Had the pleasure of attending a sponsor's 2 hour "Meet and Greet" with Coach Lavin last wednesday. It was held at Stouts in Manhattan. Coach Lavin came in and looked very well. He fielded questions for about 15 minutes and then went around the room speaking casually with everyone there for about an hour.
He stated that he is about 85%, which is "more than sufficient because the players do the exerting stuff".
He was very upbeat about the team (not news, you would have to expect that). He said this team is very deep..perhaps the deepest team he has ever coached. He said they should have very good balance, and he is excited about the possibilities afforded by the many varied talents these kids bring to the table. He singled out Chris Obepka is an unusual talent...a kid who "controls the air space around the basket". He says Chris is a special shot blocker with god given talents...one of those guys who can sometimes block two...even three shots in a series. He has that special ability to reject shots without fouling.
Coach said he feels that as these kids mature, he is excited about our ability to press and get the ball out on the break. He thought our press would eventually be very good. He talked about big men with handle and mentioned Sanchez in specific as a kid who is a great rebounder, but can also dribble the ball in traffic.
I asked him if Garrett was in school and he answered positively...and said that Amir is definitely part of the plans for this season. He mentioned that Amir "loves" playing basketball.
I asked him whether the sudden depletion of quality teams from the Big East has affected his recruiting in any way. He answered the the changes have had "absolutely no impact" on his recruiting. He stated that they are working on a few major additions for next season. He mentioned that it would help to have more players in the NBA...like when he was at UCLA he had several (Baron Davis, Dan Gadjurik, Matt Barnes to name a few) and that we currently only have "Metta World Peace" (that drew a giggle from the group).
He touched briefly on the abilities of Branch...declaring him to be a very very exciting player, but perhaps a tad too creative..a point guard who sometimes tries to do things in too spectacular a fashion, where simplicity might suffice...but also talked about this kid's excellent game and potential to contribute significantly.
He talked about the "bounce" that Sampson possesses...and that he almost looks like he's about to sky, while just walking through the halls at school. he will be a very good player for us.
He talked about our youth...one senior and one junior..and that we will need time to come together.
He talked about the luxury of having some depth this year...and how the natural defensive abilities of a number of our players will now have an opportunity to shine, without the short bench problems of last year.
I also took the opportunity to thank him for all the fans...in particular our dedicated supporters here at Redmen.com (he said he'll have to check us out). I told him that there were many who had declared us dead in the water, and that the culture for basketball excellence was over for SJU. However, his appearance on the scene and his uncanny ability to recruit had put us back on the map....and that we are all most grateful for his amazing impact on the program. He spoke about our great traditions and the important place of St. John's in the history of the game...and how great an honor it is to be coaching here.
All in all, a very fun evening for a fan of Red Storm basketball.
He stated that he is about 85%, which is "more than sufficient because the players do the exerting stuff".
He was very upbeat about the team (not news, you would have to expect that). He said this team is very deep..perhaps the deepest team he has ever coached. He said they should have very good balance, and he is excited about the possibilities afforded by the many varied talents these kids bring to the table. He singled out Chris Obepka is an unusual talent...a kid who "controls the air space around the basket". He says Chris is a special shot blocker with god given talents...one of those guys who can sometimes block two...even three shots in a series. He has that special ability to reject shots without fouling.
Coach said he feels that as these kids mature, he is excited about our ability to press and get the ball out on the break. He thought our press would eventually be very good. He talked about big men with handle and mentioned Sanchez in specific as a kid who is a great rebounder, but can also dribble the ball in traffic.
I asked him if Garrett was in school and he answered positively...and said that Amir is definitely part of the plans for this season. He mentioned that Amir "loves" playing basketball.
I asked him whether the sudden depletion of quality teams from the Big East has affected his recruiting in any way. He answered the the changes have had "absolutely no impact" on his recruiting. He stated that they are working on a few major additions for next season. He mentioned that it would help to have more players in the NBA...like when he was at UCLA he had several (Baron Davis, Dan Gadjurik, Matt Barnes to name a few) and that we currently only have "Metta World Peace" (that drew a giggle from the group).
He touched briefly on the abilities of Branch...declaring him to be a very very exciting player, but perhaps a tad too creative..a point guard who sometimes tries to do things in too spectacular a fashion, where simplicity might suffice...but also talked about this kid's excellent game and potential to contribute significantly.
He talked about the "bounce" that Sampson possesses...and that he almost looks like he's about to sky, while just walking through the halls at school. he will be a very good player for us.
He talked about our youth...one senior and one junior..and that we will need time to come together.
He talked about the luxury of having some depth this year...and how the natural defensive abilities of a number of our players will now have an opportunity to shine, without the short bench problems of last year.
I also took the opportunity to thank him for all the fans...in particular our dedicated supporters here at Redmen.com (he said he'll have to check us out). I told him that there were many who had declared us dead in the water, and that the culture for basketball excellence was over for SJU. However, his appearance on the scene and his uncanny ability to recruit had put us back on the map....and that we are all most grateful for his amazing impact on the program. He spoke about our great traditions and the important place of St. John's in the history of the game...and how great an honor it is to be coaching here.
All in all, a very fun evening for a fan of Red Storm basketball.
