[quote="BasketballJones" post=338980][quote="docbutler" post=338955]While I personally don't see the St. John's hierarchy hiring a coach sporting the obvious scars of Rick Pitino...I must say that for me, this hire is fairly simple. Let's face the facts. We just basically fired the school's all-time hero because he "WASN'T WINNING". We have come to this board and cried in our beers for the last 25 years, because this program is frustratingly underwhelming. We've seen coaches come and go, Athletic Director's come and go, and the promise of this big man, or another, go as well. I don't know how many of you are as disgusted as I am? I stare at my TV screen trying to figure out how, they seem to have quality centers at Division I programs, so far in the sticks, I'm almost surprised they have electricity. We live in the most fantastic media market in the world...but we can't find a coach who can recruit here?....Impossible!!!! But we are now at an important crossroads. We have been in the crosshairs of obscurity for so long, it is threatening to become a permanent condition. We have several key players positioned to leave the program....a ground zero if you will. It is 4th and 20...and there is two minutes left in the game. It is time for a home run...a full court shot! In the wake of firing our school hero, anything less seems antithetical! Presumably, we let Chris go because we have a WILL TO WIN!. If that is the case, then anything less than hiring the best possible option to make that happen, makes no sense. If morality is your chief concern, then why didn't you simply stay with Mullin. There isn't an available coach in America (assuming he were actually interested), who could potentially breathe competitive life into this Red Storm program. His past travesties...who cares? He carries denial of those travesties and well, isn't forgiveness and rehabilitation part of our Christian message? Rick Pitino has delivered at every program where he has participated in his storied career. He is a man who understands this game and recognizes court situations, and also knows how to recruit. His name will attract important talent. Our program is in severe need of this sort of authentic boost. It will take a tremendous coach to overcome our obvious recruiting deficits....no football, home-coming, or a transient student population. It will take a Rick Pitino, if anyone at all can do it! This is hardly the time for moralistic platitudes. I watch St. John's basketball with an intense desire to see us win. For those two hours, that is what matters to me. I save church, and the ramblings of behavioral perfection, for Sunday mornings![/quote]
Interesting post. So, the program is in such dire straits that only a “home run” hire in Rick Pitino can save it? Except for Pitino killed the golden goose at Louisville such that he’s coaching in Greece, mostly of his own doing. He has plausible deniability. So what? I didn’t know my players had hookers in their dorm? Really? The way I heard it, none of his players had a single beer without him knowing it. Ever. There isn’t a major program in America that would hire him. If Mike Rice was vetoed as an assistant, like the Forbes article says, how will they justify Pitino.
Pitino might be the fastest route to bringing 5 star recruits, but there is a mercenary quality to that as well. I’d rather see a professional AD, for a change, hire a professional coaching staff with excellent recruiters, game planning and player development and rebuild permanently from there. I’m hoping we have that. We shall see.[/quote]
Same clowns who didnt want to hear names available last time like Barnes and Pearl, and look at them now! And we are back here again. So how did that work out for us Einstein! Louisville BB takes in more money than anyone else! Who did that? Pitino set that up. So Einstein he left that program better than he found it, now didnt he? Go get your shine box
