Rate the First Month

ADORAZ

ADORAZ

Well-known member
2023 $upporter
The first month of college basketball is now in the books, and looking back there was quite a bit of uncertainty heading into this year. St. John's was embarrassed in an exhibition game, nobody in the Big East was really expected to be that good (aside from Nova, who has their own post season issues), and 2 of our most important recruits were ineligible.

Now we have a month down, so how do you grade it? I'm giving it an A-. Here's why:

I'd give the Big East conference a solid A. 40% of the conference is ranked #18 or higher. For reference, the old Big East during the 2010-11 season (when 11 teams made the tournament) had 5 teams ranked #18 or higher last week of the season. The old Big East also had 16 teams rather than 10. So yeah, I'm not saying we're as good as the best conference in history (that iteration had more depth in the middle) but regardless the Big East this year is really doing phenomenal.

In addition to the AP ballot, there are 5 teams in the top 38 RPI rankings, with Villanova at #3, Xavier at #4, and Providence at #14. That's equivalent to 2 #1 seeds and a #4 seed. Georgetown isn't even one of those 5 teams mentioned but are an elite team (interestingly enough, Seton Hall joins Butler in the top 38). The Big East is also second to only the PAC 12 in RPI. Best thing is the out of conference portion of the schedule is nearly done (teams have played roughly 9 games), so the RPI rankings won't change too much.

St. John's I'm giving a B+. Yes, a lot of our games have been ugly but end of the day what matters is we're a very respectable 6-3. Our RPI is 131 which is a bit higher than what most expected. None of our 3 losses were bad. 2 were on a neutral court to teams that were ranked, and yes even the Fordham loss wasn't bad. Fordham is 7-1 this year and it was an away game. The first away game for most of our players.

Speaking of our players, we got Yakwe back after a few games (I certainly didn't see that coming). We also have word that LoVett may be coming back. The freshmen overall have looked pretty solid which is what really matters long term anyways.

As an added bonus, this year has felt less stressful than the past couple despite our team being significantly worse. That's because we have no expectations, a bright future, and are winning close games. That coupled with a remarkable performance by the Big East makes this a very strong start to the season for me.
 
In terms of W-L record, I was and am still expecting this season to be a wash. I pegged them for 9-10 wins and based on what I've seen, I think that's right about where they'll end up. What was more important to me was seeing the youngsters get on the court and so far I've come away impressed. Mussini and Sima are definitely foundation pieces for this program going forward. I can't wait to see how good Mussini will be when he gets help in the backcourt in the form of LoVett and Ponds. But in a way, I also think what is going on may be a blessing in disguise for him too. As of right now, he's literally the only one on the roster who can handle the ball and that's forcing him to really learn on the job. That's going to really help his game in the future, especially when he's not asked to be the primary ballhandler (which could be this season if LoVett is declared eligible). As for Sima, I've been pleasantly surprised at how advanced his game is. When St. John's got him, I thought they were getting a project. Kind of a poor man's Obekpa. But honestly, I am a much bigger fan of Sima's game than I ever was of Obekpa's. Sima's a hustler who actually has a nice shot. Given another year or 2 in college, I have no doubt whatsoever that he'll be an NBA player. SJU got themselves a hell of a player there. The jury is still out on Yakwe, Ellison, and Williams. Obviously, due to eligibility issues and injury, we really haven't seen enough of any of these guys to make any sort of judgment.

The future is bright for this program. I think the powers that be finally get it. It may cost a lot of money, but a good basketball program will be very beneficial for the university and they are pulling no stops to get them back there. They hired a coach that the entire program can get behind. They spent a fortune on bringing in top, big name assistances who will help Mullin through the process. And we're already seeing progress on the recruiting front. Ponds has committed. The team is in the mix for a bunch of other really good players. Local HS coaches are coming to games and supporting the direction of the program. Maybe I'm looking through rose colored glasses, but I think by Mullin's third or fourth season, we are going be a power in college BB.
 
I give it a C. I'm not angry over it because I expected it anyway. Embarrasing D2 loss. Blown out 1st game in hawaii and disgusting loss to fordham. Last win was a win but beyond ugly

Only game I had pegged as a win before the season started that we didn't get yet was fordham

For me the only way I would rate it a B is if the blowouts were competitive.

I'm expecting only 4 or 5 more wins. Hope Lovett gets cleared and if he wins us even 1 extra game I'd be happy

So a C might seem like a bad grade but for me it would be impossible to ever rate the season an A unless we had 15 wins with this group which to me would be dramatically exceeding my expectations. I basically and just hoping to see improvement with our freshman and I'll be happy with that no matter what the record
 
I give it a C. I'm not angry over it because I expected it anyway. Embarrasing D2 loss. Blown out 1st game in hawaii and disgusting loss to fordham. Last win was a win but beyond ugly

Only game I had pegged as a win before the season started that we didn't get yet was fordham

For me the only way I would rate it a B is if the blowouts were competitive.

I'm expecting only 4 or 5 more wins. Hope Lovett gets cleared and if he wins us even 1 extra game I'd be happy

So a C might seem like a bad grade but for me it would be impossible to ever rate the season an A unless we had 15 wins with this group which to me would be dramatically exceeding my expectations. I basically and just hoping to see improvement with our freshman and I'll be happy with that no matter what the record
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Fair way of looking at it. I'd say the vast majority of my optimism comes from incoming recruits, the play from our freshmen, and the Big East as a whole. This year was always going to be a non-factor for SJU regardless so I'm placing an equal amount of emphasis on the Big East. I've been rooting for the other teams almost as hard as SJU this year. If the Big East was struggling and we didn't have Ponds/LoVett coming my grade would be far lower. As you mentioned, a lot of our play has been really ugly and frankly we're fortunate to be at 6-3. My thinking with sports is I rather lose in a blowout than by a basket but that's not necessarily the right way of looking at things. Easier for me to cope with the blowouts than the close losses. All that counts is W/L for RPI purposes.

I agree mostly with the latter part of what you're saying- priority #1 for me is to see the freshmen perform well and the recruiting to continue. I think at least on those fronts we've been solid. I'm satisfied with what we've seen so far from our freshmen and believe they will improve heading into next year when things start to count.

Of course, if we go on to finish 2-16 in conference play, which is a real possibility, I won't be feeling nearly as good as I am now. :)
 
I give it a C. I'm not angry over it because I expected it anyway. Embarrasing D2 loss. Blown out 1st game in hawaii and disgusting loss to fordham. Last win was a win but beyond ugly

Only game I had pegged as a win before the season started that we didn't get yet was fordham

For me the only way I would rate it a B is if the blowouts were competitive.

I'm expecting only 4 or 5 more wins. Hope Lovett gets cleared and if he wins us even 1 extra game I'd be happy

So a C might seem like a bad grade but for me it would be impossible to ever rate the season an A unless we had 15 wins with this group which to me would be dramatically exceeding my expectations. I basically and just hoping to see improvement with our freshman and I'll be happy with that no matter what the record
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Fair way of looking at it. I'd say the vast majority of my optimism comes from incoming recruits, the play from our freshmen, and the Big East as a whole. This year was always going to be a non-factor for SJU regardless so I'm placing an equal amount of emphasis on the Big East. I've been rooting for the other teams almost as hard as SJU this year. If the Big East was struggling and we didn't have Ponds/LoVett coming my grade would be far lower. As you mentioned, a lot of our play has been really ugly and frankly we're fortunate to be at 6-3. My thinking with sports is I rather lose in a blowout than by a basket but that's not necessarily the right way of looking at things. Easier for me to cope with the blowouts than the close losses. All that counts is W/L for RPI purposes.

I agree mostly with the latter part of what you're saying- priority #1 for me is to see the freshmen perform well and the recruiting to continue. I think at least on those fronts we've been solid. I'm satisfied with what we've seen so far from our freshmen and believe they will improve heading into next year when things start to count.

Of course, if we go on to finish 2-16 in conference play, which is a real possibility, I won't be feeling nearly as good as I am now. :)
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Finished 6-12 in 2011/12, which was the Harkless team.
Won't come close to that this year.
As an interesting aside, Villanova finished 5-13 that year.
Hard to believe that was only 4 years ago.
 
Finished 6-12 in 2011/12, which was the Harkless team.
Won't come close to that this year.
As an interesting aside, Villanova finished 5-13 that year.
Hard to believe that was only 4 years ago.
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I don't disagree but that year we were only 7-6 OOC. We beat Willaim & Mary, Lehigh, UMBC, St. Francis, Fordham, Texas Pan AM, and UCLA (in February). All at home. I don't think that's much more impressive than what we've done so far this year. That team played better and more competitively in losses but the end result wasn't better. I think we could make things interesting and finish with around 13 wins like that team did.

Nova definitely peaking at the right time for us. Had they been playing this well 4 years ago I think there's a chance they would've been taken in conference realignment. Big East's first year especially would've been a disaster without Nova.
 
Giving a rating after 1 month is difficult. I prefer to offer "First Impressions". Those are very positive. The freshman that will play major minutes during their careers can all play. None are a disappointment. Mussini will be a loved player years from now. He hits big shots, and has saved a few games already with clutch shooting. Yakwe will be very good. Same with Sima. Too early to tell from Ellison. And we haven't even seen Lovett yet. I love what the staff is doing. There is no sign of selfishness, or whiners, or laziness. The team does not give up, does not complain much to the refs, and plays as a team. That is a monumental feat considering the staff has only had a few months since the start of practice to get an all new team to work together. Mullin is building confidence in these players. You may get yanked for failing to hustle, but not because you missed one shot like some coaches do. Jones is contributing, as is Balamou. Lavin never got much out of them. Maybe they just matured, or maybe Mullin is teaching and using them properly, and building up their confidence.

Some players, especially Johnson, have started slow. But coming off an injury and a layoff is tougher than most realize. Yet Johnson stilll saved a win with a huge clutch jumper late in the game.

We are a program that is on the rise big time, no matter how brutal we look in the Big East. The freshman will be battle tested, and big time players are on the way next season and beyond.
 
Finished 6-12 in 2011/12, which was the Harkless team.
Won't come close to that this year.
As an interesting aside, Villanova finished 5-13 that year.
Hard to believe that was only 4 years ago.
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. Had they been playing this well 4 years ago I think there's a chance they would've been taken in conference realignment. Big East's first year especially would've been a disaster without Nova.
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nova over yukon?
never would have happened.
yukon has 1A football, a rabid state following and as an aside, 2 of the last 5 championships.
 
First month gives me hope for the future. I have to remind myself that not only are players a work in progress, but so is the coaching staff. At this point, I give the staff an A+ for recruiting. Much of the rest for the team and staff gets an incomplete, because we are only 9 games into the season.
Onward and upward!
Go Johnnies!
 
I don't disagree with the rating for the Big East, but the league has to earn a high grade during final exams.

Let's face it, this league gets A's on the early tests and bombs the finals when it counts. And I pull as hard for this league as anyone.

As for the Johnnies, I attended the exhibition game and did not know that our coach was setting us up and faking us out by not coaching that game. After seeing that debacle, the 6-3 record is six wins more than I had planned for. Their record has far exceeded my expectations. I love seeing Mullin working the refs and his players. The players are working hard for each other.

It's harsh to grade these kids or the staff on results given what they here handed, so they deserve a nice upwards curve.
 
Finished 6-12 in 2011/12, which was the Harkless team.
Won't come close to that this year.
As an interesting aside, Villanova finished 5-13 that year.
Hard to believe that was only 4 years ago.
Click to expand...
. Had they been playing this well 4 years ago I think there's a chance they would've been taken in conference realignment. Big East's first year especially would've been a disaster without Nova.
Click to expand...

nova over yukon?
never would have happened.
yukon has 1A football, a rabid state following and as an aside, 2 of the last 5 championships.
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Probably right, however, Nova, St. John's and Georgetown all had discussions with the ACC, there was a possibility. I agree UConn was always more likely but maybe, for instance, ACC would accept Nova as a basketball only school and have them drop football. Or ACC liked their academics more than UConn's.

Maybe Nova wouldn't have turned down the American's invitation, went all in on football, and tried for a P5 invite.

I'm not saying they would've gone elsewhere, just that there would've been a better chance.
 
I don't grade, but very happy with the teams performance to date. As noted, they compete regardless of the score and that's all you can really ask. They are establishing a very, very solid, positive foundation for the program going forward. The only thing I am surprised about is the lingering bad taste the 1st EXHIBITION game has left, kinda funny and inexplicable to me.
 
I don't grade, but very happy with the teams performance to date. As noted, they compete regardless of the score and that's all you can really ask. They are establishing a very, very solid, positive foundation for the program going forward. The only thing I am surprised about is the lingering bad taste the 1st EXHIBITION game has left, kinda funny and inexplicable to me.
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Concur
 
I give it a B+ because it's all relative. We have a winning record and we didn't have a D1 team to field 8 months ago, and have a new staff. We are tremendously short handed with injuries, young guys and an ineligible PG. Our record at this point is actually a bit better than I thought it would be. Actually it's a lot better. Let's be straight about it folks, if anybody told you before the season that we'd be 6-3 with Christian Jones, Felix Balamou and a senior transfer from a low major school starting, you'd think we'd never be 6-3, more like 1-8.
 
Any changes? :)

Think after this weekend my grade raised to an A (A- for SJU, A for Big East).

7-3, no bad losses, and a signature win. Incredible.
 
Any changes? :)

Think after this weekend my grade raised to an A (A- for SJU, A for Big East).

7-3, no bad losses, and a signature win. Incredible.
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And we have a very good shot at being 9-3 with Lovett back entering the South Carolina game.
 
Thought we would beat Fordham, never expected to beat Cuse. Everything else has gone about the way I thought.
I think Sima, Mussini and especially Yakwe are going to be better than we had all thought
B Plus
 
If Mussini can get his shot off, he'll be lethal. If Lovett qualifies--that'll be huge on a number of fronts. Yakwe a lot better than I thought so soon. I thought Sima--judging his Intl stats--would be good, and he'll get better.
 
One thing the article mentioned, which I agree w is; Sima and Yakwe are going to be a formidable front court for years to come. Now add inLovett, Ponds, possibly Ashir and Alkins and we're going to be cooking w gas. Plus an improving Amar and Owens off the bench.
 
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