Very safe to assume Matt would be completely on same page as Pitino and also he loves St. John’s
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Matt won’t have to be doing anything to get involved in the coaching stuff, just supercharging our recruiting and NIL.
redfan253fff
Active member
All for this but what’s the story behind him being a “rat”?
Think that had more to him feeding Zach info but I’ll say this and I knocked him here during that whole Mullin thing but he busted his ass recruiting for us I don’t believe he ever didn’t work and think he would be the absolute best and perfect hire l. I think it’s the perfect situation and with Pitino eye for talent the sky is the limit. Pitino is sheer brilliant seems always 2 steps ahead
True and I believe these GM positions allow for telephone contact with recruits only.
That wouldn’t stop him from having Pitino or staff call his Rolodex of contacts though
It makes a lot of sense. A guy like Matt will know Pitino runs the show. He recruited talent here and is connected. HIs on-court "coaching" was always subject to criticism, as was the notion he needed to get his name in the paper to distinguish himself from other assistants (fair, or not). He seemingly loves St. John's. I believe he also loves the area, although he didn't like some of the social media stuff that came with being a high-profile assistant coach, which I think made him sour a bit about being home. You avoid that with this role, but get to do what you are good at doing, for one of the best ever, for a school you like and in a place you like. And Pitino won't sign off on this unless he buys into the idea and believes he can hold the guy accountable.
I am so giddy right now that I read your entire post and never complained once about paragraphs.
redmen4life
Well-known member
If it is Matt, I think it’s a very bad hire.This was an easy one Imo reading Sammy’s tweet, yeah Matt was knee deep with two recruits noted and NIL makes his agent status valuable as well as recruiting experience. Probably finalized after Draft seems reasonable assumption. GM title will qualify him for Met job soon
I’ve worked at agencies (like Octagon) for 20 years. No way can someone with 1 or 2 years experience lead something like this. This is uncharted territory for many (even big companies like Octagon). I wish they would’ve hired someone with 10 years under their belt. Other than being a basketball coach, SJU grad, and the 1/2 years experience, hard to see his qualifications to lead something that is still ambiguous to many.
This is like the Mullin hiring….
That role is usually going to be given to a basketball guy, not a sports/NIL guy. The purpose of the position will be to have access to both sides, and be a go-between. Matt has experience at both the coaching level and has been at octagon basically since the NIL was created. How can a guy be hired with 10 years experience in NIL when it’s brand new?
Most schools are going to be doing this with only the coaches they have. I can’t see a better person to do the job, and btw it has paid dividends already. When there are new rules changes, he will have to learn to adapt to those just like any staff would. There simply are no “experts” in NIL right now.
Moose
Well-known member
Everyone knows he’s not exactly on my Christmas card list. This can go one of two ways. It could be a complete disaster. Or Pitino can control him and mold him into a juggernaut. He will never ever ever be confused with a game coach. But he feeds off this other part of the ‘game’. So long as he knows his place in line this could be really interesting
redmen4life
Well-known member
Of course there isn’t anyone with 10 years of NIL experience. But there’s plenty of people with a ton of experience working with athletes from a biz perspective securing sponsorship deals. Which is what NIL is.
He's worked in the NBA, has run recruiting for 3 major D1 programs, and has worked as an agent. He's extremely well connected and familiar with NIL. Also the NIL space is only 1-2 years old anyway, so what difference does having 10 years of experience vs 1-2 years of experience as an agent. He has a ton of applicable experience and is the perfect fit for this role.
I think that’s why this is the perfect role for him. He likely won’t be ruffling feathers and staying out of the bench stuff. He can be a facilitator at what he does best. I have no doubt he loves SJU. He’s already been instrumental. I think it will be a good fit honestly.
And I think if he does any bullshit, Pitino will quickly take care of it. With Mullin, we had a huge leadership void and he took advantage.
100%. I think he was jockeying and hungry under a coach that had no idea nor interest in recruiting. Now he can work on a totally different aspect/angle which is where he shines.
If it’s Matt A. I won’t get worked up for one pretty solid reason. Pitino seems to be heavily involved. I trust him making good decisions.
I don’t know a whole lot about the NIL process. I do know it involves money. Maybe it’s the 35 years of Auditing experience BUT I do hope the Board and St. John’s are providing appropriate oversight. I don’t know what that means as this is “new” to everyone. The NCAA is a strange organization. The IRS is probably looking at this on some level. I am talking out of my hat ( isn’t everyone here) but I’ll trust that someone competent and with Institutional authority is looking over everyone’s shoulder. I don’t want to see us be the “test case” for any kind of Shenanigan. Trust but verify.
I don’t know a whole lot about the NIL process. I do know it involves money. Maybe it’s the 35 years of Auditing experience BUT I do hope the Board and St. John’s are providing appropriate oversight. I don’t know what that means as this is “new” to everyone. The NCAA is a strange organization. The IRS is probably looking at this on some level. I am talking out of my hat ( isn’t everyone here) but I’ll trust that someone competent and with Institutional authority is looking over everyone’s shoulder. I don’t want to see us be the “test case” for any kind of Shenanigan. Trust but verify.
He did take Cam Mack with him. Though really not a big deal, reparations are still due.
SJU14
Well-known member
We dodged a bullet there
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