(POST GAME) Mercer, Wed. Nov. 6, 6:30p, FS-1, 570 WMCA

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[quote="we are sju" post=362190][quote="L J S A" post=362184][quote="we are sju" post=362182]

Have to admit this fan base loves killing former coaches almost as much as it enjoys turning on current ones.
I bet you there is Anderson bashing at some point this year.[/quote]

Was Mullin a good coach? Did he hit the recruiting trail hard? I'm sure we both had the same Mullin poster in our room as kids, but his coaching career shouldn't be above criticism.[/quote]
No
But he is gone now people should let it go. Only former coach that should repeatedly be bashed is Norm lol[/quote]

Another ridiculous tired narrative on this site. Former coaches once they leave should never be spoken of again. We're talking about a coach who JUST left. People aren't talking about 2003 and Mike Jarvis

Side note can't wait for this thread to get locked up. Know its coming real soon.
 
[quote="Knight" post=362086]Newsday reported attendance at 3,354-Disappointing.
Weren't student tix free?[/quote]

Maybe they're scared of the dark or haven't adjusted to daylight savings time yet.B)
 
[quote="Moose" post=362192][quote="we are sju" post=362190][quote="L J S A" post=362184][quote="we are sju" post=362182]

Have to admit this fan base loves killing former coaches almost as much as it enjoys turning on current ones.
I bet you there is Anderson bashing at some point this year.[/quote]

Was Mullin a good coach? Did he hit the recruiting trail hard? I'm sure we both had the same Mullin poster in our room as kids, but his coaching career shouldn't be above criticism.[/quote]
No
But he is gone now people should let it go. Only former coach that should repeatedly be bashed is Norm lol[/quote]

Another ridiculous tired narrative on this site. Former coaches once they leave should never be spoken of again. We're talking about a coach who JUST left. People aren't talking about 2003 and Mike Jarvis

Side note can't wait for this thread to get locked up. Know its coming real soon.[/quote]
Yeah Jarvis was only bashed up until 2017 or so
Lavin 2018
 
[quote="we are sju" post=362194][quote="Moose" post=362192][quote="we are sju" post=362190][quote="L J S A" post=362184][quote="we are sju" post=362182]

Have to admit this fan base loves killing former coaches almost as much as it enjoys turning on current ones.
I bet you there is Anderson bashing at some point this year.[/quote]

Was Mullin a good coach? Did he hit the recruiting trail hard? I'm sure we both had the same Mullin poster in our room as kids, but his coaching career shouldn't be above criticism.[/quote]
No
But he is gone now people should let it go. Only former coach that should repeatedly be bashed is Norm lol[/quote]

Another ridiculous tired narrative on this site. Former coaches once they leave should never be spoken of again. We're talking about a coach who JUST left. People aren't talking about 2003 and Mike Jarvis

Side note can't wait for this thread to get locked up. Know its coming real soon.[/quote]
Yeah Jarvis was only bashed up until 2017 or so
Lavin 2018[/quote]

Adjust your clocks
 
6:30pm start time sucks. it ain't easy. i live and work in the city. i had to leave the office at 4:15pm for the drive to get there on time. can't imagine most people have the luxury to leave work extra early.

mercer isn't the most exciting opponent either...

i expect a much better crowd on saturday.
 
[quote="MCNPA" post=362165][quote="we are sju" post=362153][quote="redmen4life" post=362151]- Rutherford played under control. Love it.
- David C, while he didn't hit shots, loved that he mixed it up down low. Fought for rebounds.
- Champaignie will be a good one for us. Has the body. The skills.
- Williams is really rusty.
- Roberts, while his improvement is obvious, i don't know that it's remarkably improved for him to be a factor in league play. Hope I'm wrong.
- the ball movement was excellent. they pushed and ran only when appropriate. loved the mix of defenses.
- tried to pay attention to CMA during time outs and in-game, he looked to get into everyone, especially, Heron, Wiliams, and David specifically. I love it.
- hate comparing to previous staff who believed in not giving too much feedback during the games, but seeing CMA have full control was nice to see. I also saw him early in the game tell the coaches to sit down, as a couple were standing shouting direction to the team...

overall very good.[/quote]

If Dunn and Steere both become eligible I don't see many minutes for Caraher[/quote]

I disagree totally. Kid was 12/7 yesterday and did a lot of nice things out there. The guy that will get squeezed is Greg Williams because he isn’t comfortable bringing the ball up the floor nor shooting, two things Dunn can both do. Williams is very athletic but he’s a wing and more of a slasher and we have two guys in Heron and LJ who will get lions share of those minutes. Caraher right now how more you offer than williams with height and general comfort level on the floor. It’s a good problem to have when you have depth. I just think Williams will have the hardest time carving minutes because he hasn’t show to be a ball handler nor a scorer to this point yet.[/quote]

Way to quick to dismiss Williams. If yesterday he hit his shots and Caraher didn’t you’d be saying the exact opposite.

With Dunn back, Williams would play his more appropriate position (2/3) and would be much more serviceable as a shooter (off the catch Vs setting up offense).

The player who I think would be more inclined to lose minutes may be Champaigne. Really like what I see from him but we’ll need size upfront and Caraher and Earlington for their scoring ability. No shame in a freshmen getting moved to the bench.
 
Is the reported attendance tickets sold or a “turnstile” count? Because I think I had about 20 people in my section, and there were about ten total in the upper bowls. I can’t imagine more than 2,000 people actually showed up.
 
In order to unite our fanbase (and perhaps improve attendance), I hope to see Mullin come to one of our games this season or show some form of public support. CMA did that at Arkansas a few weeks ago (I think Midnight Madness?) and it seems everyone there still likes him. Lavin backlash has also died down because he's been visible and supportive of our program.

Saturday apparently will have a lot of alumni players. Not holding my breath, but would be really nice for Mullin to show up as that is one thing that would make 100% of us happy. Cragg is doing an excellent job honoring older players and obviously there is no one better than Mullin.

As for Mullin comparisons, they are completely valid. He was our coach the past 4 years, and most the players are the same. We currently have played ONE game against a mediocre team. What other benchmark are we supposed to compare with?
 
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There's been a lot of good commentary in this thread, most of which I agree with. Logen makes a couple of good points...

Caraher was playing in his first competitive game in about 18 months. He should continue to get more comfortable and his production could possibly go up.. He may not be the most athletic kid but fundamentals and a high basketball IQ will benefit him more than an uber athlete with little court sense.

When Earlington was signed, many people wondered why. One of our esteemed posters mentioned that he was recruited for his intangibles and how he would help the team off the court... great work ethic, pushing people in practice and being a team first kid.

Finally, attendance at live sports events is down across the sports spectrum from high school to the pros. Access to technology and new ways to watch sports is one reason. We are also getting spoiled... why should I go to Carnessecca when I can watch on my 60" HD screen in my man cave and drink all the beer I want for the price of one at the arena. Also, kids no longer grow up immersed in sports like most of us did. Sports are often something they do only at practice, games or when parents tell them to get off xbox and go outside.
 
This a small thing to point out but I also appreciated that Coach Anderson got all of the guys into the game early on. In addition to keeping your starters fresh it's a great tactic for getting everyone invested, warmed up and into the flow of the game. Playing the same six players until you run into foul trouble in the 2nd half and then throwing guys in cold off the bench during crunch time is a recipe for disappointment. I bet we see frequent early substitutions regularly.

As to the Mullin discussion that's happening...

It seems foolish to try to defend his tenure as coach here. He wasn't successful. The results just don't back up that position. The debate is over and the verdict is in. His teams consistently performed poorly in conference play. That being said, I completely understand defending him if you feel posters are being overly nasty, getting personal, not appreciating his place in the history of the program etc. I would also say something if I observed that. However this isn't ancient history. He was the coach LAST SEASON. You're going to have to hear people criticize the man. We're talking about the same players and comparing the new season to the last. He's going to come up often by necessity and probably in not the best light. I think with a little more time you'll see less negativity around him as his coaching tenure fades to the back of our memories and he's once again thought of primarily as the goat when it comes to former players.

*Edited to add that I now see that Adam just made the same point above about the Mullin comparisons. Of course he did it without being long-winded like me.
 
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[quote="QueensBall" post=362207]This a small thing to point out but I also appreciated that Coach Anderson got all of the guys into the game early on. In addition to keeping your starters fresh it's a great tactic for getting everyone invested, warmed up and into the flow of the game. Playing the same six players until you run into foul trouble in the 2nd half and then throwing guys in cold off the bench during crunch time is a recipe for disappointment. I bet we see frequent early substitutions regularly.[/quote]

This is a great point.
 
[quote="QueensBall" post=362180]I really loved what I saw. The defensive effort and ball movement from the team stood out more to me than any individual players stat line (as thrilled as I was with some of those stat lines) That's coaching. Assuming that it wasn't just opening night enthusiasm and Coach can keep that level of effort each game we will outperform everyone's expectations including our own. The question is will the same level of effort be there when Markus Howard or Myles Powell is raining 3's and we're on the cusp of getting blown out? I think these guys want to work. The sophomores clearly want to prove they deserve to be out there, the leadership roles suit LJ & Heron and Rutherford was the star of the game for me. I can't imagine he'll keep that level of production up but he looked like the smartest, most efficient player on the floor and that includes our stars. I think he knows this is his last go around and wants to show out on a bigger stage.

I get why some are down on Williams but at least to me he is very clearly not himself. He was out there lacking the things that made him exciting last year. He doesn't have his speed, bounce and generally high level of athleticism we saw a season ago. Last year he stood out because he was faster and jumped higher than everyone. I think that's going to come back. The guy we see now won't be here in another month. When he's healthy he'll thrive in this system. Not concerned.

The low attendance is disappointing but we just came off a season where support was fantastic and the team underperformed. Attendance usually reflects the quality of the team. If they keep playing well that ship will right itself.
Thrilled to have college basketball back in our lives. Happy season to all.[/quote]

QB
when you write "that's coaching"
there is a reason why our new coach has NEVER had a losing season. He might even keep that streak alive in this his first year and with a somewhat patchwork roster.
Thanks Queens.
Go Storm.
 
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[quote="we are sju" post=362188][quote="Logen" post=362187][quote="we are sju" post=362181][quote="Logen" post=362179][quote="we are sju" post=362176][quote="Logen" post=362162][quote="we are sju" post=362153][quote="redmen4life" post=362151]- Rutherford played under control. Love it.
- David C, while he didn't hit shots, loved that he mixed it up down low. Fought for rebounds.
- Champaignie will be a good one for us. Has the body. The skills.
- Williams is really rusty.
- Roberts, while his improvement is obvious, i don't know that it's remarkably improved for him to be a factor in league play. Hope I'm wrong.
- the ball movement was excellent. they pushed and ran only when appropriate. loved the mix of defenses.
- tried to pay attention to CMA during time outs and in-game, he looked to get into everyone, especially, Heron, Wiliams, and David specifically. I love it.
- hate comparing to previous staff who believed in not giving too much feedback during the games, but seeing CMA have full control was nice to see. I also saw him early in the game tell the coaches to sit down, as a couple were standing shouting direction to the team...

overall very good.[/quote]

If Dunn and Steere both become eligible I don't see many minutes for Caraher[/quote]

What, no Earlington whipping this year? Dunn and Steere will add to the rotation not subtract from it.[/quote]

Earlington playing more under control. Reminded me almost of Carl Beckett.
That being said couple of those basket hanging hoops right out of schoolyard playbook and won't work against good comp.
Caraher just doesn't look like a good fit with style of play. I am sure he will get mins but mostly in specialty role.[/quote]

Right!! Earlington played more under control than the cameos he got in garbage time last year. Sure he did. FYI, Caraher has no specialty, he just looks like a ballplayer.[/quote]

Shot every time touched ball last year. Some of his threes were comical what with the exit velo and all
Actually might lead NCAA in shots per minute for his career
Again joking about a kid shooting a brick is not any kind of crime that I am aware of.
Caraher looked a little uncomfortable to me and just mentioned his mins would get squeezed if Dunn and Steere come back.[/quote]

Making a career out of joking about a kid is not a crime but it puts you pretty high on my list of classless posters. So if busting Earlington isn’t a crime, neither is my answering your “expert” posts. Full disclosure, I know him, know his family, and you don’t have a clue about the hard work he put in after he decided to give up football, a very tough decision in its own right.
As for Caraher, if you knew anything about sports, being uncomfortable could very well be a natural part of sitting out a year. That’s why the intelligent thing to do when evaluating players is wait until you have a reasonable track record before you put your foot in your mouth.[/quote]

If I am high on that list you don't read too many people's posts
Ok John Wooden thanks for lesson on sports
And again if there were a baseball forum when I was in college and I did something on the field that looked ridiculous I would have been fine with people joking about it[/quote]

And had I been your friend, I would not have. Also, had you done it once, ok. You harped on it, and it got to me. And yes, there are several prolific posters I ignore but outside of one other poster I don’t consider them classless, they just bring nothing to the table for me.
 
Possibly repeating the observations of others, but here are mine from last night (attended in person):

- Heron and Figueroa are known quantities, and they're good. LJ was a little off last night, but Heron's shot was MUCH improved - smoother and quicker release.

- Roberts and Earlington are very active, and will get better with more playing time.

- Champagnie has a well-rounded set of skills and with development will be a very good BE player.

- Sears and Williams had tough nights.

- Carraher was a nice surprise - high basketball IQ, did not force his shot, hustles, rebounds. No problem giving him minutes.

- Rutherford looks like exactly what he is - a grand transfer from a lower level program. He understands the position and did a fine job against Mercer, but if we do not get Dunn we will have trouble against higher level competition. In that event the ball will have to run through LJ as point forward.

Steere will be a help up front, but i think we will be fine on the boards with Roberts, Earlington, Sears, plus LJ and Heron.

The defense was a joy to watch, and will only get better.

The next test will be how the offense goes when forced into a halfcourt where the other team has decent bigs.

I think kids are going to be beating down the door to play for Coach A and in this style of offense and defense.
 
[quote="sjc88" post=362159][quote="Moose" post=362150][quote="sjc88" post=362140][quote="usguard" post=362134]Let’s give students a better price for tickets until we are a winning team[/quote]

Anyone know what they charge students for tickets? I know years ago student tickets were discounted and pretty reasonable. The biggest problem years ago was I lived 20 minutes from school and had to come back to campus for games.

I would have thought that student housing would have increased attendance. I have a hard time believing that all the students are hitting the books on a Wednesday in November. :p[/quote]

Pretty sure it was mentioned student tickets to campus games are free.
MSG they have to pay for.[/quote]

Sorry I thought “free” was a joke. Then I am curious why they couldn’t get a bigger crowd. Amazing that a kid with even a limited interest in sports wouldn’t go. They must have some great dorm rooms or the bar scene has really improved along Union Tpke. Not criticizing as people do there own thing. Just surprised. I drove back and forth so many times over Queens Blvd to Union Tpke for these games I knew the grooves in the road. So many things to do I guess.[/quote]



I was disappointed to see empty seats last night. Being an avid Redmen alum and fan I never missed a game whether it was at Alumni Hall or MSG. Even after retiring I told my wife I would not move to Virginia unless I would be able to get St.John games on television. Come on support the team and new staff.
 
First let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed last night's game. It wasn't just the fact that we won but the energy the players had on both sides of the ball. The control that Coach Anderson had over the game can't be minimized. The preparation and conditioning of the team was a big factor.
In regards to individual p[layers:
Nick Rutherford: A friend of mine who was at the game with me saw Nick play a few games at Monmouth last year. He told me that playing with better athletes makes Nick a much better player since he is a traditional Poing Guard. Last year Nick was expected to score and run the tea. In Coach Anderson's offense, he just needs to run the team and get his points in the flow of the game. He looked very comfortable doing this last night and will continue to get better as his confidence increases.
Julian Champagnie: His first college game, probably a little nervous. I have seen him shoot it better in practice. He hustled, got rebounds, and played hard.
LJ Figueroa: LJ did exactly what is expected of him, scored, passed, hustled, played defense.
Mustapha Heron: Showed improved range on his shot. Along with LJ, took on a leadership role.
Josh Roberts: Was very active on both sides of the ball. Hustled, grabbed rebounds, got putbacks, blocked shots. He should continue to get better with experience.
Marcellus Earlington: Pleasant surprise last night. Played within himself for the most part. Hustled, got loose balls and putbacks. As long as he continues to listen to Coach Anderson, he should continue to improve.
Dave Caraher: Not sure why there were some negative comments about him. He had 12 pts and 7 rebs. He hustled and made plays for himself and his teammates.
Greg Williams: He just started practicing a couple of weeks ago and some are down on him already. It is going to take him awhile to get into shape. While he is not a great ball handler, I did not see him getting stripped last night either. He will be one of the mainstays of our program over the next three years.
Damien Spears: Did not see enough of him due to foul trouble.
a word of caution about Rasheen Dunn. I hope that his transfer is approved because we need the depth. However, averaging 15 pts a game as a shooting guard at St Francis does not translate into being a starting Big East point guard. He is has a big learning curve when it comes to being a point guard.
Coach Anderson's system is depends on ball movement and players will get their points within the flow of the offense. LJ and Mustapha are probably the only ones who will be allowed to freelance. Last night Earlington was the third highest scorer, Saturday, it may be someone else.
It was refreshing to see that the players know their roles and that Coach Anderson holds them accountable when they deviate.
Now, I am going to sit back and enjoy the season.
 
A strength of the SJU team for most of the Mullin years was a starting five of mostly quick athletic players. When they were able to run they were more successful then in. their half court offense. They couldn't press because they never had a bench or Mullin seemed reluctant to use bench players and SJU was never able to take advantage of their athletic ability.
Watching last night it appears the offense will be built on taking full advantage of the players quickness. Not only by pressing but even more impressive was the strategy to get the ball down court after grabbing a rebound. No cradling or bouncing the ball but passing it immediately down court.
 
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