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SLURadioBoy

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4 hours ago, RiseAndGrind said:

I like Rothstein’s lineup. Goodwin must be a force (obviously?) if he’s taking over the starting roll from last years best player 

More like Rothstein is guessing based on pure talent and scouting reports given that JG had taken part in all of 4 days of practice so far this fall.

If history is any guide he will start the year as the first guard off the bench and begin starting around new year’s.

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3 hours ago, slufan13 said:

I love Majerus but his comment about "starting is for high school" is dumb. Starting matters and the players care about it

Starting matters to the players’ egos.  As a fan, you should care more about what 5 will play the last 4 minutes than the first.

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Majerus would play his best 5 (adjusting for defensive matchups) in crunch time, but in 2011-12 he would bring Ellis and Jett in as the 6 and 7th men as a phased deployment.

This was after Majerus was gone, but Glaze used to start while playing less than 50% of the game. He was a poor FT shooter and once foulded out of a game in like 7min on on the court, but there was value there especially on the defensive end (and he did come up with a key steal in the miracle comeback vs NC State) and his value was greater earlier in the game.

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I agree with travs/glory the stupidest thing Rickma ever said was the starting thing.   It matters.   Anyone that ever played sports knows how important starting is to confidence.   Those not starting all aspire to that level plus no one wants to "lose" your starting status.   Being announced each game as a starter is the ultimate motivator.

I am sure Rickma did not really believe the starter statement.   It was a way to deal with reporters stupid questions and maybe pacify a player that wasn't starting.   

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16 hours ago, slusam said:

Chosen, I have been going to Billiken games since you were in diapers (1987).  Does that qualify me as die hard?  To be honest I am just glad we are back to talking basketball and getting excited for the season.

Yeah, I consider all of us who post on here to be die hard Billiken fans (minus the trolls). I was 5 years old back in 1987, but your comment sadly is still true. I can't wait for the season and am excited to have season tickets again!

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RM said what he said about starting so he could use it as motivation and to help him get through to a player who was not listening.  Remember how it worked with Ellis?  DId not hurt Jett either.  Anybody that thinks RM did not understand how important starting was to players you are kidding yourself.  There was method to his madness.

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  • 2 weeks later...
31 minutes ago, BillIkenFan_Dan said:

stu just said everyone is practicing expect for of course Elliott welmer dj foreman is back after a minor foot injury 

Really positive report on Santos as well, I had already admitted my ignorance on that signing (after we signed Anthony I changed my tune since that addressed my primary concern), but will do so again. I think I had become used to signings not making sense and players not turning out, but the current staff has my full trust at this point.

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If Luis Santos is bigger than French. and French is bigger than Gordon. my God. 

5 minutes ago, TheChosenOne said:

Really positive report on Santos as well, I had already admitted my ignorance on that signing (after we signed Anthony I changed my tune since that addressed my primary concern), but will do so again. I think I had become used to signings not making sense and players not turning out, but the current staff has my full trust at this point.

 

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Santos is getting rave reviews, and he looks really sleek, trim, and athletic.  Santos was a 4-star recruit, I believe, coming out of HS.  Next year we will have not 1, not 2 -- but 4 guys competing at power forward and/or center bigs (Foreman, French, Santos, and Gordon) with more skills and strength and hops than Reggie Agbeko, all due respect to Reggie!! Comparing them to RA, since he's about the closest to these 4 in recent years.   I've been here 19 years and that's as big and athletic by far as the Bills have been during that time. 

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In the 90's we had Donnie Dobbs using his backside to play the post, Jeff Harris playing with more heart than any one person should have but way too short for his position, Sekou Barrintine (sp?) who could run and that was about it,  and Eric "the Dill" Bickle, who went on to finish his career at UMSL if I remember correctly. If they all pan out, I would say we'll have the most productive post players since the Bonner days and probably the most athletic ever.

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1 hour ago, kshoe said:

Bigger does not always equal better. More athletic does not always equal better. Skilled is the key.

I agree.  I remember a team my group played in a softball league.  They were all weight lifters.  They were so imposing that all we could think was that they would simply pound the ball out of the park all day long.  The game started and we beat them soundly.  While they looked good, they had no eye hand coordination with the bat or ball.  What you say is true - looking big only works if you also have the skill to use the size to your advantage.  

PS - I have to give Stu kudos for his most current tweets - the one about French never having worked out with weight before coming to SLU says all you need to know about genetics.

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35 minutes ago, hoppybeer said:

In the 90's we had Donnie Dobbs using his backside to play the post, Jeff Harris playing with more heart than any one person should have but way too short for his position, Sekou Barrintine (sp?) who could run and that was about it,  and Eric "the Dill" Bickle, who went on to finish his career at UMSL if I remember correctly. If they all pan out, I would say we'll have the most productive post players since the Bonner days and probably the most athletic ever.

The only real athletic true big men we have had since Bonner were Tatum, Carlos Skinner, Melvin Robinson, Reed, Jamal Johnson and probably Conklin (who when healthy was underrated by most as an athlete).  I might be forgetting someone, but they have been few and far between in the almost 30 years since Bonner.

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15 minutes ago, brianstl said:

The only real athletic true big men we have had since Bonner were Tatum, Carlos Skinner, Melvin Robinson, Reed, Jamal Johnson and probably Conklin (who when healthy was underrated by most as an athlete).  I might be forgetting someone, but they have been few and far between in the almost 30 years since Bonner.

Remekun had pretty decent bounce as well.

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1 hour ago, DoctorB said:

Willie Reed was far and away the most athletic big since I've been here, but he was razor thin.  Conklin was underrated as an athlete and really changed his body over the time here.  Also that kid Kenny Brown? 

Conklin was also limited by injuries his first three years which limited his athleticism (if I recall correctly). I remember being shocked at some dunks he had senior year.

Justin Johnson felt crazy athletic at the time, but looking back I think that may have been a factor of how he compared to the rest of team as much as anything.

Jon Smith was a pretty great athlete for a year. 

Grandy Glaze was one of the quickest big guys I can remember.

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I'm most interested to see if a true rim protector rises out of our group of Bigs.  I'm looking for Reed #2, Big Chill reincarnated, or Ian the Greek levels.  Last year Welmer lead the team with 32 blocks or just under 1 per game.  Someone needs to be at 50 to 60.  Who will take control of the lane?

The team modern day record for blocked shots is Soderberg's 2006-2007 team with 142 blocks.  That record needs to go down this season.

[An interesting side note, that 06-07 was huge.  We had 6 players 6'8" or taller.  We had Husak at 7'0" and Vouyoukas at 6'10" plus Dixon, Ikeafor, Johnson and Knollmeyer all at 6'8".]

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