OT - Steve Lavin gets job at St. John's
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5041205
According to ESPN, Steve Lavin has taken the vacant job at St. Johns. This kind of sucks because, selfishly, I liked him as an analyst and announcer. Having a coach dissect the game is far better than a "rah rah" guy like Dick Vitale.
March 31st, 2010 at 12:21 AM ^
FYI, Vitale was a coach too.
March 31st, 2010 at 12:39 AM ^
I know that, but he doesn't sound like a coach when he calls a game. I like Bob Knight or Steve Lavin because they will really break the game down like a coach, not someone who was an ok coach for a short while 30 years ago (albeit in the NBA and college ranks). He is now just a cheerleader.
March 31st, 2010 at 10:39 AM ^
when Bobby Knight is announcing. He is smart and direct.
But he and Mussberger work so well together. I'm not a big fan of Brent's, but he actually goes a great job at play-by-play when working with Knight. And he set's Bob up to really break down the game with great questions. Best duo covering basketball, heck, maybe any sport on TV right now.
March 31st, 2010 at 12:02 PM ^
These days, Dick Vitale is just doing a bad impression of a bad Dick Vitale impression.
I was watching some game from the '80s on ESPN Classic and could not believe Vitale was doing the color commentary. He was subdued - only occasionally raising his voice - and was very insightful. You could tell then that he was a former coach. He's changed so much since then that I almost wonder if ESPN told him at some point to dumb it down and become a cheerleader.
"Waiting for the Dukies! It's all about the Dukies! "
I think even Vitale gets tired of Vitale!
Kudos to St. John's.
Given their recent inability to win consistently, i think hiring a big name coach with serious tourney experience could be the "shot in the arm" their program needs.
While i don't think its going to help them win a Big East title anytime soon, it might help them snag a top flight recruit.
Went to law-school at St. J's, so I'd been following the coaching search closely. I think Lavin is a good fit at this time, tho I wish we could've gotten someone with a better grasp of X's and O's.
Realistically, the Johnnies weren't getting Donovan, Hewitt or McCaffery. I don't think Skinner or Capel would have come to NY without strong NYC recruiting ties either. I really didn't want to see us grasping at straws for an extended period of time like Oregon is headed to do.
Lavin is a guy who can, and IS ALREADY putting together a potential all-star assistant coaching network including Leiteo, Jay Williams (would be huge get, but GOD i hate Duke)...Gene Keady. These guys can recruit AAU, and can assist Lavin with schemes. Even "Slice" Rohrssen has been in the mix of names to join on as assistants. Incredible. SJU is serious and willing to shell out some big $$$ to put out a winning product.
Lavin's a big name for a big city, and hopefully the Garden will be rocking again soon!
With the big 2010 FA lottery hitting NYC, and now a new coaching era starting at SJU, it could be the beginning of Basketball Mecca's renaissance.
Vitale was a very, very good college coach. He took perennial loser UD before it was UDM and turned it into a borderline top-25 team. He is probably still the most successful coach they ever had. He took players that noboby else wanted (Tyler, Long, Cureton) and turned them into NBA players. Terry Duerod was his only elite recruit, but he still competed with the "big boys." Vitale's mistake was going to the NBA to coach. He was overwhelmed by the then-massive task of the Pistons' job.
Vitale breaks games down very well, but you have to listen past his style. I still like his style myself, but I can definitely see how some may like it about as much as fingernails screeching on a chalkboard.
As for Lavin, it will be interesting to see if he can get the job done without cheating this time.
That would have been Jim "I've never left a school without breaking some infraction" Harrick. All Lavin did was take UCLA to the tournament year after year, get them to the Sweet 16, but never get any further. So at his first losing season, they canned him. Which had been to our benefit.
Speaking of Lavin, how did I not know Erin Andrews has been on Dancing with the Stars. I mean, I might have actually watched ... on second thought, no I wouldn't have.
Gotta love the guys hair. He will be a huge hit and have a ton of success in NYC. The next Broadway Joe?
March 31st, 2010 at 10:36 AM ^
Nice to see the New York media is looking at the hiring from all angles. Nice looking wife, but not really sure that she needs to be brought up already.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2010/03/31/2010-03-31_citys_m…
His wife is a Flint Michigan native (now I am as guilty as the ny daily for stating this).
March 31st, 2010 at 11:32 AM ^
Although Lavin is a good hire-How about Boston College and their consistency with coaches who look for jobs under contract? OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!
March 31st, 2010 at 12:20 PM ^
It's not the same thing that happened with Jagodzinski according to BC. They're saying they told Skinner he would be fired, then he asked if they could keep it quiet while he looked for other openings. I guess the thinking was that he'd look like a better candidate if the other schools thought he still had a job to go back to.
March 31st, 2010 at 11:47 AM ^
I like Lavin, so it will be cool to see what he does. I personally hope he succeeds, having St. John's be a good team is great for the NCAA. And it would be cool to have a good team in New York, hopefully he gets some good assistants and gains some momentum to draw some legit recruits.
I think this was a good hire, but because of his voice, Lavin always reminds me of Mighty Mouse for some reason. I could also see him as a mobster. Hope he does well; St. John's has been irrelevant for years.