Aquinas

Schertz comments about Casey: "The things that really pop out to me are his athleticism and versatility on booth ends of the floor. He is a true hybrid, which means offensively he can play with a big and also a small ball 5. Defensively, he has the quickness, length, strength and lateral quickness to guard 1-5." I also saw a report on him coming out of highschool that was projecting him as a stretch 4, though his statistics at Miami don't reflect that. My own view is that if he requires a Double team to keep him from scoring inside, that opens space on the floor for another player. If Casey can recognize the double team and pass out of it, then he works with Shertz system. I think Schertz is primarily looking for him to play with Avila. Schertz system is frequently described as 5 out, but his philosophy is really more about having players recognize the spacing of the defense, create spacing problems and attack them. Ideally every player would be a good 3 point shooter, but the system can be modified to a player that creates spacing problems in other ways. With a man to man defence teams will have to decide which of their bigs they put in Avila and which on Casey. Casey will probably make Avila a better player.

He looks like a good fit.

We are not the only school playing for keeps in the A10 and that is a good thing. Strong teams that earn at-large bids are good for the A10 and good for us. It helps our strength of schedule, potential quad 1 wins, attendance and creates more games with national appeal. And, if a new conference were to emerge, Dayton is a likely partner. So I like a strong Dayton and a stronger A10. The whole idea behind a greatly improved Billiken program is that we can play and beat tournament level teams. I would love to see us beat a ranked Dayton tem 3 times next year!

Campbell is my top choice to fill the wildcard spot.

By wildcard, I think he means all of the fundamental needs are met and he can use that last spot for anything. Fletcher would be a wildcard.

Let's say they offer an Avila jersey. When would they stop selling it? The day he graduates, when the next semester starts or for as long as there is demand?

Wiz, what does.the computer think of KyKy Tandy, who is said to be coming for a visit?

He is a top 100 player and a shooter. 6'4" from Idaho.

I think they announced they were departing after meeting with Schertz. I suspect it was more about fit/projected playing time.

Division one basketball = 13 scholarships, and we have 10 committed/signed. That assumes that our coach's son is not on scholarship and that Larry Hughes is on scholarship.

2024 Billikens: Update with Kalu Anya Gibson Jimerson 6’5” Sr, 215, Guard Wing, 36 Min, 16 Pts, 2.9 RB, 3Pt% 36, FT% 86 Billikens-A10 Robbie Avila 6’10”240 Jr, Center, 31 Min, 17 Pts, 7 RB, 3Pt% 39m FT% 81 Indiana State– Missouri Valley Isaiah Swope 5’10” 170, SR, Guard, 33 Min, 16 Pts, 3 RB, 3Pt% 36, FT% 74 Indiana State Larry Hughes II 6’4” 185 Jr, Guard, 23 Min, 7 Pts, 2.7 RB, 3 Pt% 35, FT% 77 Billikens Kellen Thames 6’5” 205, SO, Guard, 19 Min, 6 Pts, 3.7 RB, 3 Pt% 36, FT% 55 Billikens Josiah Dotzler 6’3” 185, SO, Guard, 4Min, 1 Pts, 0 RB, 3Pt% 18, FT% 60, Creighton – Big East A J Casey 6’9” 221, JR, Forward, 9 Min, 2 Pts, 2 RB, 3Pt% 0, FT% 59, Miami - ACC Kalu Anya 6’8” 215, JR, Forward, 27 Min, 9.6 Pts, 7.4 RB, 3Pt% 27, FT% 51, Brown-Ivy League Freshman: Max Pikaar 6’11” 205, FR, Power Forward, Double/Double, 3Pt% 40, FT% ? Netherlands - Sunrise Christian Acaademy (Kansas) Amari McCottry 6’6” 180, FR, Guard Wing, 22 Pts, 9 RB, St. Thomas More, 247 3*

Is this his second visit?

It's 159 one way. Billed as high speed, it is similar to driving time, but then you factor in driving to the airport and parking. If you need a vehicle on the other end, it's faster and cheaper to drive. A friend of mine used it when it had cheaper introductory fairs.

Projections this early are too early, but that said, national recognition helps recruiting and scheduling.

Great interviews! Gibson watched ISU during the season because he is into analytics and wanted to see them play. Way before Schertz SLU rumors. Gibson will grasp this system quickly.