I'll post on the loss tonight in the morning - it was pretty poor. But for now, a Q and A from Seth Davis, who was asked a question about his thoughts on the situation at St. John's and whether there would be a coaching change:
This is a common lament, Russell, and I wish I had an easy answer for you. I have written in the past about the depth of St. Johns' problems, and why it will be difficult (more likely impossible) to re-capture the glory years of Lou Carnesecca.
Norm Roberts is now in his sixth year as coach, but to be fair the first two really shouldn't count given how depleted the program was in the wake of Jarvis' departure. Even so, four years is enough to prove to fans that the program is headed in the right direction. As for what is going to happen with Roberts, I know most people assume he will not make it, but Jim O'Connell of the Associated Press, a St. John's alum who knows the program as well as anyone, told me recently that he believes Roberts has a good chance of coming back. The way Oc sees it, there is only one person that will have a say into whether Roberts will be retained as coach, and that is Rev. Donald Harrington, the St. John's president. Harrington is far less concerned with the team's performance on the court than its performance in the classroom and in the community. There are no more scandals at St. John's, no blaring headlines to embarrass the university. As long as that is the case, Roberts will have a fighting chance to keep his job.
I have heard this too and it worries me deeply. If this is the case, they could move down to the Atlantic 10 or CAA and spend less money on a coach and facilities upgrades... but then again, they wouldn't share in the Big East NCAA money.
Of course, rumor is a couple of players got into a fight post-game. That might count as a scandal, an embarrassing headline.