Class of 72 posted:
one fan who went to school with CM just doesn't think he will ever grasp the x&o parts of the game and be able to effectively "teach" to be successful at this level.
Hey 72...... did this unidentified "fan" you have quoted as an authority in one or more of your posts also foresee that the StJohn's starting backdoor wherein each player plays approximately 35 minutes per game and collectively contribute approximately 35 points per game would both be injured for the Seton Hall game?
Dear 72,
Looking at players who have played more than 1 season or been practising more than 1 season for our Coach who supposedly can’t coach, did:
Mussini improve;
Owens improve;
Simon improve ;
Ahmed improve;
Lovett improve;
Ponds improve ;
Clark improve ;
You know my answer. Did we go from a very poor defensive team to a very good defensive team before Ponds and Lovett got hurt ? Yes we did.
Can This staff recruit ? Clearly.
Maybe you should tell your unnamed friend that his preconceived notion is to date incorrect.
North I'm not sure you or OTIS are just being defensive or sarcastic. We are all fans of the same team here. There are many posters here who are not fans of Chris Mullin as a coach. Why would you or OTIS, two long time mods here, emphasize an "unnamed" friend in trying to negate what I said. BTW, I said "fan" and not friend. Would it be apropos to refer to OTIS as Robert R..., to Paultzman as Bob S...or anyone else here who prefers their screen name? I know you know my name from our personal discussions but named or unnamed, that fan has a right to his opinion based upon his experience. I did not judge or agree.
As far as your list above I would be happy to reply.
Mussini was a hard nosed player who was a streaky shooter. A great kid who always gave 110%. I was a fan, unlike most here. That said, he had a difficult time defending bigger and faster players. His shooting never matched expectations as Dr. Fun can attest to.
Owens can become a special player. He spent the entire off season improving his game with his dad managing his workouts. He had minimal contact with the staff in the off season. Crediting Mullin is as valid as crediting Matt in his improvement as far as I am concerned.
Simon was a practice player last year so there is no baseline to evaluate him. I like him a lot but for the simple fact that being tutored by both Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin his shooting sucks as does his foul shooting form.
Ahmed is basically the same player I saw play in high school here in NYC. Same drives, same shooting form. Just bigger and more matured as a player. Rarely plays a complete game imo. A good player at this level.
Lovett played very well last year and very little this year. Outstanding player under 6' and a glue guy who could play more under control but he and Slick seemingly have a green light from CM to do as they please on offense.
Shamorie Ponds I watched closely as a high player as you know. I said then he had the God given "natural" talent to be a special player. I also said that defense was not in his vocabulary and although he has improved slightly on the defensive end he still dogs it and our coach doesn't seem to mind. Coach also apparently designs 30 foot 3 point attempts for Slick with no one under the basket. He has gotten stronger physically but not smarter as yet.
Clark had the good fortune to have played for one of the best coaches in the business. You may credit CM if you like. I will be neutral since I was hoping for more of a power player than a Bashir-like outside threat. Call me picky.
Kassoum Yakwe has improved his free throw firm. Credit to Mullin. He has regressed in every other aspect of the game since freshman year. Credit Mullin.
Amar Alibegovic is the nicest kid you could meet and I met both him to and Musso last year and had an interesting discussion in an unnamed romance language. It was then I got the impression Musso would leave after his sophomore year.
Amar has gotten stronger physically and loves the game. He could have been a good player at the lower level. No one is to blame. Not even Chris Mullin.
Can the staff (Matt) recruit? Absolutely! Will the roster be as balanced next year as we expect? Time will tell. But I can tell you this and that is if both Lovett and Ponds leave what would have our biggest strength may become a weakness. Mikey may be able to compensate for Marcus but he is no Ponds. Perhaps Justin will improve his outside shooting under Richmond and Mullin. I have not seen it to date. Trimble will never ever be a starter. So, when you casually dismiss the 5th year grad as a possibility should sh*t happen; and at St. John's you know it will, then should a Kassius Robertson become available as he did for Missouri, if you don't think Matt would pounce then you don't know that next year is THE pivotal year for this staff. They will have the height and front court depth to go deep into post season. It will be the backcourt that will be dictate whether they will have the depth to accomplish their NCAA goal. That is just my lowly opinion. What do I know?
