New Thoughts

Tuesday Feb 14, 2012

College Basketball Locally

FDU has fallen and it can't get up! Even a medical alert device will not help FDU until they get the right people in place to make that program what it was and can be in the future. I am not speaking about the coaches, although adding an old head or mature coach with great X and O knowledge to the staff would not hurt. The FDU program needs to be evaluated from top to bottom because this once proud low-mid major program has become a laughing stock and the coaches have very little to sell based on the support they have gotten facility and marketing wise. Curious to see what happens in the off season.......oops the entire season has already been off.  FDU has to know they made some serious errors in alot of areas that needs to be corrected. Too bad the University President still does not know there is a D1 men;s basketball team on campus.

Seton Hall

OK call me the old homer if you wish. I honestly feel Seton Hall will win some more games this season and be in a post season tournament. In fact if they lost the rest of the games this year they could still be invited to the NIT based on the won-loss record.  Tonights game against St. Johns should be very interesting to say the least. Seton Hall should win despite SJU having some very talented freshmen that chose St. Johns for various reasons although they had plenty of other national options.  Stay tuned!

Rutgers

Regardless of the record this is a better team and seems to be headed in the right direction. I do feel the talent is there, and the commitment to the team though not yet 100 percent where it should be facility and marketing wise is much better than past years. Get that arena re-done now!  The Coach Mike Rice does seem a bit out of control but maybe that works for him. Just his eyes look so scary on TV lol.

St. Johns

Going nowhere fast and does not even resemble a real team. Maybe this is what happens when you recruit kids with only eyes for the NBA and not on the NCAA's. They continue to look out of sync and playing with no purpose. Maybe it will all be better when Steve Lavin decides to return..............If he returns?  Conflicting rumors out there regarding the entire staff, which on paper is an outstanding group of coaches.  Interesting developments must be coming during the off season. Who will stay? Who will go?

Others

Binghamton University is such a great academic institution that has always been looked at as a state school equivalent to Ivy Universities. Too bad they are playing like a bottom Ivy school from 1967.  Maybe they just do not have the talent? Maybe it will be better with the new talent coming in? By the way who are the new recruits?  They paid the old winning coach off despite him really doing no wrong. He is now sitting on the bench at Georgetown as one of his ex Assistants leads this program, that still draws a few thousand each game, to a perfect losing record. Are you kidding me? Will he be allowed to return? Maybe they need to go back to a D3 schedule and play schools like Potsdam, Oneonta, and maybe FDU! Why they did not schedule FDU is beyond me. In fact everyone is calling FDU for games next season.

St. Peters is struggling but will be better next season. Fordham is having ups and downs but continues to be competitive. Iona will be in a post season tournament. Monmouth has the tools in place to be good very soon. Too bad the Coaches do not have eligibility left.  Hofstra is losing!!! But have no fear with the best group of Assistants in 3 states they will get it together. The transfers sitting out will also be a tremendous addition to the team next season. I cannot believe a great talent left St. Johns and transferred to Rider. All I will say is wow! Manhattan is on the verge of future greatness and along with Iona will give some Big East teams a run for players and wins in the near future. If the coaches do not leave for bigger jobs.

Heard a rumor that a certain super star coach's son will be the new head coach at Western Kentucky. Great to have a famous Dad!

HS Basketball

So good to see both Teaneck and Plainfield doing great in NJ. Teaneck is the number 2 team in the entire state. I will say it til I am blue in the face. Chris Jones of Teaneck is a big-time talent and worthy of an ACC or BE scholarship. Pittsburg  went to watch him along with Colorado and Virginia Tech. watching him play and watching him off the court makes you realize this is the type of kid you want in your program. In fact he is a Duke/Notre Dame type who could be a super player by his Junior year. 6 ft 6 shooting guard with skills, grades, personality, strong work ethic, and intelligence are hard to find.

I look forward to a potential Plainfield vs Teaneck match-up. What a game that would be. Too bad only one would advance, There needs to be a wildcat team in the tournament of champions. In fact two so that everyone would get a first round game with no byes.

Thats it for now!  Looking forward to the game tonight!