It was just 34 days ago that riled-up fans in the Seton Hall student section were chanting “Fire Louie.” The Pirates were trailing St. John’s by 20 at the Meadowlands and the small, yet vocal gathering had had enough with embattled coach Louis Orr.
The Pirates came back that night, outlasting the Red Storm, 69-61. They lost the next three, however, perhaps giving some credence to the slogan.
But a funny thing happened along the way to the firing line. The Pirates learned how to win. Yesterday, in front of 12,583 spirited fans, they defeated Rutgers, 73-67 – their fifth straight victory. The Hall (14-6, 5-3 Big East) is surprisingly squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
But, try as he may, Orr has yet to win everyone over completely.
“We’ve changed our tune a little, sure. Winning will do that. That’s all that everyone wants,” said senior Mike Babcock, 22, a front-row regular. “I’ve been around Louie a lot. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a wonderful man. But we still have our concerns.”
Like recruiting. Orr’s uncertain status is a clear danger sign to potential signees.
“You can’t blame them. There are some kids that don’t want to come here because of the situation,” said junior Mark Hannan, 21. “The school needs either to come out and give Orr a vote of support or they need to completely back off of it. Right now, with an unstable program, this year may be good, but the years to come may be real messed up.”
Is Orr the right man for such a mess?
“I don’t know,” said junior Mike Tully, 20. “I do know that we need some stability here. We cannot go through this year after year.”
The chants are gone. The concerns aren’t.