Yakwe Funk
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
JackofVirginia
Active member
Let's face it next year's starters will probably be Ponds, Lovett and Ellison ( Mullin loves this kid plus he has shown improvement). More then likely Clark will be another starter which has to leave Ahmed coming off the bench. Hopefully we have a new center. Of course Mullin can replace Ellison with Ahmed - only the Shadow knows.
For the young among us:
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in 1930s pulp novels, and ... The introduction from The Shadow radio program " Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?
The Shadow (1994 film)
all the best
Remember only the shadow knows who lurks in the recruiting scheme of SJU
Let's go Matt who casts a short but large shadow from what it appears...
:silly:
McKoy played for LI Lutheran along with Reggie Carter but his reputation was built on his playing for the Elm-Cor organization based in Queens.
Frontcourt slide per Zach B
http://nypost.com/2017/01/15/mullins-telling-answer-shows-how-far-st-johns-frontcourt-has-slid/
http://nypost.com/2017/01/15/mullins-telling-answer-shows-how-far-st-johns-frontcourt-has-slid/
Class of 72
Active member
The staff's inability to identify and sign viable front court talent has been a major setback for any resurgence of the Johnnies. Too many similarities to the previous staff's attempts to go after recruits who either are long shots or have better options than St. John's in the end. For next year all we have to show are 2 transfers. The one official recruit of any importance was a 50/50 gamble. With the continued poor play, losses and ultimately loss of players via transfer, it is hard to regain any stability if year three does not produce a blockbuster class.
Matt may be an aggressive little recruiter but I am not sure Mullin and Richmond have the closing ability to land the level of talent Mullin needs to succeed as a coach. It appears the philosophical differences with Slice regarding the direction of the program were more significant than they appeared.
Were it not for Ponds and Lovett the dearth of talent we have signed would yield very little in wins and only demoralizing losses.
Just as with the last regime, the ability to get the best players may be the biggest hurdle.
As for Yakwe's funk, that funk is in reality spread across the entire front line with Williams, Alibegovic, Freudenberg, and an underwhelming Bashir Ahmed to comprise the least talented and least productive front court in the Big East.
The frustration felt by Ponds and Lovett must be tremendous.
Matt may be an aggressive little recruiter but I am not sure Mullin and Richmond have the closing ability to land the level of talent Mullin needs to succeed as a coach. It appears the philosophical differences with Slice regarding the direction of the program were more significant than they appeared.
Were it not for Ponds and Lovett the dearth of talent we have signed would yield very little in wins and only demoralizing losses.
Just as with the last regime, the ability to get the best players may be the biggest hurdle.
As for Yakwe's funk, that funk is in reality spread across the entire front line with Williams, Alibegovic, Freudenberg, and an underwhelming Bashir Ahmed to comprise the least talented and least productive front court in the Big East.
The frustration felt by Ponds and Lovett must be tremendous.
Stating the obvious, an essential part of staying the course for next 3-4 years in that equation will be keeping the right kids here & replenishing roster with talent. If not, extending the plan each year has no appeal. (Which I know you are not suggesting) In fairness to Matt, if you lose key pieces, you can't expect him to fill those gaps automatically. Hopefully the roster going forward remains relatively stable or our targeted continuity will be difficult to attain. Let's win one today.
we are sju
Active member
Yeah it is fine rebuilding if you keep adding pieces to compliment the pieces you brought in previously. That doesn't happen here. We are not good then lose our players, then have to replace our better players. One step up and two steps back.. Not a Mullin thing either. Just how it seems to work around here no matter who the coach is since Elite 8 team really.
it could be that Yakwe is being asked to develop faster than he is capable. The thought was we'd have Sima to chew up some mins and Im sure they thought RF and Amar "would have" contributed enough mins up front. Well, that plan has fallen short greatly. Although Owens is playing terrific ( more than I expected ), I still feel that Yakwe is being thrown into this starting role as a force up front. He needs development and he will be fine. WE CAN NOT lose another player up front. Honestly we need two more front court players in addition to the redshirts to compete. Its nice that we are strong on some nice 2018 and 2019 kids, but unless we pick up a diamond in the rough ( transfer/ late bloomer ) we are in for another dismal season next year too. Incidently, look at Nova's recruits for the last 5 years. 4 star players with a 5 star spinkled in. Seems to work for them.
You are correct re: Yakwe and, in years gone by (especially in the Carnesecca era), he would be developing by coming off bench. But, given the state of our program and the expectations of today's recruits, he is thrust into a role beyond his current capabilities
Totally agree. Ineligibility, kids leaving early and transfers are poison & have too often been part of equation here. Cutting and pasting won't compensate for that.
As an aside, as dreadful as Freudenberg has been year one, I hope he does not get frustrated & return home. He may never be a star, but by his junior year could be a good complementary piece if he regains his stroke. I never felt that about Amar, but RF seems to have some skills and feel for the game. At the least, it is worth staying the course with him to see what he has in my opinion. If not Detlef S., Niels Giffey, who gave UCONN decent minutes his final two years, would be fine.
Lovett and Ponds can says they are frustrated but I think that they have not done a good job getting the ball to our post players is positions where they can be successful. Sima had a decent low post game and we never made any effort to feed him the ball on the block. Our guards dominate the ball and a lot of our points come off one on one play. It is why our assist numbers are low. We do not have good ball movement at all. Ponds and Lovett have been successful at getting their point totals, but have not done a good job at setting the table for others to be successful.
I am surprised at how lost Yakwe looks on the court, but he also looks disinterested.
I would like to see more ball movement to create shots.
I am surprised at how lost Yakwe looks on the court, but he also looks disinterested.
I would like to see more ball movement to create shots.
Freud is one player I'm not concerned about. He has been given plenty of opportunites and hasn't shown much. Its Ponds, Lovett, Bash,Ellison and Owens that concern me. Id even like Yakwe to stay. But wouldn't swet it if he left.
Totally agree. Ineligibility, kids leaving early and transfers are poison & have too often been part of equation here. Cutting and pasting won't compensate for that.
As an aside, as dreadful as Freudenberg has been year one, I hope he does not get frustrated & return home. He may never be a star, but by his junior year could be a good complementary piece if he regains his stroke. I never felt that about Amar, but RF seems to have some skills and feel for the game. At the least, it is worth staying the course with him to see what he has in my opinion. If not Detlef S., Niels Giffey, who gave UCONN decent minutes his final two years, would be fine.
Freud is one player I'm not concerned about. He has been given plenty of opportunites and hasn't shown much. Its Ponds, Lovett, Bash,Ellison and Owens that concern me. Id even like Yakwe to stay. But wouldn't swet it if he left.
Totally agree. Ineligibility, kids leaving early and transfers are poison & have too often been part of equation here. Cutting and pasting won't compensate for that.
As an aside, as dreadful as Freudenberg has been year one, I hope he does not get frustrated & return home. He may never be a star, but by his junior year could be a good complementary piece if he regains his stroke. I never felt that about Amar, but RF seems to have some skills and feel for the game. At the least, it is worth staying the course with him to see what he has in my opinion. If not Detlef S., Niels Giffey, who gave UCONN decent minutes his final two years, would be fine.
Of course Freudenberg is less of a "stay priority" than guys you referenced and certainly one in particular who I worry about.