The Holy Land of Hoops

Lavin confirmed Rysheed is practicing with team today and will play against Nova tomorrow.

Just flashed across my twitter machine that he missed practice and left the team 3 times without permission. For the league's sake I'm glad to see everyone is willing to get back together and sing Kumbaya. But this doesn't look like a story likely to have a happy ending.

He's had a rough go. Last season his best friend was killed and two relatives were involved in a murder/suicide. His grandmother passed away last week. Like him or not, Lavin will give his players the space to deal with personal issues and get their heads straight when needed. Jordan was too distracted during Seton Hall and even Tulane. The Johnnies definately need Rysheed, hopefully he will be OK.

Yeah at Seton Hall we've had more than our fair share of guys who had lots of personal issues to deal with. Gonzo specialized in those, eventually much to his own detriment. Some turned out OK, many did not. Obviously hope things work out for Jordan, especially as it seems many of his issues are not actually of his own doing. And Lord knows St. John's needs him on the court.

Glad to have him back. We need him. It's that simple. I wouldn't be so sure it doesn't have a happy ending. Harrison just a few years ago was a major problem child the fans didn't even like. He went to counseling and spent lots of time with Lavin and he's our best player and a high character guy now. So no one knows for sure.

For the SJU folks, how do you think it ultimately plays out with Jordan? On one hand you have Lavin saying that it was a family/personal issue with the death of his grandmother but on the other you have reports where at least one teammate (sorry, I forget where I saw it, maybe the NYP last night) said that Jordan let the team down. Seems a bit conflicted as you shouldn't feel let down by a teammate who had a relative pass away. You can't plan something like that for the off-season only.

JOPO wrote:For the SJU folks, how do you think it ultimately plays out with Jordan? On one hand you have Lavin saying that it was a family/personal issue with the death of his grandmother but on the other you have reports where at least one teammate (sorry, I forget where I saw it, maybe the NYP last night) said that Jordan let the team down. Seems a bit conflicted as you shouldn't feel let down by a teammate who had a relative pass away. You can't plan something like that for the off-season only.

IMO rysheed is gone after this season most likely. My theory on the Jordan situation is he has been a pain all year (many SJU insiders have been told this), he skipped 3 practices (that was reported yesterday), and yet Lavin didn't suspend him because we needed him badly. When rysheed grandmother died Lavin told him to take a leave of absence, almost forced him I am hearing. This was not rysheeds decision, and that is a fact. He was basically suspended without actually it getting labeled as a suspension. Lavin is bringing him back so soon probably because we lost a game we shouldn't have. Butler game was painful because we lost a game that would've been a 6-10 point win had we had another person who could score. If we start 0-5 again Lavin knows he's gonna get fired at season end. So he brought back sheed quick.

As for rysheeds future at SJU, unfortunately he is a player that thinks he is much better than he is. You see that a lot, but with him he needs to feed his family and is pushing for nba when he isn't on any draft boards. If he stays another year he will average 20 PPG and might sneak into the draft, but he is gone after this year most likely.

RedStormHoops wrote:

JOPO wrote:For the SJU folks, how do you think it ultimately plays out with Jordan? On one hand you have Lavin saying that it was a family/personal issue with the death of his grandmother but on the other you have reports where at least one teammate (sorry, I forget where I saw it, maybe the NYP last night) said that Jordan let the team down. Seems a bit conflicted as you shouldn't feel let down by a teammate who had a relative pass away. You can't plan something like that for the off-season only.

IMO rysheed is gone after this season most likely. My theory on the Jordan situation is he has been a pain all year (many SJU insiders have been told this), he skipped 3 practices (that was reported yesterday), and yet Lavin didn't suspend him because we needed him badly. When rysheed grandmother died Lavin told him to take a leave of absence, almost forced him I am hearing. This was not rysheeds decision, and that is a fact. He was basically suspended without actually it getting labeled as a suspension. Lavin is bringing him back so soon probably because we lost a game we shouldn't have. Butler game was painful because we lost a game that would've been a 6-10 point win had we had another person who could score. If we start 0-5 again Lavin knows he's gonna get fired at season end. So he brought back sheed quick.

As for rysheeds future at SJU, unfortunately he is a player that thinks he is much better than he is. You see that a lot, but with him he needs to feed his family and is pushing for nba when he isn't on any draft boards. If he stays another year he will average 20 PPG and might sneak into the draft, but he is gone after this year most likely.

Tough position for the Johnnies for sure. Having different sets of rules for different players reeks havoc in the locker room. Sadly it happens to all schools on occasion. I'm very thankful that my Pirates seem to be past that kind of locker room upheaval. Hopefully it works out for St. John's, your team, Jordan and his family.