Not everything at the camp is evaluations and rumors. Sometimes you get a chance to sit down and just talk basketball. In this case Seton Hall basketball, past and present and future with our former great starting two guard on the 1989 Final Four team, John Morton.
John had a lot to say and I will list it in no particular order.
John just recently accepted the number two recruiting position at St Peter's.
Contrary to rumors that surfaced on our board he took the NCAA recruiting test last year under former coach Louis Orr and passed it on his first try.
He knew his 1989 team was real good, but first realized how good after the Sugar Bowl tournament in December of 1988 when he heard former Depaul head coach Ray Myers in an interview telling a reporter that Seton Hall could very well be a Final Four team.
He tries to keep in contact with his teammates, especially Gerald Greene, who now live down south.
He had not seen Ramon Ramos previous to the dinner held in Ramon's honor since visiting him in Portland at the time of the accident. Said that Ramos was just one super guy that everyone on the team looked up to.
Feels his recruiting strength lies in NY.
Was very satisfied that his prediction he made to me previous to last season that the team would win 20 games almost came true. His excuse for just missing the mark? He did not know Garcia would basically miss the whole year.
Feels that if the knee injury to Garcia did not happen, he would have become a big time player for SHU. Now he has reservation on Garcia's future. If he can stay healthy, he thinks Garcia will be a major player for the Hall. If not,he said he will really feel bad for the kid.
He also added that Garcia gained about 30 lbs from his high school weight because of the injury, but is now getting in much better shape by playing, strength training, and improving his eating habits. He thinks that a healthy Garcia will be a very important factor for the Pirates this year.
Stated that Pratt is a much better player than many people are aware of. He can do many things on the court, but believes that he will probably have to play minutes at the small forward, when he might be better suited at the 2G. This because of the late commit from Larry Davis.
Does not think that Billmeier and Garcia will play multiple minutes on the court at the same time due to Gonzo's style of play.
Believes the team will run, run, run and will be exciting to watch.
Loves Gause's game. Said he will be very interested to see how Gonzo gets him minutes. He believes that Gause will probably be the backup PG to Harvey, as well as the backup 2G. Likens the situation a little bit to when he played the point for SHU early in his career when he was better suited to play the two guard.
Sees Mani Messy as a 3 and not a 4. Not sure how he will emerge under Gonzo. Raved about Messy's pure athletic ability and stated that he is much more comfortable in a running style of play.
Hopes to one day come back and work at SHU.
Wanted everyone to know he will always appreciate the love that he gets from all the fans. And wanted to extend his gratitude.
In short, John was positive as always about the team, and thinks that under Gonzo great things will happen in the future.
In summary, I personally want John to know that he will always be remembered as a great player and better person for Seton Hall. He always represented our school well, both on and off the court. If the saying good things happen to good people is true, expect only the best for John, because you will never meet a better person anytime, anywhere.
This post was edited on 7/7 10:55 PM by HallDan1if(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
John had a lot to say and I will list it in no particular order.
John just recently accepted the number two recruiting position at St Peter's.
Contrary to rumors that surfaced on our board he took the NCAA recruiting test last year under former coach Louis Orr and passed it on his first try.
He knew his 1989 team was real good, but first realized how good after the Sugar Bowl tournament in December of 1988 when he heard former Depaul head coach Ray Myers in an interview telling a reporter that Seton Hall could very well be a Final Four team.
He tries to keep in contact with his teammates, especially Gerald Greene, who now live down south.
He had not seen Ramon Ramos previous to the dinner held in Ramon's honor since visiting him in Portland at the time of the accident. Said that Ramos was just one super guy that everyone on the team looked up to.
Feels his recruiting strength lies in NY.
Was very satisfied that his prediction he made to me previous to last season that the team would win 20 games almost came true. His excuse for just missing the mark? He did not know Garcia would basically miss the whole year.
Feels that if the knee injury to Garcia did not happen, he would have become a big time player for SHU. Now he has reservation on Garcia's future. If he can stay healthy, he thinks Garcia will be a major player for the Hall. If not,he said he will really feel bad for the kid.
He also added that Garcia gained about 30 lbs from his high school weight because of the injury, but is now getting in much better shape by playing, strength training, and improving his eating habits. He thinks that a healthy Garcia will be a very important factor for the Pirates this year.
Stated that Pratt is a much better player than many people are aware of. He can do many things on the court, but believes that he will probably have to play minutes at the small forward, when he might be better suited at the 2G. This because of the late commit from Larry Davis.
Does not think that Billmeier and Garcia will play multiple minutes on the court at the same time due to Gonzo's style of play.
Believes the team will run, run, run and will be exciting to watch.
Loves Gause's game. Said he will be very interested to see how Gonzo gets him minutes. He believes that Gause will probably be the backup PG to Harvey, as well as the backup 2G. Likens the situation a little bit to when he played the point for SHU early in his career when he was better suited to play the two guard.
Sees Mani Messy as a 3 and not a 4. Not sure how he will emerge under Gonzo. Raved about Messy's pure athletic ability and stated that he is much more comfortable in a running style of play.
Hopes to one day come back and work at SHU.
Wanted everyone to know he will always appreciate the love that he gets from all the fans. And wanted to extend his gratitude.
In short, John was positive as always about the team, and thinks that under Gonzo great things will happen in the future.
In summary, I personally want John to know that he will always be remembered as a great player and better person for Seton Hall. He always represented our school well, both on and off the court. If the saying good things happen to good people is true, expect only the best for John, because you will never meet a better person anytime, anywhere.
This post was edited on 7/7 10:55 PM by HallDan1if(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
