Next Coach

We have a new coach? Is it Paul Hewitt or Bobby Gonzalez, 2 of the names thrown about on this and other SJU boards before the Norm and Lavin hires. I think I'll pass.
 
I'm all for giving coaches a long leash, but Mullin is off to an absolutely tragic start. He made the same mistakes as our other 'new' coaches. He didn't re-recruit commits of the past coach (Ron Roberts, Doughtry). He failed terribly with assistants (Slice was an awful idea from the start. He is as used up as Fred Hill). He runs the program like a general manager. And many of his recruits come with baggage.

The criticism is fair. And I question if he can handle the job. I'm starting to think St. Jean is the only chance with have.
 
I'm all for giving coaches a long leash, but Mullin is off to an absolutely tragic start. He made the same mistakes as our other 'new' coaches. He didn't re-recruit commits of the past coach (Ron Roberts, Doughtry). He failed terribly with assistants (Slice was an awful idea from the start. He is as used up as Fred Hill). He runs the program like a general manager. And many of his recruits come with baggage.

The criticism is fair. And I question if he can handle the job. I'm starting to think St. Jean is the only chance with have.
Click to expand...

Samir was the only player he passed on. He went after all of Lavin's recruits but mostly out of desperation.
No recruits came with more baggage than Jarvis' degenerates. Lavin's recruits came in a close second. Just a couple of Mully's recruits have issues but that goes with the territory these days.
Everyone who knew Mullin in his days at St. John's questioned his ability for the head coaching job. Everyone's fear is that we may have gone from "Hammer to Rock" to

sharpest-tool-in-the-shed.png
[/quote]
 
Boy it didn't take long for many of the Lavin-lovers and other assorted other miscreants to crawl back out from under their rocks.
 
I'm all for giving coaches a long leash, but Mullin is off to an absolutely tragic start. He made the same mistakes as our other 'new' coaches. He didn't re-recruit commits of the past coach (Ron Roberts, Doughtry). He failed terribly with assistants (Slice was an awful idea from the start. He is as used up as Fred Hill). He runs the program like a general manager. And many of his recruits come with baggage.

The criticism is fair. And I question if he can handle the job. I'm starting to think St. Jean is the only chance with have.
Click to expand...

In fairness, one reason staff passed on Doughty was because they felt he would not qualify & they were proven correct. They went all out for Ellison, good or bad decision, because they knew he would and needed to get players with a depleted roster. Yes they rolled dice on LoVett, because of his tremendous upside, but obviously things did not go their way in that case.
 
Is this the same buck nasty that called a poster a fake St Johns fan for attending a Jets game at the same time of an SJU game last year?

Tell me more about how much of a real fan you are, giving up on a coach a year and a half after he took the job
Click to expand...

Not sure this comment accomplished what you wanted it to Jack.

I'd rather watch a cyo girls volleyball game than go see the Jets. If you're skipping sju games to see the Jets that does say something about your fan allegiances.

Now, I regularly miss a basketball game or two to see the Giants play. But, they're a professional football team.
Click to expand...


fwiw, the jets were a good team last year. In fact they beat the "professional football team" in overtime.
 
I'm all for giving coaches a long leash, but Mullin is off to an absolutely tragic start. He made the same mistakes as our other 'new' coaches. He didn't re-recruit commits of the past coach (Ron Roberts, Doughtry). He failed terribly with assistants (Slice was an awful idea from the start. He is as used up as Fred Hill). He runs the program like a general manager. And many of his recruits come with baggage.

The criticism is fair. And I question if he can handle the job. I'm starting to think St. Jean is the only chance with have.
Click to expand...

In fairness, one reason staff passed on Doughty was because they felt he would not qualify & they were proven correct. They went all out for Ellison, good or bad decision, because they knew he would and needed to get players with a depleted roster. Yes they rolled dice on LoVett, because of his tremendous upside, but obviously things did not go their way in that case.
Click to expand...


LoVett was still well worth the risk Paultz, which I know you know. Even getting him a year later. We might be 0-7 right now if not for him. He is our only star, we will only go as far as he will take us. Hope the staff realizes that and hope that Marcus has it together from here on out.
 
I really do not want Mullin to fail here. Hope this season turns around for the better, we have a good showing in big east play, and build some momentum going into next year
 
I'm all for giving coaches a long leash, but Mullin is off to an absolutely tragic start. He made the same mistakes as our other 'new' coaches. He didn't re-recruit commits of the past coach (Ron Roberts, Doughtry). He failed terribly with assistants (Slice was an awful idea from the start. He is as used up as Fred Hill). He runs the program like a general manager. And many of his recruits come with baggage.

The criticism is fair. And I question if he can handle the job. I'm starting to think St. Jean is the only chance with have.
Click to expand...

In fairness, one reason staff passed on Doughty was because they felt he would not qualify & they were proven correct. They went all out for Ellison, good or bad decision, because they knew he would and needed to get players with a depleted roster. Yes they rolled dice on LoVett, because of his tremendous upside, but obviously things did not go their way in that case.
Click to expand...


LoVett was still well worth the risk Paultz, which I know you know. Even getting him a year later. We might be 0-7 right now if not for him. He is our only star, we will only go as far as he will take us. Hope the staff realizes that and hope that Marcus has it together from here on out.
Click to expand...

Oh absolutely, sorry for not making that clear.
 
So you're probably the guy who believes Mullin can do nothing wrong because he was a great player in the 80's. Also, who goes to goes to games and sits there says nothing. Finally, you probably want a government check not to work.
 
I'm all for giving coaches a long leash, but Mullin is off to an absolutely tragic start. He made the same mistakes as our other 'new' coaches. He didn't re-recruit commits of the past coach (Ron Roberts, Doughtry). He failed terribly with assistants (Slice was an awful idea from the start. He is as used up as Fred Hill). He runs the program like a general manager. And many of his recruits come with baggage.

The criticism is fair. And I question if he can handle the job. I'm starting to think St. Jean is the only chance with have.
Click to expand...

In fairness, one reason staff passed on Doughty was because they felt he would not qualify & they were proven correct. They went all out for Ellison, good or bad decision, because they knew he would and needed to get players with a depleted roster. Yes they rolled dice on LoVett, because of his tremendous upside, but obviously things did not go their way in that case.
Click to expand...


LoVett was still well worth the risk Paultz, which I know you know. Even getting him a year later. We might be 0-7 right now if not for him. He is our only star, we will only go as far as he will take us. Hope the staff realizes that and hope that Marcus has it together from here on out.
Click to expand...

Monte, the problem is our only star is 6 ft tall and our second best player is 6'1. No one, myself included, thought our front line would be no better than last year. Sima played all summer with Spanish under 21 National team as did Mussini with the Italian team. We were all hoping Owens gained some weight. He didn't. With an additional 20 pounds he would be better able to play against even smaller players with better muscle mass. Alibegovic spent the summer dyeing his hair blonde and Ellison is not a heads up player who should not be in any rotation. If Bashir and Yakwe were a little bit smarter in basketball IQ the results to date would be very acceptable with possibly 2 fewer losses. Those two will be key for Mullin going forward because Richard Freudenberg is a pure freshman not physically or mentally ready for a contributing role.
The bottom line is this thread is premature and unwarranted this early in the season and should be closed or the topic just changed to "COACHES".
MODS should exercise their discretion here. I was put on a one season probation for less insulting posts.
 
I'm all for giving coaches a long leash, but Mullin is off to an absolutely tragic start. He made the same mistakes as our other 'new' coaches. He didn't re-recruit commits of the past coach (Ron Roberts, Doughtry). He failed terribly with assistants (Slice was an awful idea from the start. He is as used up as Fred Hill). He runs the program like a general manager. And many of his recruits come with baggage.

The criticism is fair. And I question if he can handle the job. I'm starting to think St. Jean is the only chance with have.
Click to expand...

In fairness, one reason staff passed on Doughty was because they felt he would not qualify & they were proven correct. They went all out for Ellison, good or bad decision, because they knew he would and needed to get players with a depleted roster. Yes they rolled dice on LoVett, because of his tremendous upside, but obviously things did not go their way in that case.
Click to expand...


LoVett was still well worth the risk Paultz, which I know you know. Even getting him a year later. We might be 0-7 right now if not for him. He is our only star, we will only go as far as he will take us. Hope the staff realizes that and hope that Marcus has it together from here on out.
Click to expand...

Monte, the problem is our only star is 6 ft tall and our second best player is 6'1. No one, myself included, thought our front line would be no better than last year. Sima played all summer with Spanish under 21 National team as did Mussini with the Italian team. We were all hoping Owens gained some weight. He didn't. With an additional 20 pounds he would be better able to play against even smaller players with better muscle mass. Alibegovic spent the summer dyeing his hair blonde and Ellison is not a heads up player who should not be in any rotation. If Bashir and Yakwe were a little bit smarter in basketball IQ the results to date would be very acceptable with possibly 2 fewer losses. Those two will be key for Mullin going forward because Richard Freudenberg is a pure freshman not physically or mentally ready for a contributing role.
The bottom line is this thread is premature and unwarranted this early in the season and should be closed or the topic just changed to "COACHES".
MODS should exercise their discretion here. I was put on a one season probation for less insulting posts.
Click to expand...

To me at least, while it is unquestionable that height is the most important physical attribute in basketball, speed and quickness (two different things) come next. If we had capable big guards (Mussini as our third guard gives us 3 small guards) you could at least have a plan to counteract height when we go up against a backcourt that goes 6'4 or 6'5 for each. But I digress.

Why does our offense always seem to consist of swinging the ball around the perimeter until someone is open and launches a 3 or someone taking it to the hoop (often ill advised). With two small, highly regarded guards, I was hoping for almost dual points, crisp ball movement, cuts, picks, and wide open shots and occasional wide open layups or slams. I frankly thought these guards would make our front line look better, something we ALL thought would happen when Lovett and Ponds became eligible. Because there is no such semblance of an offensive schema, the obvious thing is to blame coaches for not having a system in place (yet?).

I still believe these two guys are valuable pieces, but if this was a pro team, you'd probably be thinking of trading one to get a bigger guard or a capable forward. Instead we will hope that this team improves and matures, and that next year's recruits help to solidify the roster both in the backcourt and up front.
 
I understand that this is a "premature" topic but this issue isn't that the kids are young and in some ways not ready yet. Its not that we didn't recruit or re-recruit because I think we have talent on this team. My issue is the body language of Mullin and staff. Last year he sat on the scorers table....this year his ASS. Take a look at Izzo, Calipari, Patino or almost any other Division 1 coach or CYO for that matter. They are up and coaching from the sidelines. They are "in the game". Chris is a great guy but all he does is chirp at refs and rubs hid head. No emotion.at all. If someone plays poor defense ,takes a bad shot or doesn't help out..Do you think the coaches above would sit quietly and LET it happen over and over. There was no offensive adjustment in the second half of the Delaware State game. They came out shooting 3's within the first 30 seconds and the rest was history. As mush as people hated Lavin (I for one liked him) He was a coach...Chris and Richmond are players. Coaches look at the game differently and that's why most not all former players tend not to be successful. I love this team and hope it gets turned around....but I am not confident at this point.
 
I understand that this is a "premature" topic but this issue isn't that the kids are young and in some ways not ready yet. Its not that we didn't recruit or re-recruit because I think we have talent on this team. My issue is the body language of Mullin and staff. Last year he sat on the scorers table....this year his ASS. Take a look at Izzo, Calipari, Patino or almost any other Division 1 coach or CYO for that matter. They are up and coaching from the sidelines. They are "in the game". Chris is a great guy but all he does is chirp at refs and rubs hid head. No emotion.at all. If someone plays poor defense ,takes a bad shot or doesn't help out..Do you think the coaches above would sit quietly and LET it happen over and over. There was no offensive adjustment in the second half of the Delaware State game. They came out shooting 3's within the first 30 seconds and the rest was history. As mush as people hated Lavin (I for one liked him) He was a coach...Chris and Richmond are players. Coaches look at the game differently and that's why most not all former players tend not to be successful. I love this team and hope it gets turned around....but I am not confident at this point.
Click to expand...

As for coaches at the pro level, the last 2 NBA champions were coached by former NBA players. Most coaches played the game at the pro or college level. Mullin's NBA background doesn't preclude him from being a good coach. It's his lack of experience coaching at any level. College coaching is more complicated than pro coaching. You have recruiting, player development, academics and a host of other issues. Why Mullin didn't surround himself with assistants that had been through it is a matter of speculation. Slice, Richmond, St. Jean. His buddies and the son of another friend. He wanted familiar faces and friends that would make him feel comfortable in an unsettling, unfamiliar environment. Within a year, he lost Slice as a friend. To improve the program, either Mullin will have to figure this out, or give in to reality.

I really don't worry about wins and losses in year 2 of a complete rebuild. What should be expected is quality recruits on the way, hard work on the recruiting trail for 2018, and player development for returnees. Also need is some self evaluation by Mullin, resulting in hard choices regarding the staff and the roster, even if it hurts the feelings of a buddy. College basketball at this level is insanely competitive. You either compete, or you become a bottom feeder.
 
We all agree the talk is premature but some of the signs with this staff are very telling. St Jean should have his butt glued to the bench he is an assistant coach and should not be in control of the teal as it seems like he is. Like other posters have said he should be working at smaller schools and working his way up the coaching ladder. This staff has not shown much promise besides Matt A who is a recruiting stud.

Coach Mullin concerns me right now because he does not carry himself like a head coach. He is relaying too much on his staff and he needs to come to the realization that if he does not take full control and start acting like a head coach his loyal following will start to turn on him. He is a legend but that does not mean he is immune from results and in year two we expected to see some strides in the right direction. We have an upgrade in talent and are not even close to seeing results or signs of improvement. That is the most telling sign for someone like me who idolizes Chris Mullin.
 
I hate the title of this thread. I think we should merge this thread w the coaching staff thread.
 
Close Thread???// There is 11 pages of good discussion on here.

When the Head Coach is not coaching and the assistant coach is acting like a buffoon on the sidelines it is relevant topic who is next.
 
Again it is worth mentioning that it took 4 years for people to turn on Norm Roberts. One year and 6 games for Chris Mullin. That is just wrong!!!!
 
If there is going to be a change of coaches it will be in the ass't area. As mentioned a few posts back Mullin had very little connection to the college game for 30 yrs and had to have a experienced ass't. This is necessary in running practices in the preseason as well as making game decisions. Maybe Slice was to be that guy but that didn't work out. Is St. Jean's experience all at the pro level?
 
If there is going to be a change of coaches it will be in the ass't area. As mentioned a few posts back Mullin had very little connection to the college game for 30 yrs and had to have a experienced ass't. This is necessary in running practices in the preseason as well as making game decisions. Maybe Slice was to be that guy but that didn't work out. Is St. Jean's experience all at the pro level?
Click to expand...

We have CLEARLY passed the "if" we change assistants. It's a must! Experiment failed. ST. Jean's belongs on the LIU Post sidelines, and needs to get experience and earn his way to a big east bench. Richmond is useless. Here for insurance and a check. They must go! Or must move down on the bench, we need someone with a clue, who can teach fundamentals, and run a college system.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top