Lavin Out

[Steve Lavin]

There are lots of SJ fans who are so pissed and I think the reason is that Lavin was comfortable to keep. But one of my favorite sayings is that nothing worth having was ever gotten in the comfort zone. Lavin would have us as a mid tier Big East team most years and maybe once every 4-5 years we'd make a run. That's not good enough. We need 7/10 years of 20+ wins. We need consistency. At a high level.

The biggest gripe SJ fans seem to have with Dan Hurley is that he cannot recruit. This is just complete bull. He recruited a 4 star NBA bound player to URI for christ's sake! He was about to land a 4 star transfer from Memphis. He has a 3 star player who was A-10 rookie of the year or something like that. This is URI! If he can get that there, just imagine what he can bring to SJU and the Big East. It obviously suggests he can do even better recruiting wise. It not only brings good recruiting, good coaching, and a guy who understands and grew up in the local area back to SJ, but the recruits in the tristate area will think twice about leaving. Under Lavin the local high schools hated Lavin and felt he never showed their players love. They even had a quote yesterday saying whoever replaces Lavin will have already done a better job recruiting locally the second they step in a local gym. That speaks volumes.

Dan Hurley turned around Wagner. He turned around URI. And after 2-3 years at most, he will turn around SJU. But this time we will have a coach not a car salesman who gets exposed in the big moments.

[Bill Marsh]

Writers in NY recommending Dan Hurley over Mullin.
St John's alum-donors are said to be favoring Mullin.
I agree that Dan Hurley would be great, though it would really hurt URI.

Couple of links from the Friar board:

Ny Post:

http://nypost.com/2015/03/27/st-johns-s ... e-program/

Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/colle ... 830_668854

The alum-donors almost always get their way. I remember that a big donor who wanted Dougherty at St. John's was dissed when they hired Norm instead. But this is Mullin who is revered in NYC. If the alum-donors want him and he wants the job, it is his.he certainly should be able to boost recruiting.

Hey Bill...!
Yeah, cultural fit is key.
Like you said, Barnes wanted to leave PC after 1 year...!

Marshall i see at Texas.
Few i see staying at Gonzaga.

Dan Hurley or Masiello would be perfect for St John's, where besides their coaching ability, they have loads of confidence and swagger. Both DH and Mas seem to connect with their players and have their respect. Dan Hurley can be annoying if you're rooting against his team, constantly jawing with the refs. 2 years ago in Kingston, you probably remember when DH and Cooley almost had a fistfight.

Bobby Hurley seems more laid back and restrained, while still confident. Even in his playing days he wasn't a loudmouth. I'm hoping DePaul can get him this weekend.

Masiello is great too, hilarious the way he paces the sideline. Quotes are great. Would be perfect too for the BE and SJU. I see Masiello if successful at SJU as wanting to move on, whereas Dan Hurley i can see staying longterm, like Ed Cooley. Masiello needs to be in the Big East though. Masiello seems to have a good honest feel for his teams. Pre-season on Daly Dose of Hoops, he laid out how he thought Manhattan's year would play out, and he was pretty much on the money.

I can't get a read on Mullin as a college coach. Not a real animated guy, kind of soft spoken. Would be great to see him fill up the Garden though.

In summary, for the good of the Big East, I'd say Bobby Hurley to DePaul, Dan Hurley to St John's, and Masiello to Seton Hall (once Willard leaves). But you could flip DH and Masiello. Not sure Seton Hall would want to dip into the MAAC for a coach for the 4th straight time.

Always enjoy your perspective, Billy Jack.

Marshall to Texas makes a lot of sense. He's a Southern gentleman.

Masiello is a New York guy, born and bred. He's obviously ambitious or he wouldn't have jumpers at the USF offer. But I think he would be partial to a St. John's opportunity. New Yorkers appreciate the history as SJU, what it has meant to the city, and what it means to play in MSG more than outsiders do. Having read an article with quotes from him about his rehabilitation, I wonder if he feels indebted to Manhattan in some way and if he feels that staying just a year might not be enough. He says that he was in a very dark place last spring, was humiliated, .and thought he had lost his career. He says that the people at Manhattan saved him. We'll see how much that means to him.

I don't think that Seton Hall would touch Masiello after getting burnt with Gonzo, another feisty young coach out of Manhattan. Not that it makes a lot of sense since they're 2 different people, but I think it would factor in. There are also questions about whether St. John's would want to to to the Manhattan well one more time after their experiences with Mahoney and Fraschilla. Either of the Hurleys seems like a perfect fit to me.

Mullin would be just impossible for them to pass on if he's interested. I don't like his lack of coaching experience, but I think that wouldn't matter to them. His presence there is enormous. I'm hard pressed to think of anything comparable. I always thought of him as a poor man's Larry Bird, so maybe the comparison would hold up as a coach. Bird took over the Pacers with no coaching experience and was a big success in his short tenure.

Fit and culture seems so important to me. Louie was perfect at St. John's and other than his brief hiatus with the Nets, he never left St. John's and never wanted to. He was New York through and through. Same thing with Big John at Georgetown. Those are the kinds of coaches that every school should aspire to find. Providence has that in Ed Cooley and Villanova has it in Jay Wright. Two of the biggest coaching mistakes in the past 25 years were Rollie Massimino's decision to leave Villanova. And BC's decision to fire Jim O'Brien. Those guys were perfect where they were and should have ended their careers at those schools.

I really admire Mark Few because he knows himself and is comfortable In his own skin. As someone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, it's I his bones and he likes it. It's home. I don't believe he has any desire to be anywhere else. That's such a rare thing, not just among coaches. For too many, the grass is always greener.

[stever20]

tweet of the day on the search:
jeffborzello Jeff Borzello
Well there's an option. RT @MettaWorldPeace: I would absolutely coach at St.Johns if presented with that opportunity. Go St.John's
about an hour ago

[ChestRockwell85]

I am hearing, from reliable sources, that Mullin is the guy, already decided. If it were up to me, I would have gone with Danny Hurley. If Jay Wright were to leave tomorrow, I would go with Danny Hurley. It will be interesting to see what Mullin can do but I'll be rooting for him.....just not against Villanova.

[R Jay]

I am hearing, from reliable sources, that Mullin is the guy, already decided. If it were up to me, I would have gone with Danny Hurley. If Jay Wright were to leave tomorrow, I would go with Danny Hurley. It will be interesting to see what Mullin can do but I'll be rooting for him.....just not against Villanova.

Interesting indeed. Guess alum status and name recognition is worth more than actual experience.
He'll most certainly have his work cut out for him from the starting block trying to fill out their 2015 class. Will the remaining commits stay?
Let's be honest, this year is going to be a challenge no matter who the coach is.

[XUFan09]

I said earlier in this thread that you have to take risks to succeed, instead of wallowing in safe mediocrity, but Mullin seems like a really big risk because of his lack of coaching experience. If that's true, St. John's is either swinging for the fences or striking out. There's no in-between.

[NJRedman]

There are lots of SJ fans who are so pissed and I think the reason is that Lavin was comfortable to keep. But one of my favorite sayings is that nothing worth having was ever gotten in the comfort zone. Lavin would have us as a mid tier Big East team most years and maybe once every 4-5 years we'd make a run. That's not good enough. We need 7/10 years of 20+ wins. We need consistency. At a high level.

The biggest gripe SJ fans seem to have with Dan Hurley is that he cannot recruit. This is just complete bull. He recruited a 4 star NBA bound player to URI for christ's sake! He was about to land a 4 star transfer from Memphis. He has a 3 star player who was A-10 rookie of the year or something like that. This is URI! If he can get that there, just imagine what he can bring to SJU and the Big East. It obviously suggests he can do even better recruiting wise. It not only brings good recruiting, good coaching, and a guy who understands and grew up in the local area back to SJ, but the recruits in the tristate area will think twice about leaving. Under Lavin the local high schools hated Lavin and felt he never showed their players love. They even had a quote yesterday saying whoever replaces Lavin will have already done a better job recruiting locally the second they step in a local gym. That speaks volumes.

Dan Hurley turned around Wagner. He turned around URI. And after 2-3 years at most, he will turn around SJU. But this time we will have a coach not a car salesman who gets exposed in the big moments.

I have yet to see an SJU fan say Danny Hurley can't recruit. Been on Twitter since the news broke and never seen that. What were you on Redmen? They're a bunch of blowhards there.

[NJRedman]

I am hearing, from reliable sources, that Mullin is the guy, already decided. If it were up to me, I would have gone with Danny Hurley. If Jay Wright were to leave tomorrow, I would go with Danny Hurley. It will be interesting to see what Mullin can do but I'll be rooting for him.....just not against Villanova.

Who are your reliable sources since even beat writers aren't hearing anything concrete.

[REDMEN1415]

My buddy is friends with Lavin, said Lavin says SJU has Mullin and Hurley (not sure which Hurley) waiting in the wings. Also heard that Mike Repole (vitamin water guy) is buddies with RICK (not Richard) Pitino and they are going HARD after him. I doubt that would happen but think it would be awesome if it did!

Danny Hurley
Rick is making 5million @ UL, Repoli would atleast have to match that. If Pitino came to SJU, we'd be 2 years away from where Nova is.

[Jet915]

I am hearing, from reliable sources, that Mullin is the guy, already decided. If it were up to me, I would have gone with Danny Hurley. If Jay Wright were to leave tomorrow, I would go with Danny Hurley. It will be interesting to see what Mullin can do but I'll be rooting for him.....just not against Villanova.

Interesting indeed. Guess alum status and name recognition is worth more than actual experience.
He'll most certainly have his work cut out for him from the starting block trying to fill out their 2015 class. Will the remaining commits stay?
Let's be honest, this year is going to be a challenge no matter who the coach is.

Well, it worked out well for Hoiberg at Iowa State......hopefully the same success comes to Mullin if he is indeed the guy.