Villanova, Sat. Jan. 14, 12 Noon, FS1/570AM

[cappy105]

I don't want to sound mean. But we need to get rid of Amar and get a banger. Amar should be playing on a mid major team.

He's only got one more year. I have no problem with him finishing his degree and career here as long as he's only playing 3 mpg.

I don't think we bring in more guys than spaces available, so I'm not a fan of running him off for no reason.

How many scholys do we have? I'd like to get Carter and a grad transfer or JC big, But, you make a good point. A lot of good players on our radar for the 18 class and will need room.

There's definitely one open because Sima left and Brown won't be here to fill it.

I think Yakwe is gone.

I'm hoping for Walker for Yakwe, and McMurray if Lovett leaves.

But hoping LoVett stays and Matt sells McMurray on joining three-guard attack.

If we had Ponds, Lovett, McMurray, Ellison, and Simon, I'd expect Mussini to fly home,

Williams, Ahmed, and Amar would be gone the following year, so that's space for the three studs I'm hoping for.

with all your predictions, we are in store for another rebuilding phase with more new players to the program/system...blah blah blah, more excuses for no success. just saying. my frustration is boiling over I'm sorry

 

[Knight]

Uneven effort.

 

[cappy105]

Went to my first game of season yesterday. Had nice seats, so here are my thoughts.
1. The absolute biggest need is better cheerleaders. Don't mean to be mean but wow. Owens has more of a cheerleader body than like 3 or 4 of them. I don't think you can take us seriously as a big time program until that is rectified. The two cheerleader coaches however had fantastic bodies.

2.Ahmed is a tough watch.

3. Refs sucked

4. I change my mind on Ellison from play to play

5. Can we do a three for one trade? Our three Euros for their Italian kid?

I think of of the refs has it in for mullin. Saw him angry with Mullin at a game in jamaica. I don't think the refs respect mullin as a coach. That is why Wright can go runnin onto the court screaming and not get hit with a technical. The refs tolerance of mullin is much lower[/quotewant to see how the refs will call the game, look no further than the point spread. don't be naive people

 

[Ray Morgan]

The game was there for the taking but we have to clean up the mental mistakes. Obviously rebounding is a huge issue and that needs to be the priority for the staff to find someone who wants that to be their main job. Hopefully Clark fills that role next year.

The kids played tough and we hung tough.

I really have a hard time though in MSG when they are selling Villanova gear and then after the game they have garden lit up in baby blue for Villanova after it was red before the game.
Our relationship needs to change with MSG for the better. The bandwagon cam was a huge hit however.

As I have learned watching bad NY sports teams over the years, "The game was there for the taking", is what fans of lesser teams live by. It's mostly an illusion which follows the same script. Great team playing bottom feeder comes out flat, game is close for awhile, great team wakes up, and the real game begins sometime in the second half. And the real game is dominated by the great team. The great team goes onto their next game without a thought, and the bad team stews about what "might have been".

There has been progress, but it is slow. Hoping that Clark and Simon help, but also aware that neither has been a major factor to a program since their senior years in high school, which was in 2014-2015. The situation Mullin took on is almost unfair.

 

[logen]

Have to agree to disagree with many; the score was relatively close but Nova had more than a few wide open looks for shooters that didn't go in, especially Jenkins. Don't think we played exceptionally hard, IMO we still seem to have the mindset that games are won on offense. We obviously are undermanned so the loss can't be unexpected or disappointing, I am just disappointed that the defense and effort we had against Butler was an aberration.

I saw some good effort from Ponds, Ellison, Owens. It was inconsistent for sure and you are right that defense is the biggest problem but you gotta hope they are learning from this. They now know that with some effort they can hang with the best just like they know that without the effort they can lose to literally anyone. Some muscle and maturity and this is a good team. Even Lovett and Ponds need some maturity both mental and physical. Lovett makes several mental errors per game and Ponds disappears on defense in pretty much every game.

Again, funny that we can watch the same game and see different things or maybe more accurately, come to different conclusions. I don't think Ellison plays hard at all when it comes to the dirty work, primarily going after loose balls, Ponds too, but I would really extend that to the whole team, except Owens, there I'm with you. Defense starts with effort and discipline and ends with getting the ball and Nova KILLED us on 50/50 rebounds and loose balls, as have most teams. The ridiculous jumping at every fake screams to the lack of discipline. Frankly, the offensive end I can live with but the lack of blue collar effort kills me. We need to recruit some junkyard players to set a better tone.

 

[ManhattAn1]

Went to my first game of season yesterday. Had nice seats, so here are my thoughts.
1. The absolute biggest need is better cheerleaders. Don't mean to be mean but wow. Owens has more of a cheerleader body than like 3 or 4 of them. I don't think you can take us seriously as a big time program until that is rectified. The two cheerleader coaches however had fantastic bodies.

2.Ahmed is a tough watch.

3. Refs sucked

4. I change my mind on Ellison from play to play

5. Can we do a three for one trade? Our three Euros for their Italian kid?

I think of of the refs has it in for mullin. Saw him angry with Mullin at a game in jamaica. I don't think the refs respect mullin as a coach. That is why Wright can go runnin onto the court screaming and not get hit with a technical. The refs tolerance of mullin is much lower

Sitting close to the bench Mullin's language at Refs is something I've never seen before. He drops F bombs numerous times a game at them. I think the Refs have given him leeway. I am surprised he does not have more T's

 

[logen]

Went to my first game of season yesterday. Had nice seats, so here are my thoughts.
1. The absolute biggest need is better cheerleaders. Don't mean to be mean but wow. Owens has more of a cheerleader body than like 3 or 4 of them. I don't think you can take us seriously as a big time program until that is rectified. The two cheerleader coaches however had fantastic bodies.

2.Ahmed is a tough watch.

3. Refs sucked

4. I change my mind on Ellison from play to play

5. Can we do a three for one trade? Our three Euros for their Italian kid?

I think of of the refs has it in for mullin. Saw him angry with Mullin at a game in jamaica. I don't think the refs respect mullin as a coach. That is why Wright can go runnin onto the court screaming and not get hit with a technical. The refs tolerance of mullin is much lower

Unfortunately, college is going the way of the pros in that refs call plays by the jersey/ players involved; not the game. Unfortunately, that works against us; case in point the three block/charges call right after Wrights timeout after our early lead that all went Novas way. As for Mullin, don't see it; he jaws plenty and has very few T's. We play undisciplined on D, too much hands and not enough feet and go to block every shot; ergo, we foul a lot.

 

[mjmaherjr]

Went to my first game of season yesterday. Had nice seats, so here are my thoughts.
1. The absolute biggest need is better cheerleaders. Don't mean to be mean but wow. Owens has more of a cheerleader body than like 3 or 4 of them. I don't think you can take us seriously as a big time program until that is rectified. The two cheerleader coaches however had fantastic bodies.

2.Ahmed is a tough watch.

3. Refs sucked

4. I change my mind on Ellison from play to play

5. Can we do a three for one trade? Our three Euros for their Italian kid?

I think of of the refs has it in for mullin. Saw him angry with Mullin at a game in jamaica. I don't think the refs respect mullin as a coach. That is why Wright can go runnin onto the court screaming and not get hit with a technical. The refs tolerance of mullin is much lower

Unfortunately, college is going the way of the pros in that refs call plays by the jersey/ players involved; not the game. Unfortunately, that works against us; case in point the three block/charges call right after Wrights timeout after our early lead that all went Novas way. As for Mullin, don't see it; he jaws plenty and has very few T's. We play undisciplined on D, too much hands and not enough feet and go to block every shot; ergo, we foul a lot.

agreed and to your other post there was defintiely groaning by us in our section when with some of our guys jumping in the air at fakes. The amount of times we jump for nothing is mind boggling

What pissed me off the most I think was the rebounding because it's not like Nova was playing a huge front line. It seems like Owens is the only one that really hustles for rebounds on the front line

 

[JackofVirginia]

I don't want to sound mean. But we need to get rid of Amar and get a banger. Amar should be playing on a mid major team.

He's only got one more year. I have no problem with him finishing his degree and career here as long as he's only playing 3 mpg.

I don't think we bring in more guys than spaces available, so I'm not a fan of running him off for no reason.

It didn't take him long to walk and watch his man drive past him and score. One minute in the game is too much time. Doesn't deserve to play.

 

[JackofVirginia]

If that is the case we should consider scaling back the amount of home games there.
Villanova only plays 4 games a year at Wells Fargo. We should do something similar until we get ourselves back on track.
For example, why are we playing Marquette there on a Wednesday night? That should be on campus. Lucky to have 5,000 in MSG. Also Xavier 6pm on a Sunday should be on campus as well. Just keep the Saturday games and Sunday afternoon games from now on.
Secondly, I hear unless we sell 10,000 tickets for a game we lose money on playing at MSG. We will not sell 10,000 tickets for the rest of the year. This is different than giving away tickets which we do for some games.

My fear of playing less games at the garden will affect our recruiting, afterall they are certainly not coming because of Carnesecca Arena.

 

[ManhattAn1]

That is the conundrum.
Either way the relationship must approve with MSG. We are paying to play there, colors and apparel of the opposing team should be anywhere in the building.

I would for them to play a few games in the Coliseum starting next year. I think it has the potential to be a great hoops venue with only 13,000 seats.

 

[TonyinFairfield]

The game was there for the taking but we have to clean up the mental mistakes. Obviously rebounding is a huge issue and that needs to be the priority for the staff to find someone who wants that to be their main job. Hopefully Clark fills that role next year.

The kids played tough and we hung tough.

I really have a hard time though in MSG when they are selling Villanova gear and then after the game they have garden lit up in baby blue for Villanova after it was red before the game.
Our relationship needs to change with MSG for the better. The bandwagon cam was a huge hit however.

I share your and many others' frustrations on this board, with the way MSG treats us. But we all know the answer is to put a consistently competitive product on the court. Until we do, and I don't mean a good team every five years, but a consistently good team, we are negotiating from a position of weakness. If we were a perennial tournament team and filled the Garden with our fans at every game, we'd be in a much stronger position to negotiate with the Garden. Until then, we have to continue to live with the fact that when we play Nova, Georgetown, etc etc, we will be in the minority at the Garden. And nobody hates that more than I do.

 

[mjmaherjr]

The game was there for the taking but we have to clean up the mental mistakes. Obviously rebounding is a huge issue and that needs to be the priority for the staff to find someone who wants that to be their main job. Hopefully Clark fills that role next year.

The kids played tough and we hung tough.

I really have a hard time though in MSG when they are selling Villanova gear and then after the game they have garden lit up in baby blue for Villanova after it was red before the game.
Our relationship needs to change with MSG for the better. The bandwagon cam was a huge hit however.

I share your and many others' frustrations on this board, with the way MSG treats us. But we all know the answer is to put a consistently competitive product on the court. Until we do, and I don't mean a good team every five years, but a consistently good team, we are negotiating from a position of weakness. If we were a perennial tournament team and filled the Garden with our fans at every game, we'd be in a much stronger position to negotiate with the Garden. Until then, we have to continue to live with the fact that when we play Nova, Georgetown, etc etc, we will be in the minority at the Garden. And nobody hates that more than I do.

Agreed but I actually thought the SJU turnout yesterday was at least more than I expected

 

[JohnnyFan]

Went to my first game of season yesterday. Had nice seats, so here are my thoughts.
1. The absolute biggest need is better cheerleaders. Don't mean to be mean but wow. Owens has more of a cheerleader body than like 3 or 4 of them. I don't think you can take us seriously as a big time program until that is rectified. The two cheerleader coaches however had fantastic bodies.

2.Ahmed is a tough watch.

3. Refs sucked

4. I change my mind on Ellison from play to play

5. Can we do a three for one trade? Our three Euros for their Italian kid?

I think of of the refs has it in for mullin. Saw him angry with Mullin at a game in jamaica. I don't think the refs respect mullin as a coach. That is why Wright can go runnin onto the court screaming and not get hit with a technical. The refs tolerance of mullin is much lower

Sitting close to the bench Mullin's language at Refs is something I've never seen before. He drops F bombs numerous times a game at them. I think the Refs have given him leeway. I am surprised he does not have more T's

Not sure if this has been discussed, but at one point I thought I saw Mullin jawing with Kris Jenkins as he prepared to inbound the ball. If I saw that right, it would be totally over the line.

 

[weathermannyc]

Went to my first game of season yesterday. Had nice seats, so here are my thoughts.
1. The absolute biggest need is better cheerleaders. Don't mean to be mean but wow. Owens has more of a cheerleader body than like 3 or 4 of them. I don't think you can take us seriously as a big time program until that is rectified. The two cheerleader coaches however had fantastic bodies.

2.Ahmed is a tough watch.

3. Refs sucked

4. I change my mind on Ellison from play to play

5. Can we do a three for one trade? Our three Euros for their Italian kid?

I think of of the refs has it in for mullin. Saw him angry with Mullin at a game in jamaica. I don't think the refs respect mullin as a coach. That is why Wright can go runnin onto the court screaming and not get hit with a technical. The refs tolerance of mullin is much lower

Unfortunately, college is going the way of the pros in that refs call plays by the jersey/ players involved; not the game. Unfortunately, that works against us; case in point the three block/charges call right after Wrights timeout after our early lead that all went Novas way. As for Mullin, don't see it; he jaws plenty and has very few T's. We play undisciplined on D, too much hands and not enough feet and go to block every shot; ergo, we foul a lot.

agreed and to your other post there was defintiely groaning by us in our section when with some of our guys jumping in the air at fakes. The amount of times we jump for nothing is mind boggling

What pissed me off the most I think was the rebounding because it's not like Nova was playing a huge front line. It seems like Owens is the only one that really hustles for rebounds on the front line

What makes it more maddening is that Villanova has been known to make frequent use of the shot fake for years. It's not like this is something new and unexpected.

 

[Las Vegan]

That is the conundrum.
Either way the relationship must approve with MSG. We are paying to play there, colors and apparel of the opposing team should be anywhere in the building.

I would for them to play a few games in the Coliseum starting next year. I think it has the potential to be a great hoops venue with only 13,000 seats.

Not a bad idea. We used to play some big games at the Coliseum, although I remember mostly losses - Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Oregon State. I do remember a win over Wagner when PJ Carlesimo was the coach.
Maybe we could play a weekend game vs Hofstra to see if it draws a decent crowd.

 

[mjmaherjr]

That is the conundrum.
Either way the relationship must approve with MSG. We are paying to play there, colors and apparel of the opposing team should be anywhere in the building.

I would for them to play a few games in the Coliseum starting next year. I think it has the potential to be a great hoops venue with only 13,000 seats.

Not a bad idea. We used to play some big games at the Coliseum, although I remember mostly losses - Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Oregon State. I do remember a win over Wagner when PJ Carlesimo was the coach.
Maybe we could play a weekend game vs Hofstra to see if it draws a decent crowd.

I think 1 game there against Hofstra is a great idea would be a good draw on a weekend

 

[L J S A]

That is the conundrum.
Either way the relationship must approve with MSG. We are paying to play there, colors and apparel of the opposing team should be anywhere in the building.

I would for them to play a few games in the Coliseum starting next year. I think it has the potential to be a great hoops venue with only 13,000 seats.

Not a bad idea. We used to play some big games at the Coliseum, although I remember mostly losses - Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Oregon State. I do remember a win over Wagner when PJ Carlesimo was the coach.
Maybe we could play a weekend game vs Hofstra to see if it draws a decent crowd.

I think 1 game there against Hofstra is a great idea would be a good draw on a weekend

Still have bad memories of going straight there from the airport after coming in for the holidays, and seeing us lose for the first time ever against them.

 

[TonyinFairfield]

Went to my first game of season yesterday. Had nice seats, so here are my thoughts.
1. The absolute biggest need is better cheerleaders. Don't mean to be mean but wow. Owens has more of a cheerleader body than like 3 or 4 of them. I don't think you can take us seriously as a big time program until that is rectified. The two cheerleader coaches however had fantastic bodies.

2.Ahmed is a tough watch.

3. Refs sucked

4. I change my mind on Ellison from play to play

5. Can we do a three for one trade? Our three Euros for their Italian kid?

I think of of the refs has it in for mullin. Saw him angry with Mullin at a game in jamaica. I don't think the refs respect mullin as a coach. That is why Wright can go runnin onto the court screaming and not get hit with a technical. The refs tolerance of mullin is much lower

Sitting close to the bench Mullin's language at Refs is something I've never seen before. He drops F bombs numerous times a game at them. I think the Refs have given him leeway. I am surprised he does not have more T's

Not sure if this has been discussed, but at one point I thought I saw Mullin jawing with Kris Jenkins as he prepared to inbound the ball. If I saw that right, it would be totally over the line.

I, along with other St. John's fans in my section saw that too. We thought Chris was just having some fun with Jenkins. They weren't really jawing at each other. The reason I say this is because the ref who was nearby, the same guy who called the T on Chris earlier, was smiling and laughing. So I didn't take it at all as being over the line.

 

[beast of the east]

The game was there for the taking but we have to clean up the mental mistakes. Obviously rebounding is a huge issue and that needs to be the priority for the staff to find someone who wants that to be their main job. Hopefully Clark fills that role next year.

The kids played tough and we hung tough.

I really have a hard time though in MSG when they are selling Villanova gear and then after the game they have garden lit up in baby blue for Villanova after it was red before the game.
Our relationship needs to change with MSG for the better. The bandwagon cam was a huge hit however.

Can't echo your words re: MSG promoting Nova and others more emphatically. This is our home court for the day and we are footing the bill. Hope AD takes notice and makes it known.

The video shown during the game that poked fun at Nova fans is a case in point, Although funny and highlighting bandwagon fans, it is still a bit irritating. Find ways to promote SJ - not highlight fact that there were a lot of Nova fans at the game.

Both Sju and msg want to sell tic to the game. When we do t hace a winning team just about all opponents will sell more tix than sju does