Taj79

Let me apologize if you think I am picking on Femi. I am not. All I'm saying is that recruits all don't come through for various reasons. Femi got hurt, Cotto was a head case, Thompson didn't seem to commit in the gym, Johnson was horrible, Jordan was stoned, Reed of questionable character, Mitchell/Knollmeyer/Cranford/Ohanon forwhatever reasons. (Anthony not Kwamain). I will agree to you statement of "having a roster where playing time is hard to come by" and his ain't our fathersa' Billikens. It certainly is rooted in a history that doesn't go back that far. I like a roster built for success. I am just fearful that a small roster is somewhat difficult to win with. Even in a guard's game. If Glaze and Manning do develop, we'll be okay.

I'll spare the Taj thesis and just respond ...... you go larry72!!!!! Some others: Cornhusker, Orangeman, Terrapin, Bearcat, Sooner, Thundering Herd, Irish, Green Wave and so on. The Billiken really does not stand onits own but you have to drawthe linesbetween the imported doll and the resemblence to the then-football coach Bob Bender. By the way, larry72, there are no Rams in St. Louis either. Although how they started in Cleveland, I'll never know.

@moy ---- I am quite comfortable in my assessment of Jett's midrange game. My projection there is if he improves that part of his game along with the continued improvement seen later last year at the free throw line, he will be one of the five finishing the games this year. If not, he becomes a potential situational replacement at the end of games when defense is needed. The kid has great hustle, should have made the all-defensive A10 team, has impressive hops and speed, and can jump out of the gym. He's got a great motor, a great name and a great hairstyle. Given his body of work to date, I expect those defiencies to be addressed. His "Conklin summer" needs to be 1,000 15-footers and 1,000 free throws a week. With that, he'd likely be one of the top ten point guards ever in my history with the Bills.

I think La Salle and Giannini are overrated. They lost Earl Pettis and I was impressed with how he could carry that team at times last year. Duren is a good point but Galloway is a showboater who got stuffed by our defense. If he goes out of control ala Aaric Murray at La Salle under Giannini, it will go south fast. Giannini I can respect for that part of his coaching style. Mills is a non-descript third guard who makes them very small if they play the three together. Wright is a very good college big man but Steve Zack is a thinner Bryce Husak (and not as good there just yet). They'll win their fair share at the Gola Cesspool, but enough to win the league? No way. St. Joe's was a nice team last year but were only five deep. Martelli knew that and was forced to bring Ron Roberts off the bench. That forced hand got Roberts sixth man of the year in the A10 but he should have been starting. Jones is a good point, Langston Galloway is a great two, Aiken can play in the middle and while I really don't care for the Greek kid (transfer from Hofstra, Khalil something) he seems to be the same kind of player Conk was. Their starting four was nothing and the one guard off the bench provided little. Maybe they get better with age but who can really bank on that. Martelli does get recruits so we shall see. I think ROAR's top four are good ones. After years in the MCC, I've learned never to rule out Xavier no matter what. VCU will be tough to beat and I'd love to see that game in the Fetz next year. The kids in Dayton love Archie Miller and he supposedly has some good kids coming in. Even in down years, they win at Sweatervest Home Court. Once again, the A10 seems to have six or seven teams capable. And don't ever undersell Mooney at Richmond. Gonna be a great year.

You have to like our returning crew better this year than even last year. Last year, no one expected Conklin to have the start he did. Questions existed on Mitchell, just because the fact of his one year layoff. Ellis was coming off surgery. Those three delivered and Jett was better as was Evans --- little if anything to the dreaded sophomore jinx. McCall stumbledoutof the gate but got his sea legs back after Christmas for the most part. Cassity was eventually phased out and Loe improved. If all that progress continues, and we seed some contributions from Manning, Glaze and Barnett, it allows for Drew and Carter to ease into it all. Filling Conklin's option will be a key issue as I see it for the OOC schedule. Could it be Remekun some? I'd like to hope so --- seeing what he did in person at La Salle last year gives rise to hope on that end, I think. But I'll keep expectations under check for now. I know a lot of you guys seem to be looking at Ellis and Loe for this but I don't see that attribute in either player. Conklin worked the paint exclusively; his step outs were rare. Ellis and Loe roamed the perimeter and just seem more comfortable and better equipped for that "international" style. I can't see them changing that after three and two years of doing it. I will be pleasantly surprised for any Conklin-like play from either. But it will be a onesie-twosiekind of thing and notconsistent as I see it. On the defensive end, I wouldbe happy enough to see Cody neutralize his man at the four and box out, allowing Evans and Loe and any of the others to clean up. This happened last year --- count Dwayne's double-doubles but more importantly all his rebounds. Could it be Evans down low? If it is, he will have to go slower and make more of his bunnies. I thought he kind of knew he was smallish inside and therefore rushed a lot of his "peepers," as my dad used to called them. I'd love to see him gather himself and rise up and slam them down, leaving little to chance. I think kshoe's comment about other teams having to adjust more than us is right on. I don't think Ellis is as special a player as clock thinks. Sure, he had lights-out games of five or six threes, but he had other games of nothing. I saw him at St. Joe's and he went nuts. A few days later, nothing at La Salle. It's the curse of the jump shooter. I think if we are going to get an inside presence ala Conklin, it will have tocome from someone else on the current roster. And that may create a defensive mismatch because I don't think Ellis can cover a mobile three like Dez Wells or Ramon Galloway. Folks are picking us towin the conference. I think that's a good pick. I still "project" some soul-searching and some role finding inthe OOC but if not, that's even better for us.

@kshoe --- forgiven, as always. There's a very popular program out there, employed in some version just about everywhere. It's called "lessons learned." What I did not know at the time in 1980 with Houston was that this was the oar being set in the Billiken water for me. Over the years, this would translate into a pretty solid bloodline ---- saviors would not, recruits would fall short, coaches would not deliver, administrations would talk the talk but not the walk. I measure success one way ... NCAA trips. This is my 38th year and we have a success rate/winning percentage of .135. Majerus has maybe changed that. But Grawer had success for a few years in terms of the NIT. Which would not count in my current grading scheme but did at that time because a starving dog will take anything. Spoon had three of our five trips. Romar got lucky one year. Now we're riding the Majerus wave. I guess my idea of a transfer is someone who comes in and plays, a bit or more, right away. Not what happened with Jake Barnett. So there's my initial version/projection of Rick's transfer oar. Sure, the projection can change. How was his use of transfers at Utah? I really don't know. We all know he can miss as easily as he hits on recruits. We all could; I'd likely miss more. Smith. Jordan. Reed. Remekun. Cotto. Thompson. Cassity. Various degrees of failure, wanting more or still waiting. By the way, here and now, my projection for next year is for success as defined by another NCAA bid.

Put another way, Jett, as a point guard on offense, needs to be H. Everywhere but at the three point line.

Completely forgot about H. My extreme bad. Likely my most favorite ballplayer of all time with the Bills. How bad is that? In 37 years, I've forgotten more than I remember. Everyone knows my issue with Jett. I want to see him shoot a better percentage minus layups. Plus free throws. He is all-league in hustle, rebounding and defense but can improve on the offensive end, especially if he is in the game at the end and the other team is fouling. That was improving as last season wore on. He is just about there. I don't care if Pedersen and Footes were here for eight years each. Still didn't show me much on either account. I know I am not as high on Brown as some are but will concede that he had an okay two years here. If Frericks was okay until he got hurt, so too was Femi. But I'm not grading on that curve. Just results overall. That may be unfair but so be it. JUCOs with top ratings are Love, Jeffers, Henderson, Robinson, Burns, off the top. So-so's are Eberhardt, Turner, Brown, Fergerson some others. Failures are too numerous to mention, on both the four-year and JUCO side. I can easily hit a dozen or so there. That is what likely skews my judgment. My first encounter with this entire process was personal. Back in the late 70's, the Bills were waiting and waiting on a transfer from KState, a two guard named Hassan Houston. He was an all-world high schooler out of U City that went to KState for two years, did pretty well in the Big Eight, and was transferring in. He was living in Clemens and practicing with the team and was that day's program saver (or so it seemed). I was covering his odyssey for the UNews. Long story short,he never made it ala Craig Upchurch. This came close on the heels of Johnnie Parker Sr. And then Ricky Frazier. Upchurch I mentioned. Then Ekker with his five- or six-man band of JUCOs. Then Grawer. Then Douglas and Gray. Then Winfield. Hughes. Baniak and Tatum. The Manuel/Ivester/Tadysak crowd. Spoon. Hughes. Caswell. Melvin Robinson. The list and history makes me who I am today. RM is changing that, yes. Call me just slow on the uptake. Can I claim "McBOOM" now as a patent? In case he works out? I thought not. Another reminder ---- what did Temple's 6'-4" and 6'-5" guards do to our guys last year? And our guys were pretty proven at that point too. Even Jett had no answer. Reminds me of an old joke which luckily, I don't remember. But the punchline was "Patience, Jackass." I'll be the "jackass" for now. No one will deny me that.

I'm okay with kshoe. Not attacking him as he started this thread. Just saying ......how quickly lots of folks had Jake Barnett raining threes from down-under land once he sat out his transfer year and we're still waiting. Will Jake deliver. Don't know but he hasn't shown me either. I even said --- although not on this board because it didn't exist at the time ---- that Larry Hugfhes had to show me. And he did. Sadly for one year. Despite what RM gushes, JM still has to show me. Same with Grandy Glaze. Femi John was a gushing recruit --- and he never showed. Okay, that was injury related and not fair. Kevin Lisch showed me. So did Tommy Liddell. Danny Brown finally showed his senior year. Justin Johnson never. And wasn't Jj along the same lines as GG --- signed by a BCS school but released and signed with us? Wewaited and waited and ares till waiting. McBroom may become McBoom for all I know. Who has been the most successful transfer in your SLU life here? I can count the following success: PeeWee Leonard. Jim Roder. Reggie Bryant. Charles Newberry. And short of JUCOs I'm stuck. I don't count Jamal Johnson or Evan Pedersen because they were only one year comebacks and didn't really impress me much. Ted Mimlitz was horrible. Kevin Footes one and done. All I'm saying on this one is didn't we play the MAC transfer record a short year or two ago? I've got to believe that the A10 is a slight step up from the MAC, wouldn't you? And the 60 or so hours of game tape review seems to suggest the staff was looking hard for somethign before they'd take him. Just the other side of the coin, that's all. And I'll say this about Keith Carter --------- show me. As well. Kwamain did. McCall did. Jett is working on it. Cotto did not. John did not. Cassity not so much. Ellis/Loe/Evans did. Remekun not so much.

Show me. "Heralded, three-sport recruits" don't end up at places like Central Michigan. Could be. Might be. Let's just let it play out. Jake Barnett was all-MAC at Toledo and we're still waiting for that ship to come in. Patience is all I'm advocating. We shall see.

Better be careful Mr. Indian ---- the good feeling of last year is going to have to sustain you guys for a while, covering many moons. Many, many moons, kemosabee. Nicholson was akin to the hot goalie in early March. Let's harken back to his one trip to the Lou this year where, with seven NBA scouts supposedly in the crowd, he threw out his stinker game of the year. Don't be emptying the good feelings tank so quickly. The Bonnies were Cinderfella last March --- highly unlikely to rise from the dead any time soon.

I did not mean to list Ali with the "dumb" crowd .....

Nothing new here that we haven't heard before: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7916050/a-look-realiignment-perspective-smaller-basketball-conferences-college-basketball With maybe the exception of this little nugget: "About 18 months ago, the presidents of the Atlantic 10 put together a strategic plan for the league's future. First and foremost was a simple acceptance of what the league is and where its strengths are. Devoid of football, the A-10 didn't consider itself powerless; instead it argued it was unique. "We all looked around and realized that we're very proud of our success in basketball and our academic success,'' commissioner Bernadette McGlade said. "It was important to embrace that because that is our strongest asset.'' So the school presidents were smart enough to recognize two Decembers or so ago that "shift happens" and actually sat down and mapped out a plan. Makes me want to believe that strategic thinking plays a bigger role in McGlade's regime than it did in Bruno's. Which is good. But it also seesm to signify that those of us calling for the Valley or the Midwest Papal Conference might be yelling until hoarse. I can't help but wonder just what the resignationof the Big East commissioner really means. Obviously, these moves don't settle well into the FOB proscribed basketball universe.

Good article. I've always thought that the really good coaches were the ones that coudl adjust and script a game plan against an opponent and COACH it. That is why I believe guys like Calipari and Finch and Boeheim and Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler and Andy Reid and Ali and some others in a variety of sports always wilted in the big ones. Because they continually threw their sysytem out there and said "here it is, beat it." And invariably guys did. Guys like Majerus and Paterno and others who prepped and studied the opposition. And adjusted for it. Wow! Did not know that Andre Miller was already 36 and has a double-digit pro career in terms of longevity. No wonder Majerus uses him as his ruler stick.

Guys like Bilas, Jim Rome, Stephen A. Smith, Woody Page, Bomani Jones, JA Adande, Colin Cowherd and others are only following in the shock jock footsteps establsihed by Howard Stern and Don Imus. Only they do it in sports. Same can be said for keith Olberman, Bill O'Reilly, Nancy Grace and th elist goes on. With so much air time and print options and blogosphere vacancy to fill, the void will be filled. With the repsective drivel of things like this, that and other things. Bilas has you/us talking. That all it's designed to do. Love the FOB reference, by the way. FOB U.

"We are excited about adding these new members as part of our bold strategy that focuses on growing institutions in large media markets," Banowsky said." CROCK!!!! FIU is in Miami but it ain't the big time shcool there. LA Rech is in Ruston, Louisiana which is the middle of Lousiana Nowhere. North Texas is in Denton. Anybody know where that is? Well, while it is in the landing pattern at Dallas-Forth Worth airport, it is well behind TCU, SMU and even Rice in the general local area. And while I like San Antonio, all Texas schools are well behind in the overall pecking order in a state that has Texas, Texas AM, Baylor, TCU, and others. Then throw in glamor spots like Greenville, NC; Huntingdon, WVA; Hattiesburg, MS; El Paso, TX; Birmingham, AL and Tulsa, OK and I am not sure how those places are better than Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Pittsburgh.

Don't get me wrong ---- I have no intention of being a downer here. I agree that our "bigs" are not typical interior bigs, I agree we have the most depth and talent ever, I agree RL is/has developed well from year 1 to 2, I agree DE does very well for his size on the interior, I agree that in a sustainable system freshmen have to be super to see the floor and RM is growing them on the bench at his pace, all the stuff this thread has covered. Count me in the group however that wants to see what develops with CR, JM and GG before I am willing to accepting 10 minutes of good play per game from any one of them, let alone two or three. I can't help but think back to the first Xavier game this year -- our outside play in the first half lit it up and opened the middle for Conk to operate and seal the win down the stretch of the second half. We will still be an exterior, jump-shooting team in my opinion. But right now, if we are cold or experience an off-night, we do not have an identified threat to even pose a problem in the middle, let alone finish as Conk did that night. That's what I anxiously look forward to seeing come October and November. If CR, JM and GG do not deliver against the dregs of the schedule that usually make up the OOC part of our season, then we might be in for a long run during the conference season when everyone knows what everyone else is doing or trying to do. To me, finding that particular puzzle piece will be our one, major key this coming fall.

Truth --- the college game is a guard's game. Truth --- our front line is thin and unrefined and unknown. Truth --- we already took one MAC all-freshman guard and that didn't turn out too well. Truth --- roy hates Majerus the persona; roy respects Majerus the coaching tactician. Opinion --- players are who they are; Conklin was an interior player and became a better one. We have no one identified to replace him just yet and I still contend that is job #1 for this upcoming OOC schedule.

Another negative starter post from our 59 fan? Call me shocked. Right now, we do not have a proven inside presence. We did not either at this time last year but we had Conk back who managed some monster games games his junior year (at Xavier for example). I never expected Conk to do what he did but he did post some signs. We don't even have that much to bank on. Cory's a huge stretch right now and for all who think our outside foreign bigs are going to get American religion and develop into consistent inside players, well, good for you. Can it happen? Sure. Just let me say I doubt it. Cody has his moments, but if I defined him, he's more perimeter player than insider. And it seemed to me that if he devoted more timeand energy to his inside play, his exterior play, his strength, suffered. But we will see. Dwayne needs some work; his missing so many bunnies told me he was rushing to beat a bigger man's block --- real or perceived. With no real help on the way, that leaves Manning and Glaze. Again, I predict (not project here) that we will see alot of soul-searching and experimentation in the OOC schedule next season as Majerus tries to either find that inside presence, or commit to a more pure exterior game. Wecould have a better team, but a lesser record. Bottom line: success is only achieved by hearing our name again on Selection Sunday.

As jbizz pointed out, when you throw enoguh mud up on the wall, some sticks and this was the epitome of vtime. In that scenario, you wil get lucky every now and then much like a blind squirrel stumbles upon an acorn. As for Ecklecamp's statement about Berry and Beidscheid, this is akin to what's been said before. So-and-so will do this and then do that. Maybe they will but maybe they won't. Only time will tell. Tyler Griffey had the same projections as these made for Berry and Beidscheid. Yesterday, the dunderheads over at ESPN said the power had shifted in the NFC East because the Redskins drafted RGIII and the Cowboys drafted Morris Claiborne. This against the most successful team of the past decade and the defending Super Bowl champs. Sure, there' Cam Newton. There is also Ryan Leaf, Chris Weinke, Heath Schuler, Todd Blackledge, Pacman Jones, and so on. Yes, it could all come true. Yes it could all fall short. Draftign and talent evaluation and projections are not an exact science.

The problem with A10 expansion is the fact that there are very few decent basketball teams in the midwest to access and they very name "Atlantic" seems to focus newcomers to the eastern seaboard. There isn't any team in the midwest worth annexing to this group. Okay, it appears Butler is coming but doubt they do it wihtout having the base of us, Dayton and Xavier. They've outgrown the Horizen for sure but after them, who could possibly even consider it? Who's on a list of "desirable" midwest schools floating around out there in "lesser" conferences? Creighton? They don't seem to think so. Name someone else. And you can't count DePaul and Marquette and ND. The A10 as a step up. I think addition by subtraction makes sense but convincing Fordham and the Bonnies and La Salle to mosey on over to the MAAC or Patriot League would be a hard sell. Oh well, it is what it is and we are stuck.

Anybody that watched X this past year (and I saw them at least a dozen times) could see that even before the Chili Brawl, there was a complete disconnect on the court with Holloway and Lyons versus Mack. They ignored him as much as Dayton ignored Gregory in their NIT run a few years back. Plus, Lyons seemed to be getting the bulk of the blame as the season progressed ---- Mack not starting him, yanking him, and so on. The non-verbal language was huge. I for one am not surprised. AZ makes sense --- considering Miller originally recreuited Lyons bu tLyons was never a point guard, make no mistake about that. Xavier's whole offense was Markie-Mark and TuTu going one-on-one with Frease, Walker and a third goon crashing the boards. Wells was a nice pickup as a freshman and is a keeper, but the rest of that lineup ain't worht squat. Davis was weak at the point, Redford isone-dimensional, and none of their bigs left over did much to polish their star for next year. Still, you can't underestimate them. Their incoming class is typical X and comes with the typical hype. Three 4-star recruits and one three-star but we all know how jaded that can be. Still no point guard although I seem to recall a transfer might be in there too. Oh well, you can count on them using the OOC to find a rhythem and groove. Now we can see how goodof a coach Mack is ---- this will be his team and all connections to Miller will be gone. This is great news ---- there was nothing worse than having to watch those two thugs play their chip-on-the-shoulder brand of crybaby basketball. Good riddance.

One rather learned and respected man's answer to just what the problem is: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/58041/coach-k-wants-to-fix-college-hoops

Well, that was one of the worst kept surprises of the year, eh? I loved how, in Caliapri's opening statement, he said they were all here to declare their intentions. That kind of made me go -- click --- back to the hockey game. Here's a take on it from Dana O'Neil: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/58071/no-need-to-condemn-uk-for-one-and-done It's the right-on bull's eye of the world of college basketball as it is today. Get used to it. There is hope for the mid-majors of the world, programs that keep and develop thje traditional college player over four years of enrollment but you have to hit the mark with your recruits and you have to grow the players as well as their eventual replacements. And even if you do that, I sincerely doubt anyone outside of college basketball's royalty programs will ever win the national title. The ride, ala Butler three years ago against Duke, would be phenominal for sure but only a once in a lifetime achievement. Calipari also made an interesting statement in that opening when he looked across the dias and said "they are all finishing the term. Right guys? You are all finishing the term?" Sounds like that's how he and Kentucky beat the APR issue. I'm sure there is a semi-contract in place. Yopu do your part, do your 24 credit hours per year, pass the grades (at a UK, what's the hardest thing they coudl "study" --- introductory to an undeclared major?), and move on to your NBA millions. And you can use us here at Kentucky like a Secret Service "escort" in Columbia. You pay, we pay. All is right in the world. Now we all get to hear about Nerlens Noel for the next college year. Hooah!

Apparently, there is quite the angst in Dallas over this: http://espn.go.com/dallas/story/_/id/7826265/smu-mustangs-set-hire-larry-brown-botching-coaching-search Lots of bad/questionable things being raised: why didn't they have a coaching sucession lined up when everyone knew this would be Doherty's last year barring a miracle? How does one recruit to a moribund program like SMU's? A coach and a coach in waiting -- how does that look given Brown';s perchant for bolting? Recruits' fathers are likely to know about Brown, no the recruits themselves. I had forgotten Brown's involvemen tin the "it's just practice" controvery with Iverson. Heck, recuits probably don't know who Iverson is either. This will be interesting to watch.