St. John's Hall of Fame Weekend

beast of the east

beast of the east

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Tomorrow at halftime of the Seton Hall game, St. John's will introduce the honorees into the 2020 class of the SJU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Because of instability in the athletic department leadership, there has not been a class for 6 years. It's one of the many initiatives Mike Cragg has instituted to not only restore this process but to construct a permanent Hall of Fame exhibit connected to Carnesecca Arena. The room has been adorned with murals of our greatest athletes that have already been inducted, and a wall has been reserved whereby all inductees are listed.

Here is the run down for Saturday:

12 p.m. St. John’s men’s basketball vs. Seton Hall at MSG
Halftime – Eight Hall of Fame honorees introduced on court

6 p.m. - Reception begins (hors d’ouvres and open bar) in the D’Angelo Center
7:30 p.m. - Formal Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony begins in the D’Angelo Center

The reception and induction tomorrow I believe has an admission price of $50, but you can check with the athletic department.

Headline inductees include Felipe Lopez, Keegan Bradley, and the late Joe Russo. All inductees have had equally great athletic careers, of which we all are proud of.

St. John's has a rich athletic history, and the growth of a school is very much tied to athletic tradition. Villanova, Duke, Notre Dame, UNC, Ohio State, UCONN, and dozens of other schools have had their academic profile, applications, and endowment raised because of their success in athletics. A permanent HOF exhibit and regular inductions can have a very positive effect on our school.

If you are available, contact the school. I know you can register on a website but I don't have the address at my fingertips. I know some redmen.com posters will be there, such as Panther. It should be a day where SJU shines, no sparkles.
 
Saturday night's induction ceremony was a GREAT event for the university community and not just the athletic department.

My wife and I attended the previous induction ceremony 5 years ago, which was a breakfast ceremony and a small mostly family gathering. Chris Mullin was inducted along with CJ Nitkowski, Kia Wright, and 3 others.

Saturday's event was a measure of just how far our university and athletic department has come. The event began with a cocktail hour where inductees and their guests mingled with attendees, including former inductees. Both Chris Monasch and Ed Manetta, former AD's, were in attendance. The weather was horrible with icy snow, so both Coach C. and Coach K(aiser) wisely stayed home.

The induction itself began with an 8 minute video highlighting each inductees accomplishments that was really well done. You can find it on line at Redstorm sports..

What really stood out far above accomplishments on the field was just how much honorees were delighted to be back on campus. Their speeches overwhelmingly highlighted not their athletic successes, but the relationships they built while here, wonderful experiences as students, and just how much they loved St. John's.

This was an exceptional class of athletes and coaches, in part because we had not inducted a class in 5 years.

Tremendous kudos to AD Mike Cragg and the many people on his staff who put together a wonderful evening and helped in the planning of our permanent HOF exhibit.
 
I saw that Keegan Bradley attended to accept his induction. I hope the school and athletic department have repaired some of their relationship with Keegan as he was a big supporter of SJU earlier on in his career.
 
[quote="SJU14" post=373434]I saw that Keegan Bradley attended to accept his induction. I hope the school and athletic department have repaired some of their relationship with Keegan as he was a big supporter of SJU earlier on in his career.[/quote]

I spoke with Keegan before the induction. I'd never bring up the subject, but did say to him it is just so clear how happy he is to be here and he agreed. He is absolutely the kind of guy you want around the school, have as a friend, and I would say that if there were any issues before (I think they were about the dismissal of his coach), they are in the rear view mirror. Mike Cragg is an exceptional leader, and even spent about an hour on the phone with an honoree who couldn't attend, and in process I believe helped to mend some fences there as well.

We are in great hands, guys.
 
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[quote="Beast of the East" post=373438][quote="SJU14" post=373434]I saw that Keegan Bradley attended to accept his induction. I hope the school and athletic department have repaired some of their relationship with Keegan as he was a big supporter of SJU earlier on in his career.[/quote]

I spoke with Keegan before the induction. I'd never bring up the subject, but did say to him it is just so clear how happy he is to be here and he agreed. He is absolutely the kind of guy you want around the school, have as a friend, and I would say that if there were any issues before (I think they were about the dismissal of his coach), they are in the rear view mirror. Mike Cragg is an exceptional leader, and even spent about an hour on the phone with an honoree who couldn't attend, and in process I believe helped to mend some fences there as well.

We are in great hands, guys.[/quote]

Great to hear, thanks Beast!
 
[quote="SJU14" post=373441][quote="Beast of the East" post=373438][quote="SJU14" post=373434]I saw that Keegan Bradley attended to accept his induction. I hope the school and athletic department have repaired some of their relationship with Keegan as he was a big supporter of SJU earlier on in his career.[/quote].

I spoke with Keegan before the induction. I'd never bring up the subject, but did say to him it is just so clear how happy he is to be here and he agreed. He is absolutely the kind of guy you want around the school, have as a friend, and I would say that if there were any issues before (I think they were about the dismissal of his coach), they are in the rear view mirror. Mike Cragg is an exceptional leader, and even spent about an hour on the phone with an honoree who couldn't attend, and in process I believe helped to mend some fences there as well.

We are in great hands, guys.[/quote]

Great to hear, thanks Beast![/quote]. Great report , Beast .. a nice summary on Keegan Bradley too! I follow him every week on the PGA Tour . Good to see that he has returned to a top 60 Competitive Level ... The PGA and USGA didn’t help him or any of the belly putters with their ruling a few years ago. In actuality it is a Penalty against those players who had to adjust their putting to conform . It means Keegan and Adam Scott, Bernhard Langer and others had to change to a putting style that affects their scores . how long before Shamorie Ponds is eligible for Induction? He a Slam Dunk .. Lastly , I am in the Group that believes Derek Jeter should be a Unanimous Selection for the HOF tomorrow . Who agrees ?
 
[quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=373443][quote="SJU14" post=373441][quote="Beast of the East" post=373438][quote="SJU14" post=373434]I saw that Keegan Bradley attended to accept his induction. I hope the school and athletic department have repaired some of their relationship with Keegan as he was a big supporter of SJU earlier on in his career.[/quote].

I spoke with Keegan before the induction. I'd never bring up the subject, but did say to him it is just so clear how happy he is to be here and he agreed. He is absolutely the kind of guy you want around the school, have as a friend, and I would say that if there were any issues before (I think they were about the dismissal of his coach), they are in the rear view mirror. Mike Cragg is an exceptional leader, and even spent about an hour on the phone with an honoree who couldn't attend, and in process I believe helped to mend some fences there as well.

We are in great hands, guys.[/quote]

Great to hear, thanks Beast![/quote]. Great report , Beast .. a nice summary on Keegan Bradley too! I follow him every week on the PGA Tour . Good to see that he has returned to a top 60 Competitive Level ... The PGA and USGA didn’t help him or any of the belly putters with their ruling a few years ago. In actuality it is a Penalty against those players who had to adjust their putting to conform . It means Keegan and Adam Scott, Bernhard Langer and others had to change to a putting style that affects their scores . how long before Shamorie Ponds is eligible for Induction? He a Slam Dunk .. Lastly , I am in the Group that believes Derek Jeter should be a Unanimous Selection for the HOF tomorrow . Who agrees ?[/quote]

5 years. I think D'angelo is eligible next year. There will always be balance in the selection process as not to tilt towards basketball players, since we have some great athletes in sports with less visibility. Because there have been two long periods of time with no inductions, there is a pretty formidable list of men and women who are HOF worthy, including men's basketball, some of who had considerable careers playing professionally.
 
I was also there Saturday evening. Let me start off by saying my wife and I enjoyed spending time with Beast and his wife.

The event was tastefully put together. I have to admit that while I am not a fan of golf, I enjoyed talking with Keegan Bradley. He is a very engaging young man. Felipe was there with his mother and other family members. It was also nice to see all of the inductees and their families. It was also enjoyable because I actually knew Felipe, Jackie, and Da'Shena.

It was also nice to spend time reminiscing about St Johns basketball with Frank Alagia, Ron Rutledge, and others. Additionally, Father Rock was his usual entertaining self

The evening really showed St. Johns at its best. Mike Cragg should be commended for a job well done. He has really made an effort to infuse positive energy into the Athletic Department.
 
[quote="panther2" post=373457]I was also there Saturday evening. Let me start off by saying my wife and I enjoyed spending time with Beast and his wife.

The event was tastefully put together. I have to admit that while I am not a fan of golf, I enjoyed talking with Keegan Bradley. He is a very engaging young man. Felipe was there with his mother and other family members. It was also nice to see all of the inductees and their families. It was also enjoyable because I actually knew Felipe, Jackie, and Da'Shena.

It was also nice to spend time reminiscing about St Johns basketball with Frank Alagia, Ron Rutledge, and others. Additionally, Father Rock was his usual entertaining self

The evening really showed St. Johns at its best. Mike Cragg should be commended for a job well done. He has really made an effort to infuse positive energy into the Athletic Department.[/quote]

Ditto on spending time with Panther and his lovely wife.
 
Thanks for the insights.

For student-athletes, is graduation from the university a requirement for HOF ?
 
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[quote="RedStormNC" post=373467]Thanks for the insights.

For student-athletes, is graduation from the university a requirement for HOF ?[/quote]

Yes
 
[quote="Beast of the East" post=373469][quote="RedStormNC" post=373467]Thanks for the insights.

For student-athletes, is graduation from the university a requirement for HOF ?[/quote]

Yes[/quote]

Thanks... over time, I hope Shamorie Ponds has the opportunity to work toward that as time permits and when right for him.
 
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[quote="RedStormNC" post=373470][quote="Beast of the East" post=373469][quote="RedStormNC" post=373467]Thanks for the insights.

For student-athletes, is graduation from the university a requirement for HOF ?[/quote]

Yes[/quote]

Thanks... over time, I hope Shamorie Ponds has the opportunity to work toward that as time permits and when right for him.[/quote]

I hope so too. There are pros and cons for sure
 
[quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=373443] It means Keegan and Adam Scott, Bernhard Langer and others had to change to a putting style that affects their scores[/quote]

Yeah, it's killed Bernhard. He's only won 20 worldwide champion's tour events and 7 champion's tour majors since then. Oh and he turned 60 about 8 months after the rule change. You are right that the rule change did not benefit guys who were simply bad putters and used the anchoring to make up for it. But I had to respond because I always marvel at Langer, he is a superhuman beast. 62 years old and still one of the top guys on the champions tour. LOL
 
[quote="austour" post=373505][quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=373443] It means Keegan and Adam Scott, Bernhard Langer and others had to change to a putting style that affects their scores[/quote]

Yeah, it's killed Bernhard. He's only won 20 worldwide champion's tour events and 7 champion's tour majors since then. Oh and he turned 60 about 8 months after the rule change. You are right that the rule change did not benefit guys who were simply bad putters and used the anchoring to make up for it. But I had to respond because I always marvel at Langer, he is a superhuman beast. 62 years old and still one of the top guys on the champions tour. LOL[/quote]

PS dude is going to shoot his age in a tournament soon. Unbelievable. Can he break Hale Irwin's record of shooting his age 39 x's on the senior tour?
 
Golf ruling body is nuts with rule and rule changes.
 
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