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I was there. About what I expected. Probably 60-70 people in total, wide age range. I'm 28 and was older than ~15% of the room. Schertz accidentally went to the downtown MAC and didn't get to the Des Peres location until about 6. Troy spoke a bit, Chris May spoke a bit, then Schertz took the wheel. Good speech, dude is very funny, then he took a Q&A. Most of the questions were pretty worthless but he did drop a couple of noteworthy things: 1) Last year's ISU team was paid a combined 80k in NIL. Their market value today is as much as 2 mill. 2) One of the recent recruits on campus brought their 12YO sister who made a fat joke towards Schertz - he found it very funny (as did I). 3) Gibby was scheduled for a visit to UConn this coming weekend before recommitting to SLU. We beat the two-time reigning national champion out for a transfer portal player, and arguably more importantly the two-time reigning national champion was interested in our shooting guard. Think about that next time anyone wants to talk down on Gibby. 4) Coach is still VERY confident that we get commitments from RA and IS this week. I'm very confident that those commitments will open the floodgates. 5) I asked coach 1 on 1 afterwards what he thought of the Billiken vs. "Team Blue" and it sounds like we can finally but that bullshite boring @$$ moniker to rest. 6) Charlie Gitto's is his favorite restaurant so far. Had it during the MVC tournament.

We need whatever Coach Schertz thinks we need.

Jesus Christ. It's an event at MAC West. Quit complaining about everything, grab your checkbook and f'ing go. I bet they let you in and take your money. It's not rocket science.

Just signed up for Trilly's Discord. Trying to figure out WTF Discord is and how to navigate it has single handedly made me feel @billiken_roy levels old... We are so incredibly lucky Steve has made this website so easy to navigate and use!

No way I'm clicking on this.

I feel like there is maybe a little creative over-emphasizing on the uncertainty he had regarding SLU at the beginning and the value that he got out of him and May talking every day for the next few weeks. It's a smart thing to do because it makes him look like there was a larger chance he was going back to ISU and it makes Chris May look good. It's a win/win for him to cast it this way and all coaches are good salesmen. I'm more inclined to believe that when Trilly and all the national media guys said it was close to a done deal shortly after they didn't make the dance, it was really done at that point.

Let’s get this Tuesday started off right. Former top 100 recruit, Whitney Young in Chicago grad.

colleges should always be in the business of education first and foremost. they have no business running a professional sports franchise and giving the athletes (notice i didnt say student athletes) money with no emphisis on education. if the athletes want to play their sport for a career, fine go to a minor league otherwise get in the classroom and earn a diploma.

I stated elsewhere that hiring Corey Tate was the best decision Coach Ford made during his tenure. Tate has good relationships with the top local high school players and top juco players in the region. I'm pleased that Coach Schertz recognized his value and retained him.

The end of team blue is better than any recruit

Why are you comparing us to Indiana State? We were paying our coach more than they spent on their entire basketball program. We are not the same. Our soon to be all-time leading scorer is going to start his SIXTH year in a row at SLU. He isn't playing for free. We kept the nation's leader in assists on our roster for four years - he wasn't playing for free either. We won't keep everyone, but no one is keeping everyone. College sports are different now, but we're a lot higher on the totem pole (and spend like it) than some people are making it seem

HE'S still typing

I think the key phrase in Robbie's video was...After the money, St. Louis U checked all the boxes. He had numerous offers, some maybe for more cash but he came here because we checked all the boxes. The same is true of Coach Schertz. After the money, we checked all the boxes. What does that mean? It means that SLU is a place you can come to and ...Grow, thrive and stay....ie check all the boxes. Bottom line...Robbie's video explaining why he came to SLU does not only shed light as to why he came here but in turn will be a great recruiting tool for future players to watch and help them make their decision. He will not be the last player to check all the boxes.

Until TheOne or Trilly confirms it, I would disregard the rumor.

Another Porter brother going to Mizzou? I BET that makes JonTay happy, although he probably thinks it’s a GAMBLE playing so close to home.

This upcoming season is the last possible time to use a COVID bonus year. I don't disagree that the market has gotten out of control. I still think we're going to see it cool when some of these really high dollar signings don't pan out, or at least don't turn out to be worth high-6 or low-7 figures to the fans who funded the deals. I like the endorsement side of NIL. Every time I see a college athlete pop up in an ad, I remember there's no reason we couldn't have had that all along. And had they allowed that all along (back before CBB and CFB became multi-billion-dollar industries), it probably would've prevented the out of control super PAC-style unregulated NIL market that we all hate- expensive to compete, devoid of transparency, and chock full of unscrupulous actors.

And finally a power forward with the prototypical power forward size! He had a lot of big-time programs recruiting him just two years ago. Pus, he would have received quality coaching at Miami, spent two years in an ACC strength and conditioning program, and competed against some dudes day in and day out. I think this is the profile of transfer we should expect to see a lot of for programs at the level of SLU.

We need wins - is this a guarantee - no but given our current roster condition and our need to show immediate improvement we should be happy that anybody is willing to invite us to anything. Lets not get ahead of our skis.

Besides the obvious great news this is for the team, this will drive interest in the Billikens across the country.

Crews only won 11 games each of last two seasons. And while it was before you were born Ekker was worse than both crews and the end of Ford.

Majerus kept Thorpe on staff for the transition. It happens. I think Schertz has given us a sense that he knows what he's doing. If it's good enough for him, LFG. Sign some transfers. Get McCottry. Roll the balls out and let's get to work.

A Grizzlie and still a Billiken.

Some of you guys need to chill.

Trilly: Josiah Dotzler to SLU

When you are SLU and ESPN offers you an event like this, you don’t tell them no. It will be a great opportunity for the program to showcase itself.

That is the more valid point. Just how many really good P5 teams are going to want to play us, home or away? The answer is none, they don’t need to schedule a team like us (they all saw what Shertz’s team did last year, after all). A neutral sight game like this, with the extra TV money thrown in, is one of our few chances at a really good non-conference opponent. Travis Ford, for all his faults as a coach, was able to get teams like Auburn to play us in a home and away series with his lifetime of connections in D1 coaching. Josh Schertz, with his time in Indiana State and D3, doesn’t have those same connections. What would be nice is if the St Louis Sports Commission would offer some cash to help get good opponents to come here (either Chaifetz or Enterprise Center) to play some games and draw in fans and attention.

Enjoy him! Great player to watch

Flying the flag in case Avila and scope end up driving down my street

Max has signed , he is official

Some big announcements in the next couple days should calm your nerves.

Pictured: a legend, and also LeBron James

I'd put Thames over Dotzler tbh - I think Thames could make a leap this year. He is an athletic freak who figured out his shot. Plus, he was a 1 in HS and has solid court vision, so I think he'll fit the pass and move offense incredibly well and really break out. His trouble has been that he doesn't really have the ball-handling to go with his vision, but I think that the more ball movement pass & cut oriented way that Schertz's team runs (versus dribble-drive) will be to his benefit.

not just building a roster with sheer talent. looking for chemistry.

According to The Athletics rankings, Avila is 3, Jimerson is 28 and Swope is 31. From what I can tell, they would join Indiana as being the only schools to get 3 players in the top 35 so far.

It offers the best of both worlds. I'ts "big sports city" but it's also small enough to make an impact as a non-professional or "minor league" team

Yeah but I'm never a fan of anyone but us sh*t talking our program lol.

Yay when is the last time we followed crystal ball predictions?

I always thought Conwell would end up at a P5 school and Larry would go elsewhere. Avila, Swope, and Kent were the ones I figured were in play for SLU. Once Kent visited Austin with Larry it was apparent we’d likely get 2 from ISU. That’s fine, Avila is the prize and having Swope will help implement the system. Schertz will find plenty of suitable replacements for the other 3, with Gibby being a huge piece.

Tate in a reduced role is an asset to the program.

I think it is either going to be that, or the government will step in and finally divorce college sports from the big business it has become. I understand that universities have made millions on these kids for years (men's football and basketball only). I also understand the argument that the kids should benefit from the millions being made off of them. However, there is another argument that his just as logical as this argument and it is that universities are for students who want to receive an education. That's all. If you really take a step back and see the forest for the trees, it makes about as much sense for universities to be involved in professional sports as it does our national parks or trade unions to be involved in professional sports. By that, I mean it makes no sense. People in Europe can't comprehend why our universities are so involved in sports and, they are the ones that are right, not us. When college sports started, it was literally guys who agreed to go to the same university for purely academic reasons creating club teams for their spare time. That turned into organized teams. That turned into organized conferences. That turned into TV deal and national championships. That turned into schools creating sham classes so those kids can go to school and play for the school's team. That turned into kids getting paid now to pretend they are students so that they can represent the school's team. If it were up to me, I would have Congress pass a law that essentially accomplishes the following: If you want to be a professional athlete then go pro. If you want to go to college and play sports, you have to understand that you will not benefit from that situation other than having your tuition paid for and room and board. Then, you have to go to real classes, study, and stay academically eligible. You can't go pro for four years after agreeing to go to college. That will bring the talent level down in football and basketball. It will not lower the passion that fans have for their teams one bit. I know I sound like an old guy, probably because I sort of am, but that is what I would like to see. I'm not saying to go back to what it was when I was growing up in the 80's and 90's. I'm saying take it back further than that.

I'm fine with it. It will look good in locals eyes that Schertz cares about Tate and St. louisans.

IYKYK

When you want people to give you money, at least have the decency to acknowledge you have received their RSVP to what you are billing as a private event. That type of thing should be automatic.

No matter what your long-term recruiting strategy is, if you're in a major market, you can't just stop recruiting it. There are going to be HS prospects from STL with the ability to play immediately. You can't be a passive observer letting those guys all go to other schools.