Friday, March 5, 2010

Friday Thoughts

Thoughts

Waited for two days to watch the Seton Hall vs Rutgers basketball game. Honestly I might be in the minority on this but I really enjoyed the game.

I now understand why college coaches in leagues such as the Big East, ACC, and SEC get paid the big bucks. The abuse they have to take from many folks is unbelievable. I guess many would put me in the abuser category though I feel I am pretty fair.

I must not have seen the same game others saw last night because I honestly felt both teams represented themselves well.

I have been back and forth with thoughts on Rutgers for 4 years. Here are my latest thoughts.

Rutgers is a much better program right now than they were 3 years ago

I think Fred Hill Jr. has been patient and never gave up on his players and staff,

I feel Rutgers is really moving in a positive direction

I feel many are unfair regarding FHJ based on him losing last night in a game that was really closer than the box score indicates.

Everyone wanted RU to be competitive in games, win some BE games, get the RAC jumping, and establish the team as a legit high level program. Honestly I think all of this has been accomplished.

Now if Rick Pitino, John Calipari, or similar type coaches are available to coach Rutgers, I would say you have to look. But to replace any local coach doing a decent job with some mid major guy does no good. Why not stay with what you have if you are not prepared to pay the big bucks for a home run selection that would be national news.

By the way Dane Miller might just be BE Rookie of the Year. Boy does he look like a future great player!

Lets talk Seton Hall.

Different team when Pope shows up. Wow he looked good. When he scores to go along with rebound, he looks like a guy who will make a great living playing basketball somewhere.

Jeff Robinson is much better than anyone thought. All he does is compete. score, rebound, and did I say win? He might be the SHU MVP!

My MVP on the SHU Team is Jordan Theodore. Boy does he hold them together. He hits big shots, directs the team like a conductor, and makes things happen. Honestly I knew he would be good, but not as good as he has played. Long way from his wonderful Mother putting him on the ground and putting her knee in his chest at a summer league game in NYC when he was younger because he talked back to the summer league coach lol.

Lets talk Gonzo and his coaching. I think Gonzo is a very good coach. I feel he loves his players and wants them to do well. Alot of his emotions is based on his climb to the top which is a result of his hard work on the streets of NY for no money, his coaching HS in NYC for no money, his going to every game he could in a beat up car and working every camp he could. In other words he did not get where he is via a shortcut. This is why most NYC basketball guys love him.

I know he looks like a cry baby during certain games. I know he has to learn to treat the staff a bit better (He complained to someone that I said this and the person said I was right lol). But most of this is a result of his COMPETITIVENESS!! I remember another area coach who is a Hall of Famer running around the sidelines like Gonzo does. His name was Lou Carnessecca, who is a wonderful man.

Bobby Gonzales is at the right place at the right time.

I think both SHU and Rutgers look much better when the offense goes through multiple people as opposed to only Mike Rosario or Jeremy Hazell.

I really love the Hamady Ndiaye development at Rutgers. I still feel he will be in the NBA as a back-up next season. Eager to learn, runs the floor, dunks, blocks shots, and is about team. I would bet the potential agents are all over him.

If Seton Hall's team all return (except Garcia), watch out! Seriously! They are learning to be a family and will only get better. They just need one of those summer or pre season trips abroad.

Is it me or does Seton Hall have a Jim Carr lookalike on the bench? He even acts like Jim Carr during timeouts.

The only 2 blemishes I feel happened last night were:

The Assistants at Rutgers going at THE HEAD COACH of SETON HALL! What gives a assistant coach the right to even have a conversation with the Head Coach of a opposing team? This is why Gonzo needed a guy like my man Julius Allen. He would have squashed that right away. Shows the respect they have. They would have never done this to other BE Head Coaches. And some BE Head Coaches are really not nice people. Bobby Huggins would have went off on them. So would Calhoun. They would have been too intimidated to do that to Pitino. If it was done to Norm Roberts they might have saw Anthony mason come out of the stands lol. No excuse or reason for that behavior. Gonzo did not dunk the ball at the end. The players did and I would bet they meant no harm.

The 2nd was The RAC not being completely sold out. Are you kidding me? This is why kids run to schools out of the area. 6500 in a 9000 seat building? It should have been a scalpers dream situation. RU has more to worry about than who is coaching the team.

Lastly, nice touch for FHJ to wear the Red shirt honoring his graduating senior. It is stuff like that and a great game like last night that will draw recruits to both Rutgers and SHU. Especially if they ever sell the joint out!

FDU loses to LIU

It looks as if the season is over for FDU. What next? Will the current coach be retained? Will a new coach be named today or by Monday? We all know the answer. Just hope they take time to talk about what they will do with that barn gym, and also introduce the new marketing and promotional Director and staff. Wonder if the staff will stay aboard if a new guy is named? I will say the guys there including Vetrone and Brown are BE level assistant coaches and would be tremendous assets to any new guy! Still think Darryl Jacobs would have been a perfect fit. Their loss!

I wonder what will happen at Marist and The University of Delaware? Monmouth Coach seems to have a life time contract lol. But he is a good coach. Lets see what happens next season.

Will Fordham keep the Temp Coach? He did recruit well but what about coaching etc.

Wagner needs to stop playing and offer Derrick Wittenburg the HC Job TODAY!

Interesting time of the year with the many coaching changes and transfers as well as the Big Dance.

5 comments:

SPK145 said...

Seton Hall is mediocre, Rutgers sucks.

Dane Miller is very skilled. Also a punk.

Theodore is a fine point guard but MVP, especially after last night, NO!!!

Gonzo, Savino, and Carr are all assholes. That was clearly evident last night.

Julius Allen? Would that be the Julius Allen sited as prepping Corey Chandler on what to say to the police when he was involved in that stolen credit card up at Binghamton? (See page 78 of the publicly available study done by Binghamton University.)

Unknown said...

For someone that loves Gonzo so much, when are you going to spell his name correctly? This is probably the 86th post where you keep spelling his name with an, "S." Are you doing that out of a sign of disrespect or what?

LFBall said...

Sorry about the spelling. I need to work on that. But my message remains the same no matter how I spell. If the wrong spelling bothers you skip reading the blog. After all I do not want you to lose sleepover me using a s as opposed to a Z.

Dane Miller is wrong for not shaking hands, Hopefully someone spoke to him. I am just glad he was not there to see two RU assistants yelling at the opposing Head Coach. TP needs to really sit both down so it will not happen again. Of course they chose well when and who to do this to.

Julius Allen? Please do not allow the press to fool you. Everything they say is not true or accurate. There job to say what makes you say "WOW."

SPK145 said...

<<< Julius Allen? Please do not allow the press to fool you. Everything they say is not true or accurate. There job to say what makes you say "WOW." >>>

The media doesn't do my homework for me. The media as watchdog is absolute sh^t. You didn't read the report commissioned by Binghamton University and completed by one of the most powerful and respected law firms in the world, did you?

LFBall said...

Yes I read it. But I also know a person who was part of the team that did the review. I also understand how the State University works after spending 30 years working in higher education.

I f a person digs hard enough they can find crap even in the desert. Even if they looked at Jerry Walker lol. Or maybe I should have said if Jerry Walker was with Gonzo he would have stepped right to the RU Coaches.

We need to learn to stop being so angry especially when we do not have all the facts. You should know that a research study or assessment of any organization will most likely provide the results that the person who commissioned the work really wants.

I still feel you need Gene Marshall at SHU lolol.