I am torn between Mullin and Hurley. I see positives and negatives to both.
Imagine the headlines and good will if Mullin returns home the conquering hero, and reawakens the SJU ghosts of the 1980's? He hires at veteran X and O man to ride shotgun (he must have a ton on contacts), and brings Matt A. to recruit (after all, what SJU alum, no matter what age, can say no to Chris Mullin), and away we go.
But what if Mullin gets bored with the college game. My hope there is he set things up for a nice transition because he reestablished good will and moves the bar further between the SJU brand and the masses.
With Danny Hurley, maybe he becomes our Jay Wright. He takes this job, and runs with it. Implements a gym rat mentality in the program, and SJU becomes known for its tough, fundamentally sound, clutch plays, instead of what we have seen in the past. And he may even get a St. Anthony's kid to look at us again.
Of course I worry Hurley is wound too tightly. Will he implode?
All in all, if these are the frontrunners, I feel more comfortable about things moving forward in a positive direction. I can see why there is a split among the members here. We want the right choice, because we know how critical this hire is.
Let's face it, if our new president gets this right, he will already have accomplished more to benefit the basketball program in a year, than the last 20 years combined.
Mullin and Hurley have different styles, to be sure. But both are diligent, and love basketball. I believe both of these men have more positives than negatives going for them. And with that, I think for the first time since Carnesecca was here, I think SJU hoops will be in good hands.
