Official Visits
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
[quote="Paultzman" post=295455]Neck & neck it seems, per Pat Lawless. Xavier has been viewed as favorite by many, but Hurley is s great closer.
UConn and Xavier were in to see '19 guard Jalen Gaffney from the Westtown School (PA) today.[/quote]
Ugh.
I know I'm repeating myself, but we will very likely come up short with both Gaffney and Dawes.
We need to offer DaShawn Davis, and get him to commit, asap.
Somebody, with inside connections, should tell the Staff that...asap.
UConn and Xavier were in to see '19 guard Jalen Gaffney from the Westtown School (PA) today.[/quote]
Ugh.
I know I'm repeating myself, but we will very likely come up short with both Gaffney and Dawes.
We need to offer DaShawn Davis, and get him to commit, asap.
Somebody, with inside connections, should tell the Staff that...asap.
[quote="Chicago Days" post=295457][quote="Paultzman" post=295455]Neck & neck it seems, per Pat Lawless. Xavier has been viewed as favorite by many, but Hurley is s great closer.
UConn and Xavier were in to see '19 guard Jalen Gaffney from the Westtown School (PA) today.[/quote]
Ugh.
I know I'm repeating myself, but we will very likely come up short with both Gaffney and Dawes.
We need to offer DaShawn Davis, and get him to commit, asap.
Somebody, with inside connections, should tell the Staff that...asap.[/quote]
As of yesterday heard they were not prepared to offer him. Could change of course, but maybe they will circle wagons for guards if they whiff on Dawes & Gaffney in hopes of getting one in the Spring via transfer route or luckily someone decommits.
UConn and Xavier were in to see '19 guard Jalen Gaffney from the Westtown School (PA) today.[/quote]
Ugh.
I know I'm repeating myself, but we will very likely come up short with both Gaffney and Dawes.
We need to offer DaShawn Davis, and get him to commit, asap.
Somebody, with inside connections, should tell the Staff that...asap.[/quote]
As of yesterday heard they were not prepared to offer him. Could change of course, but maybe they will circle wagons for guards if they whiff on Dawes & Gaffney in hopes of getting one in the Spring via transfer route or luckily someone decommits.
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[quote="Class of 72" post=295441][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]
Hurley was involved with Bouknight while he was at Rhode Island. However, the young man blew up over the past year and now had ACC offers from Va. Tech and Miami. Hurley and Tom Moore were able to convince him to sign with UCONN.
In regards to Slice, his reputation as a recruiter was contained to New York while he was at Pittsburgh. He went to Manhattan where he could not get it done as a Head Coach. After he was fired, Masiello turned the program around in one year. After being out of college basketball for a couple of years, Slice resurfaced at Kentucky for a year before being hired at St. Johns. To me, the idea that Slice was a superstar recruiter is a gross misconception.
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]
Hurley was involved with Bouknight while he was at Rhode Island. However, the young man blew up over the past year and now had ACC offers from Va. Tech and Miami. Hurley and Tom Moore were able to convince him to sign with UCONN.
In regards to Slice, his reputation as a recruiter was contained to New York while he was at Pittsburgh. He went to Manhattan where he could not get it done as a Head Coach. After he was fired, Masiello turned the program around in one year. After being out of college basketball for a couple of years, Slice resurfaced at Kentucky for a year before being hired at St. Johns. To me, the idea that Slice was a superstar recruiter is a gross misconception.
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[quote="Paultzman" post=295456]Per Corey Evans
UConn and Xavier brought their entire staffs today for 2019 Westtown guard Jalen Gaffney[/quote]
When you are trying to build a winner you never let yourself be outworked or give in to tired excuses. Never.
Remember SJU offered Jalen long before UCONN and Xavier offered not to mention they got new HC's in the Spring. Yet there is Steele and Hurley relentlessly pursuing him. Btw here is an article from Zags in April after the two live periods mentioning the new offers for Jalen including Xavier and UCONN. You remember those two live weekends in April when both Xavier and UCONN had their full staffs on the road to track people like Gaffney and SJU had. . well you know the rest...
http://www.zagsblog.com/2018/04/30/stock-rising-on-class-of-2019-point-guard-jalen-gaffney/
UConn and Xavier brought their entire staffs today for 2019 Westtown guard Jalen Gaffney[/quote]
When you are trying to build a winner you never let yourself be outworked or give in to tired excuses. Never.
Remember SJU offered Jalen long before UCONN and Xavier offered not to mention they got new HC's in the Spring. Yet there is Steele and Hurley relentlessly pursuing him. Btw here is an article from Zags in April after the two live periods mentioning the new offers for Jalen including Xavier and UCONN. You remember those two live weekends in April when both Xavier and UCONN had their full staffs on the road to track people like Gaffney and SJU had. . well you know the rest...
http://www.zagsblog.com/2018/04/30/stock-rising-on-class-of-2019-point-guard-jalen-gaffney/
[quote="fordham96" post=295464][quote="Paultzman" post=295456]Per Corey Evans
UConn and Xavier brought their entire staffs today for 2019 Westtown guard Jalen Gaffney[/quote]
When you are trying to build a winner you never let yourself be outworked or give in to tired excuses. Never.
Remember SJU offered Jalen long before UCONN and Xavier offered not to mention they got new HC's in the Spring. Yet there is Steele and Hurley relentlessly pursuing him. Btw here is an article from Zags in April after the two live periods mentioning the new offers for Jalen including Xavier and UCONN. You remember those two live weekends in April when both Xavier and UCONN had their full staffs on the road to track people like Gaffney and SJU had. . well you know the rest...
http://www.zagsblog.com/2018/04/30/stock-rising-on-class-of-2019-point-guard-jalen-gaffney/[/quote]
Talk about 'deflating'. I feel like a balloon, shrieking for a few long seconds, before flattening.
UConn and Xavier brought their entire staffs today for 2019 Westtown guard Jalen Gaffney[/quote]
When you are trying to build a winner you never let yourself be outworked or give in to tired excuses. Never.
Remember SJU offered Jalen long before UCONN and Xavier offered not to mention they got new HC's in the Spring. Yet there is Steele and Hurley relentlessly pursuing him. Btw here is an article from Zags in April after the two live periods mentioning the new offers for Jalen including Xavier and UCONN. You remember those two live weekends in April when both Xavier and UCONN had their full staffs on the road to track people like Gaffney and SJU had. . well you know the rest...
http://www.zagsblog.com/2018/04/30/stock-rising-on-class-of-2019-point-guard-jalen-gaffney/[/quote]
Talk about 'deflating'. I feel like a balloon, shrieking for a few long seconds, before flattening.
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If we could only be a fly on the wall to hear how Matt and Mullin's one on one discussions go regarding the state of recruiting.
At this point tied to recruiting aspect of the program... there are perhaps three scenarios
Mullin's a genius for continuing a set up like no other
Mullin's oblivious to what is needed
Mullin's handcuffed to make a change
At this point tied to recruiting aspect of the program... there are perhaps three scenarios
Mullin's a genius for continuing a set up like no other
Mullin's oblivious to what is needed
Mullin's handcuffed to make a change
Ray Morgan
Well-known member
I hate to say it, but our recruiting results, in one of the most important off seasons in school history, is looking similar to Bud Bundy's attempts to pick up girls at the Auto Show. So far, a lot of "Strike One". Maybe Kofi will be the "foul tip".
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Dan V
Well-known member
Can’t argue with that. Cooley is apparently going all out for Dawes.[/quote]
I was going to say he looks like a PC combo guard type ala Bryce Cotton. As far as guards go i'd say Gaffney is our best shot amongst the guys we've been targeting for a while. Thankfully if we dont get a PG that we want we still have Mikey Dixon for his Jr/Sr years. To me the bigger need is a post player and maybe a 6'7ish stretch forward type. I doubt Precious, Aidan or Kofi will pick us because they have much more established staffs/programs offering. To me it's imperative we get HS frontcourt guys because its not going to be grad bigs; i'm done hoping for that. 1 HS post player and the rest of the class (2 or 3 depending on Simon) can be transfers of all types; would be fine by me.
Backcourt- Simon*, Dixon, Figueroa, Williams, Trimble, Wright
Simon and Dixon can play the 1 and 2, Williams and Trimble are the 2's, Figs and Wright are the swing guys. Caraher should also fill in on the wing some if he can shoot. Now if Simon leaves we will need a backup PG.
Frontcourt- Keita, Roberts, Earlington, Caraher
As you can see not too deep and tons of question marks. 1 or 2 more bodies would be ideal. Keita will be the man in the middle. Not sure who starts next to him out of the other 3 but my guess would be Caraher; although I have my doubts about his size at the 4 at this level. Hopefully he can be like a Andrew Chrabascz type of player for us. Roberts and Earlington will be the backups but both are more 4s than 5s. Need a backup Center.
How good this roster will be depends on how Dixon, Keita, Figueroa, Trimble look this upcoming season. The freshman will be freshman not counting on them too much this upcoming season; their time will come.
I was going to say he looks like a PC combo guard type ala Bryce Cotton. As far as guards go i'd say Gaffney is our best shot amongst the guys we've been targeting for a while. Thankfully if we dont get a PG that we want we still have Mikey Dixon for his Jr/Sr years. To me the bigger need is a post player and maybe a 6'7ish stretch forward type. I doubt Precious, Aidan or Kofi will pick us because they have much more established staffs/programs offering. To me it's imperative we get HS frontcourt guys because its not going to be grad bigs; i'm done hoping for that. 1 HS post player and the rest of the class (2 or 3 depending on Simon) can be transfers of all types; would be fine by me.
Backcourt- Simon*, Dixon, Figueroa, Williams, Trimble, Wright
Simon and Dixon can play the 1 and 2, Williams and Trimble are the 2's, Figs and Wright are the swing guys. Caraher should also fill in on the wing some if he can shoot. Now if Simon leaves we will need a backup PG.
Frontcourt- Keita, Roberts, Earlington, Caraher
As you can see not too deep and tons of question marks. 1 or 2 more bodies would be ideal. Keita will be the man in the middle. Not sure who starts next to him out of the other 3 but my guess would be Caraher; although I have my doubts about his size at the 4 at this level. Hopefully he can be like a Andrew Chrabascz type of player for us. Roberts and Earlington will be the backups but both are more 4s than 5s. Need a backup Center.
How good this roster will be depends on how Dixon, Keita, Figueroa, Trimble look this upcoming season. The freshman will be freshman not counting on them too much this upcoming season; their time will come.
redfan259999888
Active member
[quote="fordham96" post=295464][quote="Paultzman" post=295456]Per Corey Evans
UConn and Xavier brought their entire staffs today for 2019 Westtown guard Jalen Gaffney[/quote]
When you are trying to build a winner you never let yourself be outworked or give in to tired excuses. Never.
Remember SJU offered Jalen long before UCONN and Xavier offered not to mention they got new HC's in the Spring. Yet there is Steele and Hurley relentlessly pursuing him. Btw here is an article from Zags in April after the two live periods mentioning the new offers for Jalen including Xavier and UCONN. You remember those two live weekends in April when both Xavier and UCONN had their full staffs on the road to track people like Gaffney and SJU had. . well you know the rest...
http://www.zagsblog.com/2018/04/30/stock-rising-on-class-of-2019-point-guard-jalen-gaffney/[/quote]
WE ARE.......
UConn and Xavier brought their entire staffs today for 2019 Westtown guard Jalen Gaffney[/quote]
When you are trying to build a winner you never let yourself be outworked or give in to tired excuses. Never.
Remember SJU offered Jalen long before UCONN and Xavier offered not to mention they got new HC's in the Spring. Yet there is Steele and Hurley relentlessly pursuing him. Btw here is an article from Zags in April after the two live periods mentioning the new offers for Jalen including Xavier and UCONN. You remember those two live weekends in April when both Xavier and UCONN had their full staffs on the road to track people like Gaffney and SJU had. . well you know the rest...
http://www.zagsblog.com/2018/04/30/stock-rising-on-class-of-2019-point-guard-jalen-gaffney/[/quote]
WE ARE.......
[quote="Dan V" post=295472]Can’t argue with that. Cooley is apparently going all out for Dawes.[/quote]
I was going to say he looks like a PC combo guard type ala Bryce Cotton. As far as guards go i'd say Gaffney is our best shot amongst the guys we've been targeting for a while. Thankfully if we dont get a PG that we want we still have Mikey Dixon for his Jr/Sr years. To me the bigger need is a post player and maybe a 6'7ish stretch forward type. I doubt Precious, Aidan or Kofi will pick us because they have much more established staffs/programs offering. To me it's imperative we get HS frontcourt guys because its not going to be grad bigs; i'm done hoping for that. 1 HS post player and the rest of the class (2 or 3 depending on Simon) can be transfers of all types; would be fine by me.
Backcourt- Simon*, Dixon, Figueroa, Williams, Trimble, Wright
Simon and Dixon can play the 1 and 2, Williams and Trimble are the 2's, Figs and Wright are the swing guys. Caraher should also fill in on the wing some if he can shoot. Now if Simon leaves we will need a backup PG.
Frontcourt- Keita, Roberts, Earlington, Caraher
As you can see not too deep and tons of question marks. 1 or 2 more bodies would be ideal. Keita will be the man in the middle. Not sure who starts next to him out of the other 3 but my guess would be Caraher; although I have my doubts about his size at the 4 at this level. Hopefully he can be like a Andrew Chrabascz type of player for us. Roberts and Earlington will be the backups but both are more 4s than 5s. Need a backup Center.
How good this roster will be depends on how Dixon, Keita, Figueroa, Trimble look this upcoming season. The freshman will be freshman not counting on them too much this upcoming season; their time will come.[/quote]
You have us whiffing on ALL our 2019 targets.
Very much a bummer of a ‘forecast’ Dan.
I’m praying you’re wrong on at least 1...would love to get Kofi or Precious...or both—impressed as all heck by our fabulous season!
I can dream.
Vino Rosa again...
I was going to say he looks like a PC combo guard type ala Bryce Cotton. As far as guards go i'd say Gaffney is our best shot amongst the guys we've been targeting for a while. Thankfully if we dont get a PG that we want we still have Mikey Dixon for his Jr/Sr years. To me the bigger need is a post player and maybe a 6'7ish stretch forward type. I doubt Precious, Aidan or Kofi will pick us because they have much more established staffs/programs offering. To me it's imperative we get HS frontcourt guys because its not going to be grad bigs; i'm done hoping for that. 1 HS post player and the rest of the class (2 or 3 depending on Simon) can be transfers of all types; would be fine by me.
Backcourt- Simon*, Dixon, Figueroa, Williams, Trimble, Wright
Simon and Dixon can play the 1 and 2, Williams and Trimble are the 2's, Figs and Wright are the swing guys. Caraher should also fill in on the wing some if he can shoot. Now if Simon leaves we will need a backup PG.
Frontcourt- Keita, Roberts, Earlington, Caraher
As you can see not too deep and tons of question marks. 1 or 2 more bodies would be ideal. Keita will be the man in the middle. Not sure who starts next to him out of the other 3 but my guess would be Caraher; although I have my doubts about his size at the 4 at this level. Hopefully he can be like a Andrew Chrabascz type of player for us. Roberts and Earlington will be the backups but both are more 4s than 5s. Need a backup Center.
How good this roster will be depends on how Dixon, Keita, Figueroa, Trimble look this upcoming season. The freshman will be freshman not counting on them too much this upcoming season; their time will come.[/quote]
You have us whiffing on ALL our 2019 targets.
Very much a bummer of a ‘forecast’ Dan.
I’m praying you’re wrong on at least 1...would love to get Kofi or Precious...or both—impressed as all heck by our fabulous season!
I can dream.
Vino Rosa again...
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Class of 72
Active member
[quote="panther2" post=295461][quote="Class of 72" post=295441][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]
Hurley was involved with Bouknight while he was at Rhode Island. However, the young man blew up over the past year and now had ACC offers from Va. Tech and Miami. Hurley and Tom Moore were able to convince him to sign with UCONN.
In regards to Slice, his reputation as a recruiter was contained to New York while he was at Pittsburgh. He went to Manhattan where he could not get it done as a Head Coach. After he was fired, Masiello turned the program around in one year. After being out of college basketball for a couple of years, Slice resurfaced at Kentucky for a year before being hired at St. Johns. To me, the idea that Slice was a superstar recruiter is a gross misconception.[/quote]
I'm not sure who or what influenced Mullin to pursue Slice but he did and at great expense to the university. The fact remains he was the only coach on staff with any type of coaching experience. I'm not sure Masiello turned much around in the long run. He used one good season to bolt to USF by fraudulently submitting a resume that he knew was exaggerated. He had one additional good season and has since crashed and burned. Over the past three years Mullin has been at St. John's Chris has a 0.388 winning percentage. Over the same three years Masiello has a 0.393 winning percentage in a crap league. Personally, I'm more impressed with Mully's record in the Big East with zero coaching experience versus Masiello whose wins came in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
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]
Hurley was involved with Bouknight while he was at Rhode Island. However, the young man blew up over the past year and now had ACC offers from Va. Tech and Miami. Hurley and Tom Moore were able to convince him to sign with UCONN.
In regards to Slice, his reputation as a recruiter was contained to New York while he was at Pittsburgh. He went to Manhattan where he could not get it done as a Head Coach. After he was fired, Masiello turned the program around in one year. After being out of college basketball for a couple of years, Slice resurfaced at Kentucky for a year before being hired at St. Johns. To me, the idea that Slice was a superstar recruiter is a gross misconception.[/quote]
I'm not sure who or what influenced Mullin to pursue Slice but he did and at great expense to the university. The fact remains he was the only coach on staff with any type of coaching experience. I'm not sure Masiello turned much around in the long run. He used one good season to bolt to USF by fraudulently submitting a resume that he knew was exaggerated. He had one additional good season and has since crashed and burned. Over the past three years Mullin has been at St. John's Chris has a 0.388 winning percentage. Over the same three years Masiello has a 0.393 winning percentage in a crap league. Personally, I'm more impressed with Mully's record in the Big East with zero coaching experience versus Masiello whose wins came in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Ray Morgan
Well-known member
All of this back and forth on Lavin, Slice, etc. is depressing. Worrying about what happens in 2 years is not a great thing either. Former LSU coach Dale Brown once said that too many people live in those 2 damn eternities of the past and future. I'm going to focus on the moment, and this season. Hoping that Kofi and Precious will lead the way by staying home, and perhaps even becoming the next Mullin. You go to North Carolina or Kansas, you are just one of many in the assembly line of 5 star players.You go to St. John's and go to a final four or somehow win a national title, and you become immortal. Who wants to lead the way?
[quote="Dan V" post=295472] ... Frontcourt- Keita, Roberts, Earlington, Caraher
As you can see not too deep and tons of question marks. 1 or 2 more bodies would be ideal. Keita will be the man in the middle. Not sure who starts next to him out of the other 3 but my guess would be Caraher; although I have my doubts about his size at the 4 at this level. Hopefully he can be like a Andrew Chrabascz type of player for us. Roberts and Earlington will be the backups but both are more 4s than 5s. Need a backup Center. ...[/quote]
There are back-ups and then there are back-ups. As of today, I have very little faith that either Earlington, who, let's face it, is a total question mark, and Roberts who, to put it kindly, is a project, will provide critically needed back-up this season. As for Caraher, he's a 6-5 D2(!!!) player who will be sitting out this year. Sorry, but I've seen this movie before and it didn't have a happy ending.
Edit: LJSA has corrected my D2 mistake (see below) ... so I guess I should reduce my exclamation points to just one.
As you can see not too deep and tons of question marks. 1 or 2 more bodies would be ideal. Keita will be the man in the middle. Not sure who starts next to him out of the other 3 but my guess would be Caraher; although I have my doubts about his size at the 4 at this level. Hopefully he can be like a Andrew Chrabascz type of player for us. Roberts and Earlington will be the backups but both are more 4s than 5s. Need a backup Center. ...[/quote]
There are back-ups and then there are back-ups. As of today, I have very little faith that either Earlington, who, let's face it, is a total question mark, and Roberts who, to put it kindly, is a project, will provide critically needed back-up this season. As for Caraher, he's a 6-5 D2(!!!) player who will be sitting out this year. Sorry, but I've seen this movie before and it didn't have a happy ending.
Edit: LJSA has corrected my D2 mistake (see below) ... so I guess I should reduce my exclamation points to just one.
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L J S A
Well-known member
[quote="Ray Morgan" post=295481]I'm going to focus on the moment, and this season. [/quote]
The problem is that at the moment, our head coach -- a guy who would be in the starting five of the all-time greatest Irish basketball players -- is not going to Ireland to meet with the family of a kid we desperately need.
The problem is that at the moment, our head coach -- a guy who would be in the starting five of the all-time greatest Irish basketball players -- is not going to Ireland to meet with the family of a kid we desperately need.
Ray Morgan
Well-known member
[quote="L J S A" post=295483][quote="Ray Morgan" post=295481]I'm going to focus on the moment, and this season. [/quote]
The problem is that at the moment, our head coach -- a guy who would be in the starting five of the all-time greatest Irish basketball players -- is not going to Ireland to meet with the family of a kid we desperately need.[/quote]
Could be a head cold, or he forgot to renew his passport since traveling with the Dream Team to Barcelona. Or it could be the recruit's a goner anyway. Trying to figure out what this staff does is like a parlor game. I have no answers.
The problem is that at the moment, our head coach -- a guy who would be in the starting five of the all-time greatest Irish basketball players -- is not going to Ireland to meet with the family of a kid we desperately need.[/quote]
Could be a head cold, or he forgot to renew his passport since traveling with the Dream Team to Barcelona. Or it could be the recruit's a goner anyway. Trying to figure out what this staff does is like a parlor game. I have no answers.
[quote="Ray Morgan" post=295481]All of this back and forth on Lavin, Slice, etc. is depressing. Worrying about what happens in 2 years is not a great thing either. Former LSU coach Dale Brown once said that too many people live in those 2 damn eternities of the past and future. I'm going to focus on the moment, and this season. Hoping that Kofi and Precious will lead the way by staying home, and perhaps even becoming the next Mullin. You go to North Carolina or Kansas, you are just one of many in the assembly line of 5 star players.You go to St. John's and go to a final four or somehow win a national title, and you become immortal. Who wants to lead the way?[/quote]
Luv that, man!
From your ‘pen’ to the Hoop Gods’ ears.
Luv that, man!
From your ‘pen’ to the Hoop Gods’ ears.
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[quote="L J S A" post=295484][quote="redken" post=295482]As for Caraher, he's a 6-5 D2(!!!) player who will be sitting out this year. Sorry, but I've seen this movie before and it didn't have a happy ending.[/quote]
To be fair, the Southland Conference is D1.[/quote]
Thanks, LJSA. Realized it as I hit the "Submit" key. Nevertheless, the Southland Conference ...Hope I'm wrong, but hardly something to get excited about.
To be fair, the Southland Conference is D1.[/quote]
Thanks, LJSA. Realized it as I hit the "Submit" key. Nevertheless, the Southland Conference ...Hope I'm wrong, but hardly something to get excited about.