Wouldn't surprise me either. He had worked for Pikell for a long time at SB and Rutgers. He belongs as an assistant focusing on an aspect of the game. I hope he finds a job in college basketball once again.
Steve Masiello will be the acting head coach of St. John's tonight vs. Seton Hall while Pitino recovers from Covid. Will be interesting to see if Masiello unleashes his explosive temper tonight on TV
Steve Masiello will be the acting head coach of St. John's tonight vs. Seton Hall while Pitino recovers from Covid. Will be interesting to see if Masiello unleashes his explosive temper tonight on TV
Can't say he lost it tonight, but perhaps he should have (or would have if HE was the actual HC) based on what happened in Newark as Seton Hall went on a TWENTY EIGHT to NOTHING run during the contest to eventually win by 15 points. Would Pitino have made a difference if he were in front of the bench rather than Masiello? We'll never know of course, but when you think about it, Rick was probably losing HIS temper, albeit in silence at home as he watched his squad melt down to Shaheen Holloway's surprising Pirates.
Steve Masiello will be the acting head coach of St. John's tonight vs. Seton Hall while Pitino recovers from Covid. Will be interesting to see if Masiello unleashes his explosive temper tonight on TV
Can't say he lost it tonight, but perhaps he should have (or would have if HE was the actual HC) based on what happened in Newark as Seton Hall went on a TWENTY EIGHT to NOTHING run during the contest to eventually win by 15 points. Would Pitino have made a difference if he were in front of the bench rather than Masiello? We'll never know of course, but when you think about it, Rick was probably losing HIS temper, albeit in silence at home as he watched his squad melt down to Shaheen Holloway's surprising Pirates.
Very consistent program. The slime is maintained even if the HC is unavailable. 😜
Last Edit: Jan 17, 2024 8:12:21 GMT -5 by paulie74
Hope we can get the win in front of a packed house at home on Friday.
Its too early for any "must win" scenario, but if the team wants to finish first this is a big game. Stags really need to close within one game of SPU in the loss column and gain a tiebreaker advantage to control their own destiny.
Yes its way to early to start this talk, butttttttttt finishing first in the MAAC generally has not been beneficial to anyone. #1s ROUTINELY get upset in tournament and the NIT bid for 1st in conference doesnt even exist anymore I think.
Post by alsostagparty on Jan 17, 2024 14:38:05 GMT -5
I just hope the guys stay healthy down the stretch. Luckily we are pretty deep (except center), because most good teams would suffer with an injury/sick bout or two. The Niagara shocker was probably good to get the guys grounded.
Yes its way to early to start this talk, butttttttttt finishing first in the MAAC generally has not been beneficial to anyone. #1s ROUTINELY get upset in tournament and the NIT bid for 1st in conference doesnt even exist anymore I think.
We won the regular season in 1986 and won the tournament. In 1987 we finished 7th and won the Tournament.
I talked to Mitch immediately after our win in 1987 and he discussed how winning as a 7 seed was a totally different experience. As a 1 seed the team was under so much pressure to win. Everyone expected the team to win. They didn't play especially loose ala our game at Niagara. As a 7 seed we were underdogs in every game. The team played loose. In some respects being a top seed can be a disadvantage. But the bigger issue in the MAAC is top to bottom there isn't a ton of difference between the best and worst teams. You play a team who has a key guy injured during the season who is available for the tournament, and effectively you are playing a whole different team. Our 1997 team when Bowman returned was much our better than our regular season team and our 2010 team without Needham was much worse than our regular season team. This happens to someone every year.
All that said, I'd still rather finish first. There is a seedings advantage. The upsets in this tourney are more about scenarios like the above rather than bad teams suddenly beating good ones. Its going to be a lot more fun if we are MAAC champs than if we are not. So we might as well finish first