Next Coach?

[monte]

Agree with Action that classes should have had better balance, not in terms of numbers but in terms of talent levels and skill sets. Very poorly assembled rosters IMO. Although I give Lavin a pass for his first recruiting class with the one huge exception, letting Ron Roberts walk.

 

[1and1sju]

With the above said, make the tournament and ink Diallo and this entire thread is a moot point, because Steve Lavin will be getting a 4 year extension. And I won't say boo about it.

So if your kid had a D average for 3 years and then somehow pulled out a B+ in his senior year you'd buy him a BMW to drive to the local community college?

I wouldn't buy my son a BMW under any circumstance hahaha

But lawman, I think that if Lavin were to sign Diallo and one of the foreigners (the Italian or Greek) and a decent Juco like freeman, AND make the tournament- that would make me think that we are better off working with what we have; have Monasch force him to hire an associate head coach, or modify or have more input in the practice and recruiting plans etc, rather than scrap everything and start over.
Having success these next couple of months would not erase all of SL's flaws, but in my opinion if he can continue to recruit at a high level, and turns this year's team around - then the pros of keeping him out weigh the inherent risk in hiring someone else.

I don't expect that to happen though. The mistakes he's made have left us so shorthanded, and the seniors have played 4 years without a cohesive offense or good ball movement habits, that I think the team will continue to struggle.

 

[TonyinFairfield]

With the above said, make the tournament and ink Diallo and this entire thread is a moot point, because Steve Lavin will be getting a 4 year extension. And I won't say boo about it.

So if your kid had a D average for 3 years and then somehow pulled out a B+ in his senior year you'd buy him a BMW to drive to the local community college?

I wouldn't buy my son a BMW under any circumstance hahaha

But lawman, I think that if Lavin were to sign Diallo and one of the foreigners (the Italian or Greek) and a decent Juco like freeman, AND make the tournament- that would make me think that we are better off working with what we have; have Monasch force him to hire an associate head coach, or modify or have more input in the practice and recruiting plans etc, rather than scrap everything and start over.
Having success these next couple of months would not erase all of SL's flaws, but in my opinion if he can continue to recruit at a high level, and turns this year's team around - then the pros of keeping him out weigh the inherent risk in hiring someone else.

I don't expect that to happen though. The mistakes he's made have left us so shorthanded, and the seniors have played 4 years without a cohesive offense or good ball movement habits, that I think the team will continue to struggle.

I think that's a fair assessment, and I agree with most of it. Especially the point about not buying a BMW for your son under any circumstances!

Where we differ is that I do expect this season to run around. Despite his flaws, and we all know what they are, I believe he can change his approach and make the necessary adjustments.

But as so many have said already, only time will tell.

 

[Avon Barksdale]

With the above said, make the tournament and ink Diallo and this entire thread is a moot point, because Steve Lavin will be getting a 4 year extension. And I won't say boo about it.

So if your kid had a D average for 3 years and then somehow pulled out a B+ in his senior year you'd buy him a BMW to drive to the local community college?

I wouldn't buy my son a BMW under any circumstance hahaha

But lawman, I think that if Lavin were to sign Diallo and one of the foreigners (the Italian or Greek) and a decent Juco like freeman, AND make the tournament- that would make me think that we are better off working with what we have; have Monasch force him to hire an associate head coach, or modify or have more input in the practice and recruiting plans etc, rather than scrap everything and start over.
Having success these next couple of months would not erase all of SL's flaws, but in my opinion if he can continue to recruit at a high level, and turns this year's team around - then the pros of keeping him out weigh the inherent risk in hiring someone else.

I don't expect that to happen though. The mistakes he's made have left us so shorthanded, and the seniors have played 4 years without a cohesive offense or good ball movement habits, that I think the team will continue to struggle.

Bringing Lavin back (and in essence giving him a multi year extension) based on the criteria listed above would be absurd.

First of all, based on the recruits Lavin has brought in, I would think that there will be some sort of fiasco with the 2015 class when its all set and done, whether its kids who dont meet eligibility requirements, kids who will transfer, kids who will never make it to campus, kids who will fanagle a way out of their commitments etc. The past repeats itself. Even if Diallo does come here, he will leave us after one year, then what are we left with? Who replaces him? Then we are back at "we have a thin roster, no recruits on the horizon and a coach with two or three years left on his deal."

Also, as lawman stated, i think the entire body of work for "Slick" should be evaluated, not on whether or not this team makes the NCAA Tournament. Remember, this senior class was the #3 incoming class in college basketball four seasons ago and we still havent seen them play in the NCAAs (and to boot, this senior class hasnt won a game in the Big East Tournament. The one post season victory is an NIT win vs St. Joes). Plus, lets be honest, the deck is stacked against us again this season - staring 0-4 in the face it will be an uphill battle to make the NCAAs, especially with the competitive balance in the Big East being much better than it was last year. We still have to play at Villanova, GTown, Xavier and Butler. I am sorry but with this razor thin lineup plus Slick's head scratching in game strategies, it would be miraculous for them to rise above the challenges ahead and win 11 in the league and make an NCAA Tourney.

There is no way you can justify bringing Slick back based on the overall body of work.

 

[TonyinFairfield]

With the above said, make the tournament and ink Diallo and this entire thread is a moot point, because Steve Lavin will be getting a 4 year extension. And I won't say boo about it.

So if your kid had a D average for 3 years and then somehow pulled out a B+ in his senior year you'd buy him a BMW to drive to the local community college?

I wouldn't buy my son a BMW under any circumstance hahaha

But lawman, I think that if Lavin were to sign Diallo and one of the foreigners (the Italian or Greek) and a decent Juco like freeman, AND make the tournament- that would make me think that we are better off working with what we have; have Monasch force him to hire an associate head coach, or modify or have more input in the practice and recruiting plans etc, rather than scrap everything and start over.
Having success these next couple of months would not erase all of SL's flaws, but in my opinion if he can continue to recruit at a high level, and turns this year's team around - then the pros of keeping him out weigh the inherent risk in hiring someone else.

I don't expect that to happen though. The mistakes he's made have left us so shorthanded, and the seniors have played 4 years without a cohesive offense or good ball movement habits, that I think the team will continue to struggle.

Bringing Lavin back (and in essence giving him a multi year extension) based on the criteria listed above would be absurd.

First of all, based on the recruits Lavin has brought in, I would think that there will be some sort of fiasco with the 2015 class when its all set and done, whether its kids who dont meet eligibility requirements, kids who will transfer, kids who will never make it to campus, kids who will fanagle a way out of their commitments etc. The past repeats itself. Even if Diallo does come here, he will leave us after one year, then what are we left with? Who replaces him? Then we are back at "we have a thin roster, no recruits on the horizon and a coach with two or three years left on his deal."

Also, as lawman stated, i think the entire body of work for "Slick" should be evaluated, not on whether or not this team makes the NCAA Tournament. Remember, this senior class was the #3 incoming class in college basketball four seasons ago and we still havent seen them play in the NCAAs (and to boot, this senior class hasnt won a game in the Big East Tournament. The one post season victory is an NIT win vs St. Joes). Plus, lets be honest, the deck is stacked against us again this season - staring 0-4 in the face it will be an uphill battle to make the NCAAs, especially with the competitive balance in the Big East being much better than it was last year. We still have to play at Villanova, GTown, Xavier and Butler. I am sorry but with this razor thin lineup plus Slick's head scratching in game strategies, it would be miraculous for them to rise above the challenges ahead and win 11 in the league and make an NCAA Tourney.

There is no way you can justify bringing Slick back based on the overall body of work.

You're quite the prognosticator, that you can predict all those issues with the 2015 class.

Tell me, did you also see the issues with Jordan, Thomas, DLo (before his suspension), CO, et. al., when they were recruited?

 

[Class of 72]

With the above said, make the tournament and ink Diallo and this entire thread is a moot point, because Steve Lavin will be getting a 4 year extension. And I won't say boo about it.

So if your kid had a D average for 3 years and then somehow pulled out a B+ in his senior year you'd buy him a BMW to drive to the local community college?

I wouldn't buy my son a BMW under any circumstance hahaha

But lawman, I think that if Lavin were to sign Diallo and one of the foreigners (the Italian or Greek) and a decent Juco like freeman, AND make the tournament- that would make me think that we are better off working with what we have; have Monasch force him to hire an associate head coach, or modify or have more input in the practice and recruiting plans etc, rather than scrap everything and start over.
Having success these next couple of months would not erase all of SL's flaws, but in my opinion if he can continue to recruit at a high level, and turns this year's team around - then the pros of keeping him out weigh the inherent risk in hiring someone else.

I don't expect that to happen though. The mistakes he's made have left us so shorthanded, and the seniors have played 4 years without a cohesive offense or good ball movement habits, that I think the team will continue to struggle.

Bringing Lavin back (and in essence giving him a multi year extension) based on the criteria listed above would be absurd.

First of all, based on the recruits Lavin has brought in, I would think that there will be some sort of fiasco with the 2015 class when its all set and done, whether its kids who dont meet eligibility requirements, kids who will transfer, kids who will never make it to campus, kids who will fanagle a way out of their commitments etc. The past repeats itself. Even if Diallo does come here, he will leave us after one year, then what are we left with? Who replaces him? Then we are back at "we have a thin roster, no recruits on the horizon and a coach with two or three years left on his deal."

Also, as lawman stated, i think the entire body of work for "Slick" should be evaluated, not on whether or not this team makes the NCAA Tournament. Remember, this senior class was the #3 incoming class in college basketball four seasons ago and we still havent seen them play in the NCAAs (and to boot, this senior class hasnt won a game in the Big East Tournament. The one post season victory is an NIT win vs St. Joes). Plus, lets be honest, the deck is stacked against us again this season - staring 0-4 in the face it will be an uphill battle to make the NCAAs, especially with the competitive balance in the Big East being much better than it was last year. We still have to play at Villanova, GTown, Xavier and Butler. I am sorry but with this razor thin lineup plus Slick's head scratching in game strategies, it would be miraculous for them to rise above the challenges ahead and win 11 in the league and make an NCAA Tourney.

There is no way you can justify bringing Slick back based on the overall body of work.

You're quite the prognosticator, that you can predict all those issues with the 2015 class.

Tell me, did you also see the issues with Jordan, Thomas, DLo (before his suspension), CO, et. al., when they were recruited?

Tony, you can't blame Chris, lawmanfan or anyone here for pessimism. That is our history and if the staff does not learn from it then it could be repeated. Look at Obekpa and Jordan, they are no way ready for the pro game yet they are itching to leave early. The staff needs to be more honest with these kids and convince them that their basketball education is not complete as yet. If these were "normal" college student athletes next year would not be a question mark. Combined with new recruits and returnees, Lavin would have a strong core of players to work with but history has been repeating itself at SJU. This was not a nationally ranked team even when they were ranked! Just too many holes and no depth so whether we make the Ncaa's or NIT is irrelevant. Lavin will be evaluated on whether he will be reloading or rebuilding next year. None of us will know until the April signing period.

 

[paultzman]

I was most disappointed in staff not being able to complement the returning core players with a few solid interior players. The two academic risk kids, Adonis & Thomas, could have helped shore up that area, primarily Thomas. Perhaps instead of "blaming" Lavin, the more appropriate focus should be on his responsibility to do that. He should be held accountable for this void, no? What's done is done, but the returning players deserved better. It appears the thin bench & lack of interior strength may bite us in the rear end. In this league a small team with an extremely short & fragile rotation is not a formula for success. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[cappy105]

With the above said, make the tournament and ink Diallo and this entire thread is a moot point, because Steve Lavin will be getting a 4 year extension. And I won't say boo about it.

So if your kid had a D average for 3 years and then somehow pulled out a B+ in his senior year you'd buy him a BMW to drive to the local community college?

I wouldn't buy my son a BMW under any circumstance hahaha

But lawman, I think that if Lavin were to sign Diallo and one of the foreigners (the Italian or Greek) and a decent Juco like freeman, AND make the tournament- that would make me think that we are better off working with what we have; have Monasch force him to hire an associate head coach, or modify or have more input in the practice and recruiting plans etc, rather than scrap everything and start over.
Having success these next couple of months would not erase all of SL's flaws, but in my opinion if he can continue to recruit at a high level, and turns this year's team around - then the pros of keeping him out weigh the inherent risk in hiring someone else.

I don't expect that to happen though. The mistakes he's made have left us so shorthanded, and the seniors have played 4 years without a cohesive offense or good ball movement habits, that I think the team will continue to struggle.

crazy talk

 

[salty dog]

On and on they go where they'll stop no one knows.

 

[westchesterjoe]

I was most disappointed in staff not being able to complement the returning core players with a few solid interior players. The two academic risk kids, Adonis & Thomas, could have helped shore up that area, primarily Thomas. Perhaps instead of "blaming" Lavin, the more appropriate focus should be on his responsibility to do that. He should be held accountable for this void, no? What's done is done, but the returning players deserved better. It appears the thin bench & lack of interior strength may bite us in the rear end. In this league a small team with an extremely short & fragile rotation is not a formula for success. Hope I'm wrong.

I hope so too, Whopper but, evidence points to the contrary..The SITE responded yesterday to the news of Sampson signing, like the market did when oil went initially to $50 a barrel. Then the market realized the drop in oil prices would result in a decline in earnings for most of the big oil companies, which make up a huge portion of the DJ500..

Sampson signing is a lot like that, a big surge based on the kid's rankings and what he brings to any school's BB program..He seems to be a high quality player. Steve has recruited that quality of player before and hasn't delivered anywhere close to expectations, much like his UCLA record.

One of the big holes in the Lavin COMPLETE resume is the undeniable fact that , at both UCLA and now, us, he can't COACH to the level his talented team's possess.
Bruin fans go ballistic in looking at the talent he recruited, mostly because UCLA IS, WELL, UCLA and underachieved so badly, he was nearly tarred and feathered and run out of Westwood...

The bottom line, regardless of who he brings to SJU is, still can't Coach a lick! Even, if he brings in several more, touted players, will they show up, qualify, play up to their ratings? We don't know.

What we do know is, Lavin's body of work here doesn't meet the objectives he established at his hiring. He falls way short on the accomplishment side and may again, this year. The NIT is not a goal to acclaim as a result attained.

I said, in different words, recently, if STEVE got CALIPARI level talent, we would still not win the BE conference or tourney, let alone tHe NCAA'S.
And, even if STEVE does get ALL the remaining recruits on his list for next season, who amongst us, wants to hear that refrain again that, " WE GOT THE YOUNGEST TEAM IN COLLEGE BB.?

THAT SONG HAS BEEN SUNG!

 

[redfazed]

How common is a 2-year contract extension? It seems to me that most of the extensions are 4-5 years. In that case, Lavin is either gone soon or he'll be here for another 6 years. Or am I missing something?

 

[Chris7]

The program lands a top recruit, and you "supporters" still pile on in this pathetic thread. I'm no Lavin lover, but give it a rest and get a grip. It's a long season.

 

[Avon Barksdale]

The program lands a top recruit, and you "supporters" still pile on in this pathetic thread. I'm no Lavin lover, but give it a rest and get a grip. It's a long season.

YOU speak for yourself and get a grip!

Landing Sampson in reality is putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound if you look at the overall picture of whats going on here...so stop telling the realists what to do until you make your return from the Land of Basketball Make Believe.

 

[ras]

The program lands a top recruit, and you "supporters" still pile on in this pathetic thread. I'm no Lavin lover, but give it a rest and get a grip. It's a long season.

YOU speak for yourself and get a grip!

Landing Sampson in reality is putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound if you look at the overall picture of whats going on here...so stop telling the realists what to do until you make your return from the Land of Basketball Make Believe.

We have too many questions for next year and so many pieces to fill for us to have a competitive,balanced roster next year. Not saying we won't, but Lavin will have knock the ball out of the park recruiting and we will need at least CO or Sheed to return. To Quote Newsie ,it's not time to pop open the champagne. As good as Sampson is he is only 1 piece and will only be a freshman.

 

[MainMan]

The program lands a top recruit, and you "supporters" still pile on in this pathetic thread. I'm no Lavin lover, but give it a rest and get a grip. It's a long season.

YOU speak for yourself and get a grip!

Landing Sampson in reality is putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound if you look at the overall picture of whats going on here...so stop telling the realists what to do until you make your return from the Land of Basketball Make Believe.

The game is the game. Always

 

[monte]

The program lands a top recruit, and you "supporters" still pile on in this pathetic thread. I'm no Lavin lover, but give it a rest and get a grip. It's a long season.

YOU speak for yourself and get a grip!

Landing Sampson in reality is putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound if you look at the overall picture of whats going on here...so stop telling the realists what to do until you make your return from the Land of Basketball Make Believe.

We have too many questions for next year and so many pieces to fill for us to have a competitive,balanced roster next year. Not saying we won't, but Lavin will have knock the ball out of the park recruiting and we will need at least CO or Sheed to return. To Quote Newsie ,it's not time to pop open the champagne. As good as Sampson is he is only 1 piece and will only be a freshman.

And he's not a PG, big body or outside shooter. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have him, but so far for next year we have 2 kids coming in who don't fill our most glaring weaknesses. Hopefully Diallo fills one of those voids.

 

[fun]

will only be a freshman.

Yes, and Eric Barkley was about the last freshman to make a meaningful contribution to a winning SJ team. Harkless and Harrison won 13 games. Cook won 14. Considering the state of the roster he'd have to be Carmelo to make a difference.

 

[1and1sju]

With the above said, make the tournament and ink Diallo and this entire thread is a moot point, because Steve Lavin will be getting a 4 year extension. And I won't say boo about it.

So if your kid had a D average for 3 years and then somehow pulled out a B+ in his senior year you'd buy him a BMW to drive to the local community college?

I wouldn't buy my son a BMW under any circumstance hahaha

But lawman, I think that if Lavin were to sign Diallo and one of the foreigners (the Italian or Greek) and a decent Juco like freeman, AND make the tournament- that would make me think that we are better off working with what we have; have Monasch force him to hire an associate head coach, or modify or have more input in the practice and recruiting plans etc, rather than scrap everything and start over.
Having success these next couple of months would not erase all of SL's flaws, but in my opinion if he can continue to recruit at a high level, and turns this year's team around - then the pros of keeping him out weigh the inherent risk in hiring someone else.

I don't expect that to happen though. The mistakes he's made have left us so shorthanded, and the seniors have played 4 years without a cohesive offense or good ball movement habits, that I think the team will continue to struggle.

crazy talk

What's crazy talk? That good things could happen? Or that they probably won't?

 

[TonyinFairfield]

With the above said, make the tournament and ink Diallo and this entire thread is a moot point, because Steve Lavin will be getting a 4 year extension. And I won't say boo about it.

So if your kid had a D average for 3 years and then somehow pulled out a B+ in his senior year you'd buy him a BMW to drive to the local community college?

I wouldn't buy my son a BMW under any circumstance hahaha

But lawman, I think that if Lavin were to sign Diallo and one of the foreigners (the Italian or Greek) and a decent Juco like freeman, AND make the tournament- that would make me think that we are better off working with what we have; have Monasch force him to hire an associate head coach, or modify or have more input in the practice and recruiting plans etc, rather than scrap everything and start over.
Having success these next couple of months would not erase all of SL's flaws, but in my opinion if he can continue to recruit at a high level, and turns this year's team around - then the pros of keeping him out weigh the inherent risk in hiring someone else.

I don't expect that to happen though. The mistakes he's made have left us so shorthanded, and the seniors have played 4 years without a cohesive offense or good ball movement habits, that I think the team will continue to struggle.

Bringing Lavin back (and in essence giving him a multi year extension) based on the criteria listed above would be absurd.

First of all, based on the recruits Lavin has brought in, I would think that there will be some sort of fiasco with the 2015 class when its all set and done, whether its kids who dont meet eligibility requirements, kids who will transfer, kids who will never make it to campus, kids who will fanagle a way out of their commitments etc. The past repeats itself. Even if Diallo does come here, he will leave us after one year, then what are we left with? Who replaces him? Then we are back at "we have a thin roster, no recruits on the horizon and a coach with two or three years left on his deal."

Also, as lawman stated, i think the entire body of work for "Slick" should be evaluated, not on whether or not this team makes the NCAA Tournament. Remember, this senior class was the #3 incoming class in college basketball four seasons ago and we still havent seen them play in the NCAAs (and to boot, this senior class hasnt won a game in the Big East Tournament. The one post season victory is an NIT win vs St. Joes). Plus, lets be honest, the deck is stacked against us again this season - staring 0-4 in the face it will be an uphill battle to make the NCAAs, especially with the competitive balance in the Big East being much better than it was last year. We still have to play at Villanova, GTown, Xavier and Butler. I am sorry but with this razor thin lineup plus Slick's head scratching in game strategies, it would be miraculous for them to rise above the challenges ahead and win 11 in the league and make an NCAA Tourney.

There is no way you can justify bringing Slick back based on the overall body of work.

You're quite the prognosticator, that you can predict all those issues with the 2015 class.

Tell me, did you also see the issues with Jordan, Thomas, DLo (before his suspension), CO, et. al., when they were recruited?

Tony, you can't blame Chris, lawmanfan or anyone here for pessimism. That is our history and if the staff does not learn from it then it could be repeated. Look at Obekpa and Jordan, they are no way ready for the pro game yet they are itching to leave early. The staff needs to be more honest with these kids and convince them that their basketball education is not complete as yet. If these were "normal" college student athletes next year would not be a question mark. Combined with new recruits and returnees, Lavin would have a strong core of players to work with but history has been repeating itself at SJU. This was not a nationally ranked team even when they were ranked! Just too many holes and no depth so whether we make the Ncaa's or NIT is irrelevant. Lavin will be evaluated on whether he will be reloading or rebuilding next year. None of us will know until the April signing period.

Hey, I know all about pessimism I've been an SJU fan for as long as just about anybody on this board. Plus, to add insult to injury, I'm a Jets fan!

I'm not looking at this program, and Lavin, through rose colored glasses. And I am certainly no Pollyanna. I'm fully aware of Lavin's flaws and our situation. I just don't see a better option out there. I've read all the names thrown out and not one of them excites me in the least. So I believe that unless Lavin runs this program into the toilet, and I have to believe that even the harshest critics don't think he's done that, then I say let's see how the rest of this season turns out and what the future looks like in terms of recruits.

People choose whether to be pessimistic or not. It is something we have direct control over, that is, our reactions. I choose not to be pessimistic. Doesn't mean I'm optimistic. Just means that I prefer to withhold judgment until the season is over.

 

[westchesterjoe]

With the above said, make the tournament and ink Diallo and this entire thread is a moot point, because Steve Lavin will be getting a 4 year extension. And I won't say boo about it.

So if your kid had a D average for 3 years and then somehow pulled out a B+ in his senior year you'd buy him a BMW to drive to the local community college?

I wouldn't buy my son a BMW under any circumstance hahaha

But lawman, I think that if Lavin were to sign Diallo and one of the foreigners (the Italian or Greek) and a decent Juco like freeman, AND make the tournament- that would make me think that we are better off working with what we have; have Monasch force him to hire an associate head coach, or modify or have more input in the practice and recruiting plans etc, rather than scrap everything and start over.
Having success these next couple of months would not erase all of SL's flaws, but in my opinion if he can continue to recruit at a high level, and turns this year's team around - then the pros of keeping him out weigh the inherent risk in hiring someone else.

I don't expect that to happen though. The mistakes he's made have left us so shorthanded, and the seniors have played 4 years without a cohesive offense or good ball movement habits, that I think the team will continue to struggle.

Bringing Lavin back (and in essence giving him a multi year extension) based on the criteria listed above would be absurd.

First of all, based on the recruits Lavin has brought in, I would think that there will be some sort of fiasco with the 2015 class when its all set and done, whether its kids who dont meet eligibility requirements, kids who will transfer, kids who will never make it to campus, kids who will fanagle a way out of their commitments etc. The past repeats itself. Even if Diallo does come here, he will leave us after one year, then what are we left with? Who replaces him? Then we are back at "we have a thin roster, no recruits on the horizon and a coach with two or three years left on his deal."

Also, as lawman stated, i think the entire body of work for "Slick" should be evaluated, not on whether or not this team makes the NCAA Tournament. Remember, this senior class was the #3 incoming class in college basketball four seasons ago and we still havent seen them play in the NCAAs (and to boot, this senior class hasnt won a game in the Big East Tournament. The one post season victory is an NIT win vs St. Joes). Plus, lets be honest, the deck is stacked against us again this season - staring 0-4 in the face it will be an uphill battle to make the NCAAs, especially with the competitive balance in the Big East being much better than it was last year. We still have to play at Villanova, GTown, Xavier and Butler. I am sorry but with this razor thin lineup plus Slick's head scratching in game strategies, it would be miraculous for them to rise above the challenges ahead and win 11 in the league and make an NCAA Tourney.

There is no way you can justify bringing Slick back based on the overall body of work.

You're quite the prognosticator, that you can predict all those issues with the 2015 class.

Tell me, did you also see the issues with Jordan, Thomas, DLo (before his suspension), CO, et. al., when they were recruited?

Tony, you can't blame Chris, lawmanfan or anyone here for pessimism. That is our history and if the staff does not learn from it then it could be repeated. Look at Obekpa and Jordan, they are no way ready for the pro game yet they are itching to leave early. The staff needs to be more honest with these kids and convince them that their basketball education is not complete as yet. If these were "normal" college student athletes next year would not be a question mark. Combined with new recruits and returnees, Lavin would have a strong core of players to work with but history has been repeating itself at SJU. This was not a nationally ranked team even when they were ranked! Just too many holes and no depth so whether we make the Ncaa's or NIT is irrelevant. Lavin will be evaluated on whether he will be reloading or rebuilding next year. None of us will know until the April signing period.

Hey, I know all about pessimism I've been an SJU fan for as long as just about anybody on this board. Plus, to add insult to injury, I'm a Jets fan!

I'm not looking at this program, and Lavin, through rose colored glasses. And I am certainly no Pollyanna. I'm fully aware of Lavin's flaws and our situation. I just don't see a better option out there. I've read all the names thrown out and not one of them excites me in the least. So I believe that unless Lavin runs this program into the toilet, and I have to believe that even the harshest critics don't think he's done that, then I say let's see how the rest of this season turns out and what the future looks like in terms of recruits.

People choose whether to be pessimistic or not. It is something we have direct control over, that is, our reactions. I choose not to be pessimistic. Doesn't mean I'm optimistic. Just means that I prefer to withhold judgment until the season is over.

Sorry about The JETS, that is a fandom from which I can't fathom. Hope you aren't a Mets fan too? Throw in our last 15 years of, essentially, awful BB and does anyone wonder why we are unhappy?

On the Jets radar should be JOHN FOX. for a lot of reasons.

I do have a question though that you raised about Lavin and not running our Program into the Toilet... What does that mean to any Redmen fan who opts for change, before we get to the toilet? Are we to wait until we finish last in the BE again, not make the NCAA'S, never win another BE TOURNEY GAME? If all we want is a program like Lavin has developed, then we should opt to go to another league and be satisfied with mid major status and out of conference wins.

You can count on 1 hand the number of BIG GAMES he has won in his tenure. PITT in the HARDY years and how many since? But, we've lost way too many clunkers too, San Fran, Penn State, DePaul, etc. I'm not even counting Robert Morris last season. What a disgrace that was!

I would say Steve hasn't done enough to continue beyond this season.. Giving him any more time, won't improve anything on the Court.. New Players? it hasn't happened with the talent he has had already, why would things change? Don't you understand, he can't Coach with or without talent. HE ISN'T THE ANSWER.