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If today was the end, we as fans have 2 guys to thank for making this program relevant again...Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French. I don't know what their future plans are (we'd all love to see them back I assume), but those two young men put a program on their backs when we were coming off the "He who shall not be named" years. Today hurts for fans, but I imagine it hurts a hell of a lot more for those two college basketball warriors who put it on the line for 4 years. They chose SLU when it was way down, and were a big part of the revival posts Rick Majerus. I hope to see them play more basketball for SLU, but I feel like a "Thank You" to those two young men is in order.

Just put in an offer on Ford’s house at $4M under asking. Wish me luck...

I've been waiting over 40 years for a billiken team with the athleticism and depth to play fast on both ends of the floor and we pretty much ignored the opportunity all year, particularly in the most important game of the year versus a reputed 5 man team, don't know what else to say. Wasted opportunity

You win games you lose games. I’ve seen a lot of Billiken wins and I’ve seen a lot of losses. This was a heartbreaking loss. But at the end of the day all I want to focus on is how proud I am of these players. Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French are absolute warriors. And they deserve all of our respect regardless of how this year turned out. I could not have more respect for them.

I tried the whole optimism thing coming into this year...I think I'm going to restrain myself more with the returning team for next year.

Agreed, Jacobs was spectacular before the COVID layoff.

I haven’t given up on Jacobs.

Oh snap we forgot

St Bonaventure made some really good adjustments from thr last game. We haven't

No way can you hold the first two seasons against Ford. He did a great job in year one getting the win count to 12, and doubling the number of A-10 wins, then getting a winning season out of year 2 with S2 and then JGood having to miss the last month. We were a Crutcher three from being on the right side of the bubble last year, and covid clearly hurt this team. There's no way Jimerson and Jacobs go into the shooting slumps they had if there's no pause. I won't say that Ford is the best X and O guy ever, but he recruits like crazy, is passionate about the game, and the players seem to like him.

Get it done, looking forward to the first Billikens.com pool party. A domestic dispute across the street could provide some entertainment as well.

It definitely pays to be a fired coach.

Time for me to issue an apology to the Net committee, their family, friends, and anyone else I've harmed by my hasty reaction and statements regarding the validity of the net rankings. I truly meant no harm and now realize the error in my thinking. Please accept my sincerest apology. I will work attend a net ranking training class and work diligently to get a better understanding so that I don't make the same mistake again.

This. I learned my lesson yesterday. I vow to remain pessimistic at all times so the wins feel like surprises and the losses no big deal. Was optimistic yesterday about beating St.B. Never again.

I honestly think it will come down to how much they acknowledge our COVID pause and the two Q3 losses resulting from it

Way way way, too soon.

Skip and I are off to pick up our monkeys. Have a good night, everyone.

I do admire those who can keep optimism. I'm not one of them.

I think the game plan was attack Osunniyi but ended up being poorly executed. SLU needed to hit him in the chest and go up into him, but players seemed to be hesitant and tended to try to create space, which unfortunately played into his preference for blocking shots.

I’d go to the NIT but play returning players only.

The season is over I think and I want to say to those departing seniors thank you for the fun seasons and being part of the rebuild of the program. I will be purchasing 2 extra seats next season and will distribute those seats located at 101 to friends family members, and Billiken.com posters that do not mind sitting next to my wife and I. Be well all posters and wait until next year.

Don’t use Covid as a crutch. These are twenty year old athletic men. You don’t play well one day and the next and blame poor play as Covid. It’s just being used as a coping method imho

Clocktower and bonner89... don’t pay attention to em.

No Jimmy Bell

We all love French, but in a way he was always a hot/cold player and in foul trouble constantly. Being undersized as well hurt him a lot. I think Okoro will be an upgrade over French if he is as advertised. Thatch will never replace goodwin, especially the intangibles, but he can score, rebound and be the swiss army knife good enough to be a poor man's goodwin. If Okoro is a French upgrade, and Thatch a slight downgrade, that evens out and puts us right back in the same spot. Plus steps forward for Hargrove, Jimmer and Yuri. And of course Perkins may be A10 POY. The season we thought we were going to have this year might be next year...

ford is such a good recruiter (at least compared to all the head coaches since i started watching in ekkerball) he can be the worst game coach and i will take ford. at least we are guaranteed to have a chance to go places with ford with the talent i am betting he will always have. our track record of bringing in coaches is not very good. and every time you bring one in you are starting over. i dont like starting over. as far as i am concerned, we can stuggle through x's and o's till ford decides he is done with basketball. at least we know we will be in the post season discussion with coach ford. after what i have seen for 40+ years, i will take that. now 40 years more of almost billiken basketball, maybe then i will change my mind. but for now, ford's our guy. now that all said, if i want to ***** about his numbskull use (or lack therof) of his very talented roster, i think we can all do that. part of being a fan is second guessing the game and replaying everything that happened. those that dont like that, too bad. dont read my posts then please.

Fred has averaged 9.5 ppg the last 4 games. He's played about a half season of healthy D1 basketball. I wouldn't count him out of being a scorer. Hargrove just needs opportunity he's averaging 3.8 in under 10 mpg. Okoro will score and I'm guessing he'll be near French's 8.7 ppg and I wouldn't bet against more. With Okoro replacing French we need to find JGood's 15ppg. Personally I'd like a combo guard who can shoot the 3 but even without I think improvement from Jacobs, Hargrove and Thatch can't make up the 15

Loyola beats Drake by 10.

Link to replay of the UMass game from 3-5 for your viewing pleasure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqS9iuIqxyU The Perkins block sequence is from 1:25:25 to 1:26:00.

@three star: Thatch may be a scorer but he has not shown me a consistent mid-range shot. He appears to be Goodwin-lite right now. Hargrove has shown me a three or a dunk. And that is all. Jacobs has shown little consistency. Collins is Dwayne Polk 2.0 right now. Jimerson WAS the shooter and died horribly. Are you telling me guys will get better because they are in the system another year? I remember hearing that years ago from kshoe. My counter to that is French and now Bell —- guys who were/are who they are since they got here. Maybe we’ll install an offense that is designed for our guys. That’s on Ford. Does he change and/or adapt? Only time will tell. And that will only be seen in 2022 when the usual crap OOC is done and gone. No UAPBs. No Central Arkansas. No NC A&Ts. Go with billikenbill —- I think he’s figured it out. The Billikens: they will always break your heart.

6 million I believe.

That would have been bad. People would have been protesting with signs BAN SKIP, SKIP SUCKS, etc ... Next thing you know little girls in elementary school are being harassed by suburban millennials for skipping at recess.

Could be but like you I really don't know. But I don't like our chances at 50/50 right now. Play someone, and see what happens. A loss would be devastating. A win might give us a small push.

4* years

The more I think about it, I would skip that extra game. St. Mary’s tried it at least twice, and it didn’t help either time. Granted St. Mary’s played both at home against less than optimal opponents, both from the low con Big Sky. I think playing another game is too risky. If we get IN, this team more needs the rest.

With all due respect, Okoro is the starting center next season. It will be a much fairer fight against Ossunyi next year.

I am. Top 40 NET. Schedule a non-con game next week. Win and we’re right there

The Bonnies played a great game and deserved to move on...they dominated every facet of the game from the opening tip. Hats off to them...

I don’t think Ford was outclassed in the game. I think he was outclassed in the pregame. Just what was the game plan? Go at Osunniyi? Get him in foul trouble? Well if that wasn’t it what was it?

Any other year I would’ve turned this game off but I don’t wanna miss a second of our last minutes left with these seniors

Pass on NIT

Goodwin and French should come back another year. If they think that can make the NBA right now they are smoking something strong

Collins isn't the guy to have in when we can't hit shots. Let Goodwin run the point and surround him with shooters

Can’t blame this game on the pause.

What does Ford’s ego have to do with it? He’s played a total of 15 minutes in the last 3 games and had been bad since the break.

Seems easy enough. I hope he has Ford’s cell phone number

Clocktower would rather post paragraphs on Billikens.com than watch the game

We’re in it. We were down 9 at half 2 years ago

I watched. I am also going to rewatch later. It was a fair call. It was a ball in the air sent into the right side of the box and the SLU defender ran over late and they collided hard, and it was a foul. Two minutes left in that OT period. Shot was good, low to Puricelli's right, save-able, but she wasn't quite quick enough getting down. Pretty even game, more of the physical, grind than playing Arkansas who is more of an attacking speed, finesse team. Oklahoma St. was especially dangerous on the wing. Players such as Gabriella Coleman used their size, speed, skill to overpower wide at times. SLU had some chances, OSU's were a little bit more dangerous, especially SLU needing Lyndsey Heckel to clear a sure goal off of the line in the 2nd half. Limited, even corners. 0-0 would have been a fair result. Tough break late in OT.

Game day bump, streams are posted and working now! If anyone need any help using them please pm or post on this thread and I will try and help!