Knollmeyer and the Future

[SLU_Nick]

There has been a real lack of AK recognition on this board this morning. He played very good defense when he was in there and I am not ready to ship him off and wait for BT and MC to develop. AK can get much better from now until next year.

Sophomore to Junior season is normally a large growing period for big men and AK has been making huge strides.

There was a possession where he was working so hard to deny nivins and nivins never got position on him and we ended up with a turnover. He also had a huge offensive rebound and putback. He is a big body and he has not been pushed around at all this season. He is not fast but he takes up a lot of space and has been the key in many billiken wins this year.

He does have some mental lapses such as moving picks and errant crosscourt passes. He might be the Danny Brown of big mean as he has shown flashes of contribution but is too inconsistent.

I think it will be better for our overall record next year if AK and BE start in the frontcourt and then if Conklin and Thompson pass them up by conference time, I think that would indicate a pretty good record.

Thoughts?

[brianstl]

There has been a real lack of AK recognition on this board this morning. He played very good defense when he was in there and I am not ready to ship him off and wait for BT and MC to develop. AK can get much better from now until next year.

Sophomore to Junior season is normally a large growing period for big men and AK has been making huge strides.

There was a possession where he was working so hard to deny nivins and nivins never got position on him and we ended up with a turnover. He also had a huge offensive rebound and putback. He is a big body and he has not been pushed around at all this season. He is not fast but he takes up a lot of space and has been the key in many billiken wins this year.

He does have some mental lapses such as moving picks and errant crosscourt passes. He might be the Danny Brown of big mean as he has shown flashes of contribution but is too inconsistent.

I think it will be better for our overall record next year if AK and BE start in the frontcourt and then if Conklin and Thompson pass them up by conference time, I think that would indicate a pretty good record.

Thoughts?

I think his play of late as been very encouraging. I would guess that he will be around next year.

[Larry the Legend]

I think his play of late as been very encouraging. I would guess that he will be around next year.

I think AK's play has been commendable lately. He is spelling minutes for BH and BE and that's his role right now. I do agree that he will be around next year but his playing time with depend on how good the incoming Freshmen are. I like his attitude and he does not get pushed around inside. His quickness, lack of a shot and decision making ability are what might keep him from moving any higher in Majerus' lineup next year.

[cheeseman]

There has been a real lack of AK recognition on this board this morning. He played very good defense when he was in there and I am not ready to ship him off and wait for BT and MC to develop. AK can get much better from now until next year.

Sophomore to Junior season is normally a large growing period for big men and AK has been making huge strides.

There was a possession where he was working so hard to deny nivins and nivins never got position on him and we ended up with a turnover. He also had a huge offensive rebound and putback. He is a big body and he has not been pushed around at all this season. He is not fast but he takes up a lot of space and has been the key in many billiken wins this year.

He does have some mental lapses such as moving picks and errant crosscourt passes. He might be the Danny Brown of big mean as he has shown flashes of contribution but is too inconsistent.

I think it will be better for our overall record next year if AK and BE start in the frontcourt and then if Conklin and Thompson pass them up by conference time, I think that would indicate a pretty good record.

Thoughts?

Agreed - he is not the odd guy(s) out.

[NashvilleBilliken]

Yeah, I think Adam has been playing pretty good lately. Honestly, I was really suprised that he was able to get the offensive rebound and put the shot back up without getting blocked. It wasn't a hard play, but it's not something we've been able to do lately. The kid is also looks heavy...in a good way. He looks like he would not be easy to move around on the blocks. I haven't seen anything out of him in the way of shooting, but that's fine. We need a back to the basket guy down on the blocks. Last night I realized that the number of dunks we have and the number of plays in the post is about the same. I can only recall throwing the ball into the post one time last night, and it was turned over by Barry. Maybe Adam can provide that presence.

[Guest BillikenReport]

Knollmeyer definitely has a chance to contribute next season. He could be a solid role player for SLU.

He would be the only returning player over 6-6 and while the incoming freshmen are talented and have good size, there is still going to be a learning process involved.

No matter how good Brett Thompson and Brian Conklin are, there probably not going to be ready to play 30+ minutes per game right away.

[moytoy12]

I agree with everything that's been said on this thread. I was hard on AK after the GW game, but his play, especially as of late, has proved me wrong.

I like how he mixes it up down low. I wish we could combine AK with BH.

[billiken_roy]

knollmeyer would seem to be the exact player that rickma would want on his teams. he doesnt have to score. just set picks, rebound and be active.

i think he has been the best defender on the inside whenever he has gotten in the games.

[Billikan]

knollmeyer would seem to be the exact player that rickma would want on his teams. he doesnt have to score. just set picks, rebound and be active.

i think he has been the best defender on the inside whenever he has gotten in the games.

He has definitely improved a lot since the early part of the season. I remember him in the UMSL game get absolutely torched by Frazier. He sure has a good attitude. He plays hard and tough. That pass late in the game right to the other team was tough to take but I agree with the thought that he could be a role player off the bench to set picks and mix it up inside.

However, as to the freshmen, I would be shocked if Conklin is not a much more polished offensive player who can also defend.

[billiken_roy]

However, as to the freshmen, I would be shocked if Conklin is not a much more polished offensive player who can also defend.

i have learned since the days of ricky cranford and greg hardin not to trumpet incoming recruits i havent seen for myself. i trust most recruiting gurus about as far as any of us could pick up and throw rickma.

[Band Man]

Knollmeyer definitely has a chance to contribute next season. He could be a solid role player for SLU.

He would be the only returning player over 6-6 and while the incoming freshmen are talented and have good size, there is still going to be a learning process involved.

No matter how good Brett Thompson and Brian Conklin are, there probably not going to be ready to play 30+ minutes per game right away.

I agree with the sentiment on this board that AK doesn't seem to be the odd man out. He is a big body that has made great strides this year. However, like BillikenReport said, I don't foresee him being a go-to guy or anything like that, but he could certainly be a very productive role player. I'd figure next year the three spots set in stone are KL, TL, BE, and I'd assume KM (i sure hope he's as good as advertised b/c I'm excited about this kid...didn't RM once compare him to Dee Brown). It would seem to me that BC will likely have an early chance to start early because from all indications he's a pretty polished player. When he was on campus he evidently worked over the big guys we have.

Despite all this, at least by conference, who starts may not be as big as an issue, because I wouldn't be surprised to see a 4 man rotation of bigs (5 if WR can progress, although he seems to be the most raw talent of the bunch) all seeing significant minutes. If these guys can be solid we will be in good shape. I imagine next year we will regularly see that backcourt we saw last night. I think for the first time in their careers TL and KL will truly be able to control the game on a regular basis based on what we've seen of late.

[jjray]

Let's say Rick grabs two more recruits in the spring. Who is out then? Gotta believe Dustin Maguire is one. But who is the second? Based on playing time this season, things don't look good for Anthony Mitchell. Eckerle's scholarship must be safe.

[Taj79]

You can't throw everybody out. Adam has shown some nice stuff while he's been in there. The only "argh" moment I had last night was with an open guy right next to him on the wing, he threw the ball towards the top of the key and had his one and only turnover. While the result was still great last night, I thought a score, especially maybe a three at that point, might have knifed the heart out of the place. I'd keep him. He and Barry would be nice takes into next year hoping too that whomever said the freshmen would be ready come tourney time is right.

[kmbilliken]

Let's say Rick grabs two more recruits in the spring. Who is out then? Gotta believe Dustin Maguire is one. But who is the second? Based on playing time this season, things don't look good for Anthony Mitchell. Eckerle's scholarship must be safe.

He's talking about signing 2 or 3 more so Maguire has got to be out. He can always put Eckerle back on academic scholarship to free up another one. If he brings in 3, by way of minutes played you would think Mitchell would be next in line for the door. I think AK and MR both can develope into solid contributors.

[MusicCityBilliken]

He's talking about signing 2 or 3 more so Maguire has got to be out. He can always put Eckerle back on academic scholarship to free up another one. If he brings in 3, by way of minutes played you would think Mitchell would be next in line for the door. I think AK and MR both can develope into solid contributors.

I would say AK and MR would be safe. Both can contribute (God forbid Reed doesn't qualify or Thompson/Conklin gets hurt) and both will be needed for practice. If you look back at all our walk-ons, they all have been all guards as far back as I can remember. Finding a big walk-on is no easy task.

[cheeseman]

He's talking about signing 2 or 3 more so Maguire has got to be out. He can always put Eckerle back on academic scholarship to free up another one. If he brings in 3, by way of minutes played you would think Mitchell would be next in line for the door. I think AK and MR both can develope into solid contributors.

You can not even begin to guess who might be out until you see who RM signs. If he signs another guard and or a wing then PE is out - I know some on the board are very high on him but he really is not capable of logging big minutes at the guard spot at the level we want to play. He is not a good shooter at least when he is in the game and he is not that great of a passer. If we had someone else this year to play guard then he would not be playing at all. I know he is a freshman and I appreciate his ability to figure it out so to speak but he just has too many limitations to keep a schollie if RM signs other type players then he could hold on. DM, I have no idea what is up with him. Why he stayed this semester is a mystery to me. Maybe they can get him on some type of non-athletic schollie so he can at least finish school if he chooses to do so. It is also possible that Reed might be in more trouble academically then we think and RM is knows this. Since he was going to red shirt anyway perhaps we can get him to a friendly junior college and he can play a year there. What I have outlined above would free up to 3 schollies if needed and of course any combination of them would free up 2.

[Major Majerus]

Yeah, I think Adam has been playing pretty good lately. Honestly, I was really suprised that he was able to get the offensive rebound and put the shot back up without getting blocked. It wasn't a hard play, but it's not something we've been able to do lately. The kid is also looks heavy...in a good way. He looks like he would not be easy to move around on the blocks. I haven't seen anything out of him in the way of shooting, but that's fine. We need a back to the basket guy down on the blocks. Last night I realized that the number of dunks we have and the number of plays in the post is about the same. I can only recall throwing the ball into the post one time last night, and it was turned over by Barry. Maybe Adam can provide that presence.

Knollmeyer has a nice stroke - remember his ft's? Nice, soft, high arcing shot. He has no comfort level yet, but has taken some good shots. In RM's offense, you take the shots you get; RM will let you know if it's off your chart. I think the key to his future contribution is how he adjusts to the mental pace of the game. I like his raw tools.

[jjray]

You can not even begin to guess who might be out until you see who RM signs.

Not so. In the parallel universe know as message boards all things are possible and any manner of speculation flourishes. Facts rarely get in the way of message board discussion. As to Paul Eckerle losing his scholarship if we land several additional guards in the spring, it wouldn't be right in my book. He's logged 521 minutes this year. More than Husak. More than Eberhardt. Fine to recruit over the guy and bury him on the bench (it's a hazard of the system) but past contribution has to mean something.

[cheeseman]

Not so. In the parallel universe know as message boards all things are possible and any manner of speculation flourishes. Facts rarely get in the way of message board discussion. As to Paul Eckerle losing his scholarship if we land several additional guards in the spring, it wouldn't be right in my book. He's logged 521 minutes this year. More than Husak. More than Eberhardt. Fine to recruit over the guy and bury him on the bench (it's a hazard of the system) but past contribution has to mean something.

In your parallel universe it might not be right but he was only given a one year schollie if we are to believe what was said previously. From a strategic standpoint, if RM signs another guard and a wing player, you can not keep PE on as a guard. We need a wing and guard to replace Danny, Polk, and we are minimal now with Danny having to spell Luke so with KM coming two more guard type players creates an imbalance a the position and PE is out along with DM. We have enough front line players coming in and with AK and BE we can get by but one more Jucco forward would help with easing the freshmen in at a pace that is good for them. All we can do is see what RM does but if he is still telling Frank and others that he plans to sign 2-3 more kids then some have to go and you have to look at if from a position point when trying to see who.

[Archy McNally]

Not only is PE back, but I say he is probably going to start (at least 1 or 2 games ). It is hard to shoot when you get a couple of shots a game. But he has shown he can hit double digits in the scoring column when he gets his fair share of shots.

[ACE]

I definitely think AK and MR are two key players for next years. Guys who could really improve during the second year in the system. AK made a couple big mistakes last night, but I can see that he is not afraid to mix it up. Not a great athlete, but RM has a history of developing bigs and AK can benefit from that.

[cheeseman]

Not only is PE back, but I say he is probably going to start (at least 1 or 2 games ). It is hard to shoot when you get a couple of shots a game. But he has shown he can hit double digits in the scoring column when he gets his fair share of shots.

AM is a guy we tend to forget about - he could go and PE could stay but I am not sure how this whole situation with PE was set up. It may very well be given the set up I laid out previously that long term AM might be seen as having a bigger upside - who knows - if he is seen that way then you have to cut PE away. PE had one game that he has shot well - all the rest have been Polkesque and who wants to suffer through that again. I like Polk but his lack of shooting touch all 4 years has been a big problem for us so why extend it with PE.

[SLU Hilljack]

knollmeyer would seem to be the exact player that rickma would want on his teams. he doesnt have to score. just set picks, rebound and be active.

It's funny: Rick Barnes said that is all he asks of Ian Mooney when he gets in the game.

[Guest BillikenReport]

Cheese,

Eckerle has made 21 3-pointers this year and is hitting 33.3 percent of his 3-point shots.

Polk has made 11 3's this year and is hitting 28.9 percent of his 3-point attempts. In his first three seasons, Polk made 26.3 percent, 17.4 percent and then 31.2 percent of his 3-point attempts.

By contrast, Lisch has hit on 38.7 percent, Liddell 33.8 percent, Meyer 36 percent and Danny Brown 47.4 percent. Only Lisch and Liddell have made more 3's than Eckerle this year.

Eckerle is a better shooter than Polk is and a better overall offensive player. Why do you think Majerus plays Eckerle more than Polk in the final minutes of close games?

I'm still amazed that people think someone who hasn't been able to get into games this year is so much better than a guy who has played and has made some positive contributions to this team.

[cheeseman]

Cheese,

Eckerle has made 21 3-pointers this year and is hitting 33.3 percent of his 3-point shots.

Polk has made 11 3's this year and is hitting 28.9 percent of his 3-point attempts. In his first three seasons, Polk made 26.3 percent, 17.4 percent and then 31.2 percent of his 3-point attempts.

By contrast, Lisch has hit on 38.7 percent, Liddell 33.8 percent, Meyer 36 percent and Danny Brown 47.4 percent. Only Lisch and Liddell have made more 3's than Eckerle this year.

Eckerle is a better shooter than Polk is and a better overall offensive player. Why do you think Majerus plays Eckerle more than Polk in the final minutes of close games?

I'm still amazed that people think someone who hasn't been able to get into games this year is so much better than a guy who has played and has made some positive contributions to this team.

I stand corrected on PE. Also, I was not singing AM's praise just raising a possibility of why AM might be back but PE not. One reason PE has gotten into the games and AM has not is that they are two different players - PE is a guard and AM is not. RM needed guards this year not someone at the position the AM plays. I would think someone as knowledgeable as you would see the difference between the two players and how one fills the need now but perhaps not in the future based on what RM might sign or not sign but hey what do I know I am not the one getting paid to write.