billiken_roy

Mods, 
Can we PLEASE just ban Tilkwsky? I've tried putting him on mute, the damn posts keep coming up. The guy is here to spew nothing but BS. He bounces from race baiting conservative to ultra liberal sympathizer just to fit whatever trolling mood he is in. 
Ban the IP. Let's kick this troll off the board. 

I'm betting pony tail boy  gets knocked out at some point this year.   What a d!ck 

that should have been resolved in about a day.

i woudl think mr snapchat could provide such proof in a very short time.   no not buying that stall explanation.  

initially i had no problem with a suspension as i am sure they broke team rules in some manner with this escapade.   however, team rules suspensions are typically a game or two.  not a semester.  it's gone on far too long and because of the way it was handled i agree the three players have been wrongly tried and their reputations permanently at minimum tarnished if not ruined regardless of the final outcome.     

i am certainly (unauthorized) speaking for taj, but i assume he meant french is senior cox right now.   the what we hope french becomes is certainly bonner.  which most of us old timers here have been pining for since bonner graduated.  

Bartley is a mixed-bag.  Can clearly still shoot it, but he's a liability on defense and still weak with the ball.  Given our circumstances, I'd love to still have him, but I'd much rather have any of the 3 suspended players.  

I know some of you missed me.  But I'm back.  Besides being in NYC to see, first hand, the VA Tech win and Providence loss, I have also witnessed all other games via the web from the friendly confines of da' couch at Boxthorn Stadium.  Rather than a blow-by-blow account of each game, I decided to just do a mid-term report given that we have come halfway through the OOC schedule and that was part one of the overall season for me -- with the conference season as Part II and the A10 post-season as Part III with hopes (no expectations) that there will be a Part IV.
And to date, with the obvious elephant in the room, nothing has been gained from a collective point with this group because the collection remains incomplete and the evaluation of the whole unavailable.  But what I've seen overall is probably the obvious, so here BOHICA .... here goes and it pertains only to the roster as observed:
Overall: the talent level is vastly improved.  No argument there.  And that is amazing considering how short we are.  How bad was [dead's] talent-evaluation skills?  Did [dead] not have a plan?  Most confusing three years ever considering the pinnacle of the program was achieved just prior to that.  Fault as we do Ekker and even Grawer, they started at brain-dead scratch at the time they began their tenures.  This closes my book on the [dead] period.  Just .... WOW!
Hasahn French is indeed a beast.  At the risk of offending those who believe Anthony Bonner was our best ever, modern big man, look out for French!  If this kid develops even an iota over the previous year over the next three years, he will be the measuring stick for all big men to come.  This guy is so smooth on the rebounding, defending and shot-blocking end that only the finesse of an offensive game is needed.  Right now, I see comparisons to Mo Alie-Cox and Juvante Reddic easily made.  I'd settle for that. 
Jordan Goodwin will only get better.  His recognition and basketball savvy is already quite noticeable on the floor.  For not being a point guard, he dribbles and distributes better than anything we've had since Kwamain Mitchell.  Last night, he knew enough to hold the ball from Rashed Anthony for the eventual fast break lay in to giving the ball 40 feet out to Javon Bess on the break so he could maneuver through for the layup (and eventual foul).  Getting the ball to your personnel is one thing; getting it to them where they can finish what you started is the difference in a point guard versus a POINT GUARD.  The shooting I expect will come; but I for one don't expect him to be the next coming of Claggs or Hmark.  His ability to penetrate is the best I've seen for a SLU freshman.  He is handicapped by limited outlets for those passes post penetration.  And because he is our straw to stir the drink, defenses know that and are sagging off to force us to beat them a different way.  That's what I'd do too.  I can envision Goodwin getting just as good as DeAndre Bembry did for St. Joe's. 
Javon Bess is a nice transfer who does a lot of things well but does not appear to be a real feature or go-to player.  Yes, at the end, when we know the other team is fouling as SIU did last night.  But he is not a dedicated or consistent mid-range shooter (although two threes last night were crucial and key).  Damn glad to have him but he is the epitome of a slasher at heart.  He will always do better advancing to the basket than spotting for a three.  That would be okay if the middle were not so clogged right now. 
DJ Foreman is light years better than any of the three bigs that have recently left the program.  It is good to know illness kept him down last night and not something as foolish as the coach's doghouse.  He is not the same player as French, but he will do his share as a 6'9" guy will but he won't be a Cox or Reddic.  He is a complimentary piece and will be likely a more finesse big than either Gordon or Santos when they get or French who's here now. 
Jalen Johnson  just needs to be consistent.  For the most part he is, but his night against Western Michigan is a high and the effort against Butler a low.  He needs to get his contributions some in the middle and consistent.  He too is hamstrung as just about everyone and their brother knows who to NOT let shoot the three on this roster right now.
Rashed Anthony is just a placeholder.  He's a warm body who needs to do more things like last night (5 points) rather than be invisible.  And thank god we have the body right now. 
Davell Roby is who we thought the was.  I know we all want him to expand his game in this his senior season but he is right now back in a role he couldn't really handle last year.  He needs to be just complimentary.
Like many, I will applaud Aaron Hines for him helping us through this dark time.  And I wish him all the success in the future that his education brings him.  But he can't and shouldn't shoot as much as he did last night.  He needs to find other ways to help us win and that works for 7 assists and low turnovers.  You can tell he is not a true point guard, he does little to consistently venture into the paint because the end result is usually not good.  He is not bad with the stop-n-pop from 16 feet in. 
This is a better team and better to watch when you get games like VA Tech and SIU.  The problem is obvious when injuries hit an already depleted roster.  The Butler game was horrible; the Providence game as well but that was a second game in two nights and Providence was on fire throughout.  Gordon, Thatch and Pearson are nice early commits but none are known as a shooter so unless something changes the skill ability of this roster remains somewhat the same for next year unless new recruits are added to the mix.  Welmer's return will be very welcome. 
While my enthusiasm is severely tested right now, I can still watch these guys and root on.  Houston could be ugly however.
Overall, this is not as dark a time as what we just lived through.  I'd like more.  Only time will answer that I guess.  Really enjoyed new York City.
 
 

Typical arrogant liberal elitism.  DictorB now off my need to read list.   

Doc B’s post was arrogant and self-indulgent drivel.  His two post in question showed no desire for fairness, justice or due process  for the players to play any role in this process.

Typical arrogant liberal elitism.  DictorB now off my need to read list.   

There is absolutely no scenario where  this case should even take 60 days let alone longer.
 
Make a decision

There is absolutely no scenario where  this case should even take 60 days let alone longer.
 
Make a decision

Typical arrogant liberal elitism.  DictorB now off my need to read list.   

Typical arrogant liberal elitism.  DictorB now off my need to read list.   

tilky,   we arent asking for names, pictures or videos, etc.   you might be the most dense person i have ever interacted with.   

tilky,   we arent asking for names, pictures or videos, etc.   you might be the most dense person i have ever interacted with.   

we have been patient for decades.   no fan base endures more pain than the billiken fandom.  you wouldnt know about that since you arent a billiken fan.

we have been patient for decades.   no fan base endures more pain than the billiken fandom.  you wouldnt know about that since you arent a billiken fan.

I just don't understand why fans can't be patient.
What you fail to understand is that this investigation does not involve you. 
 
Unless you you were involved in the situation. Which would mean you are under investigation.
The University or the Federal Government owe you nothing.
Not until the investigation is over.

NBC received the Matt Lauer complaint, did an investigation and made a decision to terminate one of it's major stars, who was earning somewhere in the $20-$25M  range, in less than one week.  Meanwhile, back here in SLUland, we are still sitting on the pot over two months after the charges were made.  The school leadership -if that's what you want to call it- has put the University's team and players in the position such that every telecast, whether local or national, discusses the sexual assault charges as does every newspaper article.  How can that be good for SLU's reputation?
To be clear, I do blame the 3 (4) players for, if nothing else, putting themselves into a situation when they could cause all of this to occur.  I recall Coach Ford stating on local TV that he talks with the team everyday before practice is over about situations such as this-clearly 3 (4) did not get the message, or chose to ignore it.  However, for at least the past month or month and a half, the SLU administration has responded poorly.  Unless this delay is somehow being caused by the players representatives, there is absolutely no excuse for this delay.  NONE.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ben-frederickson/benfred-ford-and-billikens-lean-on-relentless-bess/article_2f20529a-9d7e-5cf4-aa8c-3208d41d1de0.html
and to think there were those on this mb that thought he wasnt going to start.  

"rush to judgement"   you must think we are all idiots like apparently the title IX people think.   
again, lay out the scenario to explain the need for 60 days?  which participant is not cooperating or is missing.   beings the girls rushed to the police, i am sure they all made their statements pretty darn quickly.   we know the players are cooperating.   what other investigative information is needed beyond the statements of the participants?   how long does it take to review said statements?   be serious.   this should not take 60 days and we are past 60 days.  
at this point in time for the good of the program, a decision is the most important thing.   i really dont care anymore which way the decision goes.   i am numb to the process.   you want to error on the side of caution expell the players lets move on and we got three scholarships to fill this coming year.   good for the junior class of current high schoolers and we might have some renewed hope for the future.   
make a decision

From the Upchurch treatment, to Spoon's ice cream, to Majerus' charter flights, to situation 1 to dragging on this situation, the university has repeatedly shown an interest in letting the basketball program know they were nothing special and they will not be given special treatment. Some may applaud this and say it is the way it should be. Maybe it should, but they promised Upchurch admission if he passed the summer bridge program. He passed it. Give him admission. If a great coach like Spoon wants ice cream with his meal, let him have it. Biondi promised Majerus charter flights. Give him charter flights. Treat KM & WR fairly in situation 1. Finally, get this situation over with. There are a finite number of witnesses that could all be interviewed within a couple of weeks. Everyone is represented. Get it to hearing, make a decision. Give it priority and get it over with. It can be done. The fact that it is not, tells me the university has not prioritized getting it over with. Why is that? The basketball program is not a priority. That  puts us at a competitive disadvantage in current D1 college athletics. We have lived with it for years. It gets old.

how about just letting us in on something.  give us hope or give us a reason to believe there is a final solution quickly coming.   the fact these kids are traveling with the team, still practicing, not expelled, not in jail tells us that there is no criminal investigation and it isnt a team rules thing.   i.e. this is all on title iX.   as clock said, sure its the rule, but it is very apparent it is a stupid rule considering the pain of this thing dragging out   
Why 60 days?   why in the world would this take 60 days?  to investigate?   interview players and girls.  that takes 60 days?   to review the evidence?   i could read the tolkien books 4 or 5 times in 60 days.   are those making the decision so stupid they cant read the interviews or watch the interview tapes and make a decision in 60 days?   
just put the fan base out of the misery of waiting if you have to error on the side of safe, then expel the kids and let's move on.   i agree the players made bad decisions.   but that doesnt make it right at this point to continue to torture us fans.    we think we finally have a light at the end of the tunnel and then this.  come on slu do the right thing for the billiken fandom and make a decision.