Welcome David Jones

On paper we have replaced most of the scoring that we lost from last season. Jones certainly looks like a nice fit for Anderson’s system.

Like others I still have concerns over our shooting abilities. One player is not going to solve that but they have one more scholarship to take a shot, no pun intended.
 
Our toughness should really be a staple this year. He gives Wusu and Posh a run for their money. Great pick up. The scoring and the rebounding are obvious and apparent but you know I like my passers and you don’t just get 10 assists in a game by accident. There was a clip a week ago of him playing with the DR team in scrimmages and he had 2 great feeds to Soriano for buckets inside. Curbelo, Posh, Wusu, Jones might be the best passing 1-4 we’ve had since we had hopes of a final four.
 
Assuming we start Soriano, Jones, Wusu, Posh & Curbelo, I like a second five of Pinzon, Mathis, Storr, Stanley & Nyiwe as I expect both Pinzon & Storr to show pretty good shooting ability, Nyiwe can hit the occasional open three and Mathis & Stanley good lunch pail dirty work guys. Anything Traore & King can give us in their first season will be a nice plus.
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love this pickup, nice to have a player that you can count of going to the rim and finish, in multiple ways. With that in mind also a player we may be able to count on at the end of the game to score or make key pass.
Curbelo too has showed the propensity to make big plays late. Also the potential to have the bad play late of course.
 
Assuming we start Soriano, Jones, Wusu, Posh & Curbelo, I like a second five of Pinzon, Mathis, Storr, Stanley & Nyiwe as I expect both Pinzon & Storr to show pretty good shooting ability, Nyiwe can hit the occasional open three and Mathis & Stanley good lunch pail dirty work guys. Anything Traore & King can give us in their first season will be a nice plus.
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I was thinking about the 3 spot and the more I do the more I think it’s best for Storr and the team if he got the nod. Playing with those other 4 might take some pressure off him to feel like he has to score. And in my opinion he’ll be the best hope for a catch and shoot guy on the wing.

Wusu as super sub for pretty much anyone in that starting lineup. Pinzon brings more O, Mathis more D depending on the situation. But I’m sure early on CMA will send guys out in waves much to the chagrin of a large portion of our fan base. As season goes on one of Mathis, Pinzon, Wusu will be getting less minutes than they had thought they would I’m sure. But that’s life at a program who’s looking to win big.
 
Great pick up. While it does not fill all the needs a great athlete and player that should fit the system well. That being said, I have a problem with poaching players from other Big East teams. What St Johns and Providence has done has set a bad president for the future. Will schools like UConn now offer a top kid from a fellow conference school a special NIL “deal” so they don’t have to face him anymore? We all remember how upset many posters were when Jaquan Sanders (who had not even signed with The Johnnies yet) switched to The Hall. How will everyone feel if another school approaches a Posh level talent on St. John’s lures him off with a financial package? The rules have changed. College basketball doesn’t look like college basketball anymore and the worst is yet to come.
 
Great pick up. While it does not fill all the needs a great athlete and player that should fit the system well. That being said, I have a problem with poaching players from other Big East teams. What St Johns and Providence has done has set a bad president for the future. Will schools like UConn now offer a top kid from a fellow conference school a special NIL “deal” so they don’t have to face him anymore? We all remember how upset many posters were when Jaquan Sanders (who had not even signed with The Johnnies yet) switched to The Hall. How will everyone feel if another school approaches a Posh level talent on St. John’s lures him off with a financial package? The rules have changed. College basketball doesn’t look like college basketball anymore and the worst is yet to come.
If I am Anderson facing a key year, I say screw tradition and “moral high ground” nonsense to take a player capable of making this team a potential Dance participant. When things like rules change, adapt or perish seems equation.
 
Great pick up. While it does not fill all the needs a great athlete and player that should fit the system well. That being said, I have a problem with poaching players from other Big East teams. What St Johns and Providence has done has set a bad president for the future. Will schools like UConn now offer a top kid from a fellow conference school a special NIL “deal” so they don’t have to face him anymore? We all remember how upset many posters were when Jaquan Sanders (who had not even signed with The Johnnies yet) switched to The Hall. How will everyone feel if another school approaches a Posh level talent on St. John’s lures him off with a financial package? The rules have changed. College basketball doesn’t look like college basketball anymore and the worst is yet to come.
Of course that will suck if/when that happens. But it’s not gonna not happen just because we don’t try to do the same. No sense getting screwed on both ends.
 
Johnny R, I'm with you about in conference transfers and seems like it is poaching to me too. Now though with free transfers, NILs etc., it feels like the pros and free agency. It is what it is. We'll probably lose someone to another BE school, so the carousel will go round and round the painted ponies go up and down. It is a brave new College BB world. No coach K, no coach Wright, Willard gone. Jimmy b still kicking (and whining).
 
If I am Anderson facing a key year, I say screw tradition and “moral high ground” nonsense to take a player capable of making this team a potential Dance participant. When things like rules change, adapt or perish seems equation.
I see where you are coming from given the circumstance that Anderson is faced with but I also remember how most on this and other sites crucified Williard for doing the same in trying to retain his job at The Hall. Selfishly, as a Johnny fan I'm happy but I still believe the move is bad for the league and college hoops in general.
 
Great pick up. While it does not fill all the needs a great athlete and player that should fit the system well. That being said, I have a problem with poaching players from other Big East teams. What St Johns and Providence has done has set a bad president for the future. Will schools like UConn now offer a top kid from a fellow conference school a special NIL “deal” so they don’t have to face him anymore? We all remember how upset many posters were when Jaquan Sanders (who had not even signed with The Johnnies yet) switched to The Hall. How will everyone feel if another school approaches a Posh level talent on St. John’s lures him off with a financial package? The rules have changed. College basketball doesn’t look like college basketball anymore and the worst is yet to come.
I've never been one to worry much about the morals of this sort of thing, but I do get your point about the ongoing hypocrisy of many of our posters. Just play by the rules, which we've been doing probably to a fault. In any event, a huge pick up and another solid piece to what I fully expect will be a tourney team next season. Let's keep the mo going and pick up a shooter now!
 
Great pick up. While it does not fill all the needs a great athlete and player that should fit the system well. That being said, I have a problem with poaching players from other Big East teams. What St Johns and Providence has done has set a bad president for the future. Will schools like UConn now offer a top kid from a fellow conference school a special NIL “deal” so they don’t have to face him anymore? We all remember how upset many posters were when Jaquan Sanders (who had not even signed with The Johnnies yet) switched to The Hall. How will everyone feel if another school approaches a Posh level talent on St. John’s lures him off with a financial package? The rules have changed. College basketball doesn’t look like college basketball anymore and the worst is yet to come.
As I said in the transfer thread, I’d rather have the good players stay in the Big East than go elsewhere. The Posh example would sting but it is what it is.

As far as the Saunders example, he was a verbal commit and I think more were upset not because it was another a Big East school but because it was one in close proximity to us when the idea was to get away from home. We got Harkless after he originally verbally committed to UCONN and prior to that UCONN got Wiggins after he verbally committed to us (and their was much gnashing of teeth on that one on the previous Board especially with an “accidental“ meeting at a barbershop in East Hartford having taken place just prior to the switch so your point is taken).

The game and rules have changed. To survive, you have to adapt.
 
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