Teams That Could Surprise With Big Recruiting Classes

For the Big East, have to give it to DePaul. They've already signed two 4 star players. #41 and #90 overall. They currently have the #7 class for 2019.
 
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[quote="Adam" post=292387]For the Big East, have to give it to DePaul. They've already signed two 4 star players. #41 and #90 overall. They currently have the #7 class for 2019.[/quote]

Yes and it just came out a day or two ago that they offered a recruit $200,000.00 to go there, who in the end turned them down. Got to hand it to DePaul. Just saying.
I don’t understand how we haven’t signed anyone yet especially when we only have one ship to give.
 
Talk about a program and a coach needing something positive, Wake Forest and Danny Manning, like St. John's and Mullin may be headed to a make or break season. As the article states they are not a favorite for any of their top recruits after an 11-20 season. Manning has coached only one winning season in 4 years at Wake. To top it all off one their assistant coaches just killed a guy in NY.
They have no edge in recruiting against any of their ACC rivals. Unlike St. John's, the entire coaching staff is black so no advantage there it appears. Bottom line there is no winning culture under Danny Manning.
 
[quote="Class of 72" post=292390]Talk about a program and a coach needing something positive, Wake Forest and Danny Manning, like St. John's and Mullin may be headed to a make or break season. As the article states they are not a favorite for any of their top recruits after an 11-20 season. Manning has coached only one winning season in 4 years at Wake. To top it all off one their assistant coaches just killed a guy in NY.
They have no edge in recruiting against any of their ACC rivals. Unlike St. John's, the entire coaching staff is black so no advantage there it appears. Bottom line there is no winning culture under Danny Manning.[/quote]

Manning brought in a top 20 class in 2018. Highlighted by 5-star Jaylen Hoard.

I don't know what you're trying to prove, but similarly to what maher suggested in the other thread.... Move on with the nonsense. Real deal.
 
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[quote="MJDinkins" post=292391][quote="Class of 72" post=292390]Talk about a program and a coach needing something positive, Wake Forest and Danny Manning, like St. John's and Mullin may be headed to a make or break season. As the article states they are not a favorite for any of their top recruits after an 11-20 season. Manning has coached only one winning season in 4 years at Wake. To top it all off one their assistant coaches just killed a guy in NY.
They have no edge in recruiting against any of their ACC rivals. Unlike St. John's, the entire coaching staff is black so no advantage there it appears. Bottom line there is no winning culture under Danny Manning.[/quote]

Manning brought in a top 20 class in 2018. Highlighted by 5-star Jaylen Hoard.

I don't know what you're trying to prove, but similarly to what maher suggested in the other thread.... Move on with the nonsense. Real deal.[/quote]

Agreed. Manning is not in the same situation Mullin is in. In addition to having an NCAA season in his pocket in 3 years and a significant stud coming in, Manning took over for Jeff Bzdelik who had about as bad a 4 year run as you could have at a school like Wake. Here are his ACC records 1-15, 4-12, 6-12 and 6-12. He literally did nothing in 4 years and left Manning with nothing. For most Wake fans he was an odd hire to begin with and most wanted him out after 3 years.
 
[quote="redmannorth" post=292389][quote="Adam" post=292387]For the Big East, have to give it to DePaul. They've already signed two 4 star players. #41 and #90 overall. They currently have the #7 class for 2019.[/quote]

Yes and it just came out a day or two ago that they offered a recruit $200,000.00 to go there, who in the end turned them down. Got to hand it to DePaul. Just saying.
I don’t understand how we haven’t signed anyone yet especially when we only have one ship to give.[/quote]
Now you know we will have more than on to give.
 
[quote="redmannorth" post=292389][quote="Adam" post=292387]For the Big East, have to give it to DePaul. They've already signed two 4 star players. #41 and #90 overall. They currently have the #7 class for 2019.[/quote]

Yes and it just came out a day or two ago that they offered a recruit $200,000.00 to go there, who in the end turned them down. Got to hand it to DePaul. Just saying.
I don’t understand how we haven’t signed anyone yet especially when we only have one ship to give.[/quote]

We've also seen a few dozen teams show up in the FBI reports, and programs/coaches that should be in more trouble (Sean Miller). Who knows if the NCAA will actually do anything. It seems for now they're avoiding anything related to the FBI. Once they touch that, at least 60% of the Big East needs to be concerned.

SJU very rarely gets the top recruits, so DePaul seems like a better candidate until SJU shows some results.
 
[quote="MJDinkins" post=292391][quote="Class of 72" post=292390]Talk about a program and a coach needing something positive, Wake Forest and Danny Manning, like St. John's and Mullin may be headed to a make or break season. As the article states they are not a favorite for any of their top recruits after an 11-20 season. Manning has coached only one winning season in 4 years at Wake. To top it all off one their assistant coaches just killed a guy in NY.
They have no edge in recruiting against any of their ACC rivals. Unlike St. John's, the entire coaching staff is black so no advantage there it appears. Bottom line there is no winning culture under Danny Manning.[/quote]

Manning brought in a top 20 class in 2018. Highlighted by 5-star Jaylen Hoard.

I don't know what you're trying to prove, but similarly to what maher suggested in the other thread.... Move on with the nonsense. Real deal.[/quote]

That class IS Jalen Hoard. Mucius barely got into the top 100 nationally. All the others are 3 star players ranked near the 300 range. ONE PLAYER put them in the top 25 recruiting category. Look at the whole picture.
As far as the comparisons with Mullin go, both are NBA legends that have been struggling at their current school. Both are expected to have successful seasons with the talent infusion. Both will be on the hot seat if, with that talent, they unexpectedly have mediocre seasons. Both have a lot of question marks with their 2019 targets. I'll stop there.
As far as trying to prove anything, I will say that to you and the other couple of fans who injected "race" into the Mike Rice discussion. One guy thinks we need Brown Rice, another thinks we should have a race quota for assistants and you seemingly were taking umbrage with the disadvantages of not having a black assistant as if that would be a panacea for the issues facing the program. I disagreed with all that nonsense because Manning has not hired one white assistant at Wake. Everyone is fine with that. Leave the assistant coach selection to Mullin and let's not inject race as an issue because fans think the Rice pursuit is ending. It is not and the nonsense you alluded to began when someone here did.

BTW, I feel for my friend Paultzman who may have yet another Rice thread locked!:(
 
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[quote="Class of 72" post=292403][quote="MJDinkins" post=292391][quote="Class of 72" post=292390]Talk about a program and a coach needing something positive, Wake Forest and Danny Manning, like St. John's and Mullin may be headed to a make or break season. As the article states they are not a favorite for any of their top recruits after an 11-20 season. Manning has coached only one winning season in 4 years at Wake. To top it all off one their assistant coaches just killed a guy in NY.
They have no edge in recruiting against any of their ACC rivals. Unlike St. John's, the entire coaching staff is black so no advantage there it appears. Bottom line there is no winning culture under Danny Manning.[/quote]

Manning brought in a top 20 class in 2018. Highlighted by 5-star Jaylen Hoard.

I don't know what you're trying to prove, but similarly to what maher suggested in the other thread.... Move on with the nonsense. Real deal.[/quote]

That class IS Jalen Hoard. Mucius barely got into the top 100 nationally. All the others are 3 star players ranked near the 300 range. ONE PLAYER put them in the top 25 recruiting category. Look at the whole picture.
As far as the comparisons with Mullin go, both are NBA legends that have been struggling at their current school. Both are expected to have successful seasons with the talent infusion. Both will be on the hot seat if, with that talent, they unexpectedly have mediocre seasons. Both have a lot of question marks with their 2019 targets. I'll stop there.
As far as trying to prove anything, I will say that to you and the other couple of fans who injected "race" into the Mike Rice discussion. One guy thinks we need Brown Rice, another thinks we should have a race quota for assistants and you seemingly were taking umbrage with the disadvantages of not having a black assistant as if that would be a panacea for the issues facing the program. I disagreed with all that nonsense because Manning has not hired one white assistant at Wake. Everyone is fine with that. Leave the assistant coach selection to Mullin and let's not inject race as an issue because fans think the Rice pursuit is ending. It is not and the nonsense you alluded to began when someone here did.

BTW, I feel for my friend Paultzman who may have yet another Rice thread locked!:([/quote]

I never stated the solution to our problems had to do with hiring a black assistant. It's not about race in and of itself. It goes deeper than that. I'll say to you again, believe what you want.

Lastly, many folks are pining for Rice because they either consciously or subconsciously feel we don't have a head coach.
 
[quote="Class of 72" post=292403][quote="MJDinkins" post=292391][quote="Class of 72" post=292390]Talk about a program and a coach needing something positive, Wake Forest and Danny Manning, like St. John's and Mullin may be headed to a make or break season. As the article states they are not a favorite for any of their top recruits after an 11-20 season. Manning has coached only one winning season in 4 years at Wake. To top it all off one their assistant coaches just killed a guy in NY.
They have no edge in recruiting against any of their ACC rivals. Unlike St. John's, the entire coaching staff is black so no advantage there it appears. Bottom line there is no winning culture under Danny Manning.[/quote]

Manning brought in a top 20 class in 2018. Highlighted by 5-star Jaylen Hoard.

I don't know what you're trying to prove, but similarly to what maher suggested in the other thread.... Move on with the nonsense. Real deal.[/quote]

That class IS Jalen Hoard. Mucius barely got into the top 100 nationally. All the others are 3 star players ranked near the 300 range. ONE PLAYER put them in the top 25 recruiting category. Look at the whole picture.
As far as the comparisons with Mullin go, both are NBA legends that have been struggling at their current school. Both are expected to have successful seasons with the talent infusion. Both will be on the hot seat if, with that talent, they unexpectedly have mediocre seasons. Both have a lot of question marks with their 2019 targets. I'll stop there.
As far as trying to prove anything, I will say that to you and the other couple of fans who injected "race" into the Mike Rice discussion. One guy thinks we need Brown Rice, another thinks we should have a race quota for assistants and you seemingly were taking umbrage with the disadvantages of not having a black assistant as if that would be a panacea for the issues facing the program. I disagreed with all that nonsense because Manning has not hired one white assistant at Wake. Everyone is fine with that. Leave the assistant coach selection to Mullin and let's not inject race as an issue because fans think the Rice pursuit is ending. It is not and the nonsense you alluded to began when someone here did.

BTW, I feel for my friend Paultzman who may have yet another Rice thread locked!:([/quote]

I was the first one to inject the racial argument months ago and got blasted for it. But I stand by what I said, going to those black mothers with an all white staff ( especially one who got caught throwing balls at a black kid head) is not a smart move at all. And if Johnny Jungle and Paultzman ( I believe it was his post) are correct it’s already been used against us.
 
[quote="Sju grad 13" post=292407][quote="Class of 72" post=292403][quote="MJDinkins" post=292391][quote="Class of 72" post=292390]Talk about a program and a coach needing something positive, Wake Forest and Danny Manning, like St. John's and Mullin may be headed to a make or break season. As the article states they are not a favorite for any of their top recruits after an 11-20 season. Manning has coached only one winning season in 4 years at Wake. To top it all off one their assistant coaches just killed a guy in NY.
They have no edge in recruiting against any of their ACC rivals. Unlike St. John's, the entire coaching staff is black so no advantage there it appears. Bottom line there is no winning culture under Danny Manning.[/quote]

Manning brought in a top 20 class in 2018. Highlighted by 5-star Jaylen Hoard.

I don't know what you're trying to prove, but similarly to what maher suggested in the other thread.... Move on with the nonsense. Real deal.[/quote]

That class IS Jalen Hoard. Mucius barely got into the top 100 nationally. All the others are 3 star players ranked near the 300 range. ONE PLAYER put them in the top 25 recruiting category. Look at the whole picture.
As far as the comparisons with Mullin go, both are NBA legends that have been struggling at their current school. Both are expected to have successful seasons with the talent infusion. Both will be on the hot seat if, with that talent, they unexpectedly have mediocre seasons. Both have a lot of question marks with their 2019 targets. I'll stop there.
As far as trying to prove anything, I will say that to you and the other couple of fans who injected "race" into the Mike Rice discussion. One guy thinks we need Brown Rice, another thinks we should have a race quota for assistants and you seemingly were taking umbrage with the disadvantages of not having a black assistant as if that would be a panacea for the issues facing the program. I disagreed with all that nonsense because Manning has not hired one white assistant at Wake. Everyone is fine with that. Leave the assistant coach selection to Mullin and let's not inject race as an issue because fans think the Rice pursuit is ending. It is not and the nonsense you alluded to began when someone here did.

BTW, I feel for my friend Paultzman who may have yet another Rice thread locked!:([/quote]

I was the first one to inject the racial argument months ago and got blasted for it. But I stand by what I said, going to those black mothers with an all white staff ( especially one who got caught throwing balls at a black kid head) is not a smart move at all. And if Johnny Jungle and Paultzman ( I believe it was his post) are correct it’s already been used against us.[/quote]

You were wrong then and you are wrong now. All those that now support Mike Rice are black players and black parents who have a relationship with him. We, and a host of other schools, are lining up to recruit his "black kids" whose "black mothers" seemingly have no issue with coach Rice.
When was it used against us??? Mitch has been on staff but absent on recruiting visits! That's as big a negative as you can get while having a HOF black assistant. What have the staff been doing while visiting our recruits? Bringing cut-outs of Mitch to home visits?
Finally, people like you should learn from our personal history here at St. John's. Norm Roberts was the assistant at Kansas whom we hired as a "home run" to bring those black recruits to Jamaica. He was an unmitigated disaster as both as a coach and a recruiter. He replaced another black coach, whose son made visits to those black mothers, and both were abject failures recruiting NYC players.
NONE of what you said has any validity in the discussion.
 
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[quote="MJDinkins" post=292405][quote="Class of 72" post=292403][quote="MJDinkins" post=292391][quote="Class of 72" post=292390]Talk about a program and a coach needing something positive, Wake Forest and Danny Manning, like St. John's and Mullin may be headed to a make or break season. As the article states they are not a favorite for any of their top recruits after an 11-20 season. Manning has coached only one winning season in 4 years at Wake. To top it all off one their assistant coaches just killed a guy in NY.
They have no edge in recruiting against any of their ACC rivals. Unlike St. John's, the entire coaching staff is black so no advantage there it appears. Bottom line there is no winning culture under Danny Manning.[/quote]

Manning brought in a top 20 class in 2018. Highlighted by 5-star Jaylen Hoard.

I don't know what you're trying to prove, but similarly to what maher suggested in the other thread.... Move on with the nonsense. Real deal.[/quote]

That class IS Jalen Hoard. Mucius barely got into the top 100 nationally. All the others are 3 star players ranked near the 300 range. ONE PLAYER put them in the top 25 recruiting category. Look at the whole picture.
As far as the comparisons with Mullin go, both are NBA legends that have been struggling at their current school. Both are expected to have successful seasons with the talent infusion. Both will be on the hot seat if, with that talent, they unexpectedly have mediocre seasons. Both have a lot of question marks with their 2019 targets. I'll stop there.
As far as trying to prove anything, I will say that to you and the other couple of fans who injected "race" into the Mike Rice discussion. One guy thinks we need Brown Rice, another thinks we should have a race quota for assistants and you seemingly were taking umbrage with the disadvantages of not having a black assistant as if that would be a panacea for the issues facing the program. I disagreed with all that nonsense because Manning has not hired one white assistant at Wake. Everyone is fine with that. Leave the assistant coach selection to Mullin and let's not inject race as an issue because fans think the Rice pursuit is ending. It is not and the nonsense you alluded to began when someone here did.

BTW, I feel for my friend Paultzman who may have yet another Rice thread locked!:([/quote]

I never stated the solution to our problems had to do with hiring a black assistant. It's not about race in and of itself. It goes deeper than that. I'll say to you again, believe what you want.

Lastly, many folks are pining for Rice because they either consciously or subconsciously feel we don't have a head coach.[/quote]

Some folks may feel that way given the detachment from the traditional head coach's role at SJ, or any other school for that matter Dink. The bi-coastal life style of our coaches has been a concern. Yet, some folks here have defended that. Getting Rice or Kevin Ollie or any other former experienced coach could only ad value to the technical aspects of the game for the still inexperienced Mullin. But Mullin's issue isn't coaching. He knows the game. His issue is managing a college program and the day-in and day-out dedication needed to compete. You are correct in that some see another assistant as a stabilizing presence. One thing is certain. Mitch Richmond doesn't seem to have the desire to sit in a hot gym in Alabama when he has a $10 million mansion in Los Angeles.
 
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[quote="Adam" post=292387]For the Big East, have to give it to DePaul. They've already signed two 4 star players. #41 and #90 overall. They currently have the #7 class for 2019.[/quote]

Which is exactly why we should never put up with failure recruiting. This is further proof that HS recruits can be had even if you are a bad program. It's not easy but it's doable here and there. DePaul also beat out stiff competition for the guys they landed.

Also, maybe we could be on this list with Rice. Without Rice I don't see how Lewis comes here at all. This is not being negative, it's based on several years of evidence now where we flirt with major HS recruits and they spurn us after making their short list. We just cannot close thus far.
 
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[quote="redmannorth" post=292389][quote="Adam" post=292387]For the Big East, have to give it to DePaul. They've already signed two 4 star players. #41 and #90 overall. They currently have the #7 class for 2019.[/quote]

Yes and it just came out a day or two ago that they offered a recruit $200,000.00 to go there, who in the end turned them down. Got to hand it to DePaul. Just saying.
I don’t understand how we haven’t signed anyone yet especially when we only have one ship to give.[/quote]

Well obviously they aren't doing that anymore being in the spotlight. That excuse is gone as well. Unless DePaul is really that stupid which I doubt.

And oh boy Paultz's avatar is no longer Mike Rice. Mullin's only digging his own grave. There were so many lifeboats to save him like the possibility to get a big for 2 straight years which went 0-2 and the last lifeboat was Rice or another competent recruiter. He's on his own and if he wants to keep the dead weight that is Richmond, then he's only going to get more headaches.
 
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Our top recruit always seems to be Murphy and he is pre-law. Advocacy of race free discussions in an environment where race is used as a wedge issue again and again and again seems to not make sense. STJ has experienced the best and worst of this issue and there are dozens on this forum who can spell it out chapter and verse. My concern is that we remain vigilant.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=292412][quote="redmannorth" post=292389][quote="Adam" post=292387]For the Big East, have to give it to DePaul. They've already signed two 4 star players. #41 and #90 overall. They currently have the #7 class for 2019.[/quote]

Yes and it just came out a day or two ago that they offered a recruit $200,000.00 to go there, who in the end turned them down. Got to hand it to DePaul. Just saying.
I don’t understand how we haven’t signed anyone yet especially when we only have one ship to give.[/quote]

Well obviously they aren't doing that anymore being in the spotlight. That excuse is gone as well. Unless DePaul is really that stupid which I doubt.

And oh boy Paultz's avatar is no longer Mike Rice. Mullin's only digging his own grave. There were so many lifeboats to save him like the possibility to get a big for 2 straight years which went 0-2 and the last lifeboat was Rice or another competent recruiter. He's on his own and if he wants to keep the dead weight that is Richmond, then he's only going to get more headaches.[/quote]
Means nothing, it part of my MR sabbatical. Spending too much on Redmen.Com induced Maximum Strength Tylenol. :)
 
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[quote="Paultzman" post=292426]
Means nothing, it part of my MR sabbatical. Spending too much on Redmen.Com induced Maximum Strength Tylenol. :)[/quote]
What's this about a Mike Rice thread? What is the timeframe?
 
Norm Roberts was the assistant at Kansas whom we hired as a "home run" to bring those black recruits to Jamaica. He was an unmitigated disaster as both as a coach and a recruiter.[/quote]

Agreed on the coaching part but Norm can recruit pretty well, just saying.

2005 Class (3rd in the Big East)
Ricky Torres 4 stars ranked 104 overall
Anthony Mason 4 stars ranked 106 overall

2006 Class (4th in the Big East)*
Qa'Rraan Calhoun 3 stars ranked 142 overall
Larry Wright 3 stars ranked 182 overall
Rob Thomas 3 stars ranked 213 overall
Avery Patterson 3 stars 13th ranked Juco

2007 Class (3rd in the Big East)
Justin Burrell 4 stars ranked 48 overall
D.J. Kennedy 4 stars ranked 134 overall
Dele Coker 3 stars ranked 193 overall
Malik Boothe 3 stars ranked 205 overall
Paris Horne 3 stars ranked 298 overall

2008 Class (4th in the Big East)
Quincy Roberts 3 stars ranked 209 overall

2009 Class (3rd in the Big East)
Nurideen Lindsey 3 stars ranked 160 overall
Omari Lawrence 3 stars ranked 210 overall
Justin Brownlee 3 stars 11th ranked Juco
Dwight Hardy 3 stars 19th ranked Juco

*- 2006 class was 4th with Derwin Kitchen
who was a 4 star/73rd ranked recruit. Obviously he never played so it was probably ranked lower.

Not bad recruiting at all if you ask me. He just couldn't coach a lick. St. John's has actually had pretty good talent throughout the years they just don't hire coaches who know how to develop players and run a proper college basketball system. I think Matt, Mullin and another solid HS/AAU recruiter are enough to bring in more than enough talent for us to succeed. Its the coaching part that worries me. Even if we do make the dance next year its still possible we could underachieve considering the amount of talent we have; assuming Heron is playing of course. This season will show a lot when it comes to Mullins ability to coach and maximize talent, hopefully he breaks through. I cant see a better situation than Mullin succeeding at St. Johns, it would be a dream scenario. But im also not blind so we will see.
As far as the whole african american coach thing, it cant hurt considering basketball is mostly an african american dominated sport. Humans tend to feel a little more comfortable around people they feel they can relate to. Obviously its not everything but it helps. I went to HS at Banneker in Clinton Hill, and I cant speak for now but at that time it was 99% african american. I was a Dominican, Italian, Irish kid and I remember walking in on the first day of school into the auditorium and my first reaction was "Oh Shit" lmao. Mind you i grew up in Brooklyn in the Williamsburg/Bushwick area by Cooper Projects before gentrification or whatever. It was definitely considered "the hood", but it was a mix of black, latinos and white people. It wasnt too much of an issue but i know for sure if there was more diversity I would of felt more comfortable. Im sure a majority of kids would of felt the same way. I ended up transferring mid soph year to a school in Bushwick that was the same except all Hispanic kids. I felt even more uncomfortable because a lot them didnt really speak english or whatever and i ended up leaving again. I also attended a school in upstate ny by Syracuse when i was in like 5th grade. It was pretty much an all white school and i remember hating it. Believe it or not I got called a nigger in the bathroom before i even knew what racism was and im far from black but my hair grows knotty like an afro. I cried when i got home and i begged my mom for us to move back to NYC and we did. Sorry for the long story but it just goes to show that diversity is the best man , for real. It allows all these kids and families from all walks of life to have someone they can relate to and hopefully open up to all types of people they may not have been exposed to growing up. Thats a great thing and god knows this country needs it. God Bless and Lets win the Big East next year because that schedule is looking mighty trash lol jk but not really.
 
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[quote="Dan V" post=292718]Norm Roberts was the assistant at Kansas whom we hired as a "home run" to bring those black recruits to Jamaica. He was an unmitigated disaster as both as a coach and a recruiter.[/quote]

Agreed on the coaching part but Norm can recruit pretty well, just saying.

2005 Class (3rd in the Big East)
Ricky Torres 4 stars ranked 104 overall
Anthony Mason 4 stars ranked 106 overall

2006 Class (4th in the Big East)*
Qa'Rraan Calhoun 3 stars ranked 142 overall
Larry Wright 3 stars ranked 182 overall
Rob Thomas 3 stars ranked 213 overall
Avery Patterson 3 stars 13th ranked Juco

2007 Class (3rd in the Big East)
Justin Burrell 4 stars ranked 48 overall
D.J. Kennedy 4 stars ranked 134 overall
Dele Coker 3 stars ranked 193 overall
Malik Boothe 3 stars ranked 205 overall
Paris Horne 3 stars ranked 298 overall

2008 Class (4th in the Big East)
Quincy Roberts 3 stars ranked 209 overall

2009 Class (3rd in the Big East)
Nurideen Lindsey 3 stars ranked 160 overall
Omari Lawrence 3 stars ranked 210 overall
Justin Brownlee 3 stars 11th ranked Juco
Dwight Hardy 3 stars 19th ranked Juco

*- 2006 class was 4th with Derwin Kitchen
who was a 4 star/73rd ranked recruit. Obviously he never played so it was probably ranked lower.

Not bad recruiting at all if you ask me. He just couldn't coach a lick. St. John's has actually had pretty good talent throughout the years they just don't hire coaches who know how to develop players and run a proper college basketball system. I think Matt, Mullin and another solid HS/AAU recruiter are enough to bring in more than enough talent for us to succeed. Its the coaching part that worries me. Even if we do make the dance next year its still possible we could underachieve considering the amount of talent we have; assuming Heron is playing of course. This season will show a lot when it comes to Mullins ability to coach and maximize talent, hopefully he breaks through. I cant see a better situation than Mullin succeeding at St. Johns, it would be a dream scenario. But im also not blind so we will see.
As far as the whole african american coach thing, it cant hurt considering basketball is mostly an african american dominated sport. Humans tend to feel a little more comfortable around people they feel they can relate to. Obviously its not everything but it helps. I went to HS at Banneker in Clinton Hill, and I cant speak for now but at that time it was 99% african american. I was a Dominican, Italian, Irish kid and I remember walking in on the first day of school into the auditorium and my first reaction was "Oh Shit" lmao. Mind you i grew up in Brooklyn in the Williamsburg/Bushwick area by Cooper Projects before gentrification or whatever. It was definitely considered "the hood", but it was a mix of black, latinos and white people. It wasnt too much of an issue but i know for sure if there was more diversity I would of felt more comfortable. Im sure a majority of kids would of felt the same way. I ended up transferring mid soph year to a school in Bushwick that was the same except all Hispanic kids. I felt even more uncomfortable because a lot them didnt really speak english or whatever and i ended up leaving again. I also attended a school in upstate ny by Syracuse when i was in like 5th grade. It was pretty much an all white school and i remember hating it. Believe it or not I got called a nigger in the bathroom before i even knew what racism was and im far from black but my hair grows knotty like an afro. I cried when i got home and i begged my mom for us to move back to NYC and we did. Sorry for the long story but it just goes to show that diversity is the best man , for real. It allows all these kids and families from all walks of life to have someone they can relate to and hopefully open up to all types of people they may not have been exposed to growing up. Thats a great thing and god knows this country needs it. God Bless and Lets win the Big East next year because that schedule is looking mighty trash lol jk but not really.[/quote]

Yes, there were a few very good players in those classes almost non of whom were coached up by Norm. Ricky Torres was a disaster. Everyone knows how we got Mase. But most were 3 star players who should have been bench players and not starters in the then premier basketball conference in America. That's not good recruiting.
Your background is interesting. On St. Paddy's Day did you have corned beef and cabbage with rice and gandules followed by lasagna?;)
As for the "diversity" issue, St. John's is one of the most diverse universities in America. THAT is where diversity matters! If diversity on the basketball team was an issue we would be complaining about 99% of the team being non-white. Players want to play with other talented players regardless of race. They see race as less of an issue than some fans.
Having a diverse campus is what makes players feel more assimilated and more open to socializing. If you think one token black assistant coach years older than them satisfies their socialization needs you are sadly mistaken.
Case in point is using our own soiled history as an example. Mike Jarvis was a terrific mid major coach at GW who relied on imported European bigs for some of his success. At St. John's his staff included his son and another top black assistant. That team morphed into a leaderless mess and ended in a Pittsburgh motel room with 5 black kids and a white prostitute.
 
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