College Basketball season is here again and it promises to be very exciting. Here are some thoughts after watching the college basketball marathon on TV and reading reports from other games since Friday.
Is it right for Dads to put family pressure on sons or daughters to attend college where they coach? Thought about this after checking box score to see how Ray McCallum Jr. was doing at Detroit. Looked to me like he was struggling based on stats I saw. I honestly feel he will be double teamed all year long and without a good supporting cast his job will be very difficult. On a better team in a higher conference he would not experience the frustrations he will feel this season. Maybe at the end of the season his dad will encourage him to transfer to a stronger program in a better conference.
I watched Syracuse highlights and honestly feel they will be exceptional this season. Yes, Villanova is rated higher, but Syracuse has some serious weapons. Watch them have a great season. But than again they always are good.
Seth Curry left Liberty University where he was the star and a stud player. It was the same formula his older brother used to get to the NBA. Now he is at Duke and coming off the bench. Yes he led them in scoring the last game, but was that because of the blow out win? I wonder if he regrets his decision to transfer? Sometimes the grass is not greener on the other side.
Depaul University will not be a major player again for many years. They are so far behind and they seem destined to be a back of the pack Big East Team. Low fan support, limited players, not the attractive place it was years ago, etc. As good as the new coach might be, they really needed to open the purse and pay for a super star type guy. Or at the least someone with serious Chi Town grass root connection to the Sonny Cox and Mack Irving type guys running things.
Freshmen all over are stepping up in a big way. Kyrie Irving is doing as expected at Duke. So are many others at North Carolina, and Florida. But Tobias Harris might emerge as best prospect when the smoke clears. Oddly his Brother, Tyler, might develop and be even better. Tyler as we all know signed with North Carolina State. he could be 6 ft 10 when he stops growing. And he has skills and the ability to shoot the long ball. All he needs is more strength as most young players do.
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I am so impressed with Rutgers University and Mike Rice the Head Coach. Regardless of this season, they will be better than they have been for many years very soon. A guy who can coach and RECRUIT! He really got every kid St. Johns would normally get when they were good. Of course St. Johns stepped up and got national kids who are rated very high. More on this later in this blog post.
I still feel Rutgers will steal some games and be in most games when they play at home. So far Mike Rice looks like a home run.
Seton Hall has such an uphill battle. It looks as if no one there is getting it done in regards to signing the highly rated players. I still feel they will be pretty good this season but might drop off severely next season. Coaching wise, we will see just how good a coach Willaard is. I think in that category he will be very good. Recruiting wise, something that causes an attendance buzz, they seem to be taking good players, but not players on the same level as what Rutgers and St. Johns have signed. OK let me just say it again. Seton Hall needs one or two barracuda type guys who do not cheat, but find ways of getting very good players interested and signed. Staff is still a MAAC Staff trying to compete in The Big East. Seton Hall is a great University that has alot to offer. Not sure that the staff on hand has the know how to get it done there.
St. Johns might have lost a game to St. Mary's in California, but they certainly are winning over fans with a star studded recruiting class for 2011 and 2012. Steve Lavin is doing it without the slick back hair. There are alot of rumors flying around about how they are getting these kids. All I know is they are getting kids to travel across country to play for a college in Jamaica Queens. Maybe NYC is a bigger attraction than I realized. Maybe it is the Italian food at that place Lou Carnessecca often ate at. Dante's? Yes I am sure that helped! Maybe it is playing at Madison Square Garden? Well regardless of why and how, and I have heard how, they are getting it done recruiting wise. I will say they are pushing as if they want to win fast and leave even faster as a coaching staff. They might be on the 4 year plan with dreams of being in another conference on the west coast sooner than later.
Watched Monmouth lose to Stony Brook. All I can say is wow! Great looking building. As I have said in the past, that job is a great one for the right person. Outstanding school, great location, wonderful facility with decent fan support. I know the perfect person for that job if the current coach is let go. Fully thing is my choice is a person who will be let go from his high D1 position this season unless he just wins everything. Monmouth is such a great job!!!!
This reminds me of LIU. Again, LIU will never ever be good again unless they get a Ray Haskins type guy! What a special program it was under him.
Cannot wait to see what FDU does this season. Will more than 235 fans show to games? Will they win and better yet compete every game?
Iona Coach can COACH. But the jury is still out on him and watching very closely.
Last stance at Manhattan I feel. They have to be much improved this season. Can they? Well curious minds want to know. All I hear is how great a person this Slice Guy is. Great to know. Now win some games! And honestly, I am pulling for him because based on what I get from friends, he is the type of guy I we need coaching at a place like Manhattan. Hey Slice, call me and I will tell you about at least 2 sleepers who can ball and help you.
Georgia Tech...........Are you kidding me? What is going on? Well we know the guy can coach, but sometimes you have to be humbled to get back where you need to be.
HS Basketball
Getting back in shape to get some run with Kyle Anderson next summer in a park somewhere in NJ. I have a bet with a few friends that I can score at least 10 in a full playing with him. I think he is terrific, especially to those who really understand basketball. They can call him slo mo all they wish. But he just might slo mo all the way to the NBA.
So excited about Jerome Smart and Teaneck HS basketball I might just send them a check. Of course the check might not be very large, but every dime helps. Again Teaneck could not have hired a better replacement for Curtis March. He is a players coach all the way! Plus kids will have more opportunities than they could have ever imagined. Even the D3 type guys. Plus I now hear they have a 6 ft 8 transfer from St. Benedict's? I look forward to watching them play!
Cannot wait to watch St. Patrick's, St. Anthony;s, St. Benedict's, Rice, Boys and Girls from NYC, Kennedy from NYC, and many others.
2 comments:
So you are implying from word on the street that SJU, must be doing something under the table to bring in these recruits.
In addition as soon as Lavin and the boys turnaround the program, they will be on the first flight out to the West Coast for new jobs.
But Mike Rice can do no wrong.
Do that sum it all up?
Your part about St. John's recruiting is an embarassment. How does the greatest city in the world, and a top notch staff with a head coach who has gotten over 10 kids to the nba, and 2 assistants who have nba coaching experience, along with the longtime head of the ny gauchos and rice high schoo, not have enough appeal to get national kids to come to st johns?
Previous to Coach Lavin, we had a lot of "new york guys" who focused on keeping new york kids home. With national AAU tourneys, and every team on tv, there is not much appeal to "stay home" and kids would rather get away when their friends and family can watch them on tv anyways.
Finally St. John's has a coach who knows the reverse is true - kids from other parts of the country would love to come to NYC and live in the greatest city in the world. I've never read you accusing other schools of wrongdoing when they steal local kids from st. john's...why did that change?
But yeah you can keep trying to rain on the school's success by implying the way these kids are being signed is not proper.
If it wasn't proper, why'd they miss out on everyone in the top 30, hotshot?
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