Taj79

Somebody at Butler will have to play point guard to get these guys the ball. Not only are therse two guys mentioned here, but Lindy's also listed Roosevelt Jones as a first-team A-10 performer and Andrew Smith as a Top center. Plus Khyle Marshall gets some pub. I just don't know how anyone is going to ever beat Butler this year!!. Brad Redford? Really? This guy is a shorter Drew Deiner. Stand close enough and he's negated. Oh well, considering we are three-dependent, isn't interesting that none of our guys were mentioned? Must be percentages overall.

The worth of my degree based on the name is an interesting question. I've never found it helpful or hindering. As noted, I got out in 1979 and stayed in St. Loo until 1988. Not one job interview that I remember (now, there's a lot of lost brain cells in there too) ever asked or noted Saint Louis University as a pro or con. All the degree seemed to do was get me through the door. After that, make or break was all on me. Maybe there are some degrees looked more fondly on locally --- business, law, medical, etc. --- but once outside the confines of those degrees and the local area, I am not sure. Face it, without a degree of some sort, the door to even get in is closed. Once in, it's all on you. I'm on the east coast now and no one out here has ever heard of Saint Louis U as far as I can tell. If they have, the only question I get is "what the hell is a billiken?" Everyone you talk to will more likely comment more emotionally on a bad issue than a good. But its all subjective. The rankings are subjective. We see that in the AP/USAToday/ESPN polls on basketball. What makes a World News and Reports ranking different? College is what you make it. I tried to pass that on to my kids because I certainly didn't understand it way back then. Best years of your life. You can never know that until you look back and to look back you have to get there. Only then can one truly understand. You can't please everyone all the time and leaders have to make hard choices. That's why athletes should never read the sports pages. I was there with roy and there certainly were no palm trees, water fountains, pools, green space and athletic facilities on campus. The only break in the drab of the inner city was the frats and folks painting West Pine in front of Griesedieck. I lived in LacledeTown for three months and slept there like three times. Thank god I had a girlfriend with an understanding family. A homeless guy attacked my roommate in front of the old Woolworths just north of Lindell on Grand for a cigarette. A kid was killed at a party in Lacledetown in an apartement right on Compton --- you didn't need to "go into" Lacledetown to find trouble. Biondi was good for the University. But time marches on and change is inevitable. I have no beef with the man so I have no emotiuonal collateral in this discussion. He stays -- fine. He goes --- fine. As a hiring official, I'd look at your degree and then delve into more of what you did while getting that degree. Frats. Clubs. Organizations. Jobs. How you handle things in terms o fhow well prepared you are also counts. I'm also old-fashioned so appearance and dress and the like speak volumes. Non-verbals are also key; those things you can't bluff. The degree gets you a seat at the table.

@waldo ---- current projection? No. Absolutely not. Possible? Hey,brownindian thinks the Bonnies will win the tournament again. Anything is possible at this point. I would be crushed if they went 7 and 9. We all would.

All in all, sounds about right. Expecting CE or RL to all of a sudden change their lifelong games and go places they don't go to is silly. I've said all along that the interior is going to have to come from DE, CR, GG or JM. And I expect the OCC schedule to be just like this scrimmage --- looking for the answers. Three torpedoes large in the side of this battleship ---- 1) no Majerus, 2) no Mitchell and 3) no replacement for Conklin. This team may struggle early as it searches for its answers. Positives are 1) consistency on the becnh staff, 2) senior leadership and a stable of guards, and 3) an easy OCC schedule. Going to be some hard knocks early.

@brownindian --- assuming your post of last year's title game means you believe the Bonnies will pull off a similar miracle, I doubt it. Conger was a nice complimentary piece to Nicholson and Kaloof was a nice find tucked away in Olean, NY, but w/o Nicholson, your chances are slim. I doubt Conger and three freshmen and a redshirt junior coming off injury will be able to make up for that loss and yes, Davenport returns, but again, chances are slim. Of course, stranger things have happened so hope can spring eternal. If you make it to Brooklyn, who knows.

Kind of what I was expecting: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings/_/poll/1 I'm guessing a lot of hope in Columbia rides on Oriahki stepping in big time to compliment the guards. Kansas #7. Virginia Commonwealth #27. Butler #31. St.Joe's #33.New Mexico #39. Valpo with 3 votes.

Dayton season ticketholder confirms sex with a 17-year-old and alcohol played role. Last night's Dayton Daily News: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local/criminal-probe-involved-ud-player/nSpm9/ Love this line: “I’m concerned for my daughter in that the big man on campus got kicked out of school and my little girl didn’t even know who he was. And I’m concerned about any repercussions against her from crazy basketball fans,” the girl’s father added."

The ongoing saga of Dez Wells. http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/tracking-the-terps/bal-ncaa-denies-dez-wells-eligibility-request-for-this-season-20121026,0,7483662.story

For the record, Tipton is 225 miles or so from Evansville, so this would be outside Crews' "80 miles radius" as someone suggested.

'Tis truth that broy=the=bruce speaks ..... my surgical films would make quite the double feature. I've left more body parts on surgical tables than I now possess. And alas poor yorick, I cannot dunk. So don't come see this kid play.

@kshoe --- I swear I am reformed in this ancient history arena but it would be much better if you would stop baiting me about it. I haven't picked on you in months, ever since our hug in Columbus even.

What NH said. On the other hand, what booster said. When I first saw this and his other offers, I had this quick flashback to Crews recruiting for Evansville those many years ago. But it passed. Got to believe that Rick had some play int his before he went down. Also, I don't think you can really comment on the individual parts until you see the whole. We are recruiting to replace Mitchell, Ellis, and Remekun. If Crawford were it, then we'd have to conclude we're no tthere. But I'm going slow to see what the total package ends up being. This will essenbtially put three guys on the roster at the small forward position in Evans, Drew and Crawford. I think we're okay there. With the stable of guards we have in Jett, McCall, Carter, Barnett and McBroom, ditto there. If Glaze and Manning are good enough or show potential this year to get there, then the inside might be fine too. I'd like to see more bulk wiht the remianing two scholarships but I also recall some p[retty good teams at Illinois, Louisville, and UNLV that ran with equal height across the whole startin glineup and did pretty well with it. Of course, noneof that stable of guards (sans Barnett) are clearing the 6'0" line by much. We need more roughnecks.

Count me in the camp that is not sad to see the Cards bow out. Jeez --- if we had had a Yankees/Cards World Series, we might have played a scoreless Game 1 all the way to the start of spring training. Another addition to the "up 3-games-to-1 and choked" list which included the Cards (I think) for their similar blowing of a series lead in the great "Don Denkinger" game/World Series with the Royals. On the bright side, at least your team is there enough to get listed in such ways. Anybody else find baseball to be extremely boring anymore? Now a World Series with Detroit and San Francisco. Ho-hum. Who cares?

So curses don't exist but luck does. Interesting concept 05. I already knew luck existed but the belief was shaped by the fact he plays QB for the Colts .... or that it resides only with Golden Domers in northern Indiana. It was just bad luck that Hughes was a one-and-done. It was just bad luck that Hughes' supporting cast was extremely dependent on him andcrumbled when he left. It was just bad luck that Spoon quit over ice cream cones. It was just bad luck that Romar couldn't get West Coast recruits and bolted for alma mater u. It was just bad luck that Sodie couldn't land nary an AAU Eagle. It was just bad luck that Sodie recruited DIII caliber talent. It was just bad luck that TL III didn't play up to his potential. It was just bad luck that Ellis' arrival was delayed by the NCAA clearinghouse. It was just bad luck that Biondi reneged on his "Top 50 program" promise. It was just bad luck that the "situation" occurred when it did. It was just bad luck when Jensen/Harriman bolted when they did. It was just bad luck that Majerus' condition flared up and he is focusing (as should) on life issues. And now its just bad luck that Mitchell breaks his foot when the arguable "best season ever" in Billiken history is on the brink. I could have gone back further but kshoe and others told me to stop that. But luck is the explanation, I'm with you. Again, for the record, I think we can be fine. As stated ... deep guards, experienced guards, supposed top guard recruit coming in, senior leadership, almost all returning (still an undetermined void in the middle), and relatively weak OOC schedule. The games some noted as key are right on. Basketball is a game played with the legs. I expect Mitchell's eventual return to start slowly as his legs will be the item most out of shape from this stroke of bad luck. The OCC was going to be a development of the interior in my book and we will still need to do that. RL. MM. GG. CR. The injury will allow more answers to the question can KC/JB play as well as thought. But to compete in this year's A10, we need a first team POY candidate back for that. As for coach and "borrowed time," really? Interesting. My thought was RM would run up the biggest year ever in Billiken history and then thumb his nose at Biondi for Biondi's decommitment and walk out, legend as savior of programs and HOFer all the more entrenched. I guess just another example of just bad luck. Going to be interesting, putting all curses and luck aside. I know it is a setback, but not impossible.

The door was left wide open 05. If it ain't a curse, then please explain it. I'm more than willing to entertain your thoughts and vast insight.

On the serious/examination side 1) we have an abundance of guards. 2) we have a weak OOC schedule. 3) however, kiss the rankings good-bye.

As usual, the dreaded curse of being a Billiken fan rears its ugly and expected head. I've got a vision of Sheldon Cooper popping out of a ball pit at a child's restaurant, spouting "Bazinga!" at every appearance. I thought to myself, self, just how bad are we in terms of a curse, the curse, any curse? Wouldn't you know it, here are the top ten sports curses of all time, where shall we petition to be placed? 10) The Curse of the Bambino (exorcised) 09) The Curse of Billy Penn (exorcised) 08) The Curse of the Colonel 07) The Curse of Coogan's Bluff (exorcised) 06) The Curse of Marty McSorely 05) The Madden Curse 04) The Curse of Bobby Layne 03) The Socceroos' Witch Doctor Curse 02) The Curse of the Billy Goat and #1)--- The Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx (only has a 37% success rate). http://listverse.com/2009/04/29/top-10-spooky-sports-curses/ With three knowns exorcisms (which seems an appropriate play on words for us) we have got to come up with something and petition for inclusion. How else do YOU explain it??????

Traveling back in time to "the situation" ---- just using it as a time stamp but nothing more ---- I had heard then there was huge unrest that was continuing to grow amongst the students with Biondi back then. This came from a student who has since graduated. And this person was a presidential scholarship award-winner for four years at SLU. In other words, not a dummy. For whatever that's worth. The guy is not liked for many different reasons by many different groups.

His top twenty is essentially reserved for BCS teams. Nice research. Gee, lets' see .. Gonzaga, VCU, Creighton,Ohio, Murray State ---- items du jour from last year. Memphis the perennial and only CUSA player. Same old. same old. I'm surprised he didn't throw Temple and Xavier in here too. Comes back to not only what does Luke Winn know buit also maybe what does Lindy's know. All its meant to do is generate buzz and talk about things that haven't happen yet. So we hit on Lindy's and NBC but not SI, Dickie V. and some others. Ho-hum. We should be okay.

Link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/luke_winn/10/11/college-basketball-power-rankings/index.html?sct=cb_t11_a0

First of all, everything has spin Doc. Please correct yourself. The minute one opens with the classic "Star Wars" scroll, the subliminal message is "good versus evil" and with both being subjective terms defined in the mind of the beholder. Therefore, your use of the subjective terms "spin", "balanbce," and so-called "fair reporting" take on your biases as well. Deal with it or move on. You don't like Biondi. Biondi is the root of all evil. Biondi (and not Jerry Seinfeld) is the devil. We get it.

@kshoe ---- no, no you are right. But for those who think I linger in the sodie failures, they are wrong. Well, not wrong but I can go back to Romar, Spoon and even Grawer. But i won't because kshoe is right, it has been better. I stand corrected. Next year rides on this year in my book and its okay if the bigs produce. As ACE points out --- good guards and a pair of threes. Plus a 6'11" shooting big. On a seperate note, when is the spring signing period? I know we've doen this before but that having a new permanent coach in time to affect the spring signing ... I don't know. Unless we stay homeand remove the interim tag. I am not sold that IS the thing to do in the long term.

It's just another plank in what the players will call motivation. On the "pressure" side, anybody NOT picking Louisville this year?

Can't say I'm at all surprised by this. His first 15 teams are all BCSers. I can't wait to see this Rotnei Clarke guy. This guy is going to have to dribble on water and drop 30 a night.

@JMM ---- true. So it's not fair to comapre apples to oranges? Got it. I understand. But it's okay to compare spring recruiting under Majerus versus spring recruiting under Crews/Whitesell/unknown situation. Got it .... as well. For the record, I still think that if Remekun/Glaze/Manning advance skills-wise, the interior scoring AND next year's lineup/recruiting will take care of themselves.