Is this article for real?

[NJRedman]

this article is stupid. I've said all along that this year is a total pass for Mullin.

I said this in June:
St John's will be pretty poor this year. They have a brutal OOC schedule. Long term they're going to be really good but next year if they can win even 10 games it's going to be a good season. Think it'll be similar to the year that Lavin was out.

I think the thing is- I remember Temple a few years ago 1st year of AAC. They had a year very similar to this. While Temple isn't great- they've been in the top 75 both the last 2 years, where a break or 2 and they're in the tourney both seasons. So there is hope for St John's.

If St John's is 1-16 this time next year, all bets are off for St John's and Mullin though. Next year Mullin doesn't get the pass he had this year.

Thats totally true if they are 1-16 but it's not like they are supposed to be challenging for the conference title next year either. A .500 season in conference play would be a HUGE win for the program next year. Next year is all about taking a step forward. The progress of the kids on the team this year and building the chemistry with the new kids coming in. The beginning of the year could be rough but as long as they are playing well together during the second half of the season then that will be good for us.

After next year we only lose Jones who has grown more than I thought was possible this season and Darien Williams who was out all year with a hurt shoulder.

I think the one red flag that could come up is if there's an unexpected transfer or two leaving St John's. Totally not expecting it- but this is college basketball...

I think .500 conference record may be a bit ambitious- but I'd say a reasonable goal next season would be like 6 conference wins and maybe a .500 finish overall.

Thats why I said it would be HUGE. .500 overall would be a great step forward.

[stever20]

you were saying a .500 conference record. I don't think that is a really reasonable goal- but I think a .500 overall record is a very reasonable goal. Something like 16-15 with 6-12 in conference play.

[Doge McDermott]

Ahh, another student from the Matt Perrault School of Bad Sports Clickbait.

[herodotus]

I don't think there is any way this will be a spectacular failure, but Mullin's ceiling is very much an unknown. They could easily plateau at around the same level as PC. That sounds good right now, but 5-6 years in, if they are pretty much a bubble type team, the fans and alums will be griping, as that is pretty much what they were under Lavin. Mullin will get the talent level up, but will he be a good enough coach to get them to the next level? No one knows. Both the folks who claim they know he can do it, and those who think he can't, are talking out of their behinds. They don't know. Time will tell though. I can't blame some folks for being skeptics though. Off the top of my head, I can't recall one case where an alum who starred in the NBA, has come back to his struggling alma mater, and turned things all the way around. Houston, which was every bit as good as St. John's in the 80's (3 Final Fours, to St. John's 1), brought back Clyde Drexler, a better player than Mullin, and it didn't work. Personally, I'm very interested in watching it play out. While this league doesn't have the array of powerhouses that the old BE had, it still has a lot of good solid, well coached teams, and you're not going to dominate it by bringing in a bunch of 4 star guys, and just rolling the ball out. If Mullin's coaching is suspect, this league will expose him, despite the amount of talent he might bring in.

[NJRedman]

I don't think there is any way this will be a spectacular failure, but Mullin's ceiling is very much an unknown. They could easily plateau at around the same level as PC. That sounds good right now, but 5-6 years in, if they are pretty much a bubble type team, the fans and alums will be griping, as that is pretty much what they were under Lavin. Mullin will get the talent level up, but will he be a good enough coach to get them to the next level? No one knows. Both the folks who claim they know he can do it, and those who think he can't, are talking out of their behinds. They don't know. Time will tell though. I can't blame some folks for being skeptics though. Off the top of my head, I can't recall one case where an alum who starred in the NBA, has come back to his struggling alma mater, and turned things all the way around. Houston, which was every bit as good as St. John's in the 80's (3 Final Fours, to St. John's 1), brought back Clyde Drexler, a better player than Mullin, and it didn't work. Personally, I'm very interested in watching it play out.

But there is a huge difference between Mullin the player and Drexler the player. Clyde was just physically better than almost everyone he played against while Mullin was smarter than those he played against. Mullin wasn't fast and he couldn't really jump. He was smart and was well conditioned. The comparison is not apples to apples. The smarter player will usually be the better coach than the freakishly athletic player.

[herodotus]

I don't think there is any way this will be a spectacular failure, but Mullin's ceiling is very much an unknown. They could easily plateau at around the same level as PC. That sounds good right now, but 5-6 years in, if they are pretty much a bubble type team, the fans and alums will be griping, as that is pretty much what they were under Lavin. Mullin will get the talent level up, but will he be a good enough coach to get them to the next level? No one knows. Both the folks who claim they know he can do it, and those who think he can't, are talking out of their behinds. They don't know. Time will tell though. I can't blame some folks for being skeptics though. Off the top of my head, I can't recall one case where an alum who starred in the NBA, has come back to his struggling alma mater, and turned things all the way around. Houston, which was every bit as good as St. John's in the 80's (3 Final Fours, to St. John's 1), brought back Clyde Drexler, a better player than Mullin, and it didn't work. Personally, I'm very interested in watching it play out.

But there is a huge difference between Mullin the player and Drexler the player. Clyde was just physically better than almost everyone he played against while Mullin was smarter than those he played against. Mullin wasn't fast and he couldn't really jump. He was smart and was well conditioned. The comparison is not apples to apples. The smarter player will usually be the better coach than the freakishly athletic player.

Stereotype much? You don't know whether Clyde was a smart player or not. Jordan was as gifted as anyone who ever played the game. I'd put his smarts up against Mullin's any day of the week, month, or year.

[blueblood]

For the league's sake I want him to do well but from a fans perception he was 100% disengaged last Sunday. During time outs he was talking to players for 10 seconds at the most. He was kicked out of the Creighton game because he kept complaining to the police and refs to tell the fans behind the bench to stop making fun of his shoes. When told he was on his own he erupted. I just get the impression he would rather tell stories than coach.

[DudeAnon]

This whole conversation is about 5 years too early. Wait till he has his recruits and has had time to develop them. Not to mention learn himself. I don't know if he will succeed, but its ridiculous to call it quits now.

[billyjack]

St John's went 6-6 in non-conf with a win over Syracuse and some pesky teams like Wagner. And they had B1G win, even if it was just Rutgers.
The writer is an idiot, so he's never heard of Incarnate Word (#185). Also, NJIT (#190) and Fordham (#186) losses ended up not being disastrous. Actually, SJU's worst loss is NJIT, so that's not bad at all.

Based on where the Johnnies were after losing to St Thomas Aquinas by 30, and based on their roster turnover, this year's results are as good as could have been expected. The key, as we've said on this board a million times, is that the team plays hard and more talent will be arriving next year. This year they had to hand to ball to freshman Mussini to run the offense.

[NJRedman]

I don't think there is any way this will be a spectacular failure, but Mullin's ceiling is very much an unknown. They could easily plateau at around the same level as PC. That sounds good right now, but 5-6 years in, if they are pretty much a bubble type team, the fans and alums will be griping, as that is pretty much what they were under Lavin. Mullin will get the talent level up, but will he be a good enough coach to get them to the next level? No one knows. Both the folks who claim they know he can do it, and those who think he can't, are talking out of their behinds. They don't know. Time will tell though. I can't blame some folks for being skeptics though. Off the top of my head, I can't recall one case where an alum who starred in the NBA, has come back to his struggling alma mater, and turned things all the way around. Houston, which was every bit as good as St. John's in the 80's (3 Final Fours, to St. John's 1), brought back Clyde Drexler, a better player than Mullin, and it didn't work. Personally, I'm very interested in watching it play out.

But there is a huge difference between Mullin the player and Drexler the player. Clyde was just physically better than almost everyone he played against while Mullin was smarter than those he played against. Mullin wasn't fast and he couldn't really jump. He was smart and was well conditioned. The comparison is not apples to apples. The smarter player will usually be the better coach than the freakishly athletic player.

Stereotype much? You don't know whether Clyde was a smart player or not. Jordan was as gifted as anyone who ever played the game. I'd put his smarts up against Mullin's any day of the week, month, or year.

Stereotype? Saying smarter players make better coaches is a stereotype? I'll take Steve Kerr over Jordan as a coach any day. The players who make the best coaches weren't the league MVP's, they were the role players and guys who came off the bench.