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This team needs Linssen... I really believe that if Linssen didn't go down, we would've beaten auburn and dayton.

Per 40 minute French Jr season vs. Okoro this season Points-French 15.5, Okoro 16 Rebounds-French 13, Okoro 13.6 Blocks-French 3.2, Okoro 2.8 Assists-French 2.9, Okoro 0.6 Turnovers-French 2.6, Okoro 1.7 FG%-French 52%, Okoro 53% FT%-French 33%, Okoro 74%

French's stats last season vs. Okoro this season MPG-French 25, Okoro 22.4 PPG-French 9.2, Okoro 9.0 RPG-French 7.2, Okoro 7.6 Offensive RPG- French 2.4, Okoro 3.1 Blocks- French 1.4, Okoro 1.6 APG-French 2.6, Okoro 0.3 Turnovers-French 1.6, Okoro 0.9 FG%-French 53%, Okoro 53% FT%-French 33%, Okoro 74% I think if anyone is selling anyone short in this debate, they are selling Okoro short. This is especially true when you remember Okoro is only 16 games back from a year plus of not playing basketball.

Rich and Davis are pretty underrated in my eyes. Both have developing skillsets and are strong, explosive athletes in a good frame. Davis has really improved his ball-handling, 3pt shot, and passing. He's without a doubt good enough and would be a good pickup for SLU if it were to happen. Rich is a Power 5 level athlete as a wing/forward. He's going to be showcased heavily by MPJ Elite this summer. We've also got a 6'11 center coming up from Texas that will be playing and is a mid-major type prospect in my eyes. Strong academic kid as well who can play at Ivy Leagues.

french weakness was more than free throws. he couldnt shoot a lick. anything beyond 3 feet was not going to happen. i loved french's energy and sheer beat mode strength. he was a very good rebounder and defender. but personally i will take okoro over him. plus okoro has a higher ceiling.

I really liked Kent. Tall, decent athlete with nice range on her shot. She was a loss. Stewart was a huge risk but with her talent it was worth it. Didn't pan out. Nothing Stone could do. Stewart went from Houston to SLU to Mo Bap and left there. She's not currently playing. Rice is barely in the rotation on the worst team in the Missouri Valley. She was recruited over. Not a loss. Clark is good but flawed. She is averaging 14 points a game for a middling Evansville program. She shoots 36% from the field and 23% from 3. She's taken over 80 3s. Lots of volume and not much to show for it really. She'd never get those shots here. That is why she is gone. She's decent defensively, and a good rebounder for her size but a backcourt with her and Ciaja is too small and doesn't have enough ball handling skills to run an offense. Stone is in a tough spot. This should have been her year but transfers, injuries, little development has tanked the season. Ciaja is great but she's super flawed as well. Too small, not a good shooter, not really a PG. A lot of A10 teams have players like her The good ones she is a 2nd option. On our team now she is option 1,2,3, and 4. She's put up huge numbers for the program but no postseason success. What comes back next year? Not much. I don't have a ton of faith in her recruiting at this point. I don't see an impact player on next years roster. The team could be really bad. Stone's offense really features bigs. I don't understand why she can't get players better than Sadie to play the post and just eat. In Stone's offense in the A10 a really good big with size could average 20 10 easy. Brooke puts up big numbers and she's really just an athlete out there, not much skill at all. In this transfer portal we should be able to find a big who wants to be the Shaq of the A10. Stone's could put the ball in her hands every possession. One of the things Stones teaches well is entry passes. The mens teams could learn a thing or two from her. Still big picture, this is a down year for Stone and the team could still finish .500. Considering the program history that is actually pretty good. I really want to see the women make an NCAA tourney. The program has the capability. Not sure of Stone can get us there.

Okoro, IMO, is an extremely frustrating player. He’ll receive the ball down low, stumble around, and throw up a complete brick. The next time, he’ll catch the ball smoothly, wheel, deal, and swish a sweet baby hook. And as much as I enjoyed many aspects of Has’ game, his FT shooting was a massive liability. Made him almost toxic in the last two minutes of a close game. Okoro is a blessing in this sense, and Martin is a absolute miracle.

Also: Can't recommend enough the site bracketologists.com for NET purposes. I believe people affiliated with the site dropped by here to tell us about it a while back. Great tool to bookmark this time of year

Following up on this, I had the score wrong - that was the women's score. Mineral Area beat Moberly 85-74. As someone said above, Parker had 26 points (8-16, 4-9, 6-6), 1 rebound, and 2 TOs. Moberly (16-5) hosts Three Rivers CC (11-8) tomorrow night. SLUH's next game will be at home against Soldan (8-3) tomorrow. They didn't play Ritenour yesterday; that was on the STLToday schedule and is now gone. With all three players in action tomorrow, I'll be back with an update on Thursday.

Playing two guys with 5 for shooting radius would severely clog the lane.

I’ve got nothing but good things to say about Has and will continue to beat the drum that because of how horrible his FT shooting was fans began to underestimate the rest of his game. I also agree that Okoro’s contributions have been underrated. As you pointed out, his counting stats are solid. His defensive metrics are off the charts (best on our team). He’s been an elite offensive rebounder and a very good defensive rebounder. And he’s done better at avoiding foul trouble than I expected.

I’m rooting for St Bonaventure and Davidson’. Davidson is the A10s best chance at an at-large bid and put away game at Davidson has the potential to represent a signature win. And then I typically root against Dayton in every in-conference game.

My frustration with Okoro is he too often goes up soft. He needs the French ferocity whenever he touches the ball in the lane imo. And for those of you wanting Okoro to pass out, I don't. If you have an inside player as obviously physically strong as Okoro or French get the ball 3 feet from the basket, I want that player to go up strong. Especially Okoro who is making free throws at 73% rate.

Great question. Since we haven't played St. B or Davidson yet I'm thinking it may be better to root for them to be undefeated until we get them. I understand that conference record will be important in terms of getting the double bye but both of those teams still have a plate of about 8 cupcakes to eat so in all likelihood the top 3-4 teams will have about the same number of conference wins which I project to be 14. I think SLU knocking off two unbeatens on the way to 14 wins would make a slightly better resume.

One of my biggest problems with this team is the fact that we barely shoot any 3 pointers. As a team we rank 39th in the NCAA in 3pt %, yet we shoot the 6th FEWEST 3 point attempts. Lately we’ve been shooting great for three, yet we have been trying to force it inside and missing layups. Take yesterday for example, we took 54 total shots, and shot 50% from three, yet we only took 10 attempts front the arc. Same thing against Dayton, shot 5/7 from three in the first 8 minutes then didn’t take another attempt until the second half. Jimmerson specifically should be getting at least 6-8 attempts per game yet he’s only getting 3-4. Yuri, Hargrove, Nesbitt and Jones are also decent from three and could use more attempts. Especially while two of our biggest inside threats (Linssen and Thatch) are out currently.

Peter and Zac are joined by the Men's Soccer Goalkeeper and Columbus Crew draft pick Patrick Schulte. They review the Men's Basketball Arch Baron Cup loss at Dayton, the hangover of a basketball game against Fordham, and preview the upcoming back to back matchup with UMass. The guys recap a historic afternoon in Billiken soccer history at the MLS Super Draft and finally they take a look at the Women's Basketball edition of the Arch Baron Cup. View the full article

the Bonnies at Dayton (-2.0) and VCU (-2.5) hosting Davidson. Bith at 7 pm/ 6 pm CST. Dayton game on ESPN+ while the other is on CBS Sports Network. Also, Fordham entertains Richmond (-7.5) on ESPN+ at 8/7. I guess we root for the home teams to knock each visitor from the unbeaten conference ranks? Bring everyone back to even in the loss column?

Because the Bonnies NET number is not great compared to where I think most would agree the team is talent-wise. It is a top 75 threshold for away games, vs top 30 for home games. Bonnies right now are 90th.

No way we should play them twice at home. If we reschedule that game it needs to be on the road to give us another potential Q1 opportunity

Agreed. Ellis’ and Loe’s ability to spread the floor opened up so much room for Dwayne inside, or Jordair to get to the rim. I was hoping that Lorentsson could’ve shown some of that potential but clearly he’s just not ready. I think Ford has probably faced the decision of where to compromise in recruiting: do I want a big who is less skilled but a great rebounder/defender or do I want someone more skilled who I have to toughen up. It seems like we’re going to err on the side of defense and rebounding unless something changes. I bet we’ll go for a stretch big in the portal this off-season, will be interesting to see if we can land one.

Especially 2 that just don't move the ball out. Ford has really never had that stretch 4 type player. I think it's something his teams have missed.

no doubt about, I was just pointing out that French out of necessity and fear of having to go to the line, focused a lot more on passing. Agree 100% that Okoro needs to do better...

Exactly, it's not even close. French was already an above average passer when he walked on campus. If we could get 1 apg out of Okoro by his senior year, that would be a quantum leap forward. Kind of like hoping for 50% from the free throw line from French.

Stone is lacking outside shooters like Jenny Viliet and Jordin Frantz.

This is awesome analysis that I never really thought about. In the post Sadie era, bigs who have ridden the bench early in their careers for Stone have become key players later on (Madison Gits & Kendra Wilken). I don't think either of those players were particularly great talents, but they were decent bigs who fit well in Stone's offense & put up good numbers because of that.

Assuming Richmond wins tonight, it is top 6 Richmond bottom 7

For me it's a clear Has at his best over the right now Okoro at his best. However, if I had to make a choice on what I'd say a year or 2 from now, I'd probably say Okoro because I just think he has so much upside. I think he can be a 15/10 guy.

We were just one year off from this lineup. yuri goodwin perkins french okoro —— jimerson nesbitt Linssen hargrove thatch

So French's Sr season where he clearly took a step back and we don't know how much of a role Covid played are the stats you are going to select to compare the 2? As of this moment I'll take French over Okoro easily. I'm not going to consider French's Sr season as the real Has. I would have said I thought Okoro had a higher ceiling and by the end of his career his best will be better than Has best. I'd still say I lean that way, just not as strongly as I once thought. Anytime Okoro gets the ball within 6 or so feet of the basket, he should be looking to score unless a double comes. At that point he needs to recognize it's coming quicker and move the ball back out quicker. But, when he's 1v1 I'm like Roy, I want him trying to score

Yes, we miss Has. However, if he was there for the Iona game.... we lose by 10 on his missed FTs alone.

And counting numbers don't have as much use when French played on a team with a big time scorer in Perkins (plus Goodwin) and a big time rebounder in Goodwin. Okoro is our only elite rebounding option on both ends when he is playing. Maybe Thatch? French was limited in only being 6-7, and being the worst FT shooter we have seen. FTs aside, Has was a much more complete and (IMO) better player than Okoro. But we have to shoot FTs and that brings them a lot closer. If Has shot FTs at even a 70% clip, he would be on the mount rushmore of Bills (is that even that hot of a take?). Okoro's unwillingness to pass is even more frustrating when you think about the fact that, at basically all times, we have 3-4 real three point threats on the floor with him, something French did not have... more like 2 in his case

French' s major liability --- the free throw line ---- comes into drastic focus when you are trying to win or close out games. His inability to overcome that weakness in his game will always be what defines his career. And it's unwarranted because he did so much good. But when the TV lights are brightest and the game hangs in the balance --- not so much Hasahn.

French career fg% 51.7% Okoro billiken fg% 53.1%

I’ve yet to see Okoro make a shot outside of a hook. And he shoots those at a lower clip than French did

I remember you saying last year that Hasahn was under appreciated, which you said again when people were saying Okoro was better. I agree with you. And I also don’t think that’s a criticism of Okoro. I think he’s been very good. But Hasahn was a special player, he just had a glaring weakness (FTs) that was understandably hard for some to get past.

-I realize this is a 3pt thread, but since it has mentioned bigs I would like to see two bigs in the game together, let's give it a 8-10 minute test to see how we do with it

In the four games Okoro has started, Ford has had to pull him early and push the 'reset' button, two or three times. Perhaps Okoro is more comfortable coming off the bench. When Linssen gets back, it will be interesting to see how Coach handles their minutes. Linssen will likely need a game or two to get his game fitness going again. He/They will get to face Buttrick twice in a week. Buttrick will put up the three ball, so whomever is in will have to follow him out to the arc.

-I wonder the staff said in film review about TJ not shooting there

My section yelled at TJ for not taking that shot. Right or wrong that is an example of clock management vs going for the kill. I would prefer the shot.

You were also saying it at the end of last season. The simple truth is that many people could not get past Hasahn’s free throw shooting and because that many of his other contributions were a little overlooked. Big men who can defend multiple positions, block shots, pass/handle the ball and rebound like that do not come to SLU very often. It could be a long time until we get another Hasahn French. With that said, big men like Okoro also do not come to the A10 very often, and Linssen has shown an ability to be an elite finisher. I’m a huge fan of our big man tandem and think the fact that we haven’t been lamenting French’s loss more is a credit to Marten, Franco and the coaching staff.

He also drew double teams. Okoro often left to go one on one.

@BIG BILL FAN i don't think anyone is disputing that vaccine mandates are one reason attendance is lower. It obviously is causing some fans not to attend who would've attended otherwise. People are just pointing out that the reverse is also true that there are some people who wouldn't attend before the vaccine/negative test requirement who now feel more comfortable. That's OK if you disagree with the second group but they certainly exist whether you agree or not. The point being it's more likely to be a combination of factors, many of which are related to COVID, than SOLELY the vaccine/negative test requirement leading to low attendance.

This is sort of in jest, but you could have stopped right here & been mostly accurate

Our bigs don't kick out this season. Hasahn was pretty good at kicking out for open 3 pointers.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "obnoxious." We were sitting two rows in front of them - directly in front of them. Yes, we got an earful. But it was pretty obvious from early on that they are current students at Fordham. They actually go to class with the players and know them on a first name basis. When we finally turned around after the game and met them, it wasn't surprising that they were all decked out in Fordham clothing. Isn't that what every school wants from their "student section" - loud, enthusiastic, non-stop support? They never made a critical or inappropriate comment about the Billikens or any Billiken player. We had a great conversation with them after the game. As we guessed, one of them is from St. Louis (Nerinx High - the one in the middle). She brought her two roommates to St. Louis for the game and to show them around town (took them to the Hill to compare St. Louis' best Italian restaurants to New York's). Dad (a U High graduate) got them the tickets and was there with them. I was impressed with their enthusiasm. There were 3 young boys sitting in front of us. We told them it was their job as Billiken fans to "out-cheer" the Fordham fans. It really got the boys into the game (for a while). At one point one the boys turned around and "booed" the Fordham fans. The dad did a great job of using it as a teaching moment and talked to the boys about the difference between negative fans and positive fans, and a good fan is only a positive fan who cheers positively for his or her team. Without those three young ladies those boys would not have learned that lesson. The three young ladies were only positive fans. Let the kids be kids, they were just having fun and being supportive of their team.

Local talent is pretty light in the next two classes other than Macaleab Rich, Jayden Nicholson and Kennard Davis (2023) and Bol (2024). Highly recruited 7 footers don't sign at mid-majors so from our perspective it's really Rich, Nicholson and Davis. Rich projects as a top 150 guy and the Vashon kids are mid-major+ talents. That's not many options. I can understand why the coaching staff made Texas our primary recruiting ground in the near term.

Goodwin had a great game in a win over Greensboro. 22 points on 9-12 shooting, 2-3 from 3 and FT, 8 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals and 0 TOs. Multiple highlight plays

Ya mom gave me a good 4 minutes yesterday too

Traore gets way too much hate. He’s not even supposed to be on the floor the entire season. He’s already just as good as Reggie agbekgo

They are not showing up because of the mandate... many, even if they are vaccinated, are not comfortable having their young children and teens vaccinated.... it’s that simple....