Roster Turnover

[SJU85]

I do agree that most of our transfers are reasonably easy to replace.  The exceptions are........

Moore -Unique talent, but had to go.  I can live with him leaving.

Earlington  -Definitely a loss and I hate that we don't have him for his senior year.  I thought he might transfer last year and I do understand him wanting more playing time.

Williams  -This is the one that makes me wonder.  Considering who he is on and off the court, we have to retain this type of kid.  I have a theory why he left and I do see CMA as responsible. 

So....I get that it is a crazy transfer year, but we lost one too many.  Greg was the red line for me.  I love CMA and have confidence we will remain competitive, but I also hope this was a learning lesson.  

You are right.  Those are the only transfers people should be rightfully upset about.  However 2 weren't CMA kids so that should temper things IMO.  I could toss in Cole only because it was a CMA transfer where he clearly struck out on the two JUCO's.

What's your theory on Williams?

I think personally at the end of games who was on the floor.  It was Wusu.  Was it a mix of Greg being hurt and CMA want to put his guy in Wusu into the fire and see how he handled it?  I think Greg saw the writing on the wall that freshman become Sophomores and Wusu would play as much if not more.  And I like Greg.  He impressed the heck out of me shooting the ball last year after he finished his previous year on that hot streak.

You pretty much nailed my theory on Williams.  Although, it wasn't just that Wusu was on the floor at end of games. CMA was actually calling final possession plays for him.  I figure Greg felt that he was the upperclassmen, just as able to get to the basket, and a better free throw shooter.  And....he's not wrong. 

Bottom line, CMA picked Wusu as his boy.  I think that was a mistake, but hopefully I am wrong.  As I said in an early post, Wusu is going to have to shoot the ball much better or we need to land a player that will.  Otherwise, CMA may have bet on the wrong kid.   Would have been nothing wrong with having Wusu wait his turn to be a final possession type guy.

I agree that Greg was upset about not being in games at crunch time and possibly that after he managed his back injury, did not return to the starting lineup.  I believe the pick of Wusu over Williams had to do more with defense and not offense.  

And I don’t recall Wusu getting plays run for him on final possessions.  I recall Champ had a couple (including a beautifully run double pick three off of a side in bound which the shot was just off) and a inbound to Greg that resulted in a layup to send us to overtime.  I don’t recall any for Wusu.  

Wusu had the game winning bucket vs Marquette and the go ahead bucket vs Butler before the ensuing inbounds blunder.

I think CMA had Greg behind Posh Dunn and for the most part Wusu. Could be cause he was partial to the guys he recruited. Could be because he thought those 3 were better. Love CMA and happy he is our coach, but if he thought Greg was 4th out of those guys than I disagree. Same if he thinks taking smith over him was worth it, but there’s a good chance that wasn’t an either or situation so not assuming that’s the case.

Thanks, forgot about those, but were they really off plays called for him, or during the course of the offensive set, did he see an opportunity to take it to the hole and cease it?

Based on those two buckets during crunch time, you would think more people would be confident in his future and realizing what he did it as a freshman and like most freshman (even if they are one and domes and do it in the pros) will improve.

 

[Jack Williams]

I consider this a lighter point - but it sure makes sense now that the team skipped the NIT. They probably didn't have five guys willing to make the trip.

if my math is correct Wusu would’ve been playing with 4 walk ons lol.

cause Posh needed surgery on his hand. 

I kind of wish we got one NIT game of just Wusu taking 27 shots and losing 93-58 hahaha

 

[Wolfie]

18mpg for a 13-6 Conf...18 - 10 overall team./media/kunena/emoticons/smile.png

 

[room112]

I consider this a lighter point - but it sure makes sense now that the team skipped the NIT. They probably didn't have five guys willing to make the trip.

The whole Big East skipped the NIT. Including Seton Hall and Xavier. So I don't think it's fair to assume anything. Plus, the kids never appeared that they didn't enjoy playing together.

 

[Redzing1969]

Boy ,so many of you must have time to spare complaining about this stuff. I’m an avid fan and I msure come October we will have a full team and I will bet any of the skeptics by end of season 2022 , Anderson’s winning record will still be intact. Any takers?

 

[Amaseinyourface]

Boy ,so many of you must have time to spare complaining about this stuff. I’m an avid fan and I msure come October we will have a full team and I will bet any of the skeptics by end of season 2022 , Anderson’s winning record will still be intact. Any takers?

A winning record is not the goal for next year.

 

[JohnnyFan]

Boy ,so many of you must have time to spare complaining about this stuff. I’m an avid fan and I msure come October we will have a full team and I will bet any of the skeptics by end of season 2022 , Anderson’s winning record will still be intact. Any takers?

A winning record is not the goal for next year.

And this is exactly the point.

 

[monte]

Boy ,so many of you must have time to spare complaining about this stuff. I’m an avid fan and I msure come October we will have a full team and I will bet any of the skeptics by end of season 2022 , Anderson’s winning record will still be intact. Any takers?

A winning record is not the goal for next year.

It shouldn't be, but for much of our fan base and for the media, as long as they can continue to tout CMA's consecutive winning season streak, that will be enough for them for at least another 5 years. At least. 
 

 

[Jack Williams]

Boy ,so many of you must have time to spare complaining about this stuff. I’m an avid fan and I msure come October we will have a full team and I will bet any of the skeptics by end of season 2022 , Anderson’s winning record will still be intact. Any takers?

A winning record is not the goal for next year.

it’s a shame this even has to be said. Going 16-15 is not a win just because Mike A keeps this streak.

the streak of winning seasons is purely fodder for broadcasting crews to talk about when they do our games. It’s nothing more 

 

[Jack Williams]

Boy ,so many of you must have time to spare complaining about this stuff. I’m an avid fan and I msure come October we will have a full team and I will bet any of the skeptics by end of season 2022 , Anderson’s winning record will still be intact. Any takers?

A winning record is not the goal for next year.

It shouldn't be, but for much of our fan base and for the media, as long as they can continue to tout CMA's consecutive winning season streak, that will be enough for them for at least another 5 years. At least. 

 

If there are fans on this board that are content with Mike A going one game over .500 for the rest of eternity just so it salvages this streak... I ask those posters reveal themselves now so I can make a mental note to always skip over their posts. 

 

[ghostzapper]

Just my take but I am sad about every single player leaving before they were scheduled to do so. Each player had their moments on the court where you could say that they were a very positive part of the mix. Some obviously were more apparent than others but they all found ways to contribute at certain times. One of the things I love about CMA is that he is just as quick to find praise for his tenth man as he is for his more prominent players. If you have ever been that Rudy type of player sitting at the end of the bench on a team you know what kind of value that has for you. Additionally, none of these players did things on or off the court that seemed to make you feel bad about them being representatives of SJU. In some cases, specifically Greg Williams Jr., they were outstanding members of the community that we could truly admire. I think CMA, through his own example, sets a tone for positive people and positive performance from his team and it shows up on and off the court,

On the exodus to the Transfer Portal, I wanted to point out one thing that I have observed as it pertains to SJU.  I do not think it is a coincidence that the three players who remain are NYC kids. If I were a kid from South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, or anywhere well outside of the area and came to SJU for the NYC experience I would not be happy about the last twelve months of living in lockdown during the Pandemic. It is not surprising to me that any individual would feel cheated about that and want to be closer to home. I am sure that this is not the only factor in these Transfers but I would be willing to bet that it definitely is a significant part of the mix for many.

 

 

[shamsman2]

Boy ,so many of you must have time to spare complaining about this stuff. I’m an avid fan and I msure come October we will have a full team and I will bet any of the skeptics by end of season 2022 , Anderson’s winning record will still be intact. Any takers?

A winning record is not the goal for next year.

It shouldn't be, but for much of our fan base and for the media, as long as they can continue to tout CMA's consecutive winning season streak, that will be enough for them for at least another 5 years. At least. 

I still talk with plenty of my fellow SJU alumni and don't know one, who doesn't want to hear our named called on Selection Sunday, with a chance to advance. Appreciate your love of SJU hoops, and think that Anderson wants as much if not more than you.
 

 

[Redzing1969]

If I remember correctly this years record was 16-11 NOT 16-15! That is a fine improvement over 2020,62%  vs 52% winning percentage.It probably would have been a 4 -5 win increase based on full season!No reason why that can’t be improved upon again next year, even if Julian defects. I’d still bet on CMA and his system! 

 

[IDRAFT]

I consider this a lighter point - but it sure makes sense now that the team skipped the NIT. They probably didn't have five guys willing to make the trip.

The whole Big East skipped the NIT. Including Seton Hall and Xavier. So I don't think it's fair to assume anything. Plus, the kids never appeared that they didn't enjoy playing together.

It was a joke. Since the rule is it’s a bad one if you have to explain that - I will own that.

 

[Jack Williams]

If I remember correctly this years record was 16-11 NOT 16-15! That is a fine improvement over 2020,62%  vs 52% winning percentage.It probably would have been a 4 -5 win increase based on full season!No reason why that can’t be improved upon again next year, even if Julian defects. I’d still bet on CMA and his system! 

I’m not talking about this season.

im saying, there better not be fans who would be happy if we go 16-15 in the future just because it preserves some streak. F the streak if we aren’t making NCAA Tournaments 

 

[monte]

If I remember correctly this years record was 16-11 NOT 16-15! That is a fine improvement over 2020,62%  vs 52% winning percentage.It probably would have been a 4 -5 win increase based on full season!No reason why that can’t be improved upon again next year, even if Julian defects. I’d still bet on CMA and his system! 

I’m not talking about this season.

im saying, there better not be fans who would be happy if we go 16-15 in the future just because it preserves some streak. F the streak if we aren’t making NCAA Tournaments 

Exactly Jack. If Julian comes back and if we fill the remaining ships with much better talent then we lost, then we can still make the big dance next season. So I haven't given up hope. But there is no way anyone is going to convince me that we are in a better position right now to make the tourney next season, then we were one month ago. 

 

[Money]

If I remember correctly this years record was 16-11 NOT 16-15! That is a fine improvement over 2020,62%  vs 52% winning percentage.It probably would have been a 4 -5 win increase based on full season!No reason why that can’t be improved upon again next year, even if Julian defects. I’d still bet on CMA and his system! 

I’m not talking about this season.

im saying, there better not be fans who would be happy if we go 16-15 in the future just because it preserves some streak. F the streak if we aren’t making NCAA Tournaments 

Why are you losing your mind about what other fans think about the streak?  
You talk about its all about making NCAA Tournaments but then incessantly complain about a bunch of non-making tournament players moving on, BTW most who contributed very little to this team.

If your goal is to make tournaments then you should be happy that this staff has a chance to bring in better talent than the ones that have been here the last 2 years and did not achieve your said objective.

I for one, believe all of the players that left can be replaced or improved upon - with exception of Champ.  
Let's see who's on this team come October and then we can all lose our collective shat if need be!
 

 

[Wolfie]

 McGriff 
Caraher 
Cole 
Moore 
Dunn
Earl 
Greg 
Champ (maybe) 

I don’t think THIS is happening to everybody. Sure there’s a lot of movement going on but potentially 8 departures is a lot

Let's be realistic about this.  No one expected Dunn to come back, as he was a senior.  Caraher graduated already and he was not going to get any meaningful minutes going forward.  Roberts, who is omitted from this list, probably needs a fresh start if his body heals.  Cole and Moore--I don't know, but Cole did not live up to expectations--at least mine--to be a big time scorer who could give us some of what we missed without LJ.  The ones I am surprised about are GW and Earlington; but it seems like Earl is looking for more minutes, so I can understand that.

Overall, these departures should not raise any red flags at all.

100% agree. Great post mm52. Dunn was long gone...off to Wall Street or wherever, the fact he is now in the Portal is likely due to scrimped PT next year if he returned. Caraher was an in-season dropout due to...PT...McGriff is transferring because of...PT...Josh is gone : PT. Moore's a personality issue and Cole's his buddy. GW and Marcellus are the 2 surprises and are losses as is Moore
I wish all these guys great success elsewhere and yes, this much T/O is bad, but to blame CMA for this is a misdirected reaction like blaming a CEO who turned a floundering business around because he's losing employees. He's losing employees because his vision is a new direction and he's hiring better associates. Yes, Julian would be the game changer IF he transfers--but who would blame him if he opts out for the NBA?
Let's wait a couple months because we blame anybody for this...yes...'instability'...an 'instability' due more to the NCAA's past abuse of players than to any 'one' coach's fault.
 

 

[monte]

If I remember correctly this years record was 16-11 NOT 16-15! That is a fine improvement over 2020,62%  vs 52% winning percentage.It probably would have been a 4 -5 win increase based on full season!No reason why that can’t be improved upon again next year, even if Julian defects. I’d still bet on CMA and his system! 

I’m not talking about this season.

im saying, there better not be fans who would be happy if we go 16-15 in the future just because it preserves some streak. F the streak if we aren’t making NCAA Tournaments 

Why are you losing your mind about what other fans think about the streak?  
You talk about its all about making NCAA Tournaments but then incessantly complain about a bunch of non-making tournament players moving on, BTW most who contributed very little to this team.

If your goal is to make tournaments then you should be happy that this staff has a chance to bring in better talent than the ones that have been here the last 2 years and did not achieve your said objective.

I for one, believe all of the players that left can be replaced or improved upon - with exception of Champ.  
Let's see who's on this team come October and then we can all lose our collective shat if need be!

Show me better players and I'll STFU. So far it's about the same except the new kids have to learn CMA's system. So this is a case of  subtraction by addition; same level of talent coming in with no knowledge of CMA's system. So far I see a wash, maybe. 
 

 

[guinness77]

This is my last post regarding any of this bickering and complaining. 

1) these are the rules the NCAA put out. Don’t blame Anderson. There are more than 1000 players in the portal already. If you average that out to every Division I program that’s still damn near 4 players per program. 

2) it’s April 2nd for Christ’s sake. April 2nd. The National Championship hasn’t even been decided yet. 

3) you’re all supposedly grown men who have supported this program in one way or the other for decades no? This is the kinda stuff that really pisses you off? There have been many, much worse things that have happened than a few kids transferring (especially when there is a one-time rule allowing them to do so scot-free). 

4) this dude, the coach. You all loved him 2 weeks ago. All of a sudden he’s a turd? That’s it? Every program in the country is losing, on average, 4 players and this is all on him? Hilarious, considering he was the cat’s pajamas 2 weeks ago. 

5) a lot of you pushing some narrative the media is “destroying” us in the press. Uh, that’s mostly you. On this board. Pot meet kettle. 

6) you all would have been lovely when the Revolutionary War or WWII started. We would have surrendered after the first week. Grow a pair. There’s bigger problems then your favorite basketball team losing 8 guys to the dreaded portal. 

7) these kids have just gone through a major pandemic where they have been locked down for a full year. As Ghostzapper so astutely pointed out, a lot of them could think transferring closer to home (or further away from it) could be comforting to them at what is probably the most stressful days of their lives. Wheeler said flat out he wants to be closer to home. 

Need I go on? I could you know.