This made me laugh

[dcpony]

Doh is trashing the St. John's job. Can't wait to see Lavin or whomever takes over get teh Red Storm to the tourney or NIT before Doh does. Btw, why does Doh's opinion matter? The guy is a has been.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... good-job/1


Former North Carolina and current SMU head coach Matt Doherty joined SIRIUS XM's Mad Dog Radio on Monday and said he's not surprised that St. John's is having a hard time filling its head coaching vacancy.

Doherty, who is from New York, said he thinks St. John's took a risk by going after several big names -- only to see each one turn down the opportunity.

Doherty's comments:

"Well, you know, I'm a New Yorker. My sister went there. My niece went there. It's not a good job. I mean, I'm just going to tell you straight up. St. John's has a little bit of an inflated feeling about themselves. It's not a good job. Paul Hewitt has a better job. Billy Donovan has a way better job. Rick Pitino. I think they took a little risk by going after big names and then all of a sudden momentum now is swinging against them so they're dropping down. I think it makes them look a little bit bad. But it's not a good job. Facility wise, yeah, there's some talent in New York but there's a lot of politics in New York that you have to address. And so it's not the job that the St. John's family thinks it is. And that's what they're facing right now, the reality."

Reports over the weekend said that St. John's had interest in former UCLA coach Steve Lavin. The Associated Press reported Monday that Lavin will interview with the school after Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt turned down the position last week.

What do you think? Is the St. John's job less appealing than the school would like to think? Can anyone get the program back to where it once was? Or is the beast that is the Big East too big of an obstacle to overcome?

-- Tim Gardner

[EastStang]

Its not an easy job, ask Mike Jarvis. But whoever gets the job would be coaching in the BE which is arguably the best conference. They would be able to recruit in NYC which has a ton of great players. They would be able to recruit Catholic leagues like the Metro in DC, or the one in NYC where many great players go. Find the best AAU coach in NYC, make sure your team wears the same shoes, and sit back and watch the players pour in.

[PonyDoh]

Its not an easy job, ask Mike Jarvis. But whoever gets the job would be coaching in the BE which is arguably the best conference. They would be able to recruit in NYC which has a ton of great players. They would be able to recruit Catholic leagues like the Metro in DC, or the one in NYC where many great players go. Find the best AAU coach in NYC, make sure your team wears the same shoes, and sit back and watch the players pour in.

That's a strong take by Doh, and I agree to a point. Currently, it is a bad job and elephant hunting for a head coach isn't going to work. Swinging and missing never helps the perception of the position or program. Many of the reasons he doesn't think it's a good job, are the same reasons he's having trouble here.

[Pony_Fan]

why would he even comment on this???
He really needs to learn to shut his trap.

Funny comment by someone:
Manny Leaks (0 friends, send message) wrote: 4h 52m ago
What a loser....Matt might be right about the SJU job, but he blew it a few years ago when he was considered the frontrunner when the position was open. He had an interview with the president, Fr. Harrington, and proceeded to insult the university. He wanted the job in the worst way, but SJU went with Norm Roberts. Now the job is "not a good job" because he's the head at the powerhouse program called what? Oh yeah- SMU! OK Matt, maybe next time you check in with "the Dog" you can tell stories about the great job you had at UNC until you blew it again and nearly destroyed a great program. How long does Jordan need to carry your sorry butt around? This guy screws up free lunches everywhere he goes....

[CalallenStang]

Many of the reasons he doesn't think it's a good job, are the same reasons he's having trouble here.

Precisely.

[dcpony]

Well SMU took an elephant swing with JJ and Paul Johnson in my opinion. I think the SJU and SMU jobs have lots of similarities. SJU might be a slightly better gig. Anyway, as an alum I'm embarrassed by Doh's comments and behavior. On top of that the guy can't recruit and can't coach, period. At times, he acts like a brat. A team is a reflection of it's coach and the results are the results.
The guy can talk the talk but can barely walk. Doh makes Mike Dement look like John Wooden.

[PonyDoh]

Well SMU took an elephant swing with JJ and Paul Johnson in my opinion. I think the SJU and SMU jobs have lots of similarities. SJU might be a slightly better gig. Anyway, as an alum I'm embarrassed by Doh's comments and behavior. On top of that the guy can't recruit and can't coach, period. At times, he acts like a brat. A team is a reflection of it's coach and the results are the results.
The guy can talk the talk but can barely walk. Doh makes Mike Dement look like John Wooden.

I don't understand comments like yours. Doh's should probably swallow those sorts of criticisms, but his comments were right on the money. SJU isn't a marquee basketball program, much like NYC isn't a marquee hoops town anymore. The politics in the city are anti-SJU and have been for quite some time. What is up for debate about any of that? I grant you that Doh acts like a brat on occassion and the results are bad over his run, but what does that have to do w/his comments? Also, He's a decent recruiter, as the '10 class should be quite good. High hopes for '11 as well

[PonySoprano]

The bottom line is that Doh's tenure has been an unmitigated disaster. We got some wow factor when he was hired, and we got the Crum Center built, but this guy can't recruit locally and he can't coach.Watching him coach on the sidelines is like watching John Shumate coach - just painful. And now we are stuck with him for a few more years. He needs to keep his mouth shut until he starts to deliver results. What an embarassment - talking trash about a BE program when you can't even get a mid-major school to the NIT. And I am not buying into these great classes he is bringing in. I'll believe it when I see it. What does JJ know about basketball?

[PonyDoh]

The bottom line is that Doh's tenure has been an unmitigated disaster. We got some wow factor when he was hired, and we got the Crum Center built, but this guy can't recruit locally and he can't coach.Watching him coach on the sidelines is like watching John Shumate coach - just painful. And now we are stuck with him for a few more years. He needs to keep his mouth shut until he starts to deliver results. What an embarassment - talking trash about a BE program when you can't even get a mid-major school to the NIT. And I am not buying into these great classes he is bringing in. I'll believe it when I see it. What does JJ know about basketball?

So your issue is that he's talking down about another position, when he hasn't shown results in this position? They aren't related issues at all. SJU is a very difficult job, no different then SMU. I'll say this, based on what Doh said about SJU, he's going to crush the SMU job to anyone that will listen, when he's finally out of here. Whether it's true or not, they don't think much around admissions or the administration is 'top 25', nor does JJ.

It's funny how you guys won't buy into basketball's quality class( probably CUSA 2nd or 3rd best class after we add a PG) when you kiss & hug one another, every single time JJ signs a kid w/o another legit offer. Especially when hoops prospects are evaluated on a national stage, so we know what they can do coming in, as opposed to football.

[RE Tycoon]

The difference is JJ has shown time and again he can evaluate talent, or at least coach players up, while Doh would probably take Lebron and make him look average.

I don't care if we had a top ten class in the nation, with Doh we'd still struggle...oh wait, that already happened at UNC...

[ponyinNC]

I'm not worried about Doh trashing SMU if/after he leaves...bottom line is, after his results here, he will be hard pressed to get a major HC job again. This is his last chance, IMHO. We will have given him 7 years to improve SMU basketball, and after a freefall failure at UNC and so-so results at FAU, where does he go?

[PonyDoh]

I'm not worried about Doh trashing SMU if/after he leaves...bottom line is, after his results here, he will be hard pressed to get a major HC job again. This is his last chance, IMHO. We will have given him 7 years to improve SMU basketball, and after a freefall failure at UNC and so-so results at FAU, where does he go?

Jobs are politics. From an industry perspective, there was no freefall at UNC, just a coach forced up before he was ready. He was placed into a situation where Gut hadn't left much in the cupboard. So he recruited and took his lumps w/that crew. Players and coaches growing on the job, in the industries most profile program, makes for cannibals. He''s brash, a hothead and outspoken. He can be a psycho, but so can most coaches. Simply, none of that is a fit at Carolina. He needed a few at Notre Dame to see who he was on the bench. He was a massive recruiter at Davidson, Kansas, Carolina & Notre Dame. His results at FAU were very very good, not so-so. SMU is a failure to this point,and a far more difficult job then I'm sure he imagined, but he got 14 wins this year, and he'll probably get more next year. Say we get 17 wins next year, he'll point to an 8 game improvement over two years etc. Someone will consider him. If not, he'll be a profile assistant day 1 or go into TV.

[moodymadmen]

I'm not worried about Doh trashing SMU if/after he leaves...bottom line is, after his results here, he will be hard pressed to get a major HC job again. This is his last chance, IMHO. We will have given him 7 years to improve SMU basketball, and after a freefall failure at UNC and so-so results at FAU, where does he go?

Jobs are politics. From an industry perspective, there was no freefall at UNC, just a coach forced up before he was ready. He was placed into a situation where Gut hadn't left much in the cupboard. So he recruited and took his lumps w/that crew. Players and coaches growing on the job, in the industries most profile program, makes for cannibals. He''s brash, a hothead and outspoken. He can be a psycho, but so can most coaches. Simply, none of that is a fit at Carolina. He needed a few at Notre Dame to see who he was on the bench. He was a massive recruiter at Davidson, Kansas, Carolina & Notre Dame. His results at FAU were very very good, not so-so. SMU is a failure to this point,and a far more difficult job then I'm sure he imagined, but he got 14 wins this year, and he'll probably get more next year. Say we get 17 wins next year, he'll point to an 8 game improvement over two years etc. Someone will consider him. If not, he'll be a profile assistant day 1 or go into TV.

With all due respect, its not hard to be a "massive recruiter" at Kansas or UNC. Those programs somehow managed to survive (and win championships) without him. Now if he could be a "massive recruiter" at SMU we wouldn't be having these conversations. And if Doh wasn't viewed as a failure after UNC or the "industry" realized the situation he faced there why did he langiush as a free agent and the only job he could get was at FAU? And then the next best job after that he got offered was SMU? For a national coach of the year thats a long way to fall in such a short time. And now after 4 seasons of watching him on the sidelines and listening to him blab we are seeing the reasons for that free fall. It justs very frustrating to me that he doesn't exercise more common sense. For a man in his position he doesn't need to be burning any bridges or making SMU look bad by mouthing off about a BE job. Sure St Johns might be a tough job but why would a guy who has fallen from grace and is 28 games under .500 at SMU say that??

[PonyDoh]

I'm not worried about Doh trashing SMU if/after he leaves...bottom line is, after his results here, he will be hard pressed to get a major HC job again. This is his last chance, IMHO. We will have given him 7 years to improve SMU basketball, and after a freefall failure at UNC and so-so results at FAU, where does he go?

Jobs are politics. From an industry perspective, there was no freefall at UNC, just a coach forced up before he was ready. He was placed into a situation where Gut hadn't left much in the cupboard. So he recruited and took his lumps w/that crew. Players and coaches growing on the job, in the industries most profile program, makes for cannibals. He''s brash, a hothead and outspoken. He can be a psycho, but so can most coaches. Simply, none of that is a fit at Carolina. He needed a few at Notre Dame to see who he was on the bench. He was a massive recruiter at Davidson, Kansas, Carolina & Notre Dame. His results at FAU were very very good, not so-so. SMU is a failure to this point,and a far more difficult job then I'm sure he imagined, but he got 14 wins this year, and he'll probably get more next year. Say we get 17 wins next year, he'll point to an 8 game improvement over two years etc. Someone will consider him. If not, he'll be a profile assistant day 1 or go into TV.

With all due respect, its not hard to be a "massive recruiter" at Kansas or UNC. Those programs somehow managed to survive (and win championships) without him. Now if he could be a "massive recruiter" at SMU we wouldn't be having these conversations. And if Doh wasn't viewed as a failure after UNC or the "industry" realized the situation he faced there why did he langiush as a free agent and the only job he could get was at FAU? And then the next best job after that he got offered was SMU? For a national coach of the year thats a long way to fall in such a short time. And now after 4 seasons of watching him on the sidelines and listening to him blab we are seeing the reasons for that free fall. It justs very frustrating to me that he doesn't exercise more common sense. For a man in his position he doesn't need to be burning any bridges or making SMU look bad by mouthing off about a BE job. Sure St Johns might be a tough job but why would a guy who has fallen from grace and is 28 games under .500 at SMU say that??

I agree about Kansas and UNC, but Davidson & Notre Dame as well? Also, the way he re-prioritized the entire recruit plan for UNC in a matter of days. If he plays it safe and signs Guts kids, no national championship for Roy. He languished as a free agent b/c he was in television and that was a national clusterfuck. I didn't mean to say he wasn't tarnished by the experience at UNC, but more then that, he was hurt and kept himself away. Let's face it, he was, still is, and will always be, devastated by how that all went down. You people buy 'national coach of the year' garbage way too easily. Nobody regarded him as an Xs and Os guy at UNC.

Maybe what SMU actually needs is to step up and have a personality. No doubt, you have to win to pull off antics, no argument there. I'm not even saying Doh should have said what he did about SJU, although everything he said was true. I'm just saying that it's boring around here and damn apathetic. Why not smack talk w/Memphis fans, fight Mike Davis, or trash SJU? Just win somegames, and bring more crazy stuff.

Just this past weekend, one of the best PG recruits out there, committed to George Mason over SMU. Instead of being proactive as a fan base, we just sit here and cry about a team that could easily have a winning season next year or better. Meanwhile, the kids formspring is overrun by Mason & Siena fans, basically telling the kid to go to their school. How they have fan support etc. Over on the Mason message board, a 20 plus page thread is dedicated to the kid. So many instances where this program could use fan support, instead they get the same post over & over. We get it, Doh is flailing. Doesn't change the fact that we need a PG now, for a team that has pretty good personnel next year for this league.

He's either going to win or lose his job, what's the debate. In the mean time, our fans aren't doing much to help. If you don't think it matters, don't know what to tell you

[moodymadmen]

I agree. But at the end of the day it all boils down to wins and losses, right? If Doh had spent a few of these past years winning and truly progressing I admit it would be fun to have a feisty coach with a personality mixing it up with other schools and talking some smack. But If you have done nothing but lose for 4 years it just makes you look silly and wonder why a guy is talking trash when he has done nothing to back it up. When you mix it up with Davis after blowing a 24 point 2nd half lead you look like a sore loser. When you belittle a BE job in NYC you look foolish. Its a fine line.
And I wish there were more people that got upset about losing one of the best point guards out there, but it again boils down to winning and losing. If you have nothing and have done nothing, there is nothing to lose according to most fans.