It's over -- two-and-a-half hours of questions and answers on the record with Bobby Gonzalez. Five writers were present, along with SID Matt Sweeney.
I'll take any and all questions now because there's a lot more that took place than I could fit into this blog.
On the Suspension: I recognize that I’m the one responsible for what happened. I have to take full responsibility for it. I’m moving on from it. I respect the university’s decision. I have to respect that.
Certainly getting a suspension for a game next year put negative press out there. I have to take blame for that. But I think people were trying to use whatever possible negative they could get against us becaue that's the nature of the business today.
Certainly what happened at the (Rutgers) press conference won’t happen again, I think I allowed myself to take away from my coaching and made it more about my personality than my coaching.
During the suspended game: Will turn the coaching over to Dermon Player.
Relationship with the AD: At the end of the day we both want the same thing, we want Seton Hall to be successful. In my seven years at Manhattan I certainly was not an angel, but you never read any kind of public reprimand. They did things differently over there. It takes a couple of years to learn a school, to learn writers, to learn the area.
On recruiting, especially compared to Rutgers and in New Jersey: The fans right now, the perception might be our kids aren’t he quality of somebody else’s recruiting in the Big East. But at the end of the day, I like them.
I understand the perception that’s out there. My strength as a recruiter has always been try to find the diamond in the rough, trying to find kids who fit my style. I like hard-knock kids, tough kids, I’m not saying they all have to be shaky students from unknown schools.
There’s a perception that we’re getting negative publicity because people think we’re bringing in too many borderline kids (academically). What I would say is I think the academic support staff we have here is great, and I think it’s a school that’s known for success stories. If you get a kid and you give him a second chance or a third chance, and you feel he’s got the right interest, you put him the proper environment with right discipline, he’s going to succeed.
I know there’s the perception that Rutgers is doing better than us in New Jersey.
I think it’s important for Seton Hall to get some kids from St. Benedict’s, St. Pats and St. Anthony’s, but I don’t think the only recruiting we have to do in New Jersey.
When I look at the team that went to the national championship the were no New Jersey kids in that starting five.
But I do think it’s important. We’ve got to get a big-time kid from New Jersey in the next couple of years. Some time it’s important for us to get a great top 10, top 5 guy in the state of New Jersey.
We haven’t done it yet, I recognize that. I don’t think Coach Hurley or Coach Boyle would say 'I don’t like what they’re doing at Seton Hall, I wouldn’t send a kid there.'
I know fans are saying we’re scrambling. We’re pretty calculating. We’re organized. We don’t just grab guys to grab guys. You can accuse me and us of taking a decent amount of borderline kids who needed time for their situation regarding their grades. But we’re not scrambling. We didn’t just grab these four guys half-cocked.
On Paul Gause: From what I understand talking to the doctors and trainer he is progressing tremendously, they expect thim to be fully ready to go 100 percent in September.
On John Garcia: He had a minor surgery on the knee that he tweaked in the South Florida game. He was cleared a couple of weeks ago for full contact.
On Jordan Theodore: I’m not bringing him in to be a backup point guard. He is more of a traditional point guard than Eugene. I can see Jordan and the point and Eugene at the two a little bit. Eugene can go off the dribble and get in the lane.
Difficulty of the job: When I took the job two years ago people said two of last three coaches were fired, two of the last three ADs were fired, you’re taking one of top two or three toughest jobs in the league along with South Florida and Providence.
I think I knew what I was getting into. I will say this, if I didn’t have the seven years under my belt and the 200-something games at Manhattan College and the wherewithal to go through negative stuff and good times and bad times, I think it’s very, very difficult to succeed at this level today in this conference. It is extremely challenging when it comes to winning and losing.
On next year's schedule:These are not quotes: Other than the Puerto Rico Tournament, there's a possible home and home against Michigan and a return game at James Madison. Possibly also a game against Princeton.
Another note: The Hall had trouble getting in the Rock for shootarounds and practices last year. Sometimes opposing teams would get into the building to shootaround before the Pirates. (That's just ridiculous).
On Mike Glover:He's currently still a student at Seton Hall. He’s doing fine right now. It is an ongoing thing with the NCAAs. It’s definitely not overwith. Has it been a long, frustrating process? Yes, but certain situations you can't control. If you said to me, 'Was he still worth taking?' I’ve got to see what the end result is going to be, but I do know he's a difference maker.
On his comment from last fall about recruiting the big-time player Seton Hall is not supposed to get: "I think we need to do it in the next year or two."
On Melvyn Oliver: I don't think it’s easy in this day and age to get a big man who's a difference-maker. He might not seem like a guy who would fit into my scheme, but I also recognize the fact that you can’t get a guy like this very often, with his skill to go along with his size.
One more telling quote:"In today's day and age, if you don't win by your third year they're throwing you in the Hudson. If I lose 20 games I'll probably go into selling cars."
