Don't look now, but Steve Lavin is making St. John's relevant again

[SandraC]

Lavin has recruited Dwayne Polee from LA, who will be a freshman this year, and for next year he's signed Jakarr Sampson from New Hampshire, Maurice Harkless from Connecticut, and yesterday it was announced that D'Angelo Harrison from Houston has signed as well.

In and of itself that is a nice recruiting class, especially for someone who joined the fray late, and word is that a few more top recruits have St. John's on their short list as well. This year they will have a senior-laden team, so there will be lots of scholarships to go around.

The funny thing is, St. John's has rarely been looked at as a destination school in the past. Conventional wisdom always said that the Storm just needs to keep a decent percentage of City recruits home to be successful, something that has not been done well since Looie left. It was big news when they signed someone from Jersey.

But Lavin is turning that upside down. If he can start the dominos falling our way again, recruit nationally and then make St. John's attractive again for City recruits, this can get really scary.

Will St. John's be great this year? No, maybe not even good, and next year is no sure thing either. But it's starting to look like Lavin is building a base that could eventually turn St. John's back into the power it once was.

They tell me how the Garden used to echo with WE ARE...ST. JOHN'S. Hopefully someday it will do so again.


Sandra

 

[hancox]

Spit... The Red Stain.

 

[SandraC]

Spit... The Red Stain.

Well, I suppose if UConn fans still dislike us (and have a really cool nickname for us ) that's a good thing.


Sandra

 

[salsadancer7]

Lavin has recruited Dwayne Polee from LA, who will be a freshman this year, and for next year he's signed Jakarr Sampson from New Hampshire, Maurice Harkless from Connecticut, and yesterday it was announced that D'Angelo Harrison from Houston has signed as well.

In and of itself that is a nice recruiting class, especially for someone who joined the fray late, and word is that a few more top recruits have St. John's on their short list as well. This year they will have a senior-laden team, so there will be lots of scholarships to go around.

The funny thing is, St. John's has rarely been looked at as a destination school in the past. Conventional wisdom always said that the Storm just needs to keep a decent percentage of City recruits home to be successful, something that has not been done well since Looie left. It was big news when they signed someone from Jersey.

But Lavin is turning that upside down. If he can start the dominos falling our way again, recruit nationally and then make St. John's attractive again for City recruits, this can get really scary.

Will St. John's be great this year? No, maybe not even good, and next year is no sure thing either. But it's starting to look like Lavin is building a base that could eventually turn St. John's back into the power it once was.

They tell me how the Garden used to echo with WE ARE...ST. JOHN'S. Hopefully someday it will do so again.


Sandra

He ALSO added Gene Keady, former Purdue coach to his coaching staff. Believe it or not, YOU were the 1st person I thought of last night when I read this about Keady.

Steve Lavin adds ex-Purdue Boilermakers coach Gene Keady to St. John's Red Storm staff - ESPN New York

Back to St. John's relevance, I am VERY excited The Garden will be rocking once again.

 

[SandraC]

He ALSO added Gene Keady, former Purdue coach to his coaching staff. Believe it or not, YOU were the 1st person I thought of last night when I read this about Keady.

Not sure if that's good or bad.

Back to St. John's relevance, I am VERY excited The Garden will be rocking once again.

Hopefully we're headed north, but it's gonna be a few years before there is actual rocking, I think. The only time the Garden rocks these days is for a Springsteen concert.


Sandra

 

[Paul Wozniak]

This would be great for the NCAA, plain and simple.

 

[salsadancer7]

Not sure if that's good or bad.

good thoughts...!

Hopefully we're headed north, but it's gonna be a few years before there is actual rocking, I think. The only time the Garden rocks these days is for a Springsteen concert.


Sandra

I use to go to the Garden for ALL of the Big East tournaments when I lived in upstate NY in the mid 80s to 1990 just before I moved to Chicago. Those were great times.

Chris Mullins, Walter Berry, Mark Jackson, Malik Sealy(RIP), Bill Wennington, Jason Williams and of course..."the sweater" Sweet Lou Carnesecca!

I LOVED the battles between St. John's, Georgetown, Syracuse and Villanova....and spray in an occassional Seton Hall and Pitt....wow...memories..!!

 

[SandraC]

Add two more to the list. Dominick Pointer, a wing out of Detroit, and Nurideen Lindsey a point guard out of Philly, have committed. Pointer's quote: 'Something is happening at St. John's, and I want to be a part of it.'

All five signees are ranked as top 100 seniors, and Lavin still has five more scholarships at his disposal for next year.


Sandra

 

[Ramy]

Good for St. Johns. Been a long time since they were relevant in college basketball.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

My son is in the SJU band that played at all home games last year. He says there is a lot of excitement on campus with all of the changes to the program.

Also, St. John's is #6 in the Big East pre-season poll, including one first place vote!!

 

[SandraC]

My son is in the SJU band that played at all home games last year. He says there is a lot of excitement on campus with all of the changes to the program.

Also, St. John's is #6 in the Big East pre-season poll, including one first place vote!!

That's a little pre-mature. The excictement is for what Lavin is bringing to the teams in the next few years. This year's team is not his, and not much is expected of them.


Sandra

 

[cosmo_kramer]

That's a little pre-mature. The excictement is for what Lavin is bringing to the teams in the next few years. This year's team is not his, and not much is expected of them.

What's premature, that the school can't be excited about the changes?? Don't worry there's no delusions of grandeur, they just know the program is in a much better place than this time last year.

 

[SandraC]

What's premature, that the school can't be excited about the changes?? Don't worry there's no delusions of grandeur, they just know the program is in a much better place than this time last year.

That it is, there is no question.


Sandra