Wheeler
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
I was extremely critical of Wheeler early in the season. i thought his ceiling was 6 + 6, but I also always felt that he needed to play away from the basket. That he was not a low post player like many on here thought he should be. Glad CMA finally realized how to best utilize his skill sets, and thrilled that Aaron took advantage of the opportunity and far exceeded all expectations.
beast of the east
Active member
redmannorth post=456729 said:
Honestly. redmen.com is an alternative universe as you described it. At the Villanova game the red white reception were jammed with followers, a significant number younger.
The stands were fairly well populated and surprisingly Red considering our mixed results this year.
My question to you is that as I'm aware that you are a highly regarded attorney and significant presence in charitable endeavors in your city, would you feel any less pressure to do well for your clients or employer if you worked for a lesser firm.
I've done extensive work in Missouri and Arkansas where I had considerable success in state and private entities. Overall people in those states are better mannered, less negative and outwardly critical by nature.
Don't confuse the two. Expecting successful results and being harshly critical, continually negative and personally insulting are two very different things.
From personal experience in both those 2 states. I can tell you that New york is a much more difficult place than those places. Southern manners and midwest values really do exist. My biggest challenge in those areas was to dispel the sometimes valid stereotype of typical new yorker.
Last edited:
My comment wasn’t directed at any one person. I just remember he had a few bad games. Barely played and it was open season on him. Then he had a good game and ppl praised him until that next ehh game.
I’m just glad he has strung together a really nice display of good ball.
I’m just glad he has strung together a really nice display of good ball.
He’s been twice the player I thought he could be in BE play. To me the 3’s are just a bonus that could come back down to earth anytime. It’s the easy baskets he’s been getting inside that excite me the most.
His BE #s to date:
14 points
5 boards
1.2 blocks
57 % from 2
44% from 3
81% from the line
14 points
5 boards
1.2 blocks
57 % from 2
44% from 3
81% from the line
My pressure all comes from within and in my early 60s I am working as hard as I ever have with much greater responsibility professionally and socially than ever before, but that is not the issue. You said CMA has never faced such pressure and comments from fans and I completely disagree with that. At SJU he was given a contract extension without making a post season tournament , after 2/3 s of the team transferred out and absent a solid recruiting class, the proof is in the pudding. At an SEC school you read about the team, recruits, potential recruits, etc 365 days a year in the papers. I can’t specifically speak about Missouri or Arkansas but my brother lives in Mobile and it is Alabama sports all day long in the papers, radio and tv. I can’t imagine it being an iota different in other small SEC school towns.Beast of the East post=456758 said:
And like it or not people who are in the public eye in today’s world, entertainers, athletes , coaches, politicians have their lives publicly dissected on social media. Right or wrong those are just the facts.
beast of the east
Active member
I asked you about where your motivation comes from because I knew the answer. I believe it's the same for CMA regardless of who he works for or how much he is paid. If he does not succeed, he will be terminated at some point and he knows it.redmannorth post=456764 said:
I didn't say any such thing about him facing pressure at his other schools.. I quoted Wheeler, who observed all the negativity from the media outlets at the press conference. I would offer having been at sporting event in Missouri (but not Arkansas) that in St. Louis fans are much better behaved than in New York, even applauding great plays by the opposition.
Social media is a phenomenon never seen before in the history of communications. It gives a voice to the voiceless and empowers those without power. It's a freedom, but one that is used so recklessly that social media platforms subjectively delete posts they don't like or agree with, or those that are threatening or hostile. In general it's a low bar, and otherwise civil people act out in rage over things they have no control over, like the outcomes of a game with a ball and an iron cylinder. It is also a very public platform, and in the case of St. John's athletics, is one that recruits use to decide where they want to spend their college years. I'm completely aware that players and recruits follow us on the commercial social media platforms and on sites like redmen.com. I know for a fact that parents and students have asked erroneous and nasty things that are posted here. Defending them when you are trying to roll out the carpet to impress a recruit is ridiculous.
The above paragraph will not change the minds of the worst offenders here, and I won't debate that with you. But be aware, it is very real and very damaging. I know you are close with Joe T., and to bring clarity to that, you might be inclined to react very differently if he was subject to the same garbage that fans spew here over his 9-15, 5-9 record as coach of the woman's team.
The media is tough, especially in NYC and even more so when you're not winning enough. CMA knows that, he ain't a novice. Since he has played well and has done some post game press conferences, Aaron is getting his first real taste of it first hand, He'll get used to it after a while.
beast of the east
Active member
Yo, I ain't worried about Coach Anderson, who as a black man growing up in Alabama, I am certain has grown up with far greater slurs than being called a dinostaur who can't coach and who is cashing a paycheck. He is at least twice the man I am, and as such, disregards social media comments.Monte post=456776 said:
I am concerned somewhat about Wheeler, who can measure the praise heaped upon him here against the harsh things said about him earlier in the season by the very same people and can opt to transfer out as have others who grew by leaps and bounds basketball wise under CMA.
What I am most concerned about though is the deleterious effects of these comments are having on recruits and their families, who are openly questioning whether CMA is about to be fired. I discussed this with one person here who is highly regarded, who responded, "Maybe those people shouldn't send their kids here". Good, we will end up with 12 2 stars for whom the Big East is a big opportunity.
Last edited:
You know NYC as well as anyone, it's a tough town, especially when you're not winning. And fans make their displeasure heard. As long as it's done respectfully, I have no problem with it. Is our fan base any worse then any other? I really don't think so, and I've been on message boards of plenty of other schools. Hell, when I was at the Duke-SJU game at MSG, their fans were telling me that K's best years were behind him and it was time for him to hang it up. And that was when Duke was leading! I could only imagine what they were saying after we beat them. That's just the nature of the business, and winning cures all.Beast of the East post=456782 said:
redmen4life
Well-known member
Monte post=456776 said:
i'm sorry, but i've never bought into the whole 'media is tough' thing. yes, at macro level media is tough. but in our sju bubble NOBODY CARES. you have zach who is more of a fan than a journalist. then you have Rubin, who nobody reads.
beyond that, espn doesn't care, fox will never say anything bad, nbc w/bruce beck loves us, tierney thinks we walk on water....
the media isn't tough.
I was speaking in general terms about the media, I'm not aware of the specific questions that Wheeler was referencing with his comments. But agree, the media is not very tough on SJU mainly because right now the media is not that interested in SJU.redmen4life post=456791 said:
In all fairness what took so long for the light to go on ?lawmanfan post=456793 said:
You cant have it both ways lawman.
The first half a season his play was poor, very underwhelming and this is from someone who said he would be very good at SJU, that CMA's system was perfect for him and that he would thrive both offensively and defensively with his length and skill set.
He was our biggest disappointment until conference play started. Thank g d something clicked and his play the other night exceeded all of our wildest expectations and we all hope his recent play continues, lord knows we need it.
However, no one should be taking credit for his turnaround as we are talking about a senior playing under a head coach with 20 years of head coaching experience. It should never have taken 8 months of Wheeler and CMA working together for them to be on the same page and to figure out his role. Had they clicked earlier on we beat both Indiana and Pitt, have a much higher NET and ranking and are part of the discussion.
SJU Double Alumn
Member
Wheeler is performing at a much higher level than anything he did for years at Purdue, against the toughest level Big East competition, for the entire Big East season so far.redmannorth post=456795 said:
How long are you saying it should have taken to "be on the same page" and "figure out his role"? How long to understand and acclimate to a new system and new players/teammates? One or two practices? One game? One game against a ranked team? Two games? Please tell us exactly when Wheeler should have "clicked" that would have been a sign of superior coaching.
redmannorth post=456795 said:
1. I was just giving Monte a friendly ribbing on a topic he and I have bantered about since the preseason, I have no doubt he got the joke.
2. In my basketball playing, coaching and watching experience, it sometimes takes time for a player to figure out his "fit" and to start playing the right role in the right way without having to think about it. You can't play and think at the same time. It looked to me as though Wheeler spent a lot of time thinking in the early games. I was there for the game he got benched, and also for the next game when his family was there and CMA put him in the game perhaps because of that. He had some success in that game really for the first time, and progressed from there.
I understand (or at least interpret) your post as a critique of the staff, but every player is different and some come around sooner than others. For example it seems to me that Nyiwe continues to develop, just at a slower pace than Wheeler. Pinzon (before we unfortunately lost him apparently for the year) picked up much faster. I rather suspect that on balance guards come along faster than big men, and also that younger players come along faster than some upperclass transfers who had significant time developing a routine in a very different system and have to relearn a new one.
After a few years of occasional frustration at CMA's player usage, I have observed that his decisions to give time to players who we don't see as currently productive usually turn out to be worthwhile, and that when he benches someone or cuts their minutes it's more educational than punitive.
We'd always like to see everything move faster, but after 20+ years of zero player development, I personally find it refreshing to watch a professional coach under whom players actually improve over time.
Last edited:
