Who Stays and Who Goes???

[majerus mojo]

I've always liked Roby. I thought he was probably the most promising freshman last year (certainly the best defender among the umpteen guards), and he looked lost for most of this season only to end up as maybe the best shooter on the team. So hopefully he can put it all together next year.

Agree with everything but him being a great shooter. Needs a lot more consistency there. Not sure how anyone could be pining for him to leave -- other than taking shots in the dark at who is and who isn't a malcontent. Most of the soph's came from dominant HSs and it had to be frustrating under JC. I just hope our new coach is respected/hired soon enough where he's able to review these kids and decide for himself who he wants to stick around

[SLUfan_42]

I can see Reynolds and Jolly leaving forsure. How do you think Miles feels getting burried on the bench behind a walk-on AND a frehsman after a promising start to the year? Jolly hopefully will more or less come to terms with his inability to play at this level. These are the 2 most likely.

Gillman will stay because he's a local kid and the team doesn't have a true proven 5 at the moment.

Milik is the most interesting of all to me. Undeniable talent. I could see the coaching change either being an extreme, well-needed refreshment for his attitude towards the situation or his polar opposite decision to leave. What ready-to-break-out junior wants to come back to summer practices only to learn the 3rd different offense in 3 years? And, unlike any other possible transfer on the team, he could end up on a better tournament-ready team.

Crawford, Agbeko, and Bishop are all locks to return.

I'll take both Bartley and Roby because both can shoot and both have nice upside. Hopefully the new coach can develop these guards and build off these strengths.

Time will tell, but the healing process has officially begun.

[slufan13]

I just think we'd be better off without some of the egos on the current roster. Some will blame that on Crews' failures on the court, but I blame it on Crews' failures in evaluating the players.

My opinion is that we're 2-3 years away from being good anyway so I'm fine with keeping the seniors and "encouraging" everyone else to leave so that the new coach can construct his roster exactly how he wants. If they want to stay, let them. But I am fine with encouraging them to leave.

[Pistol]

I've never seen MR or DR as malcontents.

I've seen multiple bench tantrums by each, including a really recent one for MR. This is in addition to other anecdotes I've heard.

[Bobby Metzinger]

Gillman will stay because he's a local kid and the team doesn't have a true proven 5 at the moment.

Is that his call to make? Or would the next coach give him an opt-out similar to what Majerus did to "local boy" Brett Thompson? Just like BT, I'm not sold on AG being a legitimate D-I basketball player.

[moytoy12]

I've seen multiple bench tantrums by each, including a really recent one for MR. This is in addition to other anecdotes I've heard.

Are they malcontents or just a couple of competitive players that hate suffering through another dreadful season? Either way, I have no inside knowledge just going on the very little that I've seen.

[Pistol]

Are they malcontents or just a couple of competitive players that hate suffering through another dreadful season? Either way, I have no inside knowledge just going on the very little that I've seen.

Well, the situation certainly didn't help, but my understanding - and I'm just another MBM - is that it goes beyond that for four of the sophomores. That they're not just frustrated players having gone through two bad seasons, but guys who have been difficult in other ways and not as committed as they should be, regardless of how they feel about the coaches or how frustrated they are with losing.

[moytoy12]

Well, the situation certainly didn't help, but my understanding - and I'm just another MBM - is that it goes beyond that for four of the sophomores. That they're not just frustrated players having gone through two bad seasons, but guys who have been difficult in other ways and not as committed as they should be, regardless of how they feel about the coaches or how frustrated they are with losing.

Appreciate the input.

[davidnark]

Here is my assessment of the players with no inside knowledge of where they stand:

Reggie: Safe to assume he will be back. He made great progress and gives maximum effort. He will be a key player next year regardless of the new coach and staff.

Crawford: Same as Reggie, although I think he is best used off the bench rather than as a center piece.

Bishop: Only guy who can handle the ball, shoot the ball, and create offense while still distributing and keeping the offense flowing. Not as quick or strong as Kwamain, Jett, or McCall were, but will likely start at point next year regardless of the new coach and staff.

Roby: Man of mystery. Supposedly has a great work ethic. He was our best player in the two A-10 tournament games, but where has he been all year? If he has the right attitude, the new staff should welcome him into the fold and continue to refine his offensive game.

Bartley: Because of his natural ability to shoot it and handle it, I hope he is back. He would obviously benefit from injury-free feet and more muscle. I would also like to see him refine his offensive moves. I think he has potential to become a good slasher and shooter. I am sure everyone will jump me for saying this, but there is a certain NBA star that is the perfect player for him to model his game after. If I were Bartley, I would track down Curry's workout routine and game film and study and replicate it every day for the next 3 years.

Milik: Milik's future success or failure will, more so than anyone else, be dependent upon his attitude and approach. Regardless of coach, he still needs to lose more weight and work on his vertical and explosiveness. Unless he can add another 4 -6 inches of quick jumping, he will continue to find himself getting blocked at this level. With the right attitude, he could benefit from a new coach. With the wrong attitude, he could find himself getting a lot of pine.

Neufeld: I hope he stays and works on his strength and game. He has good size and raw skills, but he needs a lot of work.

Gillmann: It was disappointing that he didn't develop more of a physical presence his sophomore year. His defense, rebounding, and strength are not there yet. If he is convinced this is the right level for himself, he needs to put in a lot of work.

Miles: I question whether this is the right level for him. His shooting form is below average. He doesn't run the offense well at point. He cannot get to the rim. He doesn't have many moves beyond straight line slashing to the hole. His defense is above average. Miles needs to decide whether he can accept being a role player for two years.

Hines: We should applaud his efforts this year. However, if they need his scholarship, he should accept going back to being a preferred walk on (and I hope that was previously communicated).

Jolly: I don't get it.

Welmer: ?

[Cowboy]

-for those discussing MC, my understanding is he will graduate in May and could therefore do one of those get the undergrad degree and transfer for the advanced degree scenarios, so if that is indeed true, he has options

-if as Crews said in the presser he played at 60% health he could be a nice addition to a good team if healthy

-of course, he could be a good player us at 100%, too

[slufan13]

I think we'll see 3-4 transfers. Maybe even more. A new coach is going to want to choose his own players and I think some guys will want to leave on their own even though Crews is gone.

I do think there are one or two guys on the team who need to go or else you'll see some unexpected guys decide to transfer.

[billikenbill]

Welmer: ?

Beast will feast on teams from the northeast... and rest of the A-10, last but not least.

[Cowboy]

I think we'll see 3-4 transfers. Maybe even more. A new coach is going to want to choose his own players and I think some guys will want to leave on their own even though Crews is gone.

I do think there are one or two guys on the team who need to go or else you'll see some unexpected guys decide to transfer.

-did you say this at the same time last year, too? all but the new coach part?

[slufan13]

-did you say this at the same time last year, too? all but the new coach part?

Might have. Luckily those players left. Too bad it didn't make us a better team.

[HoosierPal]

For those not listening to the Post Game on Wednesday with VC Marcus Wilson, Crawford's and Bartley's injuries were discussed. Also mentioned was that Roby had a thumb injury this year and just recently discarded the splint he was wearing.

[DoctorB]

Roby a malcontent?? which planet is that from? I'd like to put the kabosh on that pronto. Nonsense, he's a keeper.

Here's the core: 2 seniors, Roby & Bartley, and all 3 freshmen. That's your foundation, plain and simple = 7. I'm not saying everyone else is history but I really think the new coach can decide for himself, and mix and match. I think those 7 are committed and ready to work. I think the freshman class actually has a great deal of potential and may be a bit underrated on here. If we assume Zeke is still coming, and does come, then it's 8. that's 5 scholarships to play with. & some of those 5 may leave anyway...

Here's what amazes me about MY: I always thought, he has very good upside. But how is it after 2 full years he keeps making the very same identical mistakes?? It may be he has the all-time lowest court IQ in basketball history. The truly amazing part is: the coaches kept allowing it. Even at the end of the game yesterday, MY was actually bringing the ball up the court and then attempting piss poor drives to the bucket. In all honesty I'd like the staff to put together all of those knucklehead drives into one long video and show it to him over and over, a la Clockwork Orange style, until it registers. I think I've reached 100% frustration with him, but maybe a new coach could take him in the right direction (i.e. better court vision and IQ)?? Am I missing something??

[slufan13]

Roby a malcontent?? which planet is that from? I'd like to put the kabosh on that pronto. Nonsense, he's a keeper.

Lol

[BigMouthBilliken]

[johnbj14]

Where did this fan voting occur? I just saw all of those awards on Twitter and confused as to where they came from.

Edit: Nvm found it.

[wgstl]

It looks like Miles will leave

Check out @MilesReyRey2's Tweet:

[johnbj14]

Is this tweet him announcing he is leaving, or just thanking the staff?

[wgstl]

Nvm it does appear to be the staff

[billikenfan05]

Nvm it does appear to be the staff

Great stuff...

[Zink]

Not sure where to put this, but it seems to fit here...

Two performances from this year will wind up in the SLU record books. Might be some single game stuff that also makes it, but as far as season/career stats this is it.

Bishop had the highest FT% (86.4%) of any Fr in SLU history

Bartley becomes 3rd all time in career 3pt% (41.5%), and also adds his name to the Soph top 10 in the same category (39.7%)

-- Edit: Roby also jumps into the top 10 for Soph 3pt% (39.2%); they will be 4th and 6th, respectively

Bartley seems to be one of the best outside shooters in SLU history - it would be nice to keep him around.

[Zink]

Looking at all of this, I think our backcourt is respectable. We aren't anywhere the level that got us to the tournament, but Reynolds/Bishop and Bartley/Roby/Crawford bring enough skill to compete in the A10.

Our frontcourt is a disaster though. Jolly and Gillmann aren't good enough, although the latter does have a shot that he could be of use. Neufeld looks good at times, lost at others. It is unfortunate that he didn't seem to improve over the course of the season. Agbeko is a decent 4 in the A10. He is good enough on the glass and seemed to improve his touch quite a bit this year (57% from the field). But he played the 5 for us for most of this year, and just doesn't offer enough size and rim protection at that position.

I think our coach next year is going to have to play small ball and use Milik at the 4, or pray that Neufeld takes a huge leap forward/Welmer is as good as some think. Are there any JUCO guys/late qualifiers in the 2016 class who we could get this spring to fill the 5? I think that will be the biggest difference between another miserable season and a true rebuilding year.