I think Cooley is good but not great. He was left some very good talent and it's not like he exceeded expectation in any regular season. You don't think Lavin would have been better if he inherited Cotton, Council, and Batts?
Seriously. You have GOT to be joking.
This is a joke right ?!
No. You'll have to excuse me if I don't dry heave at the very mention of something positive about Steve Lavin like most of this board. Providence was very talented, and Cooley was able to begin his career with Bryce Cotton and Kadeem Batts as sophs and Vince Council as a junior...not too shabby.
I think you would be hard pressed to find a coach, analyst or media personality that would say Cooley has had more talent than Lavin has had at St. John's. Also, an interesting statistic is that Cooley has won more games than the previous year, in EVERY season he has been a head coach (Fairfield/Providence). I guess one could say he has been on the right place at the right time, but I would say he must be doing something right.
P.S> The BE Tournament Championship is a huge accomplishment.
For me, Lavin is not in the same league as Cooley. As mentioned, I have Lavin at the bottom, tied with Miller. Not sure Woj should be included.....no way to assess.
See, this is where the hatred for Lavin clouds judgment. How was Cooley's team any less talented than Lavin's 2010-2011 squad that he coached to a six seed, the #18 ranking, and wins against six teams ranked in the top 15? They weren't. Cooley's squad had a two-time 1st team Big East guard, a wing that is being floated as a potential first round pick, a big man that has a shot at being drafted in the 2nd round (much better than Sampson), and a top 100 7'0 center. They also had an outstanding soph guard, Josh Fortune, that will turn some heads next season. And let's not forget the beast, Henton.
I think Cooley did well, but he certainly did not overachieve. He had just as much talent as Lavin, more size, more experience (four seniors), and better basketball players.
Me included!