St. John's basketball family should be embarrassed

I'll be embarrassed as a fan if we don't get DLo to a tournament next year. The poor dude plays his heart out, and unfortunately he doesn't get the same out of his teammates and coaches. If he leaves as a senior without an NCAA birth, I will feel terrible. Love that guy, and hope we make it next year. And it kills me i keep saying next year, with selection Sunday in three days, and our name isn't gonna called, unless it's on the list of bubble teams that came up short. Now we all have to wait months and months before we got another shot. I'm like five seasons deep as a johnnies fan and I'm already sick of this so I can't imagine how some of you guys feel :)
 
I'm not embarrassed my team lost a hard fought game..disappointed, frustrated, heartbroken.. yes.... I think embarrassment should be reserved for things far worse than inconsistency on a basketball court.
 
Honestly, the thing that I am most embarrassed about is how negative this fan base is. Okay so we didn't make the tournament this year but we have a team that has improved every year that they have been here and will have played in the post season 2 out of their 3 years here. Whether it's the NIT or NCAA's that's not something we were able to say under the previous administration. This is still pretty much Lavin's first class. Right now we are being led by a starting lineup with a freshman pg, 2 juniors and 2 sophomore front court players. We are in a VERY, VERY good position to do some real damage next year. I hate when people say we need to make the NCAA's for experience next year. The NIT is giving this team post season experience this year. Look at teams like Virginia, Ariz. St etc. A successful year next year sets us up with a very good class in 2015 hopefully including Diallo, Brisco, and Govan and who knows we may have Jakarr and Obekpa back. We are also playing in Maui in 2015, something this program has never done which should also help tremendously with recruiting. I see way too many fans looking at the "negatives" around the program but we are definitely heading in the right direction, some people just expect us to be Duke overnight. Don't get me wrong today hurt me as much as it did all of you guys but i just refuse to dwell on our "terrible" season. If i recall correctly we were picked 5th in the Big East.
 
Extremely disappointing end to what started out as an extremely disappointing season and morphed into something that at least looked somewhat promising. Nothing to be embarrassed about, but the fact of the matter is that if the team can't get to the dance playing against this type pf watered down competition, then it's really not very good. That falls on the shoulders of everyone involved in the program. This team needs to assert itself as the flagship program of the Big East, and in a hurry, or the days of big time basketball in the Big East may very well be dead.
 
If you're not embarrassed, you don't know what basketball is supposed to look like.

Please stop with the Mahoney, Jarvis, Roberts comparisons. We all saw it and using them to set a level of expectation is signing up to be average.

If you are embarrassed, you'd have to explain to me what your role is in the losses or wins. Even the kid handing out Gatorade or towels or setting up timeout chairs had nothing to be embarrassed about.

Get an F'ing grip - not two weeks ago Rysheed Jordan attended the funeral of his aunt, who was murdered. Do you really think he should be embarrassed about today? Then you shouldn't either.
 
I've played hoops for years and followed this team for 25 years. I know what it looks like I am just not a pathetic individual who's life is Johnnies basketball.

Your still on a message board posting multiple times about this subject. Must be a pretty important part of your life.
 
It's funny reading the people who like to defend Lavin by bringing up Norm. A year or two ago you were insulted when they were put in the same sentence. Now all you of you are hyprocrites by doing so in order to defend Lav.

Funny thing is there's no argument to be made. In actuality Norm served his purpose just fine. He cleaned up a program that had turned into scum. What has Lavin done? The guy makes excuse after excuse after excuse. And THAT is my problem. Take some accountability Stevie cause this nice-guy excuse bs doesn't suit anybody well. It's only the clueless apologists who are still buying that crap.

Lavin hasn`t done anything. Want to say he got to the NCAA his first year? That was with Norm`s kids.
Want to say, but hey atleast Lavin got them there? I`d bet they got to the ncaa because of Dunlap.
Maybe they win 2 or 3 games that they lost this year and would of made the ncaa.

To me Lavin is like Norm. Ok, maybe no more blowouts, but they lose competitive games. A loss is a loss right.
Next year will be the seniors last chance.
I treat everyone equal, if we complained about Norm, then we could complain about Lavin.

Why extend him? Shouldn`t he only be extended if we succeed? Are we ok with going to the NIT, again?
I`m not.
Lavin defenders say we`re going in the right direction. Well how better will we be next year with the same players, minus, Sanchez, and GG.
It`s not 100% that Adonis is coming, and Lavin better not get some 3star play just to add a body?

Maybe Lavin doesn`t have to earn it, just give him what he want.
 
It's funny reading the people who like to defend Lavin by bringing up Norm. A year or two ago you were insulted when they were put in the same sentence. Now all you of you are hyprocrites by doing so in order to defend Lav.

Funny thing is there's no argument to be made. In actuality Norm served his purpose just fine. He cleaned up a program that had turned into scum. What has Lavin done? The guy makes excuse after excuse after excuse. And THAT is my problem. Take some accountability Stevie cause this nice-guy excuse bs doesn't suit anybody well. It's only the clueless apologists who are still buying that crap.

Lavin hasn`t done anything. Want to say he got to the NCAA his first year? That was with Norm`s kids.
Want to say, but hey atleast Lavin got them there? I`d bet they got to the ncaa because of Dunlap.
Maybe they win 2 or 3 games that they lost this year and would of made the ncaa.

To me Lavin is like Norm. Ok, maybe no more blowouts, but they lose competitive games. A loss is a loss right.
Next year will be the seniors last chance.
I treat everyone equal, if we complained about Norm, then we could complain about Lavin.

Why extend him? Shouldn`t he only be extended if we succeed? Are we ok with going to the NIT, again?
I`m not.
Lavin defenders say we`re going in the right direction. Well how better will we be next year with the same players, minus, Sanchez, and GG.
It`s not 100% that Adonis is coming, and Lavin better not get some 3star play just to add a body?

Maybe Lavin doesn`t have to earn it, just give him what he want.

I'm not content with the NIT either. But you and I aren't the ones that sign his check. Maybe. just maybe, the administration is fine with the NIT. If so, we'll either need to find another team to root for or accept many years of rooting for mediocrity.
 
I'll tell you what's embarrassing. Next week everyone at our jobs will be filling in their brackets, laughing about schools they've never even heard of that are playing in the big dance. Then they'll ask where St. John's is. The St. John's team we've spent all winter watching and talking about. We'll have to reply, "They didn't make it. The team I've been talking up since last fall isn't even among the top SIXTY EIGHT teams in the country."
 
I really like to just come on here after losses and look at grown men who act like the world just ended because a bunch of 18 to 22 year old kids lost a game today. It is absolutely pathetic.

Am i upset we lost today damn straight but to say I feel embarrassed nah don't think so.

The post I scooped up from Hoyatalk just reinforces my point.

I was irked earlier, and still a tad annoyed that we blew it. But life goes on. I don't care for the NIT, but as much as I don't want any part of it.... I'll be watching us playing in it, if that is the hand we're dealt.

I only like posting when there is stupid jibberish- like to keep things honest around here.

I basically said the thing after the loss
 
Posters are not at fault and thus cannot be embarrassed. Disgusted would be more accurate. SJU is not getting much for it's 2,000,000 plus unknown other salaries and costs
 
In retrospect, the five-game losing streak likely killed the season. If we win just two of those games, we're sitting with 22 wins right now and probably a lock to make the tournament. I think that is probably the kind of season most of us expected, given the talented and experienced team we have -- not 20 wins and sitting on the bubble after an early exit in the BET.
 
In retrospect, the five-game losing streak likely killed the season. If we win just two of those games, we're sitting with 22 wins right now and probably a lock to make the tournament. I think that is probably the kind of season most of us expected, given the talented and experienced team we have -- not 20 wins and sitting on the bubble after an early exit in the BET.


What kills me is 4 of those 5 games were wins there for the taking
 
I'll tell you what's embarrassing. Next week everyone at our jobs will be filling in their brackets, laughing about schools they've never even heard of that are playing in the big dance. Then they'll ask where St. John's is. The St. John's team we've spent all winter watching and talking about. We'll have to reply, "They didn't make it. The team I've been talking up since last fall isn't even among the top SIXTY EIGHT teams in the country."

Really?
 
I've played hoops for years and followed this team for 25 years. I know what it looks like I am just not a pathetic individual who's life is Johnnies basketball.

Your still on a message board posting multiple times about this subject. Must be a pretty important part of your life.

Yea, Important- I am a fan- but I am not on a message board saying my life is over because a bunch of 18-22 year olds lost a game. That's pathetic just like yourself.
 
It's funny reading the people who like to defend Lavin by bringing up Norm. A year or two ago you were insulted when they were put in the same sentence. Now all you of you are hyprocrites by doing so in order to defend Lav.

Funny thing is there's no argument to be made. In actuality Norm served his purpose just fine. He cleaned up a program that had turned into scum. What has Lavin done? The guy makes excuse after excuse after excuse. And THAT is my problem. Take some accountability Stevie cause this nice-guy excuse bs doesn't suit anybody well. It's only the clueless apologists who are still buying that crap.

I have been watching SJU since Lapchick teams did more with less than almost anyone ever and I have disliked Lavin's on-court product which I see as doing less with more, since watching his UCLA teams. I do not want Lavin fired. I do not want SJU to aspire to small time basketball (Norm Roberts era), or basketball at the expense of human decency (Jarvis era), or basketball that causes players' parents to complain about abuse (Fraschilla era). I disliked Louie's last few years as I thought he became inflexible as he approached the end of his career.

Problem for me is I am fully aware of jumping out of the frying pan in to the fire. Lavin gives us presence, decency towards players, and recruiting competency. What remains to be seen is whether some of the athletes he recruits can be nurtured to higher levels of basketball smarts, perhaps using red shirts and an occasional CYO grinder.

I would rather continue with Lavin and hope that every once in a while a player's leadership skills overcome his coaching shortcomings (D'Lo certainly has tried and D'Lo on the court with Sheed and Branch has made us look very good at times). I don't want another small timer, a cheat, or an abuser.

My sense is that there is an unspoken rule that is unbalancing Lavin's coaching and which also affected Jarvis; if you blow a defensive assignment you are sitting or if more defense is needed to quiet an opposing player getting on a roll, I will sub in more defense. When this has resulted in more Sir Dom or Phil, particularly with neither Branch or Rysheed on the court, it has hurt us all year. Marcus Hatten saved Jarvis for two years. Lavin has to let Branch and Rysheed do the same for him.
 
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