Taj79

My favorite memory was 1980 or 81 ... I think. Doubleheader at the Checkerdome --- first game Louisville versus then-No. 1 Mizzou with Stipo, Frazier, McCrary, Sundvold, Dressler. I'm in the second row of the end zone yellow seats for that game. INose-bleed, upper deck. ts on NBC or CBS, whomever was doing the games back then. Second game is SLU versus Tulane. The Mizzou/UofL game is national, with Dick Enberg and Al Maguire doing the game. First game was a great one. Mizzou eventualy prevails. Game buzzer goes off and well over half the arena crowd leaves. We move down into the lower yellows, second section off the floor, right behind Maguire and Enberg. They do their post-game wrap as the Bills and Green Wave are warming up and when they wrap, they pack up their bags and throw their overcoats on and get ready to light out into the late afternoon. Our whole section starts going nuts, screaming at Al things like "Don't go Al!" "Stay and coach us Al, PLEASE!" "We need YOU, Al." All sorts of things like that. Al's waving and smiling --- but he keeps on walking ---- had to wait almost 30 years for the next ex-Marquette coach to come along. Wewerethiscloseto respectability ......... but alas, no Saint Al. I think for the Bills game, we were one of the few remaining eight hundred or so that lasted through halftime. That was as good as it got during those "dark" years. You young-uns have no idea. My favorite good memory was a few years later, we beat Hersey Hawkins and Bradley at the old Kiel. The crowd, about 6 or 7 thousand strong (which was huge for a SLU crowd), was going nuts and Bradley didn't score for like the last five minutes of the game. That's when I knew the program had a chance to not only survive but be good, if it got the care and attention it needed, plus a few breaks. Still took another 25 years or so.

Story on how the committee is meeting to determine the issue with adding three teams to the March Madness format: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/men...68-format_N.htm I happen to believe they will take the "greed" route ---- that is the first one talked about, where smaller conference champs play each other to knock one or the other out and then move on to a #1 seed. I am not readily in favor of this but it would stand to reason that the have's will want the have-not's out as soon as possible so we can get down to real business. How many times when you do a ranking of all the teams will an Arkansas-Pine Bluyff or an Oakland measur eup to a Virginia Tech or Illinois? Four play-in games, that's my prediction. Outside chance for the three-out-of-five rule invoked as well.

Thanks. I knew here was a Juarez something or other down there. Kept getting stuck on Puerto Juarez which is a debarkation point for Isla Mujares up on the north side of Cancun city. A basketball touranment in a resort's ballroom? Not there's something youdon't see very often.

There are "location" schools and then there are LOCATION schools. Isn't Texas supposedly Texas at Austin? There are tons of Penn States ... Penn State-Berks, Penn State-York, Penn State-Stae College, Penn State-Schuylkill and so on. I personnally love the University of Phoenix or Strayer College -- the internet schools. Now that's LOCATION. I understand your point but the main campus schools are always different. Point noted but the seperation exists.

Out on a limb there, X? wink-wink. Wasn't he this year's POY? I'm going to vote against you, just because its hard to repeat and I think the loss of Gonzalvez is going to change some of the roles at Richmond this coming year, Anderson's included. Other POY potentials for me include Wright of Dayton, Harper at Richmond, Mitchell at SLU, Spears at Charolotte, Saunders at Duquesne, Murray at La Salle, Nicholson at Bonaventure, and Allen and Fernandez at Temple. The Staten freshman at YouDee is also an interesting "x-factor" (pardon the pun). Is he that good? Will he be the next John Wall? He is an incredibly high-ranked recruit, if we are to believe all that we read. Of course, he has no bench coaching so that has to be factored in as well.

The Sun Belt? As in "The Sun Belt Conference?" There isn't a single football-playing school worth spit in the Sun Belt. I get the feeling that Charlotte and Esst Carolina are considered inferior schools to the Dukes, UNCs and even NC States of Carolina. Charlotte was a "location school" --- just like UNC-Asheville/Wilmington/Greensboro etc. I equate that to Missouri-Rolla/Kansas City/St. Louis. Could you see big brother Mizzou stooping to accept them in their conference? Same thought process goes in Carolina. Carolina (where my kid and her friends go to school) seems to be very hierarchial. Duke is #1; UNC #2, State is a distant #3. Ooops, wait, I forgot Wake -- I'd put them at or above State. Then therr is a second -tier of schools of which Charlotte and East seem to be a part of. The number of schools in Carolina is incredible; besaides the location schols, you have Elon, High Point, Davidson, Appalachin State, North Carolina A&T, NC Central, Western Carolina and Johnson C. Smith, to name just a few. Sun Belt is immaterial.

He did. Verbals are non-binding.

The Bills are a lock for Cancun, not so much so for March. Take the lock. If and when March rolls around and we do make it, negotiate your arse off. Promise overactive sperm that will ensure quint girls. Promise leaving your job to wait on her hand and foot raising these girls for/with her. Show her your hairy legs in a Fernch maid or English butler outift and promise total devotion. Sing Pavoratti to her --- you clown!. Placido Domingo. Jose Carreras. Whatever it takes. If needed, default ---- to divorce. I was reading more on the Cancun Challenge. Apparently, in most year's past, it was held at the Moon Palace, which I believe is the largest of the Palace Resorts chain in Cancun. Might have been passed up in size by a newer Palace resort down on the Riveria Maya. I don't know of any resort (except maybe the Mohegan Sun resort in Connecticut) that has a large, basketball-suitable arena on it for this kind of thing. I find that interesting. I have never stayed at the Moon Palace but have at the Cancun Palace. I found things to be very acceptable but slightly higher priced than at other Cancun resorts. The food was good and varied. But the Moon Palace is near nothing --- it occupies a spot south of Cancun above the Riveria Maya on the coast directly east of the airport. I think it boasts two well-designed and well-regarded golf courses -- built by Trent Jones or Nicklaus or some big name. But once you are there, getting to other places is not easy. If you intend to experience the nightlife, you are faced with at least a 25 mile drive to the Zona de Hotelera of Cancun resort. On the plus side, you could devote a lot of time to conception attempts.

Yo ... bk .... there's "drinking the Blue Kool-Aid' as some have suggested. You, however, must have an IV shooting right into the main vein or something. Nevermind Majok and Beal, you've got us as a "likely top 10 team?" Based on what, recruiting? That is one hellova leap of faith, buddy, given that thisis a program that hasn't seen the relative light of day for decades let alone breathing the rarified air of "Top Ten Peak." I recall others, from Grawer to Spoonn to Sodey, all talking abou thow great this recruit or that recruit was and how that would put us over the top. I heard it about Tony Manuel, Tyrone Caswell, Donnie Adkins, Larry Hughes, Ricky Cranford, Corey Frazier, Justin Tatum, Tommie Liddell, Kevin Lisch and Dwayne Polk. Only one or two real studs in that group. Granted, Majerus seems to know better and develop better, but a jump to Top Ten?" Would you agree that last year's team overachieved? Will this year's overachieve, remain static or regress? You don't know. i don't know. We don't know. I have unbridled optimism for next year and the year beyond, but all it takes is one shard of displaced sharpnel from soem criminal claim and ---- BOOM! --- shoulda-woulda-coulda is back in vogue. Cart. Horse. You.

The mention of Suggs intrigued me --- again. I had had that long running battle with Vtime over his "offer all STL players a schollie' philosphy. So I went back and did some relooking at folks -- folks we recruited, folks that left, folks that got away. I guess I'd say I'd take Suggs as well but how did the rest do? We recruited Gary Correia at Umass ---- 2.2 ppg. Swopeshire at Louisville seems to have done okay with 33 games and about 25 minutes per game but only a 7.5 ppg. His teammate, Kyle Kuric only did 13.9 minutes per game over 30 games and a 4.0 ppg. I seem to recall him having a huge game over somebody #1 at the time. Must've been it. Or was that last year? Tyler Griffey only 8.4 minutes per game. Matt Roth only 2 game splayed at Indiana -- did he get hurt or quit? Anthony Mitchell only 20 games played at SIU-E with 9 minutes per. Kramer didn't do much at Miami ---- all 32 games but only about a quarter per game and 2.2 points with 0.9 assists. Two former Vtime greats --- Johnny Hill and Muatafa Abdul-Hill -- didn't do much at SEMO or UCLA. I know Abdul-Hill was a walk-on and in love with the UCLA program so that's not really fair. Suggs got 13.8 minutes in all 35 games and averaged 4.7 ppg --- I guess I'd expect more from both him and Griffey given their High School hypes. Zac Swansey --- another late signing attempt by BS --- didn't play at all at UGA. Drop out/ Injury? No doubt Jacob Pullen and Alex Tyus would have been great gets. We all knew Tyus wasn't even a pipe dream at the time Josh Harrelson got in 22 games for an average of four minutes a game and threw down an average of just over a point per. Shot 100% from the FT though. Jeremy Felton did little of anyhting at Western Illinois. Alex Bazzell posted some nice minutes at UMKC and Drew Hanlomn had some nice numbers at Belmont. Nothing spectacular, mind you and those are posted against some weak conference opponents. And just so youknow, Obi Ikeakor shot a perfect 100% from the field this year at New Orleans. It was in 8 minutes of play over the first two games or so of the season and he got another "Did Not Finish" next to his race scorecard. Don't know if it was injury or what. Sadly, Horace Dixon was nowhere to be found. Ahhhhhhhh, those were the good old days, eh? I miss that Vtime fellow.

Technically, Majerus can't do anything with the team once the season ends in terms of coaching and workouts with the exception of some individual one-on-one stuff in a specified time period. The season being over and that is it officially until Midnight Madness or that certain date in October. To see anyone doing anything would be chance and happenstance. Are the players even around? If I were Ellis and Salecich, I'd be off on the briny sailing to see my old mates down under and all that.

Andy Katz has a current article on things over at ESPn. Find it at: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball...big-ten-targets About th emost ingenious statemen tin all this specualtion is this one: "There's no reason to pretend that this is a basketball decision. It's not. It's about football first, which means dollars more than anything else. Travel issues are a concern but academic compatibility for the Big Ten, maybe more so than any other major conference, is a primary issue." Football is king. That is the only way this breaks. Notre Dame is the linchpin. It fits academically and geogrpahically with the Big Ten. The problem at the Golden Dome is that they are still clinging to the steadfast belief that the phoenix will rise from the ashes and their footbsall program will be dominant once again. Not likely IMO. Their relevance as an independent is questionable right now and fading. Same with the "champ-peens' of both the Big east and ACC football leagues. As a basketball playing school, Notre Dame is irrelevant as well. Notre Dame totally to the Big east for football won't happen --- you can get in with Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa or go into bed with Syracuse, Uconn, West Virginia and South Florida and Rutgers? I know who'd I pick if I was deciding on that one. Don't believe I'd go as far out of the box as Katz is suggesting someone saying Maryland, Georgia Tech and Vandy to the Big Ten. Maryland's football is on life support, Friedgen might not make it through the year. Pitt makes better sense as does Nebraksa. Not to sutre about Mizzou. Speaking of geography -- you get Notre Dame in and that busts teh Big Ten out of a region and into the natioal presence --- isn't Notre Dame the football goddess for all cathloics nationwide??? Of all the schools that are like us -- like minded ---- I'd offer this list: Seton Hall, St. Bonaventure, George Washington, St. Joe's, Niagara, Canisius, Xavier, Marquette, DePaul, Bradley, Creighton, St. John's, Providence, Drexel, George Mason, Detroit, Loyola(IL), Iona, Loyola (MD), Marist, Sienna, St. Peters, Drake, and maybe you cxount Butler and Dayton and Duquesne and georgetown but they do play Division IAA football. Maybe some of these schools (Villanova) upgrade football ala Uconn. I don't know, its all speculation. If i were in there, I'd be working the phones seeing who's got similar aspirations and needs. If football is indeed king, and I agree it is, trhese mega-conferences, liek the Big Atlantic or whatever it is, are not going to be dragging the Marqueets and DePauls and Seton Hall sof the world along to make a conference even more unwieldy.

backed out of draft along with YouDee's Chris Wright. So only Jordan Crawford leaves the A10 earlky? http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleg...ml?nlid=2999672 Richmond looks strong, but losing Butler and Gonzalvez will hurt some. They seem to be the preseason bet. Temple lost a lot in Brooks, but Dunphy is good. Xavier tends to reload but wihtout Crawford and Love, I don't know? Might take them a wg=hile to find and define themselves. I know Dayton lost a lot of bodies and practically the whole backcourt. Can a frshman take over? Sure --- but is Staten John Wall? Rhode Island lost Ulmer and Cothran --- big shoes to fill. That leaves us as returning almost the whole team from a fourth place finisher. Richmond. Temple. Xavier. Saint Louis. We will have both Temple and Xavier on the road next year.

So this i show big time basketball works? Interesting. Majerus arrives and cleans house. Gone are Maguire, Knollmeyer, Mitchell and Relaphorde. Not a bad sweep if you meaure it in two playing Division Ii ball and one not doing much at SIUE. Relaphorde? I guess he's doing okay if your measure success as the third leading scorer on a sub-.500 team as success. Then in come seven freshmen and we still lose Thompson, Cotto and now John. Keepers are Mitchell, Reed, Cassity and Conklin. Then six more and we lose Jordan, Reid, and Smith. Keepers are Ellis, Salecich and Remuken. Now its in with McCall, Evans, Loe, Jett and Barnett. Has the tide been stemmed? When will the revolivng door stop? I'm thinking its this year and i hop eits this year but i am guessing thisis the way it goes. When Sodeberg was fired, I didn't understand the move. It seemed we were safe, stil doin gmore with less. The firing made me scratch my head ebacuse there had to be a drastic shot into this progrma to get itoff the schneid. Majerus seems to be that shot. Now --- I know folks are bemoaning what is happening here but this msut be the radical surgery needed on a brain dead program. Sure makes for interesting off seasons, I'll say that. Hate to see Smith go but its still "In Rick I trust."

The cheerleader link was unintended so no kudos to myself for that. Another link you might invetisate is "Phiily WAGs" which is the Philly abbrevaition for "Wives And Girlfriends." With Hank Baskett in the fold, that means Kendra. C'mon, ACE, what you got?????

From thew Philly papers. http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleg...ml?nlid=2992737 Given all the "tazing" going on in Philly, I think this line from the above story "tazes' Martinelli and his current program "When your team loses 20 games and its two best players, you make changes." Despite Phil being a "Hawk Hill guy" I think he's on life support and needs to show something soon. Not good when you are in tyhis situation and the ballhandlers are all freshmen.

Again, thnaks. I understnd the verbal and signing parts doowop. Thanks again. As to STLHoops Insider, appreciate it. But let me say this ---- pulling quotes from stories does not impress me. Authors have biases, who are they writing about, do they know, them, is it an objective review, who's the audience, who are they trying to impress. A byline from a Juliet Eilperin tell sme more about the story before I even open it. And again, I defer to the just-because-its-in-the-paper-means-it-true disagreement. Sure --- Carmelo Anthomny and Derek Rose and Tyreke Evans and John Wall all lived up to theo rbilling. But I've seen manymore crash-and-burn then register even a modicum of success. Now, granted I watch the St. Louis boys more than most but I'm still waiting for guys like Scott Suggs, Tyler Griffey, Sean Kowal, John Brandenburg, UJosh Harrelson, Kramer Soderberg, Bobby Hill, Jimmy McKinney and many others to register even a blip on the college scene. Here's hoping (and expecting) some still will.

Clock .... my sources in Dayton are impeccable ---- gleaned from multiple rounds of golf on Country Club of the North, east of the city in Beavercreek. YouDee loves Brian Gregory. That NIT Championship was special. Solidifed Gregory's standing real well. Made them circle the wagons to protect Brian ferom the vultures flying around with job openinbgs ... Iowa, DePaul, Iowa State and Wake Forest. Personally, I think it was a good thing YouDee was playing while these openigns cam up --- Brian was obviously occupied with game plans and not job searches. Winning the NIT has given Brian about another two or three years of good will and season passes. If he moved, I believe it would only be back to the Big Ten ala Crean at Indiana. He is an Izzo boy, juxt like Crean, bu the needs a Sweet Sixteen run to cement that move and create offers. I appreciate udfan's input. I would not say I dislike YouDee, but always want to beat them ---- badly. I was in the stands at the last Great Midwest tournament when we and Marquette were the devils for leaving to go to CUSA. I understood their hatred then and don't blame them for it now. I just like to beat them as much as when the Eagles beat the Giants/Skins/Cowboys or when the Phillies beat the Mets, and so on. I like bveating Youdee ... and X. X fans are too smug. Have been since MCC days. But deservedly so -- one would kill for their kind of program, yes? As to the fat eof close games at YouDee over the last two yearsm, I reall ydo blam eit on Gregory's game plan. Maybe that was just Warren and Lowery ignoring him this year. With fabrieze hurt, the only outside shooter was Chris Johnson. Dayton reminds me of a basketball team with track team skills ---- they'll run you ragged and destroy you in the physical game of basketball, but they can't understand basketbal theory and spacing and cannot seem to adjust to that. Illinois tried to run with them. Mississippi State. North Carolina. If Dayton ever adds skill players to theo rbench, LOOK OUT! Because Gregory can surely get the athletes.

Wow! Lots of lunacy here .... Unfortunately, just because its in the paper/media doesn't make it true. Police scanners are to the press what ambulance chasers are to the law profession. Sorry, but its guilty until proven innocent. Someone said this would be hard to cover up with the assualts at Wash U and UMSL. Bright idea --- cover it up. Yeah that works, ask Nixon. Ask Wild Bill Clinton. Ask the governors of South Carolina and New York. Ask Tiger. Burying it works because we all know how the stink of garbage improves with age. And it wasn't chunks, '72, it was more along the line of dlarry's thought. I wouldn't make it through the primaries if I declared for public office. Interesting that its "sexual assault" and not "rape." Any lawyers out there? What's the difference and how does that work. Facebooks should stay down ---- always. That is just TMI -- too much information placed out in the public domain for all sorts of problems to arise. I know that too because my kids have it and its used buffoonishly. The story on the Duke DA is interesting --- understand he wanted to make a "name" for himself in taking the Duke boys out. Overzealous and paid for it. Don't get me wrong, what the lacrosse team did at Duke was out of line and deserved reprimand. But someboidy wants a crusade, they'll get it. For the right reasons or not. Strickland tweets and says join me for the news. Strickland. Slaten. Miklasz. Stephen A. Smith. Kornheiser. Wilbon. Rome. Different levels, all centered around sport news but more entertainment than news. Increase listeneing audience, increase ad sales, increase rates, add profit. True story: an older well-respected deacon in his church. Runs the altar boys. Three teenagers don't like the deacon. Boys. Altar boys. Charges of fondling. Groping. Exposition. All three stories confirmed by the other kid. Is the deacon guilty? He took a plea deal ---for nothing. All I'm saying is even the "truth" gets twisted.

Welcome to the big time! Transfers. Over-recruiting. Higher ticket prices. No decent home games. Recruiting stature. Police records. Please remember no one is guilty until proven as such. Having two daughters of my own at 22 and 19, as a father, I would hunt these guys down and kill them. Of course, I'd also try to balance thw whole situation as well. If charges are filed, I think discipline must be rendered, I don't care if the perp is the President of the united States in a hall closet with a cigar and a willing intern ---- against the law is against the law. Rothlesberger has been "priviledged" for what, ten years now?????? A sense of entitlement dominates there. I give him a year and this time next year, he'll be at it again. Habits like those are hard to change. They are essentially kids masquerading as adults. Even with all the crap flying in their world --- Rothlesberger, Michael Irving, Santonio Holmes, Tiger, Michael Vick, PacMan Jones, Maurice clarett -- I'll betcha everyone still say "aw, shucks, that won't happen to me." For all I did in college back then --- in today's world, me and some buddies of mine would probably be in jail now.

Thanbks to all of you who responded. I guess doowop, you are saying Beal is still a question mark. Is that attributable to less-than-solid verbal as opposed to a signature? I have to admire a St. Louis kid like Jones going to Butler. I don't know that I consider that a "major" just yet. I think the question is will Butler now fall back to tha pack ala George Mason, Indiana State, Penn, Davidson and someother one-hit wonders or will they maintain the Gonzaga-Xavier level of high mid-majors. I am banking on them maintaining. But again, not a lot to sho won here for the dozen or so seniors. One guy to Oak Hill for grade seasoning I assume. Lots of the typicsal community college fodder we have seen in the past. If Boga is legit, as a senior, he is still unsigned. Grades? Test scores? Just seems odd. But a better than normal year for STL Hoops. Florida. Butler. Northeastern. Austin peay. Sorry --- I don't count SIU-E, not just yet. Maybe when they achieve NJ Tech or Savannah State status.

Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, now Knight. Its all about the one-and-done here. Two fo the previous three were NBA Rookies of the Year and high draft choices. Wall will be top five in the draft. Think Knight cares about school? Just another example of the NBA's Cant-Be-Drafted-Until-19 fiasco at work here. I frecall someone else working the grant-in-aid route. Can't recall who --- was it us or was it Mizzou? Doesn't matter. I will say it again, after the Hughes experience, I personally don"t ever want one-and-doners ever again. Ever. But that's me.

Seems to happen everywhere. http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleg...ml?nlid=2983942 I don't recognize these names so they were buried on a very bad bench. If you read these stories as I do, they leave the opportunity for comments at the end. One in here it the "whatg about caring for the kids" topic as we all do.

I believe this is happening in spades at SLU because it has to. You want to play, you've got to pay. Do I personally like it? No. In year's past, the John Smiths and JustinJordans of the world would have been valuable additions .... or they would have been the next Randy Pulley or Corey Frazier or Floyd McClain or Dick Missavage or Tony Brown. The difference is that now, in the cut-throat world of college basketball, we seem to have a coach and a staff who demand constant improvement. And if you don't measure up to their (his) standards and needs, you are gone. As I've said before on numerous occassions, I wouldn't want the job for all it pays. Is it drastic? I don't know. Is it drastic for SLU? Yes. Do we need drastic? Unfortunately yes or we would not be where we are right now. It is said that at each level, the talent increases. Can you cut it at that level? Some do, others don't. Its not a value judgment on the kid, rather its a fact. So you are the coiach -- who's cntinued livelihood depends on wins and losses. Maybe you screwed up and got a lemon. Maybe after a year something pops and you realize, oops, bad hire. Scholarships are one-year renewables. Again, Majerus has a shelf life. This will be year four of what some say is a five- to six-year gig. If he goes longer and enjoys the continuing success, I am all for it. Maybe that's a sad statement on my part. I don't want anything illegal, but change had to come to this program or it would wallow away for another three or four decades. That I don't want. And accepting change is a hard thing to do. Kind of like the greatest fear being speaking in public.

Yes ...my space bar has a tendency to jump in a space or two early. I've resorted to typing with two fingers --- nerve damage in left elbow --- you'd never know how many times you need an "A" and a numb left pinky finger sucks. No boozin --- just yet!!!!