Taj79 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I have moved tarhee'ls post from the "144" thread to here. I had asked for board comments/criticisms/thoughts on it but felt maybe folks didn't see it given the dearth of responses. Thoughts? http://www.a10talk.com/2014-15-atlantic-10-preseason-rankings/#prettyPhoto Then this comes up on either yesterday's or today's A10 board: http://basketball.realgm.com/article/234666/College-Basketball-Preview-14-15-Atlantic-10?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co Again, looking for the same .. comments/criticisms/thoughts? The "realgm" article seems backed by some pretty decent investigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetorch Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 While we have a higher ceiling than what the preseason prognosticators are giving us credit for I think their rankings are more than justifiable. We have almost nothing returning statistically. The A10 is a very good league. We will be hard pressed to stay in the top half of the rankings with our youth and inexperience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUBillsFan Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 The A10 is a very good league. We will be hard pressed to stay in the top half of the rankings with our youth and inexperience. SLU finished 6-10 in Atlantic 10 play during the 2010-11 season after "the situation" happened. That is the worst they've ever finished. I'd agree that the A10 is better now, but I will be disappointed if the Bills finish worse than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVBilliken Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Hoping for better but can't disagree much. We have two seniors, both role players their entire careers. Our juniors include a role player and a transfer. Transfers often take time to get rolling after a year off competitive basketball. SLU needs several of these guys to really step up. Then we need at least four of our underclassmen to play like proven veteran players. A lot must go right this year just to be a middle of the pack A10 team this year. Hoping the Sophs mature quickly and some of the Frosh come in contributing significantly from day 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I can't disagree w/ the RGM analysis. What we have returning is definitely not going to scare opponents. JC's going to have to coach his arse off to get this group to slightly over .500. And, the guy's comment about ugly games is probably going to remind us of the Brad years. Not saying we're talent challenged like some of Brad's teams, but you have to admit, we're going into this season on a wing and a prayer given our lack of experience. That said, here's my best case scenario. AY is indeed a factor that provides some scoring. Crawford becomes a sniper. Lancona showed signs last year of being a player. Reggie, along with his natural athleticism, has developed some more refined skills during the off season. Finally, Manning uses his height to become a defensive demon on the inside. As for McBroom, I don't know what to make of him given his late season swoon. Did he just catch everyone off guard in the early games and then they figured him out. Or was he just not strong enough to finish the season the way he started it. Remember he was like instant 3's in our early games, but as the season wore on he had trouble hitting the ocean from the beach. Way too many question marks at this point to really make any kind of intelligent forecast for this team. Best case, we finish fifth. Most likely case would be tenth. Worst case, we finish just ahead of Fordham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clock_Tower Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 JJ, DE, RL and MM may be the best the class to have played at SLU ever. They will sorely be missed and very, very difficult to replace. The defensive shutdown ability of JJ and MM will be huge. The 1 on 5 ability to score of JJ at a crucial moment or the end of the game with a layup cannot be quantified. DE was warrior and his competitiveness is tough to replace quantify in the stat sheets. And IMO, RL was the best, or should I say, the most valuable player of last year's class in that he stretched the defenses, created mismatches, was an offensive threat and became a strong defender while being a 7 footer -- not many like him. With all that said and at the risk of being criticized too much, here goes some thoughts. First, JJ could hit the outside shot but not consistently and therefore mostly shot layups and FTs.. MM could take over a game by himself but usually did not and waited for others to shot and/or score.. DE was great on the inside but was undersized, rebounding was an issue and he never developed an outside shot or the guard skills to go along with an outside shot. And RL could make the 3 pointers but he was very streaky, went large stretches (even games) without success and never became an inside force for us. In the absence of these fixtures, TL and RA will now have room to play the 4 and I sure like their games -- outside and inside - and we finally won't be undersized any more at the 4 so our interior defense and rebounding may be as good or better. AY may take awhile to get going being a transfer and sitting out last year, but I sure expect him (and AM) to shoot it better from the outside than JJ and JB did last year. With an outside game, scoring on the inside gets alot easier. Not sure who will play point guard for us (probably a freshman) but MM was never really a point guard, and while he was sure good, he never showed us the dribble penetration, scoring and/or passing skills of KM, Marquee Perry, H Waldman, etc. Our new players may offer a whole new dimension at the point guard spot. And while RL is a much better player than JM, maybe JM will be effective on the interior this year (JM is a traditional or interior center and this year will have the help of larger bodies at the 3 and/or 4 such as TL, RA and others) and this might actually open the outside up for our shooters - who again should be better -- and we come full circle. In short, last year's strengths may be be weaknesses this year but this year's squad has the ability to have strengths where last year's squad had weaknesses. Either way, I am certainly excited for this year. Maybe the drop of from last year won't be as much as I fear. Here's hoping for another great year!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willie Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Clock you point out some good things. I hope your right about another great year. I just hope it doesn't take a year to put the pieces together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmith19 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 12th place? Seems like an absolute worst-case scenario. That would be a disappointment, even with all of the question marks going in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drkelsey55 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 JJ, DE, RL and MM may be the best the class to have played at SLU ever. They will sorely be missed and very, very difficult to replace. The defensive shutdown ability of JJ and MM will be huge. The 1 on 5 ability to score of JJ at a crucial moment or the end of the game with a layup cannot be quantified. DE was warrior and his competitiveness is tough to replace quantify in the stat sheets. And IMO, RL was the best, or should I say, the most valuable player of last year's class in that he stretched the defenses, created mismatches, was an offensive threat and became a strong defender while being a 7 footer -- not many like him. With all that said and at the risk of being criticized too much, here goes some thoughts. First, JJ could hit the outside shot but not consistently and therefore mostly shot layups and FTs.. MM could take over a game by himself but usually did not and waited for others to shot and/or score.. DE was great on the inside but was undersized, rebounding was an issue and he never developed an outside shot or the guard skills to go along with an outside shot. And RL could make the 3 pointers but he was very streaky, went large stretches (even games) without success and never became an inside force for us. In the absence of these fixtures, TL and RA will now have room to play the 4 and I sure like their games -- outside and inside - and we finally won't be undersized any more at the 4 so our interior defense and rebounding may be as good or better. AY may take awhile to get going being a transfer and sitting out last year, but I sure expect him (and AM) to shoot it better from the outside than JJ and JB did last year. With an outside game, scoring on the inside gets alot easier. Not sure who will play point guard for us (probably a freshman) but MM was never really a point guard, and while he was sure good, he never showed us the dribble penetration, scoring and/or passing skills of KM, Marquee Perry, H Waldman, etc. Our new players may offer a whole new dimension at the point guard spot. And while RL is a much better player than JM, maybe JM will be effective on the interior this year (JM is a traditional or interior center and this year will have the help of larger bodies at the 3 and/or 4 such as TL, RA and others) and this might actually open the outside up for our shooters - who again should be better -- and we come full circle. In short, last year's strengths may be be weaknesses this year but this year's squad has the ability to have strengths where last year's squad had weaknesses. Either way, I am certainly excited for this year. Maybe the drop of from last year won't be as much as I fear. Here's hoping for another great year!! You didn't even mention MY, BJ, AG, or MB. Those are some good people you will want to find minutes for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 12th place? Seems like an absolute worst-case scenario. That would be a disappointment, even with all of the question marks going in. I said worse case. I don't think that's where we'll end up, but considering our inexperience it's in the realm of possibility. I hope Clock's right and I'm totally out in left field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billslasttermdropout Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 You're all right. Our main issue is we have all of zero minutes coming back from anything but previous role players. But it seems like this team has more total talent than maybe any before it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clock_Tower Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Clock you point out some good things. I hope your right about another great year. I just hope it doesn't take a year to put the pieces together. Willie. You are correct. It may take a year to put the pieces together. During DE, RL, JJ and MM's freshman year, we struggled, learned the hard way and it took awhile to fit the pieces together. As previously mentioned, though, this year's Freshman class has the benefit of upper class guidance (albeit a 3 year role player and the team's cheerleader), two good shooters in Juniors AY and AM and 3 returning Sophomores which might shorten the time to put the pieces together. Personally, though, I believe our team will go as far as our Sophs can take us. Like others, I wish they were given an even larger role than they received last year. At the same time, it had to be quite intimidating for these Frosh to come off the bench and be assertive, even selfish with the ball while playing with last year's Seniors. This year, no excuses. The Sophomores will either step up and lead the team or will soon get passed by our Frosh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyJumpUp Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 JJ, DE, RL and MM may be the best the class to have played at SLU ever. They will sorely be missed and very, very difficult to replace. The defensive shutdown ability of JJ and MM will be huge. The 1 on 5 ability to score of JJ at a crucial moment or the end of the game with a layup cannot be quantified. DE was warrior and his competitiveness is tough to replace quantify in the stat sheets. And IMO, RL was the best, or should I say, the most valuable player of last year's class in that he stretched the defenses, created mismatches, was an offensive threat and became a strong defender while being a 7 footer -- not many like him. That is by far the best class I've ever seen at SLU, of course I've only been watching since the Bonner days. If this year's class can mesh and produce like Jett/Evans/Loe/McCall did over their years, we will be in for another exciting run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorB Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 12th??? is that guy kidding? give me a break. Believe me when I say -- this team will not finish 12th. I boldly predict top of the league, not bottom; and if it all comes together, by Feb. this team will be very tough to beat. If 6-10 in the league is the worst in recent memory, we have no chance of doing worse than that, for sure IMHO. Last I checked, all those "better" teams still have to play road games -- including the Fetz. I certainly think we will win 20 or come close -- and I truly think the talent is there. Certainly the coaching is too. Predictions of disaster and mayhem are really not very plausible, in my opinion; yes, a transitional year, but the other teams will still have to find ways to score against us... and as I've said before, best case scenario still puts us in the top 3 or 4 in the league. And I have another advantage over this "guru": I've actually seen the guys play. We can all agree to disagree! It's just my 2 cents, regarding a "guru's" predictions that are fairly brain dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicCityBilliken Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 12th??? is that guy kidding? give me a break. Believe me when I say -- this team will not finish 12th. I boldly predict top of the league, not bottom; and if it all comes together, by Feb. this team will be very tough to beat. If 6-10 in the league is the worst in recent memory, we have no chance of doing worse than that, for sure IMHO. Last I checked, all those "better" teams still have to play road games -- including the Fetz. I certainly think we will win 20 or come close -- and I truly think the talent is there. Certainly the coaching is too. Predictions of disaster and mayhem are really not very plausible, in my opinion; yes, a transitional year, but the other teams will still have to find ways to score against us... and as I've said before, best case scenario still puts us in the top 3 or 4 in the league. And I have another advantage over this "guru": I've actually seen the guys play. We can all agree to disagree! It's just my 2 cents, regarding a "guru's" predictions that are fairly brain dead. 12th??? is that guy kidding? give me a break. Believe me when I say -- this team will not finish 12th. I boldly predict top of the league, not bottom; and if it all comes together, by Feb. this team will be very tough to beat. If 6-10 in the league is the worst in recent memory, we have no chance of doing worse than that, for sure IMHO. Last I checked, all those "better" teams still have to play road games -- including the Fetz. I certainly think we will win 20 or come close -- and I truly think the talent is there. Certainly the coaching is too. Predictions of disaster and mayhem are really not very plausible, in my opinion; yes, a transitional year, but the other teams will still have to find ways to score against us... and as I've said before, best case scenario still puts us in the top 3 or 4 in the league. And I have another advantage over this "guru": I've actually seen the guys play. We can all agree to disagree! It's just my 2 cents, regarding a "guru's" predictions that are fairly brain dead. 12th??? is that guy kidding? give me a break. Believe me when I say -- this team will not finish 12th. I boldly predict top of the league, not bottom; and if it all comes together, by Feb. this team will be very tough to beat. If 6-10 in the league is the worst in recent memory, we have no chance of doing worse than that, for sure IMHO. Last I checked, all those "better" teams still have to play road games -- including the Fetz. I certainly think we will win 20 or come close -- and I truly think the talent is there. Certainly the coaching is too. Predictions of disaster and mayhem are really not very plausible, in my opinion; yes, a transitional year, but the other teams will still have to find ways to score against us... and as I've said before, best case scenario still puts us in the top 3 or 4 in the league. And I have another advantage over this "guru": I've actually seen the guys play. We can all agree to disagree! It's just my 2 cents, regarding a "guru's" predictions that are fairly brain dead. I like how you think Doc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmith19 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Even the 6-10 team was pretty decent by the end of the conference schedule. All this one really needs to do is finish well enough to get in the conference tournament, and then who knows what will happen after they have 30 games under their belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Even the 6-10 team was pretty decent by the end of the conference schedule. All this one really needs to do is finish well enough to get in the conference tournament, and then who knows what will happen after they have 30 games under their belt. "Once we get a few more wins under our belt, I think you'll start to see our record improve." (Actual quote from SLU Athletic Director Dick McDonald, circa 1980.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwayne's_World Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 12th??? is that guy kidding? give me a break. Believe me when I say -- this team will not finish 12th. I boldly predict top of the league, not bottom; and if it all comes together, by Feb. this team will be very tough to beat. If 6-10 in the league is the worst in recent memory, we have no chance of doing worse than that, for sure IMHO. Last I checked, all those "better" teams still have to play road games -- including the Fetz. I certainly think we will win 20 or come close -- and I truly think the talent is there. Certainly the coaching is too. Predictions of disaster and mayhem are really not very plausible, in my opinion; yes, a transitional year, but the other teams will still have to find ways to score against us... and as I've said before, best case scenario still puts us in the top 3 or 4 in the league. And I have another advantage over this "guru": I've actually seen the guys play. We can all agree to disagree! It's just my 2 cents, regarding a "guru's" predictions that are fairly brain dead. Hear hear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 12th??? is that guy kidding? give me a break. Believe me when I say -- this team will not finish 12th. I boldly predict top of the league, not bottom; and if it all comes together, by Feb. this team will be very tough to beat. If 6-10 in the league is the worst in recent memory, we have no chance of doing worse than that, for sure IMHO. Last I checked, all those "better" teams still have to play road games -- including the Fetz. I certainly think we will win 20 or come close -- and I truly think the talent is there. Certainly the coaching is too. Predictions of disaster and mayhem are really not very plausible, in my opinion; yes, a transitional year, but the other teams will still have to find ways to score against us... and as I've said before, best case scenario still puts us in the top 3 or 4 in the league. And I have another advantage over this "guru": I've actually seen the guys play. We can all agree to disagree! It's just my 2 cents, regarding a "guru's" predictions that are fairly brain dead. Have you seen much of Yarbrough? He is the freshman who intrigues me the most. I think scoring will be a challenge for this team at times, that's why MY could provide a big boost if he is good enough to get on the floor. Which freshmen do you expect to make the biggest impact? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmith19 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 "Once we get a few more wins under our belt, I think you'll start to see our record improve." (Actual quote from SLU Athletic Director Dick McDonald, circa 1980.) Funny. I suppose if it takes you 10 years to get those few more, it might not help the record very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownwolves Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 This guy predicts that the Bonnies will finish ahead of the Billikens - - - OUCH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waldo027 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 We could definitely finish in 12th. But I'm more interested to hear how Davidson will finish 8th. This is a HUGE jump up in competition for them from the Southern Conference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Box and Won Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Have you seen much of Yarbrough? He is the freshman who intrigues me the most. I think scoring will be a challenge for this team at times, that's why MY could provide a big boost if he is good enough to get on the floor. Which freshmen do you expect to make the biggest impact? And have we established whether he's fat or fit? Is he Obi or Evans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westy03 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 And have we established whether he's fat or fit? Is he Obi or Evans? Im picturing more along the lines of Cody Ellis, without the man boobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BACKHANDtheRICAN Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I'm hard pressed to find a game on the schedule that I think we'll lose. That said, we won't go undefeated. We'll lose 2-3 nail biters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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