The Airing of the Grievances

lawmanfan

lawmanfan

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In honor of Festivus, which we ought to celebrate right around now. Not specifically related to the Villanova game. More generally related to Lavin's tenure (and somewhat specifically to this season).

1. The Offense. IMHO one of the primary jobs of a basketball coach is to find ways to put the players in position to get good looks at the basket. That's the basic function of any offensive plan whether it is the Princeton Offense, the old Nolan Richardson 40 Minutes of Hell press, or anything in between. In the entirety of the Lavin tenure we have run about 3 identifiable plays on any sustained basis. There was the play called Isolation for Harkless. This year we occasionally run the lesser version of that, called Isolation for Pointer. We ran a pick-and-pop for Sampson for a year. And then there is our offensive staple, which is called Give the Ball to D'angelo and He'll Figure Something Out.

If you watch the teams we play - almost any of the teams we play, including D3 teams - almost all of them run (or at least attempt to run) some identifiable offense that is supposed to create looks for players. In our offense, and especially in the halfcourt, it is almost always left to the player with the ball to create something for himself. IMHO that's just bad basketball. It also leads to Grievance 2.

2. Player Use. I'm not even going to bother with the mystifying substitution patterns. That has been relevant in most years, but since we don't substitute this year, it's kind of irrelevant. However, there is a common thread between why we substitute and why we don't. In both cases it is because the coach wants to put players on the floor who can create for themselves (see Grievance 1, above). When we have lots of players, if the ones on the floor aren't creating for themselves, he inserts other ones.

This year we now have a bench full of players THAT LAVIN RECRUITED who he has apparently now decided can't play at all. If that is the case, then he should not have recruited them in the first place. However, I don't think that's the case. I think that the issue is that those players have some abilities, but cannot create for themselves (apparently only NBA players need apply, even though this is a college team). And we cannot be bothered to teach, coach or run a system that makes use of the skills our players WHO WE RECRUITED have, instead of benching them because of the ones they don't have. For example, there is no point in recruiting 3-point shooters who are good at standing in the corner and shooting if we then run exactly nothing to create an open look for such a shooter. Hence Max Hooper spent his time on the bench, apparently Stewart and Alibegovic are destined to meet the same fate, I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, it's late.

However, sometimes the player use doesn't have anything to do with who can or can't play or who is or isn't producing, but more likely is because the coach seems to have made playing time promises and then he tries to keep them. For example, there was exactly zero justification to play Jordan in the second half of the Villanova game, yet there he was producing exactly nothing (actually he was a negative due to turnovers). Joey Delarosa would actually have been more useful. He could have contributed the same lack of points, might have grabbed a couple of rebounds, would have possibly slowed down Ochefu for at least a second on his way to the basket, and would definitely have used all 5 of his available fouls. The only explanation for Jordan playing is that he was promised playing time. That's nice, but it doesn't help the team win. Finding extended minutes for players for no apparent basketball purpose has been a Lavin pattern.

3. The Defense. Overall I actually don't think our defense is terrible, though I tend to credit that more to the hustle of Harrison and Pointer and the shot-blocking ability of Obekpa than to any particular defensive scheme. However, I'm not sure if we need to watch another 1,000 unguarded 3s from the corner from any team that knows how to move the ball before we plug that particular hole.

4. The Recruiting. Too many transfers, ineligibles, management problems, etc. You can't build a program that way. In fact, I would argue that Coach Lavin has not built a "program" at all. There is nothing about our play that you look at and say "that's St John's basketball." There's no identity, no consistency (other than inconsistency), no stamp of anything. He had a good year with Norm's players, started from ground zero, has thrown about 20 pieces in and out over the last 4 years, and has landed in a place where we will again start from ground zero next year. The recruiting classes were never spaced out, role players and program-builders were never developed. It's all just terribly haphazard.

Having had season tickets for 27 years, I cannot remember ever having less enthusiasm for St John's basketball. And yes that includes the Norm years.

I feel badly for Pointer, Greene and most of all Harrison. They deserve better than this.
 
I don't have a problem with our offense etc. it's finally working as it was intended to in general. Same goes with Lavin's zones. The biggest problem I have, which is not supposed to be a problem under Lavin, is the recruiting misses over the past several seasons. It has left us with a very, very unbalanced team. Sure we have a ton of good to very good guards, but we have almost no forwards at all. We have Sir'Dom Dom and Obekpa. That's it. I love Dom who does it all and I love Obekpa too. We don't have any real PF though not real SF. It showed as their frontcourt killed us. Their backcourt did too, but much of it was off rebounds as they doubled us on the glass.

We are playing against teams that are playing more old school Big East ball ie. Hitting the glass hard. We can't play an effective 3 guard lineup with branch who can't score, and Rysheed being a head case. It leaves us with only D'Angelo. I give credit to D'Angelo. One of the best to ever put on a SJU uniform.

Our biggest problem is lack of depth and lack of a balanced roster. We can only go 6 deep and with almost no forwards. Poor roster management and recruiting over past 3 seasons has lead us here. We haven't filled in our roster with any talent behind our upperclassmen... None
 
Phil Greene is allowed to shoot with his feet moving and that has to stop. He also needs to find the three point line better, because I'm tired of his losing 1-2 points a game by a matter of inches.

Jordan should not be allowed to take any three pointers unless he has his feet completely set and and can get it off in rhythm.

We need to work the offense more out of CO, Jordan, or Pointer down low. Jordan looks great down there against smaller players, but we haven't seen that in weeks.

When we are in a scoring drought, the only acceptable shots should be: Harrison going to the basket, Jordan going to the basket, or Greene from a completely set, open position. Branch doesn't finish consistently, Pointer gets nervous, and CO has bad hands and tightens up in key spots.

CO should not be allowed to attempt to steal any ball at any time to eliminate ticky-tack reach-ins.

JDR has to play at some point in every first half to rest CO and keep him out of foul trouble. Shrink the game by running clock and run Harrison of a screen or two from JDR late in the shot clock.

The touch fouls to put the opponent on the line for the bonus has to stop. Teams need to earn their points.
 
Season is over.

We will lose at PC which will make us 0-4. The OOC Schedule was all smoke and mirrors. Minnesota is not a top B10 team. Syracuse is down this year. What other games will we gloss over? Fordham? LBST? st. Mary's?

The problem goes deeper than Rysheed Jordan. Whether or not Jordan is here this team will be very ineffective because:

1. They are poorly coached. IMO Lavin is a major liability. With the Xs and Os, substitutions, time outs etc. He has proven to be a very below average basketball tactician. I think we all knew he wasn't Brad Stevens when he came here, but we thought that his less than stellar coaching would be compensated for by his ability to recruit, which brings me to my next point.....

2. The fact that we have at most six players who are really Division 1 players who can play significant minutes and not be a liability when they are on the court is absolutely mind boggling to me in Lavin's fifth year. lavin even had the balls to brag in an interview last week that recruiting is something he excels at. I must have missed something because the 14 class and the 15 class are the two worst recruiting classes SJU has had under any coach in my 25 years of following SJU.

Next year will be even worse. lavin had all his eggs in the Briscoe basket and when he committed to Kentucky that all but sealed our fate for 2015.

Next years team will mirror Norm Roberts' first team which to Norms credit he put together on the fly and with NCAA sanctions hanging over his head and with the majority of that class already committed. next years team will be the work of a coach who "excels at recruiting" yet we will behardpressed to find a legitimate BE player on the roster. As bad as Norms first year was, at least he had Showtime who despite his deficiencies still was a good BE talent. Next year we won't have that.

Based on what we see I doubt we will see Lavin back but this program is looking at another two to three year rebuild and a season of a lot of beat downs and "learning experiences" next year which is the lastthingourfan base and the BE wants to see.
 
Amazing that we were #15 a week ago and now slip sliding away.
As everyone has noted, we have 6 players and no height. The last 13 minutes of yesterday's game proved that. We were too small and became tired. If D and Obepka were hurt bad enough we would have been down to walk-ons.
Lavin has not recruited for years. Next year will be a disaster. I will be shocked if Lavin comes back. He will jump off the sinking ship for a TV job. Our AD is also responsible as he is the boss of the program. We will have to start again on a rebuilding program.
I am an alum and season ticket holder. This is going sideways fast.
 
I was one who always supported Lavin, but I am beginning to have my doubts! It is not his coaching deficiencies that are making me feel this way, but his lack of recruiting that is of most concern. At the end of the day you need to have the horses to win a race! I do not know the reason for his late inability to recruit solid 3 and 4 star players to play here. It seems that everyone and his mother is out recruiting him particularly in the league. WHY IS THIS HAPPENINGS?
 
MCNPA is one of the longtime/ good posters on the site.
I am glad to see MCNPA posting again.
 
We all know the problem with this team, of course it is the depth. We can't change that at this point, but Lavin can try and do things that he is just not doing.

First of all, he was initially criticized for his timeout usage against Syracuse but he needs to do more of it I think. Spread out the timeout usage in the second half and call one 2 minutes in between of every tv timeout to give our guys a breather. We need to be able to battle hard in the last five minutes, and that could help.

Also, JDR needs to be put in when obekpa is sucking wind. Tell him to foul hard everytime. It makes the big men have the earn it from the line, and the pair of free throws again gives our guys a 30 second breather.

The depth is a problem, but Lavin needs to at least try to do something. Instead of standing around in that god awful outfit and barking motivational speeches.

3 game winning streak is needed now. I am very confident with our matchups against Marquette and DePaul, this providence game is big.

If Lavin makes our guys work in practice for this 8 day break he is a bigger moron than I thought. Give them rest, ice Harrison's knee, obekpas ankle. The only one who should be in the gym all week is rysheed Jordan.
 
In honor of Festivus, which we ought to celebrate right around now. Not specifically related to the Villanova game. More generally related to Lavin's tenure (and somewhat specifically to this season).

1. The Offense. IMHO one of the primary jobs of a basketball coach is to find ways to put the players in position to get good looks at the basket. That's the basic function of any offensive plan whether it is the Princeton Offense, the old Nolan Richardson 40 Minutes of Hell press, or anything in between. In the entirety of the Lavin tenure we have run about 3 identifiable plays on any sustained basis. There was the play called Isolation for Harkless. This year we occasionally run the lesser version of that, called Isolation for Pointer. We ran a pick-and-pop for Sampson for a year. And then there is our offensive staple, which is called Give the Ball to D'angelo and He'll Figure Something Out.

If you watch the teams we play - almost any of the teams we play, including D3 teams - almost all of them run (or at least attempt to run) some identifiable offense that is supposed to create looks for players. In our offense, and especially in the halfcourt, it is almost always left to the player with the ball to create something for himself. IMHO that's just bad basketball. It also leads to Grievance 2.

2. Player Use. I'm not even going to bother with the mystifying substitution patterns. That has been relevant in most years, but since we don't substitute this year, it's kind of irrelevant. However, there is a common thread between why we substitute and why we don't. In both cases it is because the coach wants to put players on the floor who can create for themselves (see Grievance 1, above). When we have lots of players, if the ones on the floor aren't creating for themselves, he inserts other ones.

This year we now have a bench full of players THAT LAVIN RECRUITED who he has apparently now decided can't play at all. If that is the case, then he should not have recruited them in the first place. However, I don't think that's the case. I think that the issue is that those players have some abilities, but cannot create for themselves (apparently only NBA players need apply, even though this is a college team). And we cannot be bothered to teach, coach or run a system that makes use of the skills our players WHO WE RECRUITED have, instead of benching them because of the ones they don't have. For example, there is no point in recruiting 3-point shooters who are good at standing in the corner and shooting if we then run exactly nothing to create an open look for such a shooter. Hence Max Hooper spent his time on the bench, apparently Stewart and Alibegovic are destined to meet the same fate, I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, it's late.

However, sometimes the player use doesn't have anything to do with who can or can't play or who is or isn't producing, but more likely is because the coach seems to have made playing time promises and then he tries to keep them. For example, there was exactly zero justification to play Jordan in the second half of the Villanova game, yet there he was producing exactly nothing (actually he was a negative due to turnovers). Joey Delarosa would actually have been more useful. He could have contributed the same lack of points, might have grabbed a couple of rebounds, would have possibly slowed down Ochefu for at least a second on his way to the basket, and would definitely have used all 5 of his available fouls. The only explanation for Jordan playing is that he was promised playing time. That's nice, but it doesn't help the team win. Finding extended minutes for players for no apparent basketball purpose has been a Lavin pattern.

3. The Defense. Overall I actually don't think our defense is terrible, though I tend to credit that more to the hustle of Harrison and Pointer and the shot-blocking ability of Obekpa than to any particular defensive scheme. However, I'm not sure if we need to watch another 1,000 unguarded 3s from the corner from any team that knows how to move the ball before we plug that particular hole.

4. The Recruiting. Too many transfers, ineligibles, management problems, etc. You can't build a program that way. In fact, I would argue that Coach Lavin has not built a "program" at all. There is nothing about our play that you look at and say "that's St John's basketball." There's no identity, no consistency (other than inconsistency), no stamp of anything. He had a good year with Norm's players, started from ground zero, has thrown about 20 pieces in and out over the last 4 years, and has landed in a place where we will again start from ground zero next year. The recruiting classes were never spaced out, role players and program-builders were never developed. It's all just terribly haphazard.

Having had season tickets for 27 years, I cannot remember ever having less enthusiasm for St John's basketball. And yes that includes the Norm years.

I feel badly for Pointer, Greene and most of all Harrison. They deserve better than this.
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1.) I agree, the offense has no organization. It most definitely needs to be improved. How? I'm not so sure.

2.) I think the biggest thing about 'player use' is lack or bench (no new news there). But I don't think that it's because the bench players cannot play. I think it's more that when they were recruited, they were not expected to be able to contribute right away as freshman. I think the plan was to have them be solid, four year players who would develop over time. The only bad thing is that that strategy doesn't help us now. Also, I think the Keith Thomas situation is really starting to take its affect on us. And also remember that Lavin was probably planning on have Jakarr on the roster this year too.

3.) I have no problem with our defense. I actually think its been pretty solid, all things considered. My only concern is that we consistently make dumb fouls, and when you have such a short bench, you cannot afford to do so.

4.) Here is where I don't know what to think. If Lavin swings for the fence and misses (ie. Briscoe), we are put into a really bad whole. Meanwhile it's also hard to tell Briscoe that he would have been the man here and that we really need him, but we are also recruiting 2 other players at his position as 'plan B'. But if we don't swing for the fence once in a while and go after the top recruits, we are consistently going to have a program filled with 2 and 3 star recruits that will have little impact early on and only start coming into their own in their junior/senior year. And as you said, the transfers and ineligibles really killed us. Imagine this team with Sampson and Thomas (which was probably the plan about a year ago at this time.) There is the depth that we have been missing.


As far as feeling bad for the players? I don't. Inefficiencies in their own games are just as much as fault as the coaching decisions. I love Dom as a player, and he does work his @$$ for us, but he still can't shoot, and that is his fault. If they wanted better than this, then they should have made themselves better.
 
Season is over.

We will lose at PC which will make us 0-4. The OOC Schedule was all smoke and mirrors. Minnesota is not a top B10 team. Syracuse is down this year. What other games will we gloss over? Fordham? LBST? st. Mary's?

The problem goes deeper than Rysheed Jordan. Whether or not Jordan is here this team will be very ineffective because:

1. They are poorly coached. IMO Lavin is a major liability. With the Xs and Os, substitutions, time outs etc. He has proven to be a very below average basketball tactician. I think we all knew he wasn't Brad Stevens when he came here, but we thought that his less than stellar coaching would be compensated for by his ability to recruit, which brings me to my next point.....

2. The fact that we have at most six players who are really Division 1 players who can play significant minutes and not be a liability when they are on the court is absolutely mind boggling to me in Lavin's fifth year. lavin even had the balls to brag in an interview last week that recruiting is something he excels at. I must have missed something because the 14 class and the 15 class are the two worst recruiting classes SJU has had under any coach in my 25 years of following SJU.

Next year will be even worse. lavin had all his eggs in the Briscoe basket and when he committed to Kentucky that all but sealed our fate for 2015.

Next years team will mirror Norm Roberts' first team which to Norms credit he put together on the fly and with NCAA sanctions hanging over his head and with the majority of that class already committed. next years team will be the work of a coach who "excels at recruiting" yet we will behardpressed to find a legitimate BE player on the roster. As bad as Norms first year was, at least he had Showtime who despite his deficiencies still was a good BE talent. Next year we won't have that.

Based on what we see I doubt we will see Lavin back but this program is looking at another two to three year rebuild and a season of a lot of beat downs and "learning experiences" next year which is the lastthingourfan base and the BE wants to see.
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Mind boggling to me that a guy who's strength was supposed to be recruiting has barely been able to field a team of mid-high D1 level players in 2 of his 4 years recruiting here(I'm discounting his first year with Norm's kids). No D1team should have to be looking to walk-ons, from around the country no less, to to contribute meaningful minutes. Not with all the solid talent floating around NYC and NJ. But lets face facts, for whatever reason Lavin was never able to establish ties with the local High School and AAU coaches, and its now a case of the chickens coming home to roost. IMO the chances of winning here are infinitely higher if you can recruit in the area, not to mention considerably easier and more efficient. Its most certainly not fair to all the kids who committed here with the expectation that they'd be surrounded by D1 talent. I'll be waiting for the usual replies about how hard it is to get kids to Jamaica, how are facilities are second rate, how kids want to leave town, yada, yada yada(in sticking with the Seinfeld theme). All the usual excuses that all of our previous coaches managed to overcome.
 
Even with Dom fouling out with over 9 minutes to play, Obekpa twisting his ankle, and garbage time minutes, we still played out first 6 184 minutes last night.

It is not a coincidence that we were up 52-50 with 12 minutes to play, and got outpaced 40-20 the rest of the way. 40 points in 12 minutes! That's not strategy, that's not talent, that's not heart or toughness, that's an 8 man rotation against a 6 man rotation. When playing equal or better competition, that's a major hole to be in every game.

We're a 30 minute team right now and it has nothing to do with the players. Feel horribly for them. Can't give better effort, as imperfect as the production may be from some.

Following the game-strategy of this team is like being in the twilight zone. Last year we were loaded, 10+ deep, and we didn't really embrace a 94-feet approach until Feb. 4 @ Providence once we were 2-6 in conference. This year we have 6 guys and we press the entire game! On top of that not only has it been ineffectual now that the competition level has elevated, it's been a detriment. It took less than 3 minutes for Arc to beat Branch some 70 feet from the basket, draw help, and hit Hart for an open 3 in the corner. Did we watch the tape of Sina and Barlow doing this the last two games? How could you not adjust to that? After depth, that press may be the worst thing we have going. Get nothing out of it and wear down our already thin rotation at the same time. Sounds like a winner.

My main question would be same as it's been the last 3 years. Where are we going? I could deal with pretty much any set of circumstances in the near term if I saw a clear, sustainable, upward trajectory. It appears right now that this season will be better than next, and this season we have a 6-man rotation, effectively being willed offensively by a one-man wrecking crew (#11), needing to go 9-6 the rest of the way just to get to 9-9 in conference and 20 wins overall, still needing help in the BET to think about NCAA bid. If we aren't building upon that one year over the next, we really aren't building at all.
 
An honest assessment of this guy's tenure is that he's had some horrible luck and a lot of near-misses. But at some point you have to say the Nurideen Lindey, Pelle, Keith Thomas situations are not an aberration. I look at games like last night and think if KT was on the squad the game goes completely different. But Lavin has done himself no favors. He has underwhelmed as a recruiter. His development of players is abhorrent.

Phil Greene still doesn't know his limitations. The only player's out of this class to understand themselves and their roles are Dom and DLO. And I guarantee you that understanding did not come from Lavin.

Lav's tenure reminds me of our shot blocking acumen. It's a flashy aspect of the game that gets fans excited. Kind of like Lav's high prized recruits. But there has to be substance to the flash. The flashy blocks are there because our perimeter D sucks and we can't keep teams out of the paint. Similarly we have a few nice players but nothing to back it up, like a coach with brains perhaps..
 
In honor of Festivus, which we ought to celebrate right around now. Not specifically related to the Villanova game. More generally related to Lavin's tenure (and somewhat specifically to this season).

1. The Offense. IMHO one of the primary jobs of a basketball coach is to find ways to put the players in position to get good looks at the basket. That's the basic function of any offensive plan whether it is the Princeton Offense, the old Nolan Richardson 40 Minutes of Hell press, or anything in between. In the entirety of the Lavin tenure we have run about 3 identifiable plays on any sustained basis. There was the play called Isolation for Harkless. This year we occasionally run the lesser version of that, called Isolation for Pointer. We ran a pick-and-pop for Sampson for a year. And then there is our offensive staple, which is called Give the Ball to D'angelo and He'll Figure Something Out.

If you watch the teams we play - almost any of the teams we play, including D3 teams - almost all of them run (or at least attempt to run) some identifiable offense that is supposed to create looks for players. In our offense, and especially in the halfcourt, it is almost always left to the player with the ball to create something for himself. IMHO that's just bad basketball. It also leads to Grievance 2.

2. Player Use. I'm not even going to bother with the mystifying substitution patterns. That has been relevant in most years, but since we don't substitute this year, it's kind of irrelevant. However, there is a common thread between why we substitute and why we don't. In both cases it is because the coach wants to put players on the floor who can create for themselves (see Grievance 1, above). When we have lots of players, if the ones on the floor aren't creating for themselves, he inserts other ones.

This year we now have a bench full of players THAT LAVIN RECRUITED who he has apparently now decided can't play at all. If that is the case, then he should not have recruited them in the first place. However, I don't think that's the case. I think that the issue is that those players have some abilities, but cannot create for themselves (apparently only NBA players need apply, even though this is a college team). And we cannot be bothered to teach, coach or run a system that makes use of the skills our players WHO WE RECRUITED have, instead of benching them because of the ones they don't have. For example, there is no point in recruiting 3-point shooters who are good at standing in the corner and shooting if we then run exactly nothing to create an open look for such a shooter. Hence Max Hooper spent his time on the bench, apparently Stewart and Alibegovic are destined to meet the same fate, I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, it's late.

However, sometimes the player use doesn't have anything to do with who can or can't play or who is or isn't producing, but more likely is because the coach seems to have made playing time promises and then he tries to keep them. For example, there was exactly zero justification to play Jordan in the second half of the Villanova game, yet there he was producing exactly nothing (actually he was a negative due to turnovers). Joey Delarosa would actually have been more useful. He could have contributed the same lack of points, might have grabbed a couple of rebounds, would have possibly slowed down Ochefu for at least a second on his way to the basket, and would definitely have used all 5 of his available fouls. The only explanation for Jordan playing is that he was promised playing time. That's nice, but it doesn't help the team win. Finding extended minutes for players for no apparent basketball purpose has been a Lavin pattern.

3. The Defense. Overall I actually don't think our defense is terrible, though I tend to credit that more to the hustle of Harrison and Pointer and the shot-blocking ability of Obekpa than to any particular defensive scheme. However, I'm not sure if we need to watch another 1,000 unguarded 3s from the corner from any team that knows how to move the ball before we plug that particular hole.

4. The Recruiting. Too many transfers, ineligibles, management problems, etc. You can't build a program that way. In fact, I would argue that Coach Lavin has not built a "program" at all. There is nothing about our play that you look at and say "that's St John's basketball." There's no identity, no consistency (other than inconsistency), no stamp of anything. He had a good year with Norm's players, started from ground zero, has thrown about 20 pieces in and out over the last 4 years, and has landed in a place where we will again start from ground zero next year. The recruiting classes were never spaced out, role players and program-builders were never developed. It's all just terribly haphazard.

Having had season tickets for 27 years, I cannot remember ever having less enthusiasm for St John's basketball. And yes that includes the Norm years.

I feel badly for Pointer, Greene and most of all Harrison. They deserve better than this.
Click to expand...


1.) I agree, the offense has no organization. It most definitely needs to be improved. How? I'm not so sure.

2.) I think the biggest thing about 'player use' is lack or bench (no new news there). But I don't think that it's because the bench players cannot play. I think it's more that when they were recruited, they were not expected to be able to contribute right away as freshman. I think the plan was to have them be solid, four year players who would develop over time. The only bad thing is that that strategy doesn't help us now. Also, I think the Keith Thomas situation is really starting to take its affect on us. And also remember that Lavin was probably planning on have Jakarr on the roster this year too.

3.) I have no problem with our defense. I actually think its been pretty solid, all things considered. My only concern is that we consistently make dumb fouls, and when you have such a short bench, you cannot afford to do so.

4.) Here is where I don't know what to think. If Lavin swings for the fence and misses (ie. Briscoe), we are put into a really bad whole. Meanwhile it's also hard to tell Briscoe that he would have been the man here and that we really need him, but we are also recruiting 2 other players at his position as 'plan B'. But if we don't swing for the fence once in a while and go after the top recruits, we are consistently going to have a program filled with 2 and 3 star recruits that will have little impact early on and only start coming into their own in their junior/senior year. And as you said, the transfers and ineligibles really killed us. Imagine this team with Sampson and Thomas (which was probably the plan about a year ago at this time.) There is the depth that we have been missing.


As far as feeling bad for the players? I don't. Inefficiencies in their own games are just as much as fault as the coaching decisions. I love Dom as a player, and he does work his @$$ for us, but he still can't shoot, and that is his fault. If they wanted better than this, then they should have made themselves better.
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Dom has limited offense skill sets. If it was as simple as working harder, every kid who had limited offense skill sets would become an offense force. The kid busts his butt, so I am not going to question his work ethic in terms of trying to make himself better. In a perfect world, with a complete and balanced roster, Dom would be playing meaningful minutes coming off the bench and giving the team a shot in the arm. But because of our dire situation, he's been asked to start and carry a much heavier load than he is capable of. Not fair to the kid.
 
In honor of Festivus, which we ought to celebrate right around now. Not specifically related to the Villanova game. More generally related to Lavin's tenure (and somewhat specifically to this season).

1. The Offense. IMHO one of the primary jobs of a basketball coach is to find ways to put the players in position to get good looks at the basket. That's the basic function of any offensive plan whether it is the Princeton Offense, the old Nolan Richardson 40 Minutes of Hell press, or anything in between. In the entirety of the Lavin tenure we have run about 3 identifiable plays on any sustained basis. There was the play called Isolation for Harkless. This year we occasionally run the lesser version of that, called Isolation for Pointer. We ran a pick-and-pop for Sampson for a year. And then there is our offensive staple, which is called Give the Ball to D'angelo and He'll Figure Something Out.

If you watch the teams we play - almost any of the teams we play, including D3 teams - almost all of them run (or at least attempt to run) some identifiable offense that is supposed to create looks for players. In our offense, and especially in the halfcourt, it is almost always left to the player with the ball to create something for himself. IMHO that's just bad basketball. It also leads to Grievance 2.

2. Player Use. I'm not even going to bother with the mystifying substitution patterns. That has been relevant in most years, but since we don't substitute this year, it's kind of irrelevant. However, there is a common thread between why we substitute and why we don't. In both cases it is because the coach wants to put players on the floor who can create for themselves (see Grievance 1, above). When we have lots of players, if the ones on the floor aren't creating for themselves, he inserts other ones.

This year we now have a bench full of players THAT LAVIN RECRUITED who he has apparently now decided can't play at all. If that is the case, then he should not have recruited them in the first place. However, I don't think that's the case. I think that the issue is that those players have some abilities, but cannot create for themselves (apparently only NBA players need apply, even though this is a college team). And we cannot be bothered to teach, coach or run a system that makes use of the skills our players WHO WE RECRUITED have, instead of benching them because of the ones they don't have. For example, there is no point in recruiting 3-point shooters who are good at standing in the corner and shooting if we then run exactly nothing to create an open look for such a shooter. Hence Max Hooper spent his time on the bench, apparently Stewart and Alibegovic are destined to meet the same fate, I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, it's late.

However, sometimes the player use doesn't have anything to do with who can or can't play or who is or isn't producing, but more likely is because the coach seems to have made playing time promises and then he tries to keep them. For example, there was exactly zero justification to play Jordan in the second half of the Villanova game, yet there he was producing exactly nothing (actually he was a negative due to turnovers). Joey Delarosa would actually have been more useful. He could have contributed the same lack of points, might have grabbed a couple of rebounds, would have possibly slowed down Ochefu for at least a second on his way to the basket, and would definitely have used all 5 of his available fouls. The only explanation for Jordan playing is that he was promised playing time. That's nice, but it doesn't help the team win. Finding extended minutes for players for no apparent basketball purpose has been a Lavin pattern.

3. The Defense. Overall I actually don't think our defense is terrible, though I tend to credit that more to the hustle of Harrison and Pointer and the shot-blocking ability of Obekpa than to any particular defensive scheme. However, I'm not sure if we need to watch another 1,000 unguarded 3s from the corner from any team that knows how to move the ball before we plug that particular hole.

4. The Recruiting. Too many transfers, ineligibles, management problems, etc. You can't build a program that way. In fact, I would argue that Coach Lavin has not built a "program" at all. There is nothing about our play that you look at and say "that's St John's basketball." There's no identity, no consistency (other than inconsistency), no stamp of anything. He had a good year with Norm's players, started from ground zero, has thrown about 20 pieces in and out over the last 4 years, and has landed in a place where we will again start from ground zero next year. The recruiting classes were never spaced out, role players and program-builders were never developed. It's all just terribly haphazard.

Having had season tickets for 27 years, I cannot remember ever having less enthusiasm for St John's basketball. And yes that includes the Norm years.

I feel badly for Pointer, Greene and most of all Harrison. They deserve better than this.
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As far as feeling bad for the players? I don't. Inefficiencies in their own games are just as much as fault as the coaching decisions.
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That's such BS tho
 
"Lav" also said we are ahead of schedule because we have performed well so far- just wanted to mention that our four losses are to the four best teams we have played.

there really isnt a "marquee" win on that resume.
 
MCNPA is one of the longtime/ good posters on the site.
I am glad to see MCNPA posting again.
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He's been posting for a few weeks. But you weren't when we were winning so I guess you missed him.
 
"Lav" also said we are ahead of schedule because we have performed well so far- just wanted to mention that our four losses are to the four best teams we have played.

there really isnt a "marquee" win on that resume.
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Coach speak is common but that one ranks up there as one of the biggest head scratchers.
 
Even with Dom fouling out with over 9 minutes to play, Obekpa twisting his ankle, and garbage time minutes, we still played out first 6 184 minutes last night.

It is not a coincidence that we were up 52-50 with 12 minutes to play, and got outpaced 40-20 the rest of the way. 40 points in 12 minutes! That's not strategy, that's not talent, that's not heart or toughness, that's an 8 man rotation against a 6 man rotation. When playing equal or better competition, that's a major hole to be in every game.

We're a 30 minute team right now and it has nothing to do with the players. Feel horribly for them. Can't give better effort, as imperfect as the production may be from some.

Following the game-strategy of this team is like being in the twilight zone. Last year we were loaded, 10+ deep, and we didn't really embrace a 94-feet approach until Feb. 4 @ Providence once we were 2-6 in conference. This year we have 6 guys and we press the entire game! On top of that not only has it been ineffectual now that the competition level has elevated, it's been a detriment. It took less than 3 minutes for Arc to beat Branch some 70 feet from the basket, draw help, and hit Hart for an open 3 in the corner. After depth, that press may be the worst thing we have going. Get nothing out of it and wear down our already thin rotation at the same time. Sounds like a winner.

My main question would be same as it's been the last 3 years. Where are we going? I could deal with pretty much any set of circumstances in the near term if I saw a clear, sustainable, upward trajectory. It appears right now that this season will be better than next, and this season we have a 6-man rotation, effectively being willed offensively by a one-man wrecking crew (#11), needing to go 9-6 the rest of the way just to get to 9-9 in conference and 20 wins overall, still needing help in the BET to think about NCAA bid. If we aren't building upon that one year over the next, we really aren't building at all.
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I believe it is quite ok to step back and objectively look at the program today and going forward without spewing venom & blame. In simplest terms, however, it is logical and appropriate to question the leadership (including our AD) of the SJU basketball program. After five years, is the program on solid ground, poised to compete & succeed on a consistent basis? Is the need to rebuild rather than reload acceptable? Is the leadership team capable of getting program on a positive track of going to dance more often than not.

If the program was a business concern, rest assured the present regime would be evaluated. One loss does not merit a knee jerk reaction. However, assuming this team fails to dance again, It is eminently fair to assess things objectively. Don't cloud the process with comparisons to past regimes nor regurgitating all the unexpected things that have plagued the program. Most programs experience those. Just fairly critique what has transpired & decide if SL & staff can get the job done. If I disagree with that decision, so be it. Life is bigger than SJU hoops.
 
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