Zach because I dislike him, but this line is absurd: "Next season’s roster now has depth, balance, versatility and size — qualities that were severely lacking last season."
Obviously, the depth and size issues are very true, but last year's roster was not imbalanced at all, and versatility was the hallmark of last years squad--actually of all of Lavin's squads. Dom Pointer was the most versatile player we've had since Ron Artest. Harrison could play the 1-3 effectively and shined at the four for periods. Greene played 1-3 as did Jordan. In terms of roster balance we were 4-2-2-2. It doesn't get too much more balanced than that. Right now we are 5-1-2-3.
I love the roster and what the staff has done, but there is no need to go back and take shots at Lavin. But if you are going to, at least choose something he did wrong.
That "slow plodding" San Diego State team turned out to be the most athletic team we faced all season by a wide margin.
May be time to move on re Zach Marillac. Clearly he has no respect for Lavin, but beating this to death has no upside. I differ & argue with him often, but am glad he covers SJU hoops. Btw, a several months back you noted his superiors at the Post were upset with his SJU bias. I chuckled, because he was promoted at that vey time. Writers certainly are not perfect & can be cutting at times. That said, to me the good outweighs the bad. Just my opinion.
You are right that it is time to move along, but it's easier said then done when he makes blatant mistakes and continues to trounce on a man that can't defend himself. This is an exciting time, yet every article and many of his tweets have to include some shot at Lavin. The info about the loss of respect is accurate and I can say more over PMs if you'd like.
Roster balance is really not susceptible to more than one interpretation. It is even distribution of scholarships among the four classes. Last year we were 4-2-2-2. That is pretty damn balanced. The reason it seemed imbalanced to some is because they incorrectly assumed Obekpa and Jordan were goners. So in their minds it was 6-1-1-2 . I love what the staff is doing, but we are more imbalanced in the short term (5-1-2-3) than we ever were under Lavin. If things work out the way most of us would like (Lovett/Mussini and Larrier) it will be 5-1-2-5. I'd take that in a heartbeat.
I'll heed Pault's advice and try to back off of Zach, and perhaps even contact him directly to ask him to end the Lavin slights. No need to create negativity during a very good time for St. John's basketball.
Yes, I killed Dom for his junior year in which he stood flat-footed on the perimeter 90% of the time on offense. I pleaded for him to be used properly. I've explained that then (when anger subsided) and this past season. Was it over the top? What Marillac post isn't?
Dom aside, versatility was what Lavin built his teams around. Moe could play 2-5, Garret 2-4, Sanchez played every position on the court offensively. Sampson played 2-5. The obvious knock on Lavin is that he let his guys be too versatile--to the point that there are no defined roles or order. It worked for guys like Brownlee but not for guys like Sanchez.
Looking forward to less versatility and more defined roles under Mullin.
On the topic of new players, I want to be excited but I still have a couple of concerns:
1- I don't see a true PG on the team yet. Some see Rysheed at the point but he will need to score and I just don't want him there while trying to be the scorer. I know we are still looking but I think this is a bigger problem than most acknowledge. I know we are said to be interested in Lovett but people here who know better than I seem to think eligibility is a huge issue. Doesn't sound like he would be an immediate answer.
2- It is interesting (at least to me) that whenever people talk about what they look for from the new guys the offensive stats are mentioned. I guess its hard to predict or measure but I wonder how good we could be on defense.
I will keep the faith in this staff. However, I think we need to be realistic.
1- I don't see a true PG on the team yet. Some see Rysheed at the point but he will need to score and I just don't want him there while trying to be the scorer. I know we are still looking but I think this is a bigger problem than most acknowledge. I know we are said to be interested in Lovett but people here who know better than I seem to think eligibility is a huge issue. Doesn't sound like he would be an immediate answer.
2- It is interesting (at least to me) that whenever people talk about what they look for from the new guys the offensive stats are mentioned. I guess its hard to predict or measure but I wonder how good we could be on defense.
I will keep the faith in this staff. However, I think we need to be realistic.
Great points. For #1, I'd feel much better if we had a pure point like Malik Boothe backing Jordan up. He was a whipping boy, but played an unheralded role in the 2011 run filling in for Hardy, controlling the tempo, and playing nasty defense. Of course, I'd rather have Lovett or Mussini.
For #2, defense will be the key this year. We return two of our best three defenders in Jordan and Obekpa. Balamou was probably fourth. Durand Johnson, coming from Pitt, must be solid himself. Malik will need some work, and his lack of strength could be a problem. I have no idea what to expect from Williams outside of the occasional block. I suspect he'll be solid in the low block based on the little I've seen. Amar will still likely be a below average in this category even with some improvement. Defense is much harder to evaluate than offense.