optimism

[redfazed]

There is none for next years team and I can't see how Steve Lavin will look at the prospect of getting pounded ala DePaul this year. I am sure he is looking at his options as we speak.

And to top that off there will be even less alumni, student and fan support for a very bad team next year.

Playing more games at an empty msg will be embarrassing again.

Dramatic much? We have a game-changing PG and an awesome scoring SG...one of the best backcourts in the country. We still have CO as of today and Sampson is not a huge loss by an stretch and might even be addition my subtraction. C"mon man.

I think saying Sampson is not a huge loss is going way too far. Sure he never lived up to the expectations yet, but was a steady contributor to the team on both ends and could take that next step at any point.

Steady contributor on both ends? He showed up to play d once or twice. The rest of the time he was giving up as much or more than he scored on the other end.

How do people not see this? We had stretches with Sampson, Pointer, and Sanchez in there where might as well not have had a defense on the court. But it was so worth it to watch them handle the ball on the other end.

He only single handedly won us the Creighton game.

Well, Harrison was pretty clutch in that game too. But agree that Sampson was outstanding--he shut down McDermott for virtually all of the second half.

 

[Marillac]

It is a contradiction for Lavin's apologists to boast about the "talent" he recruited and in their next post say that a multi year starter was not a good player.

You are ridiculous.
I love Sampson...great kid...our best offensive rebounder. I would like to have him back for sure, but I also realize that the kid was mostly sizzle and potential. That written, his defense was atrocious and he did not have the strength to defend the post. He got moved around by stronger players like he was a damn swiffer mop.

Of course he was a good plalyer, but, like most big sophs, he had gaps in his game. Could he have absolutely killed it next year...yeah. I really think he could have been one of the best offensive rebounders in the country if he wanted. Then again, he could also have returned 200 pounds, weak, and auditioning for a draft pick as a SF. Regardless, he was terrible defensively and he was an awful screener that made too many mistakes. That negates a lot of what he did well. A less talented tradiational PF mght be just as good for us overall...perhaps even a +. That doesn't mean that player is better or will have a shot at the NBA...it just means they give us more what we lack.

 

[Marillac]

There is none for next years team and I can't see how Steve Lavin will look at the prospect of getting pounded ala DePaul this year. I am sure he is looking at his options as we speak.

And to top that off there will be even less alumni, student and fan support for a very bad team next year.

Playing more games at an empty msg will be embarrassing again.

Dramatic much? We have a game-changing PG and an awesome scoring SG...one of the best backcourts in the country. We still have CO as of today and Sampson is not a huge loss by an stretch and might even be addition my subtraction. C"mon man.

I think saying Sampson is not a huge loss is going way too far. Sure he never lived up to the expectations yet, but was a steady contributor to the team on both ends and could take that next step at any point.

Steady contributor on both ends? He showed up to play d once or twice. The rest of the time he was giving up as much or more than he scored on the other end.

How do people not see this? We had stretches with Sampson, Pointer, and Sanchez in there where might as well not have had a defense on the court. But it was so worth it to watch them handle the ball on the other end.

He only single handedly won us the Creighton game.

This is BS. Everyone played well on McDermott that night. Sampson played well no question...but so did Sanchez, Pointer, Obekpa, etc.

 

[shamsman2]

There is none for next years team and I can't see how Steve Lavin will look at the prospect of getting pounded ala DePaul this year. I am sure he is looking at his options as we speak.

And to top that off there will be even less alumni, student and fan support for a very bad team next year.

Playing more games at an empty msg will be embarrassing again.

Dramatic much? We have a game-changing PG and an awesome scoring SG...one of the best backcourts in the country. We still have CO as of today and Sampson is not a huge loss by an stretch and might even be addition my subtraction. C"mon man.

Addition by subtraction? That is absurd. He is a big body, can run the floor, grabs 7 rebounds a game- and plays the top of the press. Also prob would have scored 13-15 a game easily next season.

Sampson was a major factor in our winning streak. As a reminder, here's an excerpt from NYP article during that streak:

Super Sampson: Speaking of Sampson, it was another impressive effort from the sophomore forward, who scored 12 points, and it was apropos that Georgetown was the opponent. On Jan. 4, Sampson was benched by Lavin, the only game he hasn’t started in his career.

The Akron, Ohio, product has reached double figures in eight of 11 contests since then, scoring 20 points in a big road win at Butler and dropping 21 more in a road victory at Providence. The accuracy in Sampson’s mid-range jumpshot has improved, he’s become more decisive with the ball and his assists numbers have risen.

He’s developed into a more efficient offensive player. He’s thinking less and reacting more. Even more impressive has been his defense, previously considered a weakness in his game.

http://nypost.com/2014/02/17/st-johns-rewind-big-three-leading-ncaa-push/

I wonder who helped him develop his "more efficient offensive game?"