Zach B Article on Lav & Local HS Coaches

[MJDinkins]

What a stupid article. It was trying to burn Lavin for not recruiting locally. But, than had to put the truth out there. There was only 1 MCDAA in the 5 years Lavin was coach and he his HS coach rode him to a job at SHU. Additionally, it said when there was talent in the pool Lav offered schollies.

So basically the article was saying 2 things...

1. Lav went after and in a lot of cases successfully recruited a better player than the local crop

and

2. These HS coaches want their ass kissed so they can vicariously live out their dreams through young people that actually have talent.

And to the board that says they want a national power... Guess what you're going to have to recruit nationally.

Guess how many UK players come from Lexington. Then guess how many points they've scored between them.

Agree.... This program won't survive with a roster primarily loaded with NYC kids. If so, then be prepared to get your arse routinely kicked. You get the very, good-to-decent talented kids from the area, and continue to recruit nationally. If you wanna consistently be on a national level, then recruiting nationwide is gonna be the route to take.

As, Marillac stated.... Some kids just wanna get out of the city (it's been that way for years.... even when Lou C was at the helm). Just get good players, regardless of their locale is my motto.

 

[southernjohnny2]

I think Zach just repeats the drivel his buddies put in his ear. I don't think he has one ounce of journalism or ethics at all! He does O homework

 

[monte]

Joe A said what I've been saying all along, Rawle is there for the taking. He is wide open and IMO would welcome the opportunity to stay home.

You know what is sad and downright pathetic about Arbitello, though? The fact that he would limit his kid's choices because of a personal disagreement he had with a coach that didn't involve the kid whatsoever. He needs to really go over his priorities and understand what his role is as a basketball coach, adviser, and mentor. He should help his kids go to the best situation possible even if it went against his preferences. HIS preferences don't matter.

Rawle could blow out a knee, just have an awful season or fail to qualify and one day beg to be a part of a program like St. John's. What about the 10-11 kids he coaches every year that would do anything to even be noticed by St. John's? Just selfish and immature of him to burn bridges like that.

Zach has shown us all his true colors. He knows who to run to to get the negative quotes he needs to help his ego. Less than an hour after Lav is let go he tweets new Arbitello quotes. If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

To the best of my knowledge, Lavin showed his face at CTK once in the time he was here. That was at this year's tripleheader. I'm not so sure he ever even saw ADR play while he was at CTK. How the hell is he going to recruit Rawle if he doesn't make an appearance? And assuming for a second that he was persona non grata at CTK, please explain to me why he didn't show his face at any other gym. What is he persona non grata at every HS gym in NY and NJ?

How many city kids have been better than what Lav hauled in? Even Louie missed most of the cream of the crop in New York annually. Lavin got the top city kid to come out during his entire tenure (Harkless). He got the top city kid in 2014 that was available without a coach package deal.

Lavin could have certainly done a better job in NYC--and that is a big reason why I want Mullin or Bobby Hurley--but let's face it: if Lavin's job depended on recruiting NYC talent, he would have been screwed even if he got 75% of the best players (which no SJU coach has ever done). The infrastructure of NYC hoops has crumbled.

You can't survive at St. John's only recruiting city kids. Half of them want to get out and see something new. Norm only saw the downside to this. At least Lavin, perhaps as an outsider himself, understood the converse must be true as well. Kids from around the country and the world wanted to come to New York.

And you can't survive here only recruiting non-NYC kids. There was no excuse for him not establishing local ties, especially when he was shorthanded for 2 of his 5 years here and was filling out the roster with walk-ons from elsewhere. Lavin did not recruit Moe from NYC. Now I don't care where he got him from,. but he wasn't here when Lavin recruited him. As for ADR, the reality of the situation was that ADR did not get sniff from another program at our level, and I don't care what the sites say. He was destined for a mid/low major program. ADR thought he could play at this level, Lavin sold him on immediate playing time and even had to bring JDR along to sweeten the deal. Hardly something that he should be lauded for. Anyhow my intent is not to pile on, but our next coach here needs to be able to deal with the local coaches and recruit here, that's not just my opinion but almost everyone who speaks about what we need from our new coach.

 

[monte]

What a stupid article. It was trying to burn Lavin for not recruiting locally. But, than had to put the truth out there. There was only 1 MCDAA in the 5 years Lavin was coach and he his HS coach rode him to a job at SHU. Additionally, it said when there was talent in the pool Lav offered schollies.

So basically the article was saying 2 things...

1. Lav went after and in a lot of cases successfully recruited a better player than the local crop

and

2. These HS coaches want their ass kissed so they can vicariously live out their dreams through young people that actually have talent.

And to the board that says they want a national power... Guess what you're going to have to recruit nationally.

Guess how many UK players come from Lexington. Then guess how many points they've scored between them.

Last I checked he's unemployed. Clearly his recruiting strategy didn't work out to well for him. But nice try.

 

[monte]

What a stupid article. It was trying to burn Lavin for not recruiting locally. But, than had to put the truth out there. There was only 1 MCDAA in the 5 years Lavin was coach and he his HS coach rode him to a job at SHU. Additionally, it said when there was talent in the pool Lav offered schollies.

So basically the article was saying 2 things...

1. Lav went after and in a lot of cases successfully recruited a better player than the local crop

and

2. These HS coaches want their ass kissed so they can vicariously live out their dreams through young people that actually have talent.

And to the board that says they want a national power... Guess what you're going to have to recruit nationally.

Guess how many UK players come from Lexington. Then guess how many points they've scored between them.

Agree.... This program won't survive with a roster primarily loaded with NYC kids. If so, then be prepared to get your arse routinely kicked. You get the very, good-to-decent talented kids from the area, and continue to recruit nationally. If you wanna consistently be on a national level, then recruiting nationwide is gonna be the route to take.

As, Marillac stated.... Some kids just wanna get out of the city (it's been that way for years.... even when Lou C was at the helm). Just get good players, regardless of their locale is my motto.

Not an either/or Dink. A good coach can and will do both. Wait and see.

 

[southernjohnny2]

What a stupid article. It was trying to burn Lavin for not recruiting locally. But, than had to put the truth out there. There was only 1 MCDAA in the 5 years Lavin was coach and he his HS coach rode him to a job at SHU. Additionally, it said when there was talent in the pool Lav offered schollies.

So basically the article was saying 2 things...

1. Lav went after and in a lot of cases successfully recruited a better player than the local crop

and

2. These HS coaches want their ass kissed so they can vicariously live out their dreams through young people that actually have talent.

And to the board that says they want a national power... Guess what you're going to have to recruit nationally.

Guess how many UK players come from Lexington. Then guess how many points they've scored between them.

Last I checked he's unemployed. Clearly his recruiting strategy didn't work out to well for him. But nice try.

Yes he is unemployed! But I would imagine he is glad this is over, remember Lavin wanted to come here, and left a pretty good job to try and save us! It's not his fault NYC HS basketball isn't what it was 20 years ago! The names thrown around scare allot of people. Danny Hurley has never danced! Never! Mullin has never coached before( see Sidney lowe, or Doherty for a legend coming home to save a program) so the two names kicked around do not have a resume to stack up to the unemployed Lavin. With this being recruiting season, it looks like the program didn't have a plan, or its dragging it's feet! Maybe Lavins lack of success will be a success looking back in a few years

 

[southernjohnny2]

If Zach did some homework he would of read the ncaa report and he would know we had no shot of getting mccullough

 

[monte]

What a stupid article. It was trying to burn Lavin for not recruiting locally. But, than had to put the truth out there. There was only 1 MCDAA in the 5 years Lavin was coach and he his HS coach rode him to a job at SHU. Additionally, it said when there was talent in the pool Lav offered schollies.

So basically the article was saying 2 things...

1. Lav went after and in a lot of cases successfully recruited a better player than the local crop

and

2. These HS coaches want their ass kissed so they can vicariously live out their dreams through young people that actually have talent.

And to the board that says they want a national power... Guess what you're going to have to recruit nationally.

Guess how many UK players come from Lexington. Then guess how many points they've scored between them.

Last I checked he's unemployed. Clearly his recruiting strategy didn't work out to well for him. But nice try.

Yes he is unemployed! But I would imagine he is glad this is over, remember Lavin wanted to come here, and left a pretty good job to try and save us! It's not his fault NYC HS basketball isn't what it was 20 years ago! The names thrown around scare allot of people. Danny Hurley has never danced! Never! Mullin has never coached before( see Sidney lowe, or Doherty for a legend coming home to save a program) so the two names kicked around do not have a resume to stack up to the unemployed Lavin. With this being recruiting season, it looks like the program didn't have a plan, or its dragging it's feet! Maybe Lavins lack of success will be a success looking back in a few years

He was an outsider, which probably played a big roll in why he was not prepared to deal with the local High School and AAU coaches. Although I have a hard time believing that he didn't deal with similar characters in his time at UCLA. Anyhow he should have done his homework before accepting the job. Or maybe he did and he figured he didn't like what he heard and would avoid them and recruit only nationally. I have no doubt that the next coach will be more up to the challenge(I use that word loosely because I don't think its that difficult) of dealing with the local guys. And the next coach and the future of our program is what I'm concerned about, not the ex-coaches and the past. I know you've arrived lately and have been a staunch Lavin supporter.. I hope you'll stick around because far better days lay ahead.

 

[redken]

What a stupid article. It was trying to burn Lavin for not recruiting locally. But, than had to put the truth out there. There was only 1 MCDAA in the 5 years Lavin was coach and he his HS coach rode him to a job at SHU. Additionally, it said when there was talent in the pool Lav offered schollies.

So basically the article was saying 2 things...

1. Lav went after and in a lot of cases successfully recruited a better player than the local crop

and

2. These HS coaches want their ass kissed so they can vicariously live out their dreams through young people that actually have talent.

And to the board that says they want a national power... Guess what you're going to have to recruit nationally.

Guess how many UK players come from Lexington. Then guess how many points they've scored between them.

Last I checked he's unemployed. Clearly his recruiting strategy didn't work out to well for him. But nice try.

Yes he is unemployed! But I would imagine he is glad this is over, remember Lavin wanted to come here, and left a pretty good job to try and save us! It's not his fault NYC HS basketball isn't what it was 20 years ago! The names thrown around scare allot of people. Danny Hurley has never danced! Never! Mullin has never coached before( see Sidney lowe, or Doherty for a legend coming home to save a program) so the two names kicked around do not have a resume to stack up to the unemployed Lavin. With this being recruiting season, it looks like the program didn't have a plan, or its dragging it's feet! Maybe Lavins lack of success will be a success looking back in a few years

He was an outsider, which probably played a big roll in why he was not prepared to deal with the local High School and AAU coaches. Although I have a hard time believing that he didn't deal with similar characters in his time at UCLA. Anyhow he should have done his homework before accepting the job. Or maybe he did and he figured he didn't like what he heard and would avoid them and recruit only nationally. I have no doubt that the next coach will be more up to the challenge(I use that word loosely because I don't think its that difficult) of dealing with the local guys. And the next coach and the future of our program is what I'm concerned about, not the ex-coaches and the past. I know you've arrived lately and have been a staunch Lavin supporter.. I hope you'll stick around because far better days lay ahead.

In the meantime, I've been listening over and over again to that old tune, "You Don't Know What You've Got Until You Lose It."

 

[southernjohnny2]

Not a Lavin supporter, and I am not new here. Didn't like Lavin when he was hired but that being said he recruited more top 50 kids than anyone being mentioned so he did recruit. He whiffed in 2014. Yeah its difficult Norm had to give a HS coach a job and got nothing, and across the Hudson Seton Hall gave Tiny a job. There are 2 top 50 kids next year from the area, that's it! How many has your candidate landed? How many dances have they been in? How many sweet 16s have they been in? We need better candidates, I can't believe we are talking about a new coach from a mid major or our beloved legend who never recruited.

 

[monte]

What a stupid article. It was trying to burn Lavin for not recruiting locally. But, than had to put the truth out there. There was only 1 MCDAA in the 5 years Lavin was coach and he his HS coach rode him to a job at SHU. Additionally, it said when there was talent in the pool Lav offered schollies.

So basically the article was saying 2 things...

1. Lav went after and in a lot of cases successfully recruited a better player than the local crop

and

2. These HS coaches want their ass kissed so they can vicariously live out their dreams through young people that actually have talent.

And to the board that says they want a national power... Guess what you're going to have to recruit nationally.

Guess how many UK players come from Lexington. Then guess how many points they've scored between them.

Last I checked he's unemployed. Clearly his recruiting strategy didn't work out to well for him. But nice try.

Yes he is unemployed! But I would imagine he is glad this is over, remember Lavin wanted to come here, and left a pretty good job to try and save us! It's not his fault NYC HS basketball isn't what it was 20 years ago! The names thrown around scare allot of people. Danny Hurley has never danced! Never! Mullin has never coached before( see Sidney lowe, or Doherty for a legend coming home to save a program) so the two names kicked around do not have a resume to stack up to the unemployed Lavin. With this being recruiting season, it looks like the program didn't have a plan, or its dragging it's feet! Maybe Lavins lack of success will be a success looking back in a few years

He was an outsider, which probably played a big roll in why he was not prepared to deal with the local High School and AAU coaches. Although I have a hard time believing that he didn't deal with similar characters in his time at UCLA. Anyhow he should have done his homework before accepting the job. Or maybe he did and he figured he didn't like what he heard and would avoid them and recruit only nationally. I have no doubt that the next coach will be more up to the challenge(I use that word loosely because I don't think its that difficult) of dealing with the local guys. And the next coach and the future of our program is what I'm concerned about, not the ex-coaches and the past. I know you've arrived lately and have been a staunch Lavin supporter.. I hope you'll stick around because far better days lay ahead.

In the meantime, I've been listening over and over again to that old tune, "You Don't Know What You've Got Until You Lose It."

It'll get better with time, I promise

 

[southernjohnny2]

It will get better with time? That's what I have been telling myself since Norm was hired, really!!! When? With who coaching?

 

[monte]

Not a Lavin supporter, and I am not new here. Didn't like Lavin when he was hired but that being said he recruited more top 50 kids than anyone being mentioned so he did recruit. He whiffed in 2014. Yeah its difficult Norm had to give a HS coach a job and got nothing, and across the Hudson Seton Hall gave Tiny a job. There are 2 top 50 kids next year from the area, that's it! How many has your candidate landed? How many dances have they been in? How many sweet 16s have they been in? We need better candidates, I can't believe we are talking about a new coach from a mid major or our beloved legend who never recruited.

I can't believe you're still pineing over the old coach.

 

[MJDinkins]

What a stupid article. It was trying to burn Lavin for not recruiting locally. But, than had to put the truth out there. There was only 1 MCDAA in the 5 years Lavin was coach and he his HS coach rode him to a job at SHU. Additionally, it said when there was talent in the pool Lav offered schollies.

So basically the article was saying 2 things...

1. Lav went after and in a lot of cases successfully recruited a better player than the local crop

and

2. These HS coaches want their ass kissed so they can vicariously live out their dreams through young people that actually have talent.

And to the board that says they want a national power... Guess what you're going to have to recruit nationally.

Guess how many UK players come from Lexington. Then guess how many points they've scored between them.

Agree.... This program won't survive with a roster primarily loaded with NYC kids. If so, then be prepared to get your arse routinely kicked. You get the very, good-to-decent talented kids from the area, and continue to recruit nationally. If you wanna consistently be on a national level, then recruiting nationwide is gonna be the route to take.

As, Marillac stated.... Some kids just wanna get out of the city (it's been that way for years.... even when Lou C was at the helm). Just get good players, regardless of their locale is my motto.

Not an either/or Dink. A good coach can and will do both. Wait and see.

I'm fine with the coach doing both. But I know in order for this program to consistently compete on a national level, then it'll have to be primarily done with national talent rather than local talent. You can sprinkle in the local talent, as any coach should do. But landing the blue-chippers outside of NYC will be what sustains a national level program.

 

[southernjohnny2]

No this has nothing to do with our old coach it's about making a horrible hire!! You want local guys Rick Barnes is available now, or Larry Brown both ny guys!! No let's get Danny"yet to dance" Hurley right

 

[monte]

It will get better with time? That's what I have been telling myself since Norm was hired, really!!! When? With who coaching?

Since both my son and Dad's names are Tom, I have a special affinity for you. So here's my advice, no matter how much you bitch and moan about where our program has been and the fact that Lavin was unjustly(in you eyes) let go, its not going to change a damn thing. We are where we are. Have faith that the right hire will be made this time and support whoever it is, or find a different program to root for. Trust me, that thought has crossed my mind a few times over the past 15 years.

 

[monte]

No this has nothing to do with our old coach it's about making a horrible hire!! You want local guys Rick Barnes is available now, or Larry Brown both ny guys!! No let's get Danny"yet to dance" Hurley right

How is Rick Barnes an NY guy? FWIW I would prefer Bobby over Danny,.

 

[southernjohnny2]

Lived in ny when he coached at Providence, and recruited nyc well over the years

 

[beast of the east]

I'm trying to resist the urge to dump on Lavin now that he's gone.

I will take Zach's article not as a knock on Lavin, but what the next coach should be.

I know a now retired HS coach who said the same thing about Jarvis - the local guys hated him. Looie knew every single one of them by name. He made them feel like they were all part of the same club as him. While Jarvis was alienating local guys, Jay Wright had already become buddies with them during his time on Hempstead Turnpike at Hofstra. To my knowledge Jay still returns to LI once or twice a year for social events, one I know is a summer golf outing of HS coaches. Yea, it's business, but for Jay business and friendship go hand in hand.

We need a guy who will light up a gym the way Jay Wright can when he walks in. I know one guy who even Jay Wright would want to come up to in a gym, and he's right under our nose, one of us.

 

[monte]

Lived in ny when he coached at Providence, and recruited nyc well over the years

NYC to Providence is one hell of a daily commute!