W/L record predictions

[VeniceMenace]

The two Illinois frosh backup PG candidates did not make Dr Bs list of frosh most ready to play based on eyewitness accounts to date. This team's biggest question mark is point guard.

[willie]

The two Illinois frosh backup PG candidates did not make Dr Bs list of frosh most ready to play based on eyewitness accounts to date. This team's biggest question mark is point guard.

Disagree. The biggest question mark is the center position,or can Manning stay on the floor.

[For-DaLove]

The two Illinois frosh backup PG candidates did not make Dr Bs list of frosh most ready to play based on eyewitness accounts to date. This team's biggest question mark is point guard.

We'll be fine at PG. Very few PG's today are true distributing point guards. We have plenty of athletic guys who can handle the ball. And if you're a well disciplined team the passes will get where they need to be.

[JettFlight5]

You still have a little reviewing to do. You have 31 games (20-11) and we only play 30.

10-8 GMU home instead of Dayton home to go with 9-3.

19-11...I guess that's OK.

[slufanskip]

17-13 overall.

99 RPI

13 KenPom

12 Wiz

But this is the most random wild ass guess on SLU's record in well over a decade. We have no goddam idea how well our players will perform, most have no significant playing time in their careers, and the ones that have played a bit have not shown much.

This is funny

[brianstl]

We'll be fine at PG. Very few PG's today are true distributing point guards. We have plenty of athletic guys who can handle the ball. And if you're a well disciplined team the passes will get where they need to be.

Let's take pg out of the mix then and just keep it to guards in general. If McBroom is getting 25 mpg at the end of the season I will be disappointed. He is the kind of player where his value decreases the more he plays. There is an important role for him on a good team, but it isn't a heavy minute role.

[JettFlight5]

Let's take pg out of the mix then and just keep it to guards in general. If McBroom is getting 25 mpg at the end of the season I will be disappointed. He is the kind of player where his value decreases the more he plays. There is an important role for him on a good team, but it isn't a heavy minute role.

Agreed. I'd love to see him as a shooter off the bench by the end, but that will take a great showing by one of the frosh.

[slu72]

McBroom was like the tale of two seasons last year. Loved his instant offense for the first 2/3 of the season then the air went out of the balloon. He couldn't hit the ocean from the pier. Was it a case of being worn down, or did the A10 common opponents figure him out? Also, I maybe wrong here, but he wasn't recruited as a PG, correct? Not saying he can't do it, but it's not like he's a KM type. I'd prefer his instant O off the bench, but given our lack of experience he's the best PG option at this point.

[VeniceMenace]

McBroom was like the tale of two seasons last year. Loved his instant offense for the first 2/3 of the season then the air went out of the balloon. He couldn't hit the ocean from the pier. Was it a case of being worn down, or did the A10 common opponents figure him out? Also, I maybe wrong here, but he wasn't recruited as a PG, correct? Not saying he can't do it, but it's not like he's a KM type. I'd prefer his instant O off the bench, but given our lack of experience he's the best PG option at this point.

He played the point in high school and at Central Michigan, where he led the team in assists. He chose To transfer here over Portland and San Diego State.

[Billiken Rich]

bad pun but I think some of you are selling Austin a bit short

[VeniceMenace]

+1

Good athlete and guard, brings the most proven D1 track record.

[Billikenboy]

Well this will be his chance to lead the Bills as a PG but my guess is that he is more of a SG than he is a PG so I expect a freshmen or two to play this position.

[thetorch]

If Ash doesn't lead the team in scoring McBroom will.

[bauman]

If Ash doesn't lead the team in scoring McBroom will.

I'm going to go with Crawford. Not only can he shoot the 3, but he showed a real talent last year going to the basket.

[slufan13]

I'm going to go with Crawford. Not only can he shoot the 3, but he showed a real talent last year going to the basket.

Based on what I've heard this offseason, I'm definitely expecting Crawford to lead the team in scoring.

[bauman]

Based on what I've heard this offseason, I'm definitely expecting Crawford to lead the team in scoring.

What have you heard and from who?

[slufan13]

What have you heard and from who?

I've heard positive things about Crawford (and Lancona) from multiple people. I think DoctorB posted very positive things about Crawford a couple weeks ago and said he expected Crawford to be a big factor. Other than that, I've heard very positive things about those 2 from multiple people closely connected to the program. I won't say who exactly, but these people know their basketball. Not just some college students who watched the guys play up at the rec on some afternoon.

Crawford has worked hard on improving his strength and quickness in order to become a better defender. Not saying he'll be a great defender, but he'll no doubt be improved which is important as defense will probably be out biggest weakness. He also flashed the ability last season that he can score from multiple places on the court, but I've heard that he's been "extremely impressive" on offense this summer. Granted, this is definitely against half ass defense, but I've heard he's put in a lot of time to improve his shot from the perimeter and on getting to the basket more effectively.

There's always a lot of summer talk and it doesn't always turn out, but would be surprised if Crawford isn't a top 2 or 3 scorer for us this season. At the very least, I think he'll put up a ton of shots, which should lead to more points although maybe not as effective as we would like.

[kshoe]

No prediction .... too many questions.

1) Are Manning and Glaze who we've come to know or is there some "Summer" of something that has miraculously busted that trend?

2) How much rust on Ash Yacoubou? And is he more than the 2 ppg scorer he was at Nova or a bust as a four-star kid out of high school?

3) Can McBroom be a point guard and if so, who does he involve?

4) How decent are the sophomores? Really?

5) Do the freshmen contribute much more meaningfully and consistently than last year's freshmen?

6) Who scores on this team and how?

7) Can this team win on the road?

Can't wait ........

Remind me, did you have a prediction/projection last year? If you didn't have a prediction/projection were there too many unknowns then too?

[Clock_Tower]

I've heard positive things about Crawford (and Lancona) from multiple people. I think DoctorB posted very positive things about Crawford a couple weeks ago and said he expected Crawford to be a big factor. Other than that, I've heard very positive things about those 2 from multiple people closely connected to the program. I won't say who exactly, but these people know their basketball. Not just some college students who watched the guys play up at the rec on some afternoon.

Crawford has worked hard on improving his strength and quickness in order to become a better defender. Not saying he'll be a great defender, but he'll no doubt be improved which is important as defense will probably be out biggest weakness. He also flashed the ability last season that he can score from multiple places on the court, but I've heard that he's been "extremely impressive" on offense this summer. Granted, this is definitely against half ass defense, but I've heard he's put in a lot of time to improve his shot from the perimeter and on getting to the basket more effectively.

There's always a lot of summer talk and it doesn't always turn out, but would be surprised if Crawford isn't a top 2 or 3 scorer for us this season. At the very least, I think he'll put up a ton of shots, which should lead to more points although maybe not as effective as we would like.

Appreciate the insight.

This year is truly one of those "unusual" years. We are returning 3 promising Sophs but none of really know how good they are/will be. Normally, it can be said that if a kid did not produce all that much his Frosh at SLU year that he probably won't produce much the rest of his years at SLU either. KM, CE and WR all produced their Frosh years - but they had little competition. All four of last year's seniors also produced their Frosh years - but they had little competition due to the Situation. Of course, Larry Hughes produced as a Frosh (his only year) but so did Baniak and Tatum (had to sit that first year due to grades) the next year (his first year playing for us) - but again, there was little competition. The rest of our guys like Marquee Perry, Kevin Lisch, Tommie Liddell all produced - and yes, they had little competition to replace either. Last year, though, was an odd year in that we had 5 Seniors who had been leading our team for years. Throw in Juniors JM and GG along with AM and there really wasn't much room or minutes left for our Frosh. Then, throw in the fact that RA that our "most ready" Frosh was actually injured for much of the year, that we had early season "chemistry" issues with the need to replace CE and CR and with Jim Crew's implementing a few things in his first year as non-interim head coach and it is no wonder that our Frosh did not get many minutes to show what they really can do or not do. Then, throw in the above history of most guys who don't produce their first year have been poor to mediocre and it is no wonder we have the pessimists predicting 14 and 16 records.

Now, going back quite awhile, I do recall another "good" veteran team of ours with alot of Juniors and Seniors and some Frosh who didn't play all that much -- at least initially. Yes, that would Claggett and Highmark who did not play all that much their Frosh years until after the exodus of Melvin Robinson, Carlos Skinner, and the other big forward with the attitude. Even then, we still had Quitman Dillard and Julian Winfield was probably the Frosh getting the most experience. Yes, we weren't all that good but our Frosh did have quite abit of competition -- not only from the upperclassmen but from each other. Later that Freshman year, of course, Claggett and Highmark finally got some minutes but we still ended with only 5 wins going 5-23. Not saying that our Sophs will be as good as Highmark and Claggett (we can only hope they are) but there is precedent for truly good Frosh not getting much time to play in a Billiken uniform.

[Billikenswin]

Appreciate the insight.

This year is truly one of those "unusual" years. We are returning 3 promising Sophs but none of really know how good they are/will be. Normally, it can be said that if a kid did not produce all that much his Frosh at SLU year that he probably won't produce much the rest of his years at SLU either. KM, CE and WR all produced their Frosh years - but they had little competition. All four of last year's seniors also produced their Frosh years - but they had little competition due to the Situation. Of course, Larry Hughes produced as a Frosh (his only year) but so did Baniak and Tatum (had to sit that first year due to grades) the next year (his first year playing for us) - but again, there was little competition. The rest of our guys like Marquee Perry, Kevin Lisch, Tommie Liddell all produced - and yes, they had little competition to replace either. Last year, though, was an odd year in that we had 5 Seniors who had been leading our team for years. Throw in Juniors JM and GG along with AM and there really wasn't much room or minutes left for our Frosh. Then, throw in the fact that RA that our "most ready" Frosh was actually injured for much of the year, that we had early season "chemistry" issues with the need to replace CE and CR and with Jim Crew's implementing a few things in his first year as non-interim head coach and it is no wonder that our Frosh did not get many minutes to show what they really can do or not do. Then, throw in the above history of most guys who don't produce their first year have been poor to mediocre and it is no wonder we have the pessimists predicting 14 and 16 records.

Now, going back quite awhile, I do recall another "good" veteran team of ours with alot of Juniors and Seniors and some Frosh who didn't play all that much -- at least initially. Yes, that would Claggett and Highmark who did not play all that much their Frosh years until after the exodus of Melvin Robinson, Carlos Skinner, and the other big forward with the attitude. Even then, we still had Quitman Dillard and Julian Winfield was probably the Frosh getting the most experience. Yes, we weren't all that good but our Frosh did have quite abit of competition -- not only from the upperclassmen but from each other. Later that Freshman year, of course, Claggett and Highmark finally got some minutes but we still ended with only 5 wins going 5-23. Not saying that our Sophs will be as good as Highmark and Claggett (we can only hope they are) but there is precedent for truly good Frosh not getting much time to play in a Billiken uniThis

This history is helpful but I think this year may be unique in terms of the absolute uncertainty which faces us in this pre season set of discussions. We are coming off three of our greatest seasons individually and collectively-- we have never had this much success three years in a row-and few teams nationally have had such success three years running. The key players in that three year run were seniors who graduated either last year or the year before so we literally had to replace an entire team of some of the most accomplished players in the history of the program.

We now have what I would call the "Untested 9"--referring to the sophs and frosh. For the reasons previously stated our sophs played limited minutes last year so they are untested. Our 6 frosh are new and completely untested. If we had to rely on McBroom, Ash, Grandy and John M to carry this team I think many of us would be very worried because on top of the Untested 9 you have four upperclassmen who have never proven they can handle a major role at any time--and I think that is the reason you see the pundits give us so little support for success this coming season. So we have a team which is untested or inexperienced in prime time roles and we will need to have many step up if we want to win 20 games, even against a somewhat lesser schedule. For any of us to pick actual results for this coming season on a game by game basis suggests we know a lot more than any of us really do about the team.

Some things I have heard through the grapevine:

Coach Crews and staff are fired up about this season and they look forward to working with all of these young players.

Our sophs have all excelled in summer workouts and we should expect them to be much better this coming year. Crawford is shooting well and playing hard and smart---Lacona is much improved and playing like a vet rather than a soph and Reggie is regaining his strength and mobility.

Manning is stronger and more effective, Jolly is going to be a very good big man who has a nice shooting touch--but how much he will play this year will be up in the air--and Gillman has great hands and a very nice touch (of course, he needs to put on some serious muscle).

Bartley has great court vision and quickness (of course, he needs to put on some serious muscle),Reynolds is smart and a gamer but he will need to learn a whole new system--just like Mike McCall--Roby is a tough athletic guy and may be an even better defender as a frosh than Jordair. Milik is a really good offensive player who may be better than Evans as a frosh-and he has a lot of growth potential in his game.

The entire team is in good spirits and everyone is hitting the weights hard to get stronger.

I, for one, cannot wait to see all of these guys on the floor!

[Taj79]

@kshoe ----- no. No projection/prediction.

I think my questions last year centered on who would replace the outside scoring of Ellis and would Manning and Glaze grow into more productive players and were the new guys (McBroom, Lancona, Agbeko and Crawford) able to progress any and contribute to the team. To answer the first, no one stepped up into that role. The second? Well, that question remains even today. And the last one is evident in the "Untested 9."

The tale of any season is in thirds .....the OOC schedule, the conference schedule, and the A10 tournament. Hopefully all that leads to the fourth season which is the post season measured only by the Dance. We nailed three out of four, missing only the A10 tournament title. The final record is one that would have surpassed anything I would have come up with. And last year's closing run showed how "bad" we could be by running out of gas late.

I think those seven questions I posted for this year are all legit. You beg to differ? Fine by me. But last year there were three questions. This year there are at least seven. As I'm sure you've figured, i do have a projection right now and it is one of pessimism.But I hope to be proven wrong.

Can't wait. Clock's perspective is an interesting one. So too is Billikan/Bilikenswin. I understand and accept both. Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about the grapevine, hearing things said, good spirits and weightlifting. Proof will be in results and my measuring stick will be a little different for this year. I'm not going to argue "what ifs." Proof will be in the product. Surprise me.

[kshoe]

@kshoe ----- no. No projection/prediction.

I think my questions last year centered on who would replace the outside scoring of Ellis and would Manning and Glaze grow into more productive players and were the new guys (McBroom, Lancona, Agbeko and Crawford) able to progress any and contribute to the team. To answer the first, no one stepped up into that role. The second? Well, that question remains even today. And the last one is evident in the "Untested 9."

The tale of any season is in thirds .....the OOC schedule, the conference schedule, and the A10 tournament. Hopefully all that leads to the fourth season which is the post season measured only by the Dance. We nailed three out of four, missing only the A10 tournament title. The final record is one that would have surpassed anything I would have come up with. And last year's closing run showed how "bad" we could be by running out of gas late.

I think those seven questions I posted for this year are all legit. You beg to differ? Fine by me. But last year there were three questions. This year there are at least seven. As I'm sure you've figured, i do have a projection right now and it is one of pessimism.But I hope to be proven wrong.

Can't wait. Clock's perspective is an interesting one. So too is Billikan/Bilikenswin. I understand and accept both. Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about the grapevine, hearing things said, good spirits and weightlifting. Proof will be in results and my measuring stick will be a little different for this year. I'm not going to argue "what ifs." Proof will be in the product. Surprise me.

Taj, there are always questions entering a season. That's why its sports. If it was guaranteed to end in a given result it wouldn't be any fun. If last year was too "uncertain" for you to make a prediction/projection/guess then something tells me you'll never do so. Or maybe you've just learned better from the infamous 7-9.

Just don't use the uncertainty of the upcoming season as a reason for why you can't make a prediction/projection/guess at what the record will be. We all understand nothing is guaranteed but that hasn't stopped us from putting our views out there. It's a shame you can't do the same.

P.s. I find it ironic that you won't put your own prediction on this season but are overly concerned about the prediction of some random writer in his top 144 list. As if his prediction/projection/guess matters one bit.

[MB73]

"I heard from someone close to the program that "-------" is looking great." Balderdash.
That is bs, wrong most of the time, we hear that every year, from some of the same posters.
Some loose pickup games at the gym and posters are telling us who is improving, looking much much improved. .
Last year GG lost that bulk, made him quicker, many thought that would be a big upside, but that actually backfired, hurt his game, he occupies space, is a banger, and the lost bulk didn't help, it hurt. Like Richie Incognito losing weight to get quicker.
No one has a clue, admit it and wait.
Come on, we hope Reggie will emerge as a great inside scorer, Lancona will pop three's a la Cody Ellis, and Manning will be a solid physical role player, play stout D and get 8-10 rebounds a game up front, and so on.
But no one has a clue, we'll have to wait until January to see how they ALL look. It will be a tryout for 2-3 months, good thing we play a weak early schedule.

Most all of the returners could go either way: improve, or not. Freshmen, who knows?

[DoctorB]

No one has a clue, admit it and wait.

Dear MB & all; This may shock you, but coaches with 20 years experience have a clue. They have many clues, in fact. so do players, for that matter.

Believe it: there are LOTS of clues, but you do have to see them or hear them.

Some of you guys are over-thinking this. Also I think that comes out of a primal fear of a return to mediocrity. I'm a little surprised how far some of you guys think this team will fall this year. A losing record? 14-16? That fear seems way off, to me. But I guess time will tell.

The talent and competition for minutes on this team are really going to be fun to watch. We may not have any lottery picks but last I checked we didn't last year either.

As for scoring: we got exposed in the final month of the season as a team lacking in explosive scoring. Seems like people have conveniently forgotten that small truth. "Defense wins championships": that's the cliche fans and commentators use for teams with problems scoring (esp. football). Nobody said that about Louisville or Kentucky. Has it ever occurred to anyone (besides me) that we might even become a better scoring team with this group, given time?? Perhaps not this year, but maybe next year??

[slu72]

I recall a few years back in the Brad era how great Vashon Newbourne looked in practice and how he was a real leader type. Years later, Vashon who? I'm hoping for strong player development this season, but will stick w/ 14-16.