Ron Artest & St. John's

 st johns should use this to show recruits. Love how st johns was the team in nyc. always was, will always be. When st johns is good, this city is electric. I still remember the vibe the city had the day of the georgetown game in '85. that's all that was talked about.

Artest, was one of my fav players and he showed how good he was everytime he put on the sju uniform.
 
Apparently, not sure if its true or not but St. John's has cut all ties with Ron Artest since that fight. They were not to happy with "former St. John's player Ron Artest..." comments in the media when referencing to the brawl.

at least that's what everyone was saying when I was in school.

They have a bunch of pro team jerseys framed up on the teams section of Taffner ( Im guessing from every player that has been drafted from SJU) not sure if any of those jerseys are his.
 
Apparently, not sure if its true or not but St. John's has cut all ties with Ron Artest since that fight. They were not to happy with "former St. John's player Ron Artest..." comments in the media when referencing to the brawl.

at least that's what everyone was saying when I was in school.

They have a bunch of pro team jerseys framed up on the teams section of Taffner ( Im guessing from every player that has been drafted from SJU) not sure if any of those jerseys are his.
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Pretty sure he was playing ball on campus this summer.
 
you know ron ron let stupidity and immaturity take control for while in his life, but while he wore our uniform he represented SJU and was one of the best players we have had.
I have not been very diligent with keeping up with Metta but what i have read and heard is nothing but positive...and he is in my opinion a great representive of SJU/NYC etc...
I wish more people would acknowledge the good he does but you know how that works...5,000 goods rarely trumps or negates one bad in the press 
 
 I agree , I think Ron has turned a corner . Its sad that he lost his temper but he seems to have it under control now and is really on a positive uptick in my opinion .
 
 Ron has been more candid about battles with mental illness than just about anyone. He has also put his money where his mouth is in terms of charity efforts. His being worthy of respect has been growing and growing.
 
 Ron has been more candid about battles with mental illness than just about anyone. He has also put his money where his mouth is in terms of charity efforts. His being worthy of respect has been growing and growing.
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If I recall correctly, Artest had refused to take his antipsychotic meds, because he didn't like the way they made him feel. Certainly as a professional athlete, some of the side effects of psychotropic agents make it difficult if not impossible to perform at a level necessary for the NBA. It's thus hard to predict if his days of erratic behavior are over - they likely aren't. He does appear to have a good heart, as some of his charitable efforts indicate.
 
I don't like people who make excuses, but I was home watching that game that night in Auburn, MI, and it was not as bad as the firestorm it became in the media.

Another example of the "video going viral", even that night the announcers didn't vilify Ron like what happened afterwards. Given his synapses mentally (self-admitted), and what those total yahoo fans did, it could have been any one of us, and I can say I might have done something similar that night.

No video of that thing, and the media witch hunt would not have been like it was, and the sentence imposed would have been half of what it was.

Now was it wrong? sure, no question; the fact is: he admitted that and served the onerous sentence imposed by Stern (to mollify the media firestorm) and made it back to a very tough league, to stay, pretty much with his game still at a very high level. I am very happy he got the championship!, I just wish we had one here with him, if he stayed I think we had a chance. He was THAT good.

For sure he is quirky, and then some, (remember the rambling press conference he held announcing his decision to go pro), but he is a good person at heart and the school should not treat him as a persona non grata, and, for what it is worth (alot!) did he give it all on the court (and off) for alma mater. Kudos to Ron Artest.

I defended him after the incident, because I was watching the whole thing real time, and not that he should have been without punishment but 99% of the people excoriating him only saw the minute video clip, not the whole thing unfold over the course of the entire game.
 
Apparently, not sure if its true or not but St. John's has cut all ties with Ron Artest since that fight. They were not to happy with "former St. John's player Ron Artest..." comments in the media when referencing to the brawl.

at least that's what everyone was saying when I was in school.

They have a bunch of pro team jerseys framed up on the teams section of Taffner ( Im guessing from every player that has been drafted from SJU) not sure if any of those jerseys are his.
Click to expand...
 

Pretty sure he was playing ball on campus this summer.
Click to expand...
 

he was at sju during his suspension. also, i worked campus rec and my boss asked him to leave after his little dog pee'd on taffner's court (the students side) a year or two after his suspension (court was literally a month old or so) and norm had to come over and smooth things over. he definitely was on campus during the suspension and had many visits afterwards.
 
Fun, what about the word "but" don't you understand?

I guess you've never made a big mistake in your life, that is good for you. 
 
Ron's legacy here in Indy is a bit uneven. Of course everyone was upset with Ron in the aftermath of the brawl (Pacer fans were convinced that team had passed the Pistons and were legit title contenders), but they generally stuck with Artest. His trade request the following year exhausted them, and they were glad to part ways. Most people today however look at Ron fondly, I think generally because he speaks so highly of his time in Indianapolis and continued to maintain a home here. He was also extremely approachable (for a few years I lived in a building downtown where he had a penthouse apt so when neighbors learned that I'm from NY and a St. John's alum, I always received a Artest story) They sympathize with his mental health struggles and admire his candor. For the person viewed most responsible for the demise of the Pacers, its actually pretty surprising to me. I'm glad that he hasn't been turned away from St. John's, since I doubt they would do that here.

quick story - 3 years ago I met Larry Bird at a restaurant bar, so after I said "hey, you're Larry (bleeping) Bird", he wryly smiled and I added "Why'd you trade Artest?". We then chatted a bit about St. John's, he was actually very nice about it.
 
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