"Thank you" Mike Repole

SJUFAN2

SJUFAN2

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This needed its own thread and not to be buried in the discussion about his interview on WFAN.

I don't know you Mike, and probably never will, but "Thank You" from the bottom of this Redmen fan's heart for saying what needed to be said.

If they don't turn everything over to Cragg and hire Cluess (or better) then I am done with this team. Life is to short to waste on stupid people.
 
He wants to contribute and is passionate. Made a lot of sense to me. Want to cry after listening. Who ever is deciding do it now hire Cluess or lose all your contributors . You don't need a committee to be smart.
 
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i just wrote my email to the pres and Oliva:

I am a loyal Alumni and Mens Basketball season ticket holder and I want to voice my disgrace in how you 2 are messing up our basketball program! first off its a joke that we still do not have a coach when recruiting season is 2 days away and are probably going to lose a tremendously talented and great kid in LJ Figueroa due mostly to the utter incompetence and meddling of you two gentlemen! why in gods name did you hire a great smart minded AD like Mike Cragg and then not allow the man to do his job and hire the coach he wants to hire! we are in NY and play in the Garden and you want to hire a cheap coach that will continue to keep us irrelevant! I applaud Mike Repole for going on WFAN just now and exposing how terrible of a job you guys are doing at running the Athletic department. There is a passionate Alumni with a ton of money to donate and you guys are not even utilizing that asset instead your are alienating and angering him! you guys should be looking for a real coach Like Bobby Hurley, which you blew, Rick Pitino, oh no cant consider him , or a Billy Donovan to name a few instead you continue to look in the bargain bin at Target. Then you have one local coach if you wanted to give someone a shot, a guy for for which this would be his dream job , and you do not even want to consider giving Tim Cluess a shot, he has taken Iona to more NCAA tournaments then we have been to in the last 20 years!!! Digest that Iona has become more relevant in basketball then once mighty SJU. Bottom line if things do not drastically change soon I will not be renewing my season tickets or donating money to the school and I am sure there are a lot of people that feel the same way as I do . It is truly a shame I love my former School and I love watching and rooting for the basketball team , but I hate seeing the path you are leading this school down! it is a path that needs a detour in the worst way!
 
[quote="SJUFAN2" post=343350]This needed its own thread and not to be buried in the discussion about his interview on WFAN.

I don't know you Mike, and probably never will, but "Thank You" from the bottom of this Redmen fan's heart for saying what needed to be said.

If they don't turn everything over to Cragg and hire Cluess (or better) then I am done with this team. Life is to short to waste on stupid people.[/quote]

Do you really think they are going to change, give control and support to Mike Cragg. Not happening, they will hold and let blow over. Who would take the BB job now, is beyond me, would have to be desperate.
 
[quote="shamsman2" post=343429][quote="SJUFAN2" post=343350]This needed its own thread and not to be buried in the discussion about his interview on WFAN.

I don't know you Mike, and probably never will, but "Thank You" from the bottom of this Redmen fan's heart for saying what needed to be said.

If they don't turn everything over to Cragg and hire Cluess (or better) then I am done with this team. Life is to short to waste on stupid people.[/quote]

Do you really think they are going to change, give control and support to Mike Cragg. Not happening, they will hold and let blow over. Who would take the BB job now, is beyond me, would have to be desperate.[/quote]

Why do you think nobody wants it now? This stuff hasn't been a secret in the hoops community. You just had to ask around.

Now its out in the open. Now it has to be dealt with or we accept permanent irrelevance.
 
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This is our demonstration of how institutions deteriorate over time.
Entrenced self-interests and sick cultures can survive decades while the organization slowly rots.
Potential counter interests either are apathetic, or afraid to shake things up...afraid of revealing a “scandal”.
Sometimes, only the humiliation of exposure can generate enough reaction to permit the upheaval needed for revolutionary transformation.
Even the Father Harrington scandal and the related suicide of his Dean/aide was kept fairly under the radar for NYC and the national media.
SJU Boards have coasted with a lack of accountability for decades on several levels, not just sports.
It is long past time that someone with media access, influence, and the ability to put his money where his mouth is...
Could take this desperate but potentially remedial risk.
 
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I've been saying this about Oliva and Bobby G for a long time. Basketball is not a priority for them. As for the President just look at our academic standing. He's a big failure.
 
[quote="Class of 72" post=343516]I've been saying this about Oliva and Bobby G for a long time. Basketball is not a priority for them. As for the President just look at our academic standing. He's a big failure.[/quote]

How stupid is it that our "leaders" do not value our basketball program. More often that not, when you mention St John's to someone, they'll tell you that the first thing that comes to mind is basketball.

After I retired, I spent 10 years doing college admissions. I once met with the rep from the University of Michigan the day after they beat Notre Dame in football. He told me that that victory alone would increase the number of applications to Michigan by 15-20% that year. It's no secret that schools with successful athletic programs enjoy huge increases in applications which results in higher academic standards for incoming freshmen. A win-win.

Why don't our "leaders" understand that? You've got to spend money to make money. Make the financial commitment to the basketball program, enjoy seeing it thrive and reap the benefits for the entire university.
 
I really loved the interview Repole gave. He is a true Queens success story. I may even go out and drink a Body Armor tomorrow.
 
Repole's comments made me think of the similarities between the NY football Giants back in the 1980's and SJU today. Both organizations had glory years in the past but had run into,about fifteen years of futility due to terrible management.
The NFL stepped in taking away Wellington Mara's power in running the team and put George Young in charge. The big east should do something similar taking away the power of the unknown members of the various boards in basketball matters.
They have come close to destroying the SJU program and have hurt the whole league. I have no idea if the league has that power but these boards are so entrenched at SJU they will never be removed.
Isn't fifteen years or so enough time to realize something drastic must be done? An efficient AD was just brought in and the boards showed him a thing or two. Their power has to be taken away if SJU has any chance of restoring their past successes.
 
Would be nice if all or most of the main $ givers protest or renege on their pledges if AD Mike Cragg not given freedom to hire the coach of his choice and the salary he deems appropriate- asap!
 
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Pretty sure if Repole got to this point he knows only going to get worse. No matter who we hire we are looking at a Norm Roberts type dark period
 
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[quote="we are sju" post=343797]Pretty sure if Repole got to this point he knows only going to get worse. No matter who we hire we are looking at a Norm Roberts type dark period[/quote]

I don't think we should be concerned about the coach or the team we field next year. Those are short term issues.

There are two ways this plays out from here, and all that matters is the correct outcome on that front.

Either the people currently responsible for this shit show will be removed from power and as an obstacle to this program's success, or they will be allowed to continue to circle the boat around and ram the iceberg again, and again, and again.

If they are removed and our AD gets the authority and support to DO HIS JOB, then we have a clear path out of the wilderness. If they are allowed to remain, then this is all over.

I'm going to keep my eye on Cragg. If he leaves, Bobby & Joe win and this program is kaput.
 
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[quote="SJUFAN2" post=343811][quote="we are sju" post=343797]Pretty sure if Repole got to this point he knows only going to get worse. No matter who we hire we are looking at a Norm Roberts type dark period[/quote]

I don't think we should be concerned about the coach of the team we field next year. Those are short term issues.

There are two ways this plays out from here, and all that matters is the correct outcome on that front.

Either the people currently responsible for this shit show will be removed from power and as an obstacle to this program's success, or they will be allowed to continue to circle the boat around and ram the iceberg again, and again, and again.

If they are removed and our AD gets the authority and support to DO HIS JOB, then we have a clear path out of the wilderness. If they are allowed to remain, then this is all over.

I'm going to keep my eye on Cragg. If he leaves, Bobby & Joe win and this program is kaput.[/quote]

If what Repole said is accurate, I can't see why Cragg would want to stay and if the BOT is behind the current administration there is no way he can stay.
 
[quote="ctstorm" post=343911][quote="SJUFAN2" post=343811][quote="we are sju" post=343797]Pretty sure if Repole got to this point he knows only going to get worse. No matter who we hire we are looking at a Norm Roberts type dark period[/quote]

I don't think we should be concerned about the coach of the team we field next year. Those are short term issues.

There are two ways this plays out from here, and all that matters is the correct outcome on that front.

Either the people currently responsible for this shit show will be removed from power and as an obstacle to this program's success, or they will be allowed to continue to circle the boat around and ram the iceberg again, and again, and again.

If they are removed and our AD gets the authority and support to DO HIS JOB, then we have a clear path out of the wilderness. If they are allowed to remain, then this is all over.

I'm going to keep my eye on Cragg. If he leaves, Bobby & Joe win and this program is kaput.[/quote]

If what Repole said is accurate, I can't see why Cragg would want to stay and if the BOT is behind the current administration there is no way he can stay.[/quote]

It's possible there is no way Cragg stays, but I'm going to remain optimistic on that front for a bit. I'd guess that he'd stay if he was allowed to do his job without interference. That's why I'm watching him. If he's out then nothing will change at the top, which means we are toast.
 
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