Official Visits

[quote="Eric" post=295407][quote="JohnnyFan" post=295396]Another thing to consider is that all transfers are not created equal. It remains to be seen, but one might make the case that the quality of our transfer classes has been in decline.

2016 -Simon/Clark
2017 -Dixon/Keita
2018 -Wright/Carraherç


How can you say that?? can you at least wait until you see the other guys play?? You certainly didn't feel that way until after Simon and Clark proved themselves last year. Just casting more negativity in an area that doesn't warrant it[/quote]

Valid counter, Eric. But Simon, particularly, was a high 4*/5* out ofHS, but it is what they do ‘on the wood’ that counts.
And Wright was a high 4* out of HS.
So, we shall see.
That said, I remain in hope mode re 2019 recruits.
 
[quote="Windy City Johnny Fan" post=295404]Off topic, but a funny anecdote about that 247 crystal ball thing - josiah james just committed to tennessee. he had no predictions there. his last 15 predictions this week were all to clemson. LOL[/quote]

And guessing that included some of their veteran predictors?!? Wow.
 
[quote="JohnnyFan" post=295396]Another thing to consider is that all transfers are not created equal. It remains to be seen, but one might make the case that the quality of our transfer classes has been in decline.

2016 -Simon/Clark
2017 -Dixon/Keita
2018 -Wright/Carraher

Now that the mystique of a new Mullin regime has past, only winning can impact our leverage.[/quote]

We haven't even seen four of those kids play yet and both Keita and Wright were four star kids coming out of high school.
 
[quote="Mean Gene" post=295421][quote="JohnnyFan" post=295396]Another thing to consider is that all transfers are not created equal. It remains to be seen, but one might make the case that the quality of our transfer classes has been in decline.

2016 -Simon/Clark
2017 -Dixon/Keita
2018 -Wright/Carraher

Now that the mystique of a new Mullin regime has past, only winning can impact our leverage.[/quote]

We haven't even seen four of those kids play yet and both Keita and Wright were four star kids coming out of high school.[/quote]

Have we conveniently forgotten Heron, who could just as easily chose UCONN
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=295415][quote="Las Vegan" post=295413]Las Vegas Review Journal, in their weekly local recruiting memo said Jalen Hill, 6-7 forward, and top 100 player, from Clark HS, will announce Thurs. where he will attend college. Stated he was a top UNLV target and had taken visits to Oklahoma and TCU. Worth noting that TCU's top recruiter was a former assistant at UNLV, under Dave Rice, and probably still has some strong contacts in LV.[/quote]
Oklahoma[/quote]

 
[quote="SJU1512" post=295405]If Mullin wins here it renders a lot of the debates that seem to dominate mostly moot. Let's modestly call it 21-22 wins + Top 5 in BE more years than not + an NCAA 2-3 out of 5. Might seem remote for SJU but shouldn't be because other similarly situated programs in our conference are doing better than that like it's a layup line.

If Mullin wins like that I really don't care if he coaches games via FaceTime from a scorers' table in his house in California, leaves 1 of the 3 assistant slots entirely vacant (think of the $$ savings!) and puts a bowl of rice on the chair next to him during games to troll the fan base, parts with a highly paid associate HC after 1 year and has that compensation scenario linger with downstream implications for years, has suboptimal staff composition, loses high profile / high risk recruits, loses freshman transfers before the first day of classes freshman year, and goes on 4 month vacation during spring and summer AAU circuits and fields a team of exclusively transfers.

I'm happy there has been real progress. I'm disappointed there hasn't been more. The lack of additional improvement would be easier to accept if not completely acceptable if it was clear the men's basketball program was running with max effort and operational efficiency. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but it certainly isn't clear.

Perception matters, definitely in this sport, and while mistakes happen that perception coupled with at least some of the blunders in the first paragraph likely hasn't helped and isn't helping. If and until we get to some sustained success that perception - again even if inaccurate - matters more, there is less margin for error re: some of these mistakes, and it would probably be helpful if it seemed like basic things well within program's control (i.e. staff construction) was making things easier as opposed to potentially more difficult. More than enough external competition for SJU hoops to seem to be fighting itself as often as it appears to.

Missing on a projection happens, shifting the goal-post to reset expectations is frustrating, missing again on your own reset projection is borderline inexcusable. Rewind two years and there was a lot of chatter regarding the crucial nature of '18 class, which ended up being supplemental from a HS perspective. Focus and buzz then shifted to big '19 class, and with a lot of time to go unfortunately doesn't look like there is a tremendous amount of momentum currently. With continued open questions about whether SJU has positioned itself for max recruiting success.

We'll see, and even if not there are select few examples of programs around the country that are winning without quality HS talent. But Ponds committed to SJU almost 3 years ago. I don't think at that time there was any reasonable expectation that 3 years later he would be the only Top 100 player recruited directly out of HS on the roster. This is not a high bar to clear in 36 months of recruiting. Maybe an excellent year upcoming propels things, but until something changes on that front it's an awful fact pattern in a critical area.

The progress is great, but a key question is this staff doing everything in their control to have even more success than incremental improvement? On some level it seems like this staff is being afforded some of the flexibility and excuse me's that usually comes with winning, without having won. If and when they do I don't care much about any of this stuff. Until they do it's frustrating.[/quote]


Good post, but your parameters in paragraph#2 are more recipes for disaster than ‘success’.
Successful programs do the extreme opposite.
There’s a simple formula to success in college hoops, it begins and ends with quality recruits, year in and year out.
Relying on one recruiting option for consistent success—transfers—is a loser’s bet.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=295390][quote="richard A Steinfeld" post=295360]I Believe the sit out rule for transfers is going to be eliminated. Playing the transfer game well under the new rules will provide immediate experience with out taking up roster spots for sit outs. I don’t like the rule , but think it will benefit us w Matt.[/quote]

But beware of Matt burning out & considering other options. Anyone who assumes SJU will just pick up the transfer game quickly is sadly mistaken. Yes we have brought transfers in throughout program history, but not to this extent. I think my good friend Panther can attest to my points. We just need to balance recruiting better and winning this year may help the perception of the program. That said, having one recruiter is senseless, unfair & less productive.

Providence & Seton Hall don’t have more resources than SJU, but imo they both employ an “old hands on deck” successful approach to recruiting, while also mixing in complementary transfers. Their success over past five years re NCAA Tourney achievement seems to support the utility of their model. Yes we are digging out of a big hole, but so did both programs.

Lastly, don’t think for a moment that Matt isn’t very frustrated in not landing kids he put countless hours in on. Why wouldn’t he be? We sometimes tend to dismiss recruiting losses easily, noting we can just go transfer route. I don’t think he is as cavalier about that. On to the season.[/quote]



Matt has recruited every player on our roster. Those of you who talk about him only recruiting transfers, forget that his relationship with Shamorie's high school coach, Bud Pollard helped us land him. We were involved with Marcus Lovett while Lavin was here, but Matt closed the deal. Greg Williams came to St Johns Elite camp when the staff first got hired. Recruiting is not based on sitting in gyms and watching games. It is about building relationships with parents, AAU and high school coaches. The only person on staff at the present time with these connections is Matt. This is one of the reasons that I was in favor of hiring Mike Rice as an assistant.

Let me give you an example, UCONN just signed 4* player James Bouknight, whose mother is a friend of mine. When we discussed his options, I could vouch for Danny Hurley and Tom Moore. Both of them recruited young men who played for me and took care of them. Our relationship continues to this day. I have been invited to games at Wagner, Rhode Island, and Quinnipiac by them. It is a very serious problem when only one coach has these connections.

I understand the love for Chris Mullin. When I decided to go back to resume my education at St Johns at 34 years old, it was in 1982 when St Johns was a factor to be reckoned with in college basketball. When Chris put his staff together, his biggest mistake was hiring Slice. Slice no longer had the connections that he had 20 years ago. The CHSAA coaches at Xaverian, All Hallows, and other schools that he utilized, were no longer in the game. He was either unable or unwilling to try to build relationships with the current AAU and high school coaches.

This season will be extremely important for us, The pieces are in place for a successful season, Now we just have to perform on the court. As for Matt, the only thing I will say is that he loves St. Johns and as long as he is here, he will continue to bust his ass on the recruiting trail.

Looking forward to seeing you all in November, especially MJ Maher and his buddies in Sec 114.
 
[quote="panther2" post=295435][quote="Paultzman" post=295390][quote="richard A Steinfeld" post=295360]I Believe the sit out rule for transfers is going to be eliminated. Playing the transfer game well under the new rules will provide immediate experience with out taking up roster spots for sit outs. I don’t like the rule , but think it will benefit us w Matt.[/quote]

But beware of Matt burning out & considering other options. Anyone who assumes SJU will just pick up the transfer game quickly is sadly mistaken. Yes we have brought transfers in throughout program history, but not to this extent. I think my good friend Panther can attest to my points. We just need to balance recruiting better and winning this year may help the perception of the program. That said, having one recruiter is senseless, unfair & less productive.

Providence & Seton Hall don’t have more resources than SJU, but imo they both employ an “old hands on deck” successful approach to recruiting, while also mixing in complementary transfers. Their success over past five years re NCAA Tourney achievement seems to support the utility of their model. Yes we are digging out of a big hole, but so did both programs.

Lastly, don’t think for a moment that Matt isn’t very frustrated in not landing kids he put countless hours in on. Why wouldn’t he be? We sometimes tend to dismiss recruiting losses easily, noting we can just go transfer route. I don’t think he is as cavalier about that. On to the season.[/quote]



Matt has recruited every player on our roster. Those of you who talk about him only recruiting transfers, forget that his relationship with Shamorie's high school coach, Bud Pollard helped us land him. We were involved with Marcus Lovett while Lavin was here, but Matt closed the deal. Greg Williams came to St Johns Elite camp when the staff first got hired. Recruiting is not based on sitting in gyms and watching games. It is about building relationships with parents, AAU and high school coaches. The only person on staff at the present time with these connections is Matt. This is one of the reasons that I was in favor of hiring Mike Rice as an assistant.

Let me give you an example, UCONN just signed 4* player James Bouknight, whose mother is a friend of mine. When we discussed his options, I could vouch for Danny Hurley and Tom Moore. Both of them recruited young men who played for me and took care of them. Our relationship continues to this day. I have been invited to games at Wagner, Rhode Island, and Quinnipiac by them. It is a very serious problem when only one coach has these connections.

I understand the love for Chris Mullin. When I decided to go back to resume my education at St Johns at 34 years old, it was in 1982 when St Johns was a factor to be reckoned with in college basketball. When Chris put his staff together, his biggest mistake was hiring Slice. Slice no longer had the connections that he had 20 years ago. The CHSAA coaches at Xaverian, All Hallows, and other schools that he utilized, were no longer in the game. He was either unable or unwilling to try to build relationships with the current AAU and high school coaches.

This season will be extremely important for us, The pieces are in place for a successful season, Now we just have to perform on the court. As for Matt, the only thing I will say is that he loves St. Johns and as long as he is here, he will continue to bust his ass on the recruiting trail.

Looking forward to seeing you all in November, especially MJ Maher and his buddies in Sec 114.[/quote] Very much looking forward to it !!
 
[quote="Chicago Days" post=295431][quote="SJU1512" post=295405]If Mullin wins here it renders a lot of the debates that seem to dominate mostly moot. Let's modestly call it 21-22 wins + Top 5 in BE more years than not + an NCAA 2-3 out of 5. Might seem remote for SJU but shouldn't be because other similarly situated programs in our conference are doing better than that like it's a layup line.

If Mullin wins like that I really don't care if he coaches games via FaceTime from a scorers' table in his house in California, leaves 1 of the 3 assistant slots entirely vacant (think of the $$ savings!) and puts a bowl of rice on the chair next to him during games to troll the fan base, parts with a highly paid associate HC after 1 year and has that compensation scenario linger with downstream implications for years, has suboptimal staff composition, loses high profile / high risk recruits, loses freshman transfers before the first day of classes freshman year, and goes on 4 month vacation during spring and summer AAU circuits and fields a team of exclusively transfers.

I'm happy there has been real progress. I'm disappointed there hasn't been more. The lack of additional improvement would be easier to accept if not completely acceptable if it was clear the men's basketball program was running with max effort and operational efficiency. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but it certainly isn't clear.

Perception matters, definitely in this sport, and while mistakes happen that perception coupled with at least some of the blunders in the first paragraph likely hasn't helped and isn't helping. If and until we get to some sustained success that perception - again even if inaccurate - matters more, there is less margin for error re: some of these mistakes, and it would probably be helpful if it seemed like basic things well within program's control (i.e. staff construction) was making things easier as opposed to potentially more difficult. More than enough external competition for SJU hoops to seem to be fighting itself as often as it appears to.

Missing on a projection happens, shifting the goal-post to reset expectations is frustrating, missing again on your own reset projection is borderline inexcusable. Rewind two years and there was a lot of chatter regarding the crucial nature of '18 class, which ended up being supplemental from a HS perspective. Focus and buzz then shifted to big '19 class, and with a lot of time to go unfortunately doesn't look like there is a tremendous amount of momentum currently. With continued open questions about whether SJU has positioned itself for max recruiting success.

We'll see, and even if not there are select few examples of programs around the country that are winning without quality HS talent. But Ponds committed to SJU almost 3 years ago. I don't think at that time there was any reasonable expectation that 3 years later he would be the only Top 100 player recruited directly out of HS on the roster. This is not a high bar to clear in 36 months of recruiting. Maybe an excellent year upcoming propels things, but until something changes on that front it's an awful fact pattern in a critical area.

The progress is great, but a key question is this staff doing everything in their control to have even more success than incremental improvement? On some level it seems like this staff is being afforded some of the flexibility and excuse me's that usually comes with winning, without having won. If and when they do I don't care much about any of this stuff. Until they do it's frustrating.[/quote]


Good post, but your parameters in paragraph#2 are more recipes for disaster than ‘success’.
Successful programs do the extreme opposite.
There’s a simple formula to success in college hoops, it begins and ends with quality recruits, year in and year out.
Relying on one recruiting option for consistent success—transfers—is a loser’s bet.[/quote]

Thanks Chicago. Second paragraph was tongue in cheek :)

There are definitely better ways to run a program, more efficient ways to win, etc. than others. That being said there's a lot of ways to get there and if SJU is winning and running a clean program I don't really care which route we take. Until we get there would be nice if things were a little more "standard" on a few different fronts :)
 
Per Pat Lawless
Al-Amir Dawes tells @PrepCircuit he has set official visits to Providence starting tomorrow and Clemson the following week - Four schools have been the most active;

“His most recent visit to a school was an unofficial visit to St. John’s, which he found to be a bit eye opening.

“It was great and surprising for me,” he said. “It’s in Queens, but when you step onto the campus you see the arena and where people are staying. It has its own identity, which is cool.”

He sees four schools being the most active with him right now.

“I would say Clemson, UConn, La Salle and Providence have been the most active with me,” he said.”

He will decide in October;
[URL][URL]https://www.prepcircuit.com/news_article/show/951419[/URL][/URL]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote="Paultzman" post=295439]Per Pat Lawless
Al-Amir Dawes tells @PrepCircuit he has set official visits to Providence starting tomorrow and Clemson the following week - Four schools have been the most active;

“His most recent visit to a school was an unofficial visit to St. John’s, which he found to be a bit eye opening.

“It was great and surprising for me,” he said. “It’s in Queens, but when you step onto the campus you see the arena and where people are staying. It has its own identity, which is cool.”

He sees four schools being the most active with him right now.

“I would say Clemson, UConn, La Salle and Providence have been the most active with me,” he said.”

He will decide in October;
[URL][URL]https://www.prepcircuit.com/news_article/show/951419[/URL][/URL][/quote]

He would be a great add, but I think he's a long shot. We should offer DaShawn Davis asap, imo, before the Hall lands him.
 
[quote="panther2" post=295435][quote="Paultzman" post=295390][quote="richard A Steinfeld" post=295360]I Believe the sit out rule for transfers is going to be eliminated. Playing the transfer game well under the new rules will provide immediate experience with out taking up roster spots for sit outs. I don’t like the rule , but think it will benefit us w Matt.[/quote]

But beware of Matt burning out & considering other options. Anyone who assumes SJU will just pick up the transfer game quickly is sadly mistaken. Yes we have brought transfers in throughout program history, but not to this extent. I think my good friend Panther can attest to my points. We just need to balance recruiting better and winning this year may help the perception of the program. That said, having one recruiter is senseless, unfair & less productive.

Providence & Seton Hall don’t have more resources than SJU, but imo they both employ an “old hands on deck” successful approach to recruiting, while also mixing in complementary transfers. Their success over past five years re NCAA Tourney achievement seems to support the utility of their model. Yes we are digging out of a big hole, but so did both programs.

Lastly, don’t think for a moment that Matt isn’t very frustrated in not landing kids he put countless hours in on. Why wouldn’t he be? We sometimes tend to dismiss recruiting losses easily, noting we can just go transfer route. I don’t think he is as cavalier about that. On to the season.[/quote]



Matt has recruited every player on our roster. Those of you who talk about him only recruiting transfers, forget that his relationship with Shamorie's high school coach, Bud Pollard helped us land him. We were involved with Marcus Lovett while Lavin was here, but Matt closed the deal. Greg Williams came to St Johns Elite camp when the staff first got hired. Recruiting is not based on sitting in gyms and watching games. It is about building relationships with parents, AAU and high school coaches. The only person on staff at the present time with these connections is Matt. This is one of the reasons that I was in favor of hiring Mike Rice as an assistant.

Let me give you an example, UCONN just signed 4* player James Bouknight, whose mother is a friend of mine. When we discussed his options, I could vouch for Danny Hurley and Tom Moore. Both of them recruited young men who played for me and took care of them. Our relationship continues to this day. I have been invited to games at Wagner, Rhode Island, and Quinnipiac by them. It is a very serious problem when only one coach has these connections.

I understand the love for Chris Mullin. When I decided to go back to resume my education at St Johns at 34 years old, it was in 1982 when St Johns was a factor to be reckoned with in college basketball. When Chris put his staff together, his biggest mistake was hiring Slice. Slice no longer had the connections that he had 20 years ago. The CHSAA coaches at Xaverian, All Hallows, and other schools that he utilized, were no longer in the game. He was either unable or unwilling to try to build relationships with the current AAU and high school coaches.

This season will be extremely important for us, The pieces are in place for a successful season, Now we just have to perform on the court. As for Matt, the only thing I will say is that he loves St. Johns and as long as he is here, he will continue to bust his ass on the recruiting trail.

Looking forward to seeing you all in November, especially MJ Maher and his buddies in Sec 114.[/quote]

Good insight as usual. Uconn signing Bouknight was not a coup imo as Hurley was one of the first to offer while at URI. I disagree with you a bit in regards to Slice however. The blunder there was the ludicrous contract St. John's agreed to but Slice hadn't focused on NYC players in quite a while and certainly didn't have to at Kentucky. I think Mullin initially really wanted Barry to be an "associate head coach" who could also focus on top national recruits. You may know better than most but that first year was brutal watching Mullin defer to GSJ. Finally, it is hard to rebuild relationships with high school and AAU coaches when 11 months into the job your boss banishes you from the program. There has to be a movie starring Barry Rohrssen about this boondoggle once the dust settles.
 
[quote="Chicago Days" post=295440][quote="Paultzman" post=295439]Per Pat Lawless
Al-Amir Dawes tells @PrepCircuit he has set official visits to Providence starting tomorrow and Clemson the following week - Four schools have been the most active;

“His most recent visit to a school was an unofficial visit to St. John’s, which he found to be a bit eye opening.

“It was great and surprising for me,” he said. “It’s in Queens, but when you step onto the campus you see the arena and where people are staying. It has its own identity, which is cool.”

He sees four schools being the most active with him right now.

“I would say Clemson, UConn, La Salle and Providence have been the most active with me,” he said.”

He will decide in October;
[URL][URL]https://www.prepcircuit.com/news_article/show/951419[/URL][/URL][/quote]

He would be a great add, but I think he's a long shot. We should offer DaShawn Davis asap, imo, before the Hall lands him.[/quote]
Can’t argue with that. Cooley is apparently going all out for Dawes.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=295442][quote="Chicago Days" post=295440][quote="Paultzman" post=295439]Per Pat Lawless
Al-Amir Dawes tells @PrepCircuit he has set official visits to Providence starting tomorrow and Clemson the following week - Four schools have been the most active;

“His most recent visit to a school was an unofficial visit to St. John’s, which he found to be a bit eye opening.

“It was great and surprising for me,” he said. “It’s in Queens, but when you step onto the campus you see the arena and where people are staying. It has its own identity, which is cool.”

He sees four schools being the most active with him right now.

“I would say Clemson, UConn, La Salle and Providence have been the most active with me,” he said.”

He will decide in October;
[URL][URL]https://www.prepcircuit.com/news_article/show/951419[/URL][/URL][/quote]

He would be a great add, but I think he's a long shot. We should offer DaShawn Davis asap, imo, before the Hall lands him.[/quote]
Can’t argue with that. Cooley is apparently going all out for Dawes.[/quote]

Wouldn't be very confident going up against Cooley or Hurley right now. Both coaches are active and hands on. Mullin appears to be neither.
 
A three-star guard out of New Jersey, Gaffney is down to a final four for the most part: Clemson, St. John’s, UConn and Xavier. Pitt and Florida were involved, but both have bowed out. Gaffney will spend an official visit on Clemson, but since the Tigers took Chase Hunter, things could be a bit more muddled (although they would love to take Gaffney). Xavier wants two guards in the 2019 class but, just like Clemson, celebrated the commitment of a Rivals150 guard, Dahmir Bishop.

For now, I like UConn and St. John’s in the race for Gaffney’s pledge. The Huskies moved up their official visit with the well-rounded guard to this weekend and while they did just take the pledge of James Bouknight, they do need another guard in the 2019 class. St. John’s will have to wait until next month to host Gaffney, but with where things sit now, I like the Red Storm and UConn, and the Huskies might be pushing for his pledge this weekend.
https://twitter.com/coreyevans_10/status/1042403120658239488?s=21
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=295390][quote="richard A Steinfeld" post=295360]I Believe the sit out rule for transfers is going to be eliminated. Playing the transfer game well under the new rules will provide immediate experience with out taking up roster spots for sit outs. I don’t like the rule , but think it will benefit us w Matt.[/quote]

But beware of Matt burning out & considering other options. Anyone who assumes SJU will just pick up the transfer game quickly is sadly mistaken. Yes we have brought transfers in throughout program history, but not to this extent. I think my good friend Panther can attest to my points. We just need to balance recruiting better and winning this year may help the perception of the program. That said, having one recruiter is senseless, unfair & less productive.

Providence & Seton Hall don’t have more resources than SJU, but imo they both employ an “old hands on deck” successful approach to recruiting, while also mixing in complementary transfers. Their success over past five years re NCAA Tourney achievement seems to support the utility of their model. Yes we are digging out of a big hole, but so did both programs.

Lastly, don’t think for a moment that Matt isn’t very frustrated in not landing kids he put countless hours in on. Why wouldn’t he be? We sometimes tend to dismiss recruiting losses easily, noting we can just go transfer route. I don’t think he is as cavalier about that. On to the season.[/quote]

If Matt is truly getting burnt out, dont you think that's a conversation he should be having with his supervisor, and then it will be addressed? If Mullin is getting that feedback directly from him and is too stubborn to make a change, then that's pretty bad.
 
[quote="Room112" post=295448][quote="Paultzman" post=295390][quote="richard A Steinfeld" post=295360]I Believe the sit out rule for transfers is going to be eliminated. Playing the transfer game well under the new rules will provide immediate experience with out taking up roster spots for sit outs. I don’t like the rule , but think it will benefit us w Matt.[/quote]

But beware of Matt burning out & considering other options. Anyone who assumes SJU will just pick up the transfer game quickly is sadly mistaken. Yes we have brought transfers in throughout program history, but not to this extent. I think my good friend Panther can attest to my points. We just need to balance recruiting better and winning this year may help the perception of the program. That said, having one recruiter is senseless, unfair & less productive.

Providence & Seton Hall don’t have more resources than SJU, but imo they both employ an “old hands on deck” successful approach to recruiting, while also mixing in complementary transfers. Their success over past five years re NCAA Tourney achievement seems to support the utility of their model. Yes we are digging out of a big hole, but so did both programs.

Lastly, don’t think for a moment that Matt isn’t very frustrated in not landing kids he put countless hours in on. Why wouldn’t he be? We sometimes tend to dismiss recruiting losses easily, noting we can just go transfer route. I don’t think he is as cavalier about that. On to the season.[/quote]

If Matt is truly getting burnt out, dont you think that's a conversation he should be having with his supervisor, and then it will be addressed? If Mullin is getting that feedback directly from him and is too stubborn to make a change, then that's pretty bad.[/quote]
I said “beware of Matt burning out” not that he is. Of course he should talk to his boss before that happens.
 
Paultzman wrote: A three-star guard out of New Jersey, Gaffney is down to a final four for the most part: Clemson, St. John’s, UConn and Xavier. Pitt and Florida were involved, but both have bowed out. Gaffney will spend an official visit on Clemson, but since the Tigers took Chase Hunter, things could be a bit more muddled (although they would love to take Gaffney). Xavier wants two guards in the 2019 class but, just like Clemson, celebrated the commitment of a Rivals150 guard, Dahmir Bishop.

For now, I like UConn and St. John’s in the race for Gaffney’s pledge. The Huskies moved up their official visit with the well-rounded guard to this weekend and while they did just take the pledge of James Bouknight, they do need another guard in the 2019 class. St. John’s will have to wait until next month to host Gaffney, but with where things sit now, I like the Red Storm and UConn, and the Huskies might be pushing for his pledge this weekend.

Kind of sad if we get beat out for this kid by either UCONN or Xavier especially since he would be the second top 150 2019 guard signing for either one. Still remember the great things his Dad had to say about CM. Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised yet.
 
[quote="panther2" post=295435][quote="Paultzman" post=295390][quote="richard A Steinfeld" post=295360]I Believe the sit out rule for transfers is going to be eliminated. Playing the transfer game well under the new rules will provide immediate experience with out taking up roster spots for sit outs. I don’t like the rule , but think it will benefit us w Matt.[/quote]

But beware of Matt burning out & considering other options. Anyone who assumes SJU will just pick up the transfer game quickly is sadly mistaken. Yes we have brought transfers in throughout program history, but not to this extent. I think my good friend Panther can attest to my points. We just need to balance recruiting better and winning this year may help the perception of the program. That said, having one recruiter is senseless, unfair & less productive.

Providence & Seton Hall don’t have more resources than SJU, but imo they both employ an “old hands on deck” successful approach to recruiting, while also mixing in complementary transfers. Their success over past five years re NCAA Tourney achievement seems to support the utility of their model. Yes we are digging out of a big hole, but so did both programs.

Lastly, don’t think for a moment that Matt isn’t very frustrated in not landing kids he put countless hours in on. Why wouldn’t he be? We sometimes tend to dismiss recruiting losses easily, noting we can just go transfer route. I don’t think he is as cavalier about that. On to the season.[/quote]



Matt has recruited every player on our roster. Those of you who talk about him only recruiting transfers, forget that his relationship with Shamorie's high school coach, Bud Pollard helped us land him. We were involved with Marcus Lovett while Lavin was here, but Matt closed the deal. Greg Williams came to St Johns Elite camp when the staff first got hired. Recruiting is not based on sitting in gyms and watching games. It is about building relationships with parents, AAU and high school coaches. The only person on staff at the present time with these connections is Matt. This is one of the reasons that I was in favor of hiring Mike Rice as an assistant.

Let me give you an example, UCONN just signed 4* player James Bouknight, whose mother is a friend of mine. When we discussed his options, I could vouch for Danny Hurley and Tom Moore. Both of them recruited young men who played for me and took care of them. Our relationship continues to this day. I have been invited to games at Wagner, Rhode Island, and Quinnipiac by them. It is a very serious problem when only one coach has these connections.

I understand the love for Chris Mullin. When I decided to go back to resume my education at St Johns at 34 years old, it was in 1982 when St Johns was a factor to be reckoned with in college basketball. When Chris put his staff together, his biggest mistake was hiring Slice. Slice no longer had the connections that he had 20 years ago. The CHSAA coaches at Xaverian, All Hallows, and other schools that he utilized, were no longer in the game. He was either unable or unwilling to try to build relationships with the current AAU and high school coaches.

This season will be extremely important for us, The pieces are in place for a successful season, Now we just have to perform on the court. As for Matt, the only thing I will say is that he loves St. Johns and as long as he is here, he will continue to bust his ass on the recruiting trail.

Looking forward to seeing you all in November, especially MJ Maher and his buddies in Sec 114.[/quote]

Awesome insight. Thank you for sharing.
 
[quote="NCJohnnie" post=295450]Paultzman wrote: A three-star guard out of New Jersey, Gaffney is down to a final four for the most part: Clemson, St. John’s, UConn and Xavier. Pitt and Florida were involved, but both have bowed out. Gaffney will spend an official visit on Clemson, but since the Tigers took Chase Hunter, things could be a bit more muddled (although they would love to take Gaffney). Xavier wants two guards in the 2019 class but, just like Clemson, celebrated the commitment of a Rivals150 guard, Dahmir Bishop.

For now, I like UConn and St. John’s in the race for Gaffney’s pledge. The Huskies moved up their official visit with the well-rounded guard to this weekend and while they did just take the pledge of James Bouknight, they do need another guard in the 2019 class. St. John’s will have to wait until next month to host Gaffney, but with where things sit now, I like the Red Storm and UConn, and the Huskies might be pushing for his pledge this weekend.

Kind of sad if we get beat out for this kid by either UCONN or Xavier especially since he would be the second top 150 2019 guard signing for either one. Still remember the great things his Dad had to say about CM. Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised yet.[/quote]

It's odd, sad, & ironic--yes, I know I should 'get a life'!--but I find myself glued to these unending 'sound bites' of buzz/rumor, particularly those that have a shred of 'hope' attached to them.
Ahh, the life of a Johnnies addict!
I don't know, though, to me both Dawes and Gaffney seem like long shots.
At this point, I'd go for DaShawn Davis...before 'loyal' ODU, or late-running Seton Hall snag him.
 
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