Tonight's Dinner

Beasts of the East said:
Last night was an incredible event. Best attended men's basketball dinner and most money raised. Saw many of you (mike missed fansince65 and his wife) Wendell, too.

Right off I can tell you the night was much more about how it felt to be there than what was said or who was there. The positive vibe, the palpable excitement, and the sense of community of alums and fans who have supported and rooted and waited for a very long timeband the sense that the time has arrived.

I sat with Rick and Chris Ledlum. Chris us such an amazingly good and nice kid, who was flanked at the table by my daughter and the daughter of a great friend of mine who also sponsored the evening. By the end of the night they were all friends. I told Chris that if this team wins they will all be as well known and admired as professional players and this season will be his most rewarding.

Being around Rick is like being with one of the guys you've known forever. He is razor sharp but has no pretenses or airs about him. He golfed in the morning out east as part of a commitment to Kentucky that he had rescheduled too many times and forgot of the conflict with the dinner. He said he took a helicopter to the event last night because it was cut too close and laughed and said, "And they paid for it (the Kentucky guys)" Rick brought a flew of family, nephews and one of his sons and it's clear that he is very close with all of them.

All in all i think i knew easily 100 people there. There are lots of faculty and administrators who have had tickets for years and always come to events. Professor Jack Clarke is likely the most beloved, biggest supporter, and biggest fan among them.

Rick was brutally candid when he told the audience that these are all great kids and very good players, but not a single one can play defense. He spoke at length that each of them will need high motors and get in better shape. He said Soriano has 10% body fat (another terrific kid) but is in bad shape. He said he is here right now, raising his hand just above his waist, but can get to here with hard work, raising that hand to above his chest. Rick went up and down the roster speaking about each kid and having them stand up as he introduced them. Three had classes they couldn't get out of, and Rick seemed incredulous about that.

He knows a ton about the former players in attendance and acknowledged Boo Harvey and Bernard Rencher as guys he has known since their hs days. He was effusive in his praise of Mark Jackson who he said he called "Baby Magic" as he recalled the mistake the Knicks made in trading Mark as Rick left. Mark Jackson delivered a tight 3 or 3 minute speech that heaped praise on Rick as a coach who is responsible for his 17 year playing career, one who had Mark believing he was better than Magic Johnson. He praised Coach Carnesecca who was among the first to call Mark after he was fired (Mark's words) from ESPN and how his 98 year old coach asked if he needed anything whatsoever.

Bill Wennington spoke and he is a Johnny thru and thru, and connects with people so easily. Vin from storm bid on 4 tickets to a nets.bulls game that Wennington donated and when Bill came off the stage went right to Vin and high fived and half hugged him.

Cragg and Shanley spoke and both were great.

Rick spoke that his goal is to win a national.champiomship here and no one in the room doubted it was possible.

Open practice Sunday and I wouldnt doubt a sizeable crowd. Players will sign autographs and take photos after.

Suddeny unbeleivably there is a prospect that the next 6 seasons will pay for much of the suffering of the recent past.
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I just got a chill.

Prof. Jack Clarke, aka John Clarke had his law office on Ave D in Brooklyn.
My brother and I also were on Brooklyn and had quite a few real estate transactions with him

Also he made our my dad's will.

After negotiations, opposing lawyers would usually exclaim,"Always a pleasuire,"

Only with John , that was always true.

SMALL WORLD.!
 
What an amazing event. An Evening with St. John’s basketball was packed with basketball junkies as Vin Parise said.

Having the majority of the team, and staff in attendance was a nice touch. The kids were gracious and talking with everyone. I got to speak with Simeon Wilcher, Glenn Taylor Jr. both were extremely courteous and clearly in good spirits and excited for the year.

So many former players in the building as well, it was a really fun night. The mission laid out by Coach Rick Pitino was clear…win now, win big, and don’t stop. He called the St. John’s job his crowning jewel of his coaching career. He gave tough love to his players while introducing them, said a little something about each one, saying he’s looking for them to reach that “high motor” level of effort and while they are not there yet, he and his staff will get them there. It was a bit of tough love from coach, motivating and teaching his guys in front of everyone, he knows what he's doing. He will push all the buttons to get this squad where he wants them to be.

He praised the character of each player on his new roster. He emphasized the beautiful St. John’s campus, the amazing work Father Shanley has done and the need to build culture within the basketball program. It’s clear his fire to win and coach is still burning bright, and there’s no doubt he’s the man to get St. John’s back to where it belongs.

I got to sit next to Asst. Coach Bob Walsh who shared some great stories about his career, how Rick got him to Iona and now at SJU. He's already well into planning next year's schedule and it's gonna be a gauntlet.

Got to see so many people, and frankly wish the evening was a few hours longer to mingle some more. It was packed, great to see. Here's to many more good evenings with SJU basketball ahead.
 
Not every coach has the on-court coaching skills of Rick Pitino, but when I read about what is going on off-court now to promote the team, sell tickets and cut through the cultural deficiencies, it just highlights how underwhelming so many of our previous coaches have been.
Wake up the echoes.
 
swish said:
I just got a chill.

Prof. Jack Clarke, aka John Clarke had his law office on Ave D in Brooklyn.
My brother and I also were on Brooklyn and had quite a few real estate transactions with him

Also he made our my dad's will.

After negotiations, opposing lawyers would usually exclaim,"Always a pleasuire,"

Only with John , that was always true.

SMALL WORLD.!
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I lived on E.32 St and Ave D, moved out of Bklyn, but had to know Jack Clarke.

These comments from last night's Dinner make me wish I was there. I CANNOT wait for this season to start and enjoy the Pitino Ride for the next number of years!
 
otis said:
View attachment 1345

Mark Jackson was one of the many individuals who stood in the long line to greet The Honorable “Panther”.
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Panther was sitting next to me at the dinner and people literally come up to him to kiss the ring. Even the current kids when they see him are reaching out to say hi to him. And the old school players like Taliek yiu can see the respect they have for Panther then they tell good gossip about the old days :)
 
Ty Grant has some crazy stories during the Jarvis years. I gotta find out what I’m allowed to tell because I think he was speaking off the record


Best wishes for his daughter and his son in tennis. Good stuff
 
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BrookJersey Redmen said:
I lived on E.32 St and Ave D, moved out of Bklyn, but had to know Jack Clarke.

These comments from last night's Dinner make me wish I was there. I CANNOT wait for this season to start and enjoy the Pitino Ride for the next number of years!
Click to expand...
His legal name is John Clarke and I'm talking about 30 years ago.
 
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