'Slice' Rohrssen out at St. John's

[CallMeBruce]

Report: Barry “Slice” Rohrssen leaving St. John’s

I don't know if they ever officially promoted Freeman or what, but adding a big-time recruiter to the staff would sure be nice.

 

[upstater]

Why does this guy leave schools so quickly after getting there?

Rohrssen was reportedly making $450,000 annually in a five-year deal at St. John’s. A buyout is being negotiated. He made $375,000 plus bonuses at Kentucky.

Read more here: Report: Barry “Slice” Rohrssen leaving St. John’s

OUCH!!!!!

 

[methodology]

Beat me to this Bruce was just about to post this.

@upstater he left Kentucky because Mullen reached out to him and they are very good friends. He wanted to join his staff and go back home to NYC. Looks like things didn't work out and maybe he values his friendship with Mullen more than ruining that friendship because of business. He would have been at Kentucky for quite some time if Mullen didn't get hired and come calling.

I think he would be a great add to the staff for a big time recruiter. Don't think it will happen though.

 

[UConnStats]

I don't think he'd come here and compete with Mullin for NYC area recruits. He's a great recruiter though. I could see a team like Maryland pushing hard for him.

 

[upstater]

OK, maybe I'm too skeptical, but with the money involved and the buyout, there is more here than meets the eye. Amical parting, my arse. Something went down.

 

[Gurleyman]

I still don't get the Slice fascination from the hoops world. He helped get Chris Taft and a couple other city guys to Pitt, and Isaiah Briscoe to Kentucky. In between, he became the only guy in history who couldn't win at Manhattan. Pitt recruited just fine before he came and after he left - the 2011 team (the one seed Kemba and Butler both beat) had no Slice players on the roster. And the same is obviously true of Kentucky.

Realistically, Karl Hobbs has pulled in much better players as a lead recruiter. "Recruited by Slice" is not on the resume of very many NBA players.

 

[methodology]

I still don't get the Slice fascination from the hoops world. He helped get Chris Taft and a couple other city guys to Pitt, and Isaiah Briscoe to Kentucky. In between, he became the only guy in history who couldn't win at Manhattan. Pitt recruited just fine before he came and after he left - the 2011 team (the one seed Kemba and Butler both beat) had no Slice players on the roster. And the same is obviously true of Kentucky.

Realistically, Karl Hobbs has pulled in much better players as a lead recruiter. "Recruited by Slice" is not on the resume of very many NBA players.

Slice followed Howland to Pitt and was responsible for creating that NYC pipeline that has been intact ever since. He was responsible for Levance Fields and Krauser and Ronald Ramon. He is widely considered in the hoops world as one of the most influential recruiters because of his personality and charisma.

 

[Candyman]

I still don't get the Slice fascination from the hoops world. He helped get Chris Taft and a couple other city guys to Pitt, and Isaiah Briscoe to Kentucky. In between, he became the only guy in history who couldn't win at Manhattan. Pitt recruited just fine before he came and after he left - the 2011 team (the one seed Kemba and Butler both beat) had no Slice players on the roster. And the same is obviously true of Kentucky.

Realistically, Karl Hobbs has pulled in much better players as a lead recruiter. "Recruited by Slice" is not on the resume of very many NBA players.

Well Slice recruited Mustapha Heron to Pitt and then Slice left and went to Kentucky and Heron de-committed. Not sure about who else he recruited but I do know he is a well-respected recruiter. I feel Ollie is becoming one of the best though. Players and families for the most part love him even if they are not that crazy about the school/conference we usually make players top 10 or top 5 schools for Ollie alone these days.

Not sure UConn can afford to pay Slice what he would want, save money with Freeman.

 

[Gurleyman]

Slice followed Howland to Pitt and was responsible for creating that NYC pipeline that has been intact ever since. He was responsible for Levance Fields and Krauser and Ronald Ramon. He is widely considered in the hoops world as one of the most influential recruiters because of his personality and charisma.

Krauser committed to Pitt before Slice was an assistant coach there. Jamie Dixon was actually the assistant (under Howland) who was the lead recruiter for Krauser.

Hobbs was the lead recruiter for Rip, Khalid, Caron and Emeka - four All-Americans and three lottery picks. If you are putting Ronald Ramon and Levance Fields on a list of Slice's big wins, he's coming up a little short, no? Hobbs also had some significant temporary success as a head coach (GW was 29-3 or so in 2005-06). Slice crashed and burned and went 5-26 his last year at Manhattan.

So again my question is why is Slice so revered because he got a couple of four star NYC kids to Pitt?

 

[Gurleyman]

Well Slice recruited Mustapha Heron to Pitt and then Slice left and went to Kentucky and Heron de-committed. Not sure about who else he recruited but I do know he is a well-respected recruiter. I feel Ollie is becoming one of the best though. Players and families for the most part love him even if they are not that crazy about the school/conference we usually make players top 10 or top 5 schools for Ollie alone these days.

Not sure UConn can afford to pay Slice what he would want, save money with Freeman.

He had unusually close ties to the Heron family - he played on the same pro team with his dad and stayed friends, and he had known Mustapha since he was 10 or so. That's not translatable to other recruits.

I don't know what asking price Rohrssen can have any more as he tries to latch on to his fourth different school in the last four years. He's getting older (probably mid 50's), and his contacts may be drying up.

 

[methodology]

Krauser committed to Pitt before Slice was an assistant coach there. Jamie Dixon was actually the assistant (under Howland) who was the lead recruiter for Krauser.

Hobbs was the lead recruiter for Rip, Khalid, Caron and Emeka - four All-Americans and three lottery picks. If you are putting Ronald Ramon and Levance Fields on a list of Slice's big wins, he's coming up a little short, no? Hobbs also had some significant temporary success as a head coach (GW was 29-3 or so in 2005-06). Slice crashed and burned and went 5-26 his last year at Manhattan.

So again my question is why is Slice so revered because he got a couple of four star NYC kids to Pitt?

I was just repeating what I read in this article.

The Wild Ride Of Slice Rohrssen, College Basketball's Great Persuader | VICE Sports

From there, he reunited with Bayno, his longtime friend, who had just been hired as head coach at UNLV. Rohrssen then followed Ben Howland back east to Pittsburgh, where he created a fruitful Big Apple-to-Steel City pipeline, landing recruits like Carl Krauser, Levance Fields, and Ronald Ramon, who helped turn Pittsburgh into a brawny Big East power. "Slice has his own way of talking," Krauser says. "When he is into the game, he's into the game, and I still remember him walking up and down the sidelines, saying, 'Let's get these motherfuckers!'"

Rohrssen stayed at Pitt for much of the 2000s before finally getting his first head coaching job at Manhattan in 2006, a job he kept for four seasons.


People in the basketball world who are connected think very highly of slice and his recruiting ability. Not sure why you have an axe to grind with him.

 

[methodology]

Slice was at Pitt from 1999-2001 as a director of operations. Then became an assistant in 2001-2006.

He was there the same time Jamie arrived. I'm assuming he couldnt be the lead recruiter because he was director of ops and not an assistant. Chances are he was the influential voice that got Krauser to Pitt.

 

[Gurleyman]

I was just repeating what I read in this article.

The Wild Ride Of Slice Rohrssen, College Basketball's Great Persuader | VICE Sports

From there, he reunited with Bayno, his longtime friend, who had just been hired as head coach at UNLV. Rohrssen then followed Ben Howland back east to Pittsburgh, where he created a fruitful Big Apple-to-Steel City pipeline, landing recruits like Carl Krauser, Levance Fields, and Ronald Ramon, who helped turn Pittsburgh into a brawny Big East power. "Slice has his own way of talking," Krauser says. "When he is into the game, he's into the game, and I still remember him walking up and down the sidelines, saying, 'Let's get these motherfuckers!'"

Rohrssen stayed at Pitt for much of the 2000s before finally getting his first head coaching job at Manhattan in 2006, a job he kept for four seasons.

People in the basketball world who are connected think very highly of slice and his recruiting ability. Not sure why you have an axe to grind with him.

He was the director of operations at Pitt when he first went there, which means he wasn't allowed to recruit, coach or be out on the road representing Pitt. He maybe had some behind the scenes influence talking up an AAU coach or something, but not many recruits go anywhere because they heard great things about the guy booking the hotel rooms and ordering meals. It's a reach to give him credit for Krauser, and yet it's been a common misperception since he did recruit several of the NYC guys who followed. And then there are some people give him credit for the Karl Anthony-Towns class which was recruited before he was hired.

I just watched what he did at Manhattan, which everyone else has always used as a springboard to bigger jobs and wonder why people think he's the greatest thing since bread cut into individual sections of an appropriate size for sandwiches. He did a good job at Pitt, but certainly nothing that should make him sort of legend.

 

[Matrim55]

I was just repeating what I read in this article.

The Wild Ride Of Slice Rohrssen, College Basketball's Great Persuader | VICE Sports

****

Not sure why you have an axe to grind with him.

I don't think he's grinding an ax, I think he's calling BS on that hagiography of an article from Vice. The reputation he has (that the article touts) doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

 

[UConn3432]

i heard that slice and Matt A. didn't get along. 2 high profile recruiters on the same staff can backfire if they have egos.

 

[BUConn10]

He was the director of operations at Pitt when he first went there, which means he wasn't allowed to recruit, coach or be out on the road representing Pitt. He maybe had some behind the scenes influence talking up an AAU coach or something, but not many recruits go anywhere because they heard great things about the guy booking the hotel rooms and ordering meals. It's a reach to give him credit for Krauser, and yet it's been a common misperception since he did recruit several of the NYC guys who followed. And then there are some people give him credit for the Karl Anthony-Towns class which was recruited before he was hired.

I just watched what he did at Manhattan, which everyone else has always used as a springboard to bigger jobs and wonder why people think he's the greatest thing since bread cut into individual sections of an appropriate size for sandwiches. He did a good job at Pitt, but certainly nothing that should make him sort of legend.

He's seen as a big deal because he was most recently associated with Cal and Kentucky. Any turd that falls from the squid or his program right now is seen as the hottest thing in college basketball, it's just the way things are right now. I agree his value is overstated.

 

[Go_Huskies]

Article examining Slice's recruiting skills
Breaking Down Barry Rohrssen: How much will the Pitt assistant be missed if he leaves for Kentucky?

Quote that stand out

"On Rohrssen's classes as a whole, only two of his six were ranked in the top 25. If we're looking at overall class success, Pitt has actually done better without him."

 

[aceboon]

He's seen as a big deal because he was most recently associated with Cal and Kentucky. Any turd that falls from the squid or his program right now is seen as the hottest thing in college basketball, it's just the way things are right now. I agree his value is overstated.

Nah his rep got blown up well before he went to UK, he got that at Pitt and as Gurleyman pointed out its way overstated

 

[ctchamps]

I don't think he's grinding an ax, I think he's calling BS on that hagiography of an article from Vice. The reputation he has (that the article touts) doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

Gave a like for hagiography.