I was reading on redmen.com that many believe that Obekpa will be done at SJU. Zach said there are many difficult changes at SJU and some might not be able to adapt. I have no idea if this is accurate so don't blame me if it turns out to be untrue. Anyone can read the thread on their site. If it becomes reality I think it would be another great hit for the Johnnies. The first posting on this appeared last night at about 8PM. Where are the Johnny guys on this?
Obekpa of the Johnnies???
- Thread starter knights1212
- Start date
they show up only to tell us that someone we are both recruiting favors St Johns.
The new staff at St. John's has made its expectations clear, both athletically and academically. Not much different than any new staff. Jordan is gone, the Della'Rosas are gone, and I would not be surprised if Obekpa will be gone. They have made it clear they will sacrifice next year - if necessary - in order to impose their concepts of discipline.
Good for them. I guess this means academics were not a priority under Lavin? If so, it would be interesting to hear how he kept them eligible.
RUfeel - I would not conclude that under Lavin. Lavin suspended many important players during his time there and threw kids off the team. He did not coddle the players. its just simply a matter of Mullin coming in and letting folks know what is expected. All of the players who are gone had problems under Lavin and were punished accordingly. As the new guy, and with his stature at St. John's, Mullin can afford to get rid of guys immediately even if it means a bad season next year. He and his staff are looking at the bigger picture beyond next season, and he has the full support of the administration and alumni.
In my opinion: Mullins reshaping the program the way he wants it to look like and the type of players that will play for him.
Anyone on the roster that doesn't fit the way he wants to play, will be gone.
Mullins isn't in a must win situation now, so he's going to build his program they way he wants and look for it to be sucessful in a couple of years , rather looking for instant gratification and keeping talent on the roster that aren't his kind of players.
Anyone on the roster that doesn't fit the way he wants to play, will be gone.
Mullins isn't in a must win situation now, so he's going to build his program they way he wants and look for it to be sucessful in a couple of years , rather looking for instant gratification and keeping talent on the roster that aren't his kind of players.
This type of move sends a message that doesn't necessarily wins being sacrificed, the current roster barely made the NCAA's last year. What is does signal is a lack of desperation that typically is seen by new head coaches that are initially so motivated to do whatever it takes to secure that 2nd larger contract.
Chris Mullin certainly doesn't need St. John's money, he has a vested interest in rebuilding the program in a specific image that can occasionally add a Rysheed Jordan or Obekpa type of player, as long as the rest of the roster's core, is solid off the court and in the classroom. I think that in a way, it's the only true way to rebuild a program, which is where most programs fail in their attempts to get there.
In some ways, a program needs to express themselves through their efforts on the court that can translate and connect with their fan base. In this case, an 8 point road loss at GTown without an Obepka or Jordan is probably better in the long term vs a 1 or 2 point loss or a win, where the kids are not within the team concept on or off the court and certain kids are expecting minutes vs earning them.
Ron Rowan was a spot up shooting guard that has a son in the Top 75-100 for the class of 2016. St. John's is trying to get him reclassified for 2015 and bring Maverick Rowan in now, if at all possible. It is a legacy recruit that Lavin really wasn't going to land and kids at this talent level probably should be considering St. Johns and Mullin. Mullin and Rowan as teammates should have a trust factor that allows the right environment to be built, vs. attempting to land the highest rated player on the board.
What St. John's fans are going to struggle with after a year or two is trusting Mullin to ignore the win-loss record and focus on how the team plays. Mullin has to get kids to defend and dive on the floor and be the scrappy St. John's of 20-30 years ago. If he do that, this becomes a home-run hire.
If however, Mullin cannot connect with these kids and get them to empty the tank and then your sacrificing wins and giving up more layups and dunks by chucking Opekba out the window, Mullin's honeymoon period will be extremely short-lived.
Chris Mullin certainly doesn't need St. John's money, he has a vested interest in rebuilding the program in a specific image that can occasionally add a Rysheed Jordan or Obekpa type of player, as long as the rest of the roster's core, is solid off the court and in the classroom. I think that in a way, it's the only true way to rebuild a program, which is where most programs fail in their attempts to get there.
In some ways, a program needs to express themselves through their efforts on the court that can translate and connect with their fan base. In this case, an 8 point road loss at GTown without an Obepka or Jordan is probably better in the long term vs a 1 or 2 point loss or a win, where the kids are not within the team concept on or off the court and certain kids are expecting minutes vs earning them.
Ron Rowan was a spot up shooting guard that has a son in the Top 75-100 for the class of 2016. St. John's is trying to get him reclassified for 2015 and bring Maverick Rowan in now, if at all possible. It is a legacy recruit that Lavin really wasn't going to land and kids at this talent level probably should be considering St. Johns and Mullin. Mullin and Rowan as teammates should have a trust factor that allows the right environment to be built, vs. attempting to land the highest rated player on the board.
What St. John's fans are going to struggle with after a year or two is trusting Mullin to ignore the win-loss record and focus on how the team plays. Mullin has to get kids to defend and dive on the floor and be the scrappy St. John's of 20-30 years ago. If he do that, this becomes a home-run hire.
If however, Mullin cannot connect with these kids and get them to empty the tank and then your sacrificing wins and giving up more layups and dunks by chucking Opekba out the window, Mullin's honeymoon period will be extremely short-lived.
