*Update: SJU's Keith Thomas ineligible

[NJRedman]

There are delusional Jets fans who said the Jets could still win out after being 1-6 and make the playoffs starting with beating the Bills. Then reality hit and the Bills without their best players smashed the Jets. I am a Jets fan but at least I can admit the team sucks when it sucks. I'm a stone cold realist. I think a Jets fan saying the Jets were still alive at 1-6 to make the playoffs is just as delusional as a SJ fan saying the team can still realistically make the tourney without Thomas playing.

Lavin screwed up 2014 and 2015 recruiting classes. Back to back. And now it's haunting him. If he got someone in 2014 to clog the paint and rebound, then losing Thomas really may not be a disaster. But all we have is Obekpa. And even he is still very raw. He can block. He's a "meh" rebounder. That's it. Yes he should improve offensively but even with improvement he is still going to be weak most likely unless he makes a miraculous jump. Obekpa gets a TON of fouls because he's always blocking shots. Opponents can just take it to him and make him foul out. Then what? Who steps up? The pudge ADR who can't jump over a sprinkle or run faster than a sloth? JDR who could not even find time at FIU? Christian Jones who is returning from surgery and showed absolutely nothing in the little playing time he got?

Bottom line is that if you aren't very concerned then you don't understand the impact of KT leaving. Is he still a relatively unknown? Yes. But his track record shows dominance and physicality as well as a defined skill. We have none of that without him. I'll say this though: if Lavin leads this team to the tourney even if we lose 90-30 in the first round to Robert Morris, Lavin deserves Big East coach of the year for making the tourney with no front court.

Give it a god damn rest! The kid never even played a minute of D1 yet you have him being our savior, without him all hope is lost. Being a pessimist isn't being a realist. A realist would recognize that 4 out of 5 starters are returning this year. Our best scorers are back this season. We have one of the nest back courts in the conference and country. Now go run along while real knowledgable fans converse.

If you’re expectations were for the Red Storm to make the NCAA Tournament don’t change it. That set of exceptions are right in line where they should be, with or without Keith Thomas. If you had expectations lower than that, as no a Tourney bid team or worse, well I guess you like to set your goals low.

However, if you had a set of expectations so high that the loss of Keith Thomas — a JUCO transfer and a guy who had a ceiling as being the fifth best player on this year’s team — has shifted them, I think it is time to reevaluate how you go about living.

Everyone take a deep breath and relax.

[REDMEN1415]

I've been cautiously optimistic about the upcoming season, but think Thomas being ineligible is a big blow. A thin front court has become that much thinner. What worries me is Obekpa gets into foul trouble way too early most games. Opposing coaches are probably going to go at him from the opening tip, and try to put him on the bench only a few minutes into the game. Plus, although Obekpa is a great shot blocker, he's hasn't been that great of a rebounder. I'm not sure where the rebounds will come from now. Delarosa is unlikely to provide the kind of minutes as a freshman that we need. Christian Jones becomes more important than we thought. He didn't impress that much as a freshman, but who knows what he'll be like now that he's two years older. In any case, in a league with a lot of parity, where winning and losing will often come down to one or two possessions, missing those extra boards is bound to come back to haunt the Johnnies.

Well this is on Lavin, yeah if what was going on at WCC was internal, how could Lavin have known right?

Well if Lavin wasn't so lazy recruiting during the season, just maybe this wouldn't of happened.
With Thomas I was thinking 20-10 11-7, but without him and a few games without his rebounding maybe they'll lose two more games.

So I'm going with 18-12 9-9.
Not that 20 wins would get us in the dance anyway.

Guess it will be up to the big three coming next year, that would be the only way he's back for his final year.
If Briscoe comes then I guess you give him a year extension which would be 2 more years after this. If Diallo comes, then the same as Briscoe, 1 yr extension.
If both come then 2yr extension, add Sampson and still 2 year extension.

[hoops22]

This may seem like a crazy thought, but there were times last year when Pointer came up with some big rebounds for us. Although he's only 6'5, he's athletic, and if he focuses a bit more on that part of his game, maybe he can provide some help in that department. But the biggest concern will be Obekpa. He has to figure out how to stay on the court for more minutes than he did last year. Looking forward to Nov 14th.

[SJHooper]

This team without Harrison, Jordan, Obekpa, Branch, Pointer, Greene is going to be absolutely horrific next year. Add the fact that we have NO major recruits, Briscoe is almost certainly going to UK, and Thomas is gone. I seriously believe this team could be fighting to stay out of the Big East basement for the next year or two unless a recruiting miracle happens and we get our big 3 targets, but that is not happening.

Honestly once it's confirmed that Briscoe is going to UK and we don't make the tourney, Lavin should be fired on the spot.

[REDMEN1415]

This team without Harrison, Jordan, Obekpa, Branch, Pointer, Greene is going to be absolutely horrific next year. Add the fact that we have NO major recruits, Briscoe is almost certainly going to UK, and Thomas is gone. I seriously believe this team could be fighting to stay out of the Big East basement for the next year or two unless a recruiting miracle happens and we get our big 3 targets, but that is not happening.

Honestly once it's confirmed that Briscoe is going to UK and we don't make the tourney, Lavin should be fired on the spot.

Why is it almost a certainty that Briscoe goes to uk?
You been reading the sites right? About Schnieder posting his bs?

RC coach Dave Boff tells me it's categorically untrue that Calipari saw Briscoe 3 times in the last week.

From zags twitter

So don't believe everything you read, he's obvious rooting for UK.

[SJHooper]

Dude, I want Briscoe to come to SJU just as bad as you do…probably more. I want this team to be successful just as bad as you do…probably more. But the rumors are the smoke. And where there is smoke there is usually fire. Between the rumors from a former team manager that Briscoe felt Lavin was "playing games" with him (whatever that means) and the FACT that Cal visited Briscoe last night at home, in addition to his infatuation when he visited UK tells me he is 80% going to UK. Is that a randomly generated percentage? Sure. But remember that former student manager has been right about almost everything in the past. It's not like it's some random UK fan saying some of this stuff. The fact that we lost Thomas and looked like a joke in today's exhibition can only result in more negativity regarding Briscoe to SJU. I can just hear Cal now laughing and telling him that SJ could barely handle a DII cupcake.

I truly hope we get Briscoe. I truly hope our front court won't be a nightmare. I truly hope we make the tourney. But based on odds, they are clearly against us.

[Realfan]

There are delusional Jets fans who said the Jets could still win out after being 1-6 and make the playoffs starting with beating the Bills. Then reality hit and the Bills without their best players smashed the Jets. I am a Jets fan but at least I can admit the team sucks when it sucks. I'm a stone cold realist. I think a Jets fan saying the Jets were still alive at 1-6 to make the playoffs is just as delusional as a SJ fan saying the team can still realistically make the tourney without Thomas playing.

Lavin screwed up 2014 and 2015 recruiting classes. Back to back. And now it's haunting him. If he got someone in 2014 to clog the paint and rebound, then losing Thomas really may not be a disaster. But all we have is Obekpa. And even he is still very raw. He can block. He's a "meh" rebounder. That's it. Yes he should improve offensively but even with improvement he is still going to be weak most likely unless he makes a miraculous jump. Obekpa gets a TON of fouls because he's always blocking shots. Opponents can just take it to him and make him foul out. Then what? Who steps up? The pudge ADR who can't jump over a sprinkle or run faster than a sloth? JDR who could not even find time at FIU? Christian Jones who is returning from surgery and showed absolutely nothing in the little playing time he got?

Bottom line is that if you aren't very concerned then you don't understand the impact of KT leaving. Is he still a relatively unknown? Yes. But his track record shows dominance and physicality as well as a defined skill. We have none of that without him. I'll say this though: if Lavin leads this team to the tourney even if we lose 90-30 in the first round to Robert Morris, Lavin deserves Big East coach of the year for making the tourney with no front court.

I agree with much of what you are stating except for Lavin's poor recruiting being due to laziness. While I do believe that he is not a workaholic by any means, I believe that his poor 2014 and yes even 2013 classes ( even though his defenders will tell you the BS that there was only one open ship) were due to recruiting failures. In both 13 and 14 classes, Lavin did make offers to over 20 players, mostly front court players but couldn't land any. ( yes boys and girls he would have made room if he landed one of those players in the 13 class).I believe that the Steve Lavin mojo is gone. Or more likely, players, HS coaches and players parents see what's going on and running the other way. Last season, we clearly had the most talent in the league, a most experienced team etc. but start out 0-5 in the league? Can anyone be naive enough to believe that such failure goes unnoticed? Is Thomas not being able to play a surprise to anyone who has followed this program over the past few years? Is it not par for the course with this staff?

By the way, keep posting your take on what you believe. The Lavin defenders will do what they can to get you to be silent even in the wake of one failure after another. They will resort to personal attacks and name calling cause let's face it, how smart can they be to still support this staff? And while I too am certainly hoping that the three top kids that Lavin is recruiting do come here, with the current staff in place and Lavins coaching ineptitudes, we will still have a mediocre record, excuses galore, and underachieving. But it would be nice to give the next coach something to work with.

[NJRedman]

There are delusional Jets fans who said the Jets could still win out after being 1-6 and make the playoffs starting with beating the Bills. Then reality hit and the Bills without their best players smashed the Jets. I am a Jets fan but at least I can admit the team sucks when it sucks. I'm a stone cold realist. I think a Jets fan saying the Jets were still alive at 1-6 to make the playoffs is just as delusional as a SJ fan saying the team can still realistically make the tourney without Thomas playing.

Lavin screwed up 2014 and 2015 recruiting classes. Back to back. And now it's haunting him. If he got someone in 2014 to clog the paint and rebound, then losing Thomas really may not be a disaster. But all we have is Obekpa. And even he is still very raw. He can block. He's a "meh" rebounder. That's it. Yes he should improve offensively but even with improvement he is still going to be weak most likely unless he makes a miraculous jump. Obekpa gets a TON of fouls because he's always blocking shots. Opponents can just take it to him and make him foul out. Then what? Who steps up? The pudge ADR who can't jump over a sprinkle or run faster than a sloth? JDR who could not even find time at FIU? Christian Jones who is returning from surgery and showed absolutely nothing in the little playing time he got?

Bottom line is that if you aren't very concerned then you don't understand the impact of KT leaving. Is he still a relatively unknown? Yes. But his track record shows dominance and physicality as well as a defined skill. We have none of that without him. I'll say this though: if Lavin leads this team to the tourney even if we lose 90-30 in the first round to Robert Morris, Lavin deserves Big East coach of the year for making the tourney with no front court.

I agree with much of what you are stating except for Lavin's poor recruiting being due to laziness. While I do believe that he is not a workaholic by any means, I believe that his poor 2014 and yes even 2013 classes ( even though his defenders will tell you the BS that there was only one open ship) were due to recruiting failures. In both 13 and 14 classes, Lavin did make offers to over 20 players, mostly front court players but couldn't land any. ( yes boys and girls he would have made room if he landed one of those players in the 13 class).I believe that the Steve Lavin mojo is gone. Or more likely, players, HS coaches and players parents see what's going on and running the other way. Last season, we clearly had the most talent in the league, a most experienced team etc. but start out 0-5 in the league? Can anyone be naive enough to believe that such failure goes unnoticed? Is Thomas not being able to play a surprise to anyone who has followed this program over the past few years? Is it not par for the course with this staff?

By the way, keep posting your take on what you believe. The Lavin defenders will do what they can to get you to be silent even in the wake of one failure after another. They will resort to personal attacks and name calling cause let's face it, how smart can they be to still support this staff? And while I too am certainly hoping that the three top kids that Lavin is recruiting do come here, with the current staff in place and Lavins coaching ineptitudes, we will still have a mediocre record, excuses galore, and underachieving. But it would be nice to give the next coach something to work with.

I love how those that are annoyed with Hoopers whining are now Lavin defenders. Nice straw man argument guy. Most of us are fed up with Lavin, but we're also fed up with the whining that the season is already over before it starts. If Lavin fails to make the NCAA's this season then I think he shouldn't be extended and we should be looking for our future coach, but I and many others rather let him you know, actually fail before declaring him a failure.

It takes a lot of balls to come on here, post like 4 posts and then call out the majority of one of the fan bases. Why don't you go back a year in the threads and see what we have to say pal.

So how about you and Hooper just go PM each other about how the end is near and the sky is falling. Seems to me you'd just be talking to yourself.