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Thanks again Dave & Ron for putting together such a great trip down memory lane.

As I listened to the end, couldn't help but wonder what kept Ron motivated to stick it out for 39 years with less than ideal facilities, equipment etc. vs. seeking a spot elsewhere with all bells & whistles.

Thankful he stayed and was able to share it all!
 
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RedStormNC said:
Thanks again Dave & Ron for putting together such a great trip down memory lane.

As I listened to the end, couldn't help but wonder what kept Ron motivated to stick it out for 39 years with less than ideal facilities, equipment etc. vs. seeking a spot elsewhere with all bells & whistles.

Thankful he stayed and was able to share it all!
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Simple, because Ron is a fantastic guy with a super attitude.
May have worked with substandard facilities but he was revered and appreciated by all.
 
RedStormNC said:
Thanks again Dave & Ron for putting together such a great trip down memory lane.

As I listened to the end, couldn't help but wonder what kept Ron motivated to stick it out for 39 years with less than ideal facilities, equipment etc. vs. seeking a spot elsewhere with all bells & whistles.

Thankful he stayed and was able to share it all!
Click to expand...
The biggest reason was my family. My wife had a nice job at the local elementary school which she loved, my daughter in college attended SJU and was a cheerleader (free tuition) my oldest son attended Seton Hall (free tuition) and my youngest son attended SJU (free tuition for BA and MA) . All told that came out to about $350-400,000 in free tuition. That was one of the great perks back then. That and a nice TIAA-Cref matching retirement plan which I was grandfathered into with SJU. All the great coaches I worked with ALWAYS let my boys travel with me on road trips when they were old enough, especially Jarvis, Norm and Lavin! My youngest was practically on my staff when he attended, helping out with treatments on the road and repacking my medical bags after trips.

I was offered the Rutgers Head job right after our Final Four 👎, interviewed for NBA assistant positions, and I almost took over as the Head of the USOC medical staff in Colorado Springs after the ‘93 Olympic Festival. I discussed and interviewed with both the Yankees and Mets for their medical coordinator positions (Yankees said I could stay at SJU too).

But I also enjoyed the fact that I could choose my staff at SJU, mentor them and guide them into better jobs. I have so many former staff members in the NBA, NHL, D1 Universities that it felt right for me to stay. The last few years were rough, especially with Covid shutting things down. But the fact that I love seeing so many of my former players being successful too in baseball and hoops helped me sticking it out!
 
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RedStormNC said:
Thanks again Dave & Ron for putting together such a great trip down memory lane.

As I listened to the end, couldn't help but wonder what kept Ron motivated to stick it out for 39 years with less than ideal facilities, equipment etc. vs. seeking a spot elsewhere with all bells & whistles.

Thankful he stayed and was able to share it all!
Click to expand...
Good question. My opinion I think based on his response to my last question it was his love of the program, feeling like he was a small part in so many success stories, and wanting to continue to make those memories. I know he had plenty of opportunities over the years to leave, but he has a legacy now. It's not something many can say.
 
Alumni Hall said:
The biggest reason was my family. My wife had a nice job at the local elementary school which she loved, my daughter in college attended SJU and was a cheerleader (free tuition) my oldest son attended Seton Hall (free tuition) and my youngest son attended SJU (free tuition for BA and MA) . All told that came out to about $350-400,000 in free tuition. That was one of the great perks back then. That and a nice TIAA-Cref matching retirement plan which I was grandfathered into with SJU. All the great coaches I worked with ALWAYS let my boys travel with me on road trips when they were old enough, especially Jarvis, Norm and Lavin! My youngest was practically on my staff when he attended, helping out with treatments on the road and repacking my medical bags after trips.

I was offered the Rutgers Head job right after our Final Four 👎, interviewed for NBA assistant positions, and I almost took over as the Head of the USOC medical staff in Colorado Springs after the ‘93 Olympic Festival. I discussed and interviewed with both the Yankees and Mets for their medical coordinator positions (Yankees said I could stay at SJU too).

But I also enjoyed the fact that I could choose my staff at SJU, mentor them and guide them into better jobs. I have so many former staff members in the NBA, NHL, D1 Universities that it felt right for me to stay. The last few years were rough, especially with Covid shutting things down. But the fact that I love seeing so many of my former players being successful too in baseball and hoops helped me sticking it out!
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Thanks Ron !!
 
SJUDave said:
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Of course no one knows for certain, but DJ’s injury may have altered Lavin’s career here. That team was filled with veterans, and they were righting the ship after an end of the year slump.

If DJ was healthy, they would have had a better seed, instead of having an under-seeded Gonzaga. The team was primed to make a run, and getting to the final four was not crazy.

The injury would have altered Lavin’s tenure, and his career would have been treated very differently.
 
kranmars said:
Of course no one knows for certain, but DJ’s injury may have altered Lavin’s career here. That team was filled with veterans, and they were righting the ship after an end of the year slump.

If DJ was healthy, they would have had a better seed, instead of having an under-seeded Gonzaga. The team was primed to make a run, and getting to the final four was not crazy.

The injury would have altered Lavin’s tenure, and his career would have been treated very differently.
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There was some, not much, of a discussion not to announce the severity of DJ’s knee injury till after the Selection show. But DJ’s parents were already told and most of the team knew he tore his ACL as DJ told his close friends. Rubin and others kept calling SJU for an official injury update and I think they already found out through their sources. So we announced his injury earlier that afternoon.
 
Alumni Hall said:
There was some, not much, of a discussion not to announce the severity of DJ’s knee injury till after the Selection show. But DJ’s parents were already told and most of the team knew he tore his ACL as DJ told his close friends. Rubin and others kept calling SJU for an official injury update and I think they already found out through their sources. So we announced his injury earlier that afternoon.
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That was a case, IMO, where honesty was the worst policy.

Call him day-to-day, and then admit all after the brackets are revealed.
 
SJU61982 said:
That was a case, IMO, where honesty was the worst policy.

Call him day-to-day, and then admit all after the brackets are revealed.
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We already had the official MRI report in our hands, as well as not wanting to jeopardize our standing with the NCAA committee long term plus the Post reported news about the MRI we decided to release the info. Don’t forget the press was at the selection show event and would have negatively grill us for hiding it! Always better to tell the truth in this otherwise you’ve lost all credibility.

That’s why I ALWAYS told my players I would never lie to the NBA scouts regarding their work ethic. Once you lie and they find out they drafted a dog, they will never call you again. So my comment to the NBA scouts might be “that’s an area the player needs to improve on!”
 
Alumni Hall said:
That’s why I ALWAYS told my players I would never lie to the NBA scouts regarding their work ethic. Once you lie and they find out they drafted a dog, they will never call you again. So my comment to the NBA scouts might be “that’s an area the player needs to improve on!”
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Love the honesty and transparency with players.... but we might have different definitions of "dog" for bball players....
 
Joined on The Eye on the Storm Podcast by two local scribes in Zach Braziller of the NY Post and Roger Rubin of Newsday to discuss the latest this summer with St. John's basketball. We talk Ruben Prey, the roster makeup, Simeon Wilcher's new role, the pick your poison offense, takeaways from yesterday's event, plus a bold prediction each of us and more!



 
SJUDave said:
Joined on The Eye on the Storm Podcast by two local scribes in Zach Braziller of the NY Post and Roger Rubin of Newsday to discuss the latest this summer with St. John's basketball. We talk Ruben Prey, the roster makeup, Simeon Wilcher's new role, the pick your poison offense, takeaways from yesterday's event, plus a bold prediction each of us and more!



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Can you get Rubin to write a story on the best fan ever who we just lost ?
 
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