Taj79

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!!!!

Over on www.earlaustinjr.com he has posted his Inaugural STL Prep All-Stars. Some of the names I know, most I do not. But I was curious where these kids are going, if anywhere, to play their college ball. I am sure Vtime (may he always rest in peace) woul dhave been on here yelling for SLU to offer all, but what is up with some of these kids and did SLU look at them or what? Just curious. And, for anyone who has followed my discussion line on this is th epast, thne you know I don't consider STL talent to be all that impressive. Brad Beal we all know inked with Florida. Earl says Roosevelt Jone si ssigning with Butler. One that got away? Again? Scheer signed with Mo State. I think I remember hi sname being bantered about on here. Eric Clark? Ben McLemore? Bueleer? Bueller/ Any one? Second team has Shaq Boga. I remember that name. Derick Dilworth (Webster Groves). Ryan Pierson (CBC). Garret Reeg (Oakville). And Will Triggs (Edwardsville). Third team has seniors Michael Messer (Lafayette), David Wiegmann (Breese Central) and Brier West (Soldan). Fourth team seniors include Cortez Conners (Webster Grovesr, Toraino Hellems (Oakville), Julian Johnson (Whitfield) and Jarrion Norris (Cahokia). I also saw where hgis All-Freshmen Team included the next Swopeshire. Target for foen the road?

Dayton has lost one of those recruits as posted below, shooting guard from West Lafayette, IN. Criminal charges or something of that nature. Dayton has two guards and two small forwards coming in. Staten, the point, went from the Dayton area to Oak Hill for his senior year. Dayton folsk were afraid the ACC woul dmak ehim decommit. He did not. He had a 6'11" friend who was also supposed to come to Dayton. i don't see him listed rght now. Has one of those ESPN-wise 94 ratings. Spearman, the shooting guard, rates a 91. The two small forwards are 89 and 87, respectivley. While I constantly laugh and make fun of Brian Gregory's in-game management and decisions, the boy can recruit. And he recruits athletes. I am sure these four kids can all run, jump and sky with the best in the nation. Can they execute an offensive philosphy? Does Gregory have an offensive philosophy? Lamont Warren was a great point guard, as long as he was running a fast break. Lowery coiuld bomb it but not distribute. Him throwing the ball away against us in overtime sums it up best. Mickey Perry couldn't do either. The folks in Dayton refer to Huelsman as their triple-double; two points, two rebounds and two fouls a game. Amazing how he now holds the Dayton record for most games played in a career and most starts (all of them). This is the level i can see BC attaining in the thread "Who's better BC or CE?' Not much? No. Useful? Absolutely. Necessary? No question. Marques Johnson faded down the stretch; if he had half the goo dnumbers from his junior year, Daytonwould have done much better. They still can't shoot short of the fabreize kid. As someon eelse said, the college game goes through the guards. Staten is it. Dayton also has a transfer coming in from Drake. Supposedly a grat point and scorer. He will be the key while Staten gets up to speed. Gregory and Dayton are always going to press and run and be frenetic. Their defense will always run their offense. That's why I like our matchups against them ---- while we don't do it personnel-wise, we control the style of play. That is a great equalizer and it forces Dayton to thinbk instead of play ---- and they are apt to lose more that way then not.

Coming back to YouDee. Short of dunking, maybe he'll discover a secondary offensive skill set under Brian this, his last year.

We did Cancun for Christmas 2004 at the Cancun Palace. Then again in 2008 at the RIU Cancun. Cancun is shaped like a "7" --- the land mass with the Caribbean on the long side of the seven, the bay across the top, and the lagoon in the middle. The action is more hopping at the point of the "7" but I think the arena is more on the mainland. The mainland can be a tough town, the resort is th epeninsular "7". The Palace is down the seven some from the point; I'd stay at the RIUs again if I went. Bus service is great; taxi drivers will make you go prematurely bald. All-inclusive is nicest; but the restaurants are good if you like Senor Frogs, Rainforest Cafe, Hard Rock, Carlos & Charlies, Chilli's and the usual chains. Christmas Week is supposedly akin in Mexico as 'vacation month' is in Europe --- everybody is on vacation. Two to four weeks off, the resorts crowded. I did no f ind it that way. I found the whole Christmas thing to be a way to inflate the prices. And daylight is still shorter. Attendance is never good at these things especially the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Cancun. Heck, the only reason Maui look spacked is that the gym seats like two thousand folks and a bunch of those are on charter trips put on by school slike Maryland, Duke, Gonzaga and others.

Clyburn signed with Utah, right?

You can't please all the people all the time ... perception is reality, for the individual holding that particular perception. All I'm saying is you can't worry about who perceived what. You do what you have to do. You can't do something because billiken_roy won't like it. You can't do it because thicks won't like it. You can't do it because Taj won't like it. And you can't do it because JJ or JR won't like it. You do what you believe is best for you and your program. Bottom line. Finito. Now..... if you can do that and balance your stated care to your players, all the more better for you. You have to look at yourself in the mirror. How many of us have 100% of the things in our life go perfect? Of course, you also can't do this year-in and year-out and not draw negative perceptions to your and your program. I think the NCAA is on to this with limited scholarships (13) and the new move to examine graduation rates and tie those to continuation of those 13 athletic scholarships (in men's basketball). A kid gets five years to play four, sometime six with a medical year. I think the kid graduates in that time, your schollies are kept available. If the kid gets a grad degree, ala Lisch or Justin Johnson, you get a bonus chit to bail out and use in terms of kids leaving or not graduating. Transfers are tough and not accounted for right now --- at least that's what guys like Huggins say. So the sytem needs a tweak or two. I don't know what you can do in terms of the TLIII or Nik Caner-Medley situations. As we all know, TLIII almost didn't graduate, instead hanging it up in March of his senior year when the season was done. He came back and graduated as far as I know so that was okay. But Caner-Medley at Maryland and Bobby Brannen at UC are prime examples of kids who shoot their senior year once the playing season is over and begin trying out for pro teams. Most of that is with European or South American teams. But they don't graduate and that penalizes a program through no fault of the programs doing. That has to be remedied. Overall, I like the thought of this kind of deal --- and deals that keep the one-and-doners out. But that's just me ---- you know the Derrick Rose's of college basketball will continue to outwit, outlast and outplay the NCAA. College basketball's version of "Survivor." John Wall might have enrolled for his second semester of his freshman year but do you think he finished it? Got hismid-term grades to stay eligible and quit everything but basketball? Its not that uncommon. Did Ian graduate? Luke? Polk? Did Hughes come back and get a degree? How wou;ld Justin Tatum count? I'll bet you every program will have issues to look at in this regard.

Quelching any Brian Gregory rumors, Iowa State hires an alum --- with no collegiate coaching experience. Clyde Drexxler II?

As a person frequently in the line of public questioning fire, our motto is that everything that is said is "on the record." But that's in a professional sense. Classmates talking to classmates is one thing; its incumbent upon the individual not to betray that confidence. Some do, some don't. The call rests with the individual. However, if you do something, anything, there should and wil be consequences. The thing that bugs me is that people don't accept responsibility for their actions anymore. That goes for a lot of the smack talkers who are emboldened by the relative anonymous universe that are internet chat boards. So it goes ..... I speak to a lot of folks ..... players, the AD, a little with the assistant coaches, alumni reps, folks on thids board in the PM arena and a lot with the athletic department and the rare Bionid siting. All those people, with the exception of Biondi (who I haven't asked yet) know about Steve's little universe here and do some reading as well. They know we are out here, they talk about it all the time. I've also had people answer my question with "I'm not telling you because it'll go up on Billikens-dot-com the minute you leave here." I can honestly say that has never happened and never would. And yet I get that in what I consider a whole lot of situations --- the most recent being the Ellis saga. Respect is earned not a birthright and that's the same principle on these boards. PS: in a long forgotten, discarded thread, I said I had heard of one more transfer coming. It was not Justin Jordan so that bit of information is still awaiting confirmation. But I am seeing signs .... still.

link http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-spor...sts-669881.html

Looks like YouDee is walking away from the Berry kid, two guard out of West Lafayette,Ind., rated by ESPN as a 91 rank player. Something about two brushes with the law and BG and Company said thanks but no, ee ya. Link was in Dayton Daily News but I don't have it here.

Even with two great ankles, where does Conk improve? And remember I love this kid's moxie and game --- but people peak and I say that even bionic ankles don't raise Brian much higher than he is now. He can't sky with the other bigs. He's not a post-up shooter despite playing a post-up position. He'll scrape and fight and give you his all, but it will be situational at best. Ellis seems more a Morrison type ---- the kid that was at Gonzaga. Smart. Gets by on defense doing enough but not the yeoman-like work a Conk will give you. But athletic bigs will go over and around both. Neither could play Jason Love or Jameel McClain or Lavoy Allen. On the other end, Ellis is the better offensive threat so that's how you play it.

Larry Brown drafted Hughes for the Sixers all those years ago. Now Brown is running th Bobcats. Coincidence? I remember some (roy I recall) denigrating the situation in Philly when Hughes left for being a situation not conducive to Larry's talents (as any would be playing second fiddle to Iverson). Yet he's abck with Brown. Interesting. Bottom line: just another grossly overpaid journeyman. You want him to do well but its always been a rollercoaster.

An all-city player from here in Baltimore --- forget the name but 6'9" --- got a full ride to Pitt in October. Scholarship fro academics. On Wednesday, a story here ran that after playing with hi sAAU team in a tournament in Pittsbvurgh this past weekend, he met with Jamie Dixson and staff and was invited to try out for their team as a walk-on. He accepted and said he is excited because they promised him time to develop as a four. Now, I'm not disputing anything anyone has said here, but I am sure there are ways to do this and I am sur ethe NCAA is on to those ways and this kid will get investigated the same way Michael Oher did a Ole Miss as portrayed in "The Blind Side." In this kid's case, I am certain because his academics were locked up early, the walk-on status will clear. Teams cannot stockpile talent by offering academic schollies and athletic schollies in some twisted combination. I am certain the UNCs and Dukes and Kentucky's all know how and have tried things we can't even comprehend. But it does not work this way --- anymore.

So instead of one play-in game we will now have four? All that means is three bubble BCS teams get in now and the other three 16 seeds will play another, comparable 17 seed. Three more Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions versus Harris Stowe Hornets games. A whole four game dose on that Tuesday after Selection Sunday. Hope they are all at YouDee Arena ---- what else do the Daytonites have to do on a Tuesday in March? Going to take some of the luster off of rushing the floor when winning the SWAC or MEAC conference tournament. Its going to go to 96 ---- its inevitable. Money talks. Like someone said, instead of b*tching from the 66th best team, it wll now fall on to the head of the 69th best team. Then it will be the 9th best team.

Where will Conklin improve? If he gets bigger, he'll look like O'Rear at Northern Iowa --- who looked fat to me in the NCAAs. He isn't going to get much more in terms of a vertical. He's shown no ability to stick the jay from 10 - 15 feet. He adds toughness, sure, which mans five extra fouls to give on the front line but athletica,ly, I'd put him behind Reed, Smith and even Remuken --- kids he's competing for minutes against. Now throw in Evans. Love what a kid like Conklin adds to a team but he's a "garbage" kind of player --- kind of like Tom Henson, Marc Ivaroni, Kurt Rambis, Don Nelson and many others who have played such a role. That's fine when the four main cogs are reliable but we don't have that right now. I see Conk's minutes going down, situational at best. Ellis is many of the things Conk is not ---- mobile, can shoot the jumper, pass, etc. Ellis got waxed a few times on the boards by bigger, more physically athletic forwards. He's too slow to cover a three and too small to dee up against bigger fours. Luckily, in the college game, those are far and few between. So Ellis needs to improve more to get better and has the better shot. Conklin has peaked for all I can see.

.... Philly papers say its similar to last year's Scottie Reynolds move, no agent and free evaluations. They expect him back at Temple in fall. I think he has a bigger upside than Chris Wright so we'll see.

Do you thinbk he'll come yto us at Chaifetz or will it be Mizzou or the Illini at Savvis?

Temple is going to be tested that is for sure. However, I don't know how "good" this schedule will make them. My rationale: the college game runs through the guards. Temple has a good one in Juan Fernandez but he looks like one good forearm shiver from the fifth row and a trip to disabled list. I don't think that will happen and I'm not advocating it and I also think he's sly and does a lot to MAKE himself look that way for deception. But Temple lost two senior guards in Luis Guzman and Ryan Brooks. And they only played six or seven deep so no one was really developed. Moore was a good sixth man but is a three; Williams is a 6'9" three-point wannabee so Allen and Eric were alone on the front line. If I were us --- I'd send Mitchell, John, Jordan, Salecich and McCall all at Fernandez --- that's 20 fouls to give (never giving Mitchell's fouls away ever). I'm not even sending Cassity into that realm. Take Fernandez out of the game and you will beat Temple. With nothing developed, per se, that means Dunphy has to rely on the incoming freshmen and I am certain Temple will surprise and get one or two no one hears or knows about that are "Philly good." But with Fernandez a junior and with two more years to play, is a top notch point guard going to want to come into that situation? I think not and besides it is Temple --- top notch point guards go to Nova in town; other Big East schools so they can come home other years. Temple will be schedule tested but might be road weary. What if Allen braks down? All I'm saying is that they are not deep and staying healthy is a luck not every team enjoys each year. Right now, hoever, both Fernandez and Allen are on my preseason All A10 team for 10-11.

Nice "sustainability" discussion. Keeping Porter is no more a guarantee to continued success than it is to hire a guy at some contrived salary plateau like $1 million. To me, the key remains identifying talent and then fitting it into your system along with getting the kids' buy-in. As I said in a previous thread, I believe Brian Gregory did not have the total buy-in from his senior point guards coming down the stretch. He lost games because of it IMO. Rich Grawer's final year had kis walking off the court in the middle of games; Melvin Robinson was better than anyone else in his mind. Eighteen-year-old John Wall publicly disagreeing with his head coach (early on and it was Calipari). The lie of a mid-major or even a low-high major is complicated by the fact that the studs are all going to go where they want to go. Five punks declared from UK this past week --- I don't want those kids. I want four-year kids, and to find them, you got to have a hellova talent evaluator and then a guy who's confident in his system. Then you need player loyalty. That is a tough roll of the dice to come up with in today's college BB atmosphere. Ouside of Randy Bennett, we aren't exactly the cradle for assistant coaches, either. Porter could recruit at ISU as I recall, did he get fired because he couldn't game coach???? I don' know ---- I'm just asking.

What's a Washburn? Too much abrasive soap? Best luck to the kid but as a former Mr. Kansas Basketball winner, I guess i was expecting more.

We need to improve the outside shooting ...... I expect thst to come from a more rested and familiar Ellis, and maturity improvements from Cassity, Jordan, and Salecich with the addition of McCall. As I read it here, Loe becomes an options as well. You've got a big 4/5 roaming the perimeter to the point that his 4/5 has to abandon the paint and cover him, Reed gets more maneuver room. Plus, without a second saggin big in there on defense, Conklin's shooting percentage might improve from simple subtraction. I see Brian worried about who's coming in from behind and he seems to rush the put backs. I have some problems with Ellis at the three due to speed in covering other, more athletic threes. But Cody got manhandled at poitns on the boards trying to paly against ibgger, bulkier fours. How do we parse out the defense on Temple'sa front line of Eric, Allen and Moore? We would seem to be short in all accounts placign Loe, Reed and Ellis on them in that order. Again maturity and weight gain has to help but you know Loe and Evans won't be ready no matter what and then its improvements from the returning vets plus Remuken and Smith. The potential is there. Free throws come down to two people mostly -- Reed and Cassity. If Reed improves to 65 - 70% the overall will go up because he needs to be in there at the end and he will be our version of Hac-a-Shaq. Cassity will be in there at the end and I am hoping that with more bench help --- i.e. McCall, an improved Jordan and Salecich, a healthy John and plus ups by Smith and Evans, Kyle doesn't have to go full tilt defending and playing 39 minutes a game. First thing that goes when tired are your legs and legs are what is the basis of a shot. Kyle's numbers should improve there, if that happens. I'm hopinf to chalk the three point shooting improvement to maturity as well. We know what we are and who we are. Improvements are to be made. Make them, and we will be fine. As for an addition, I'm for an athletic three. I think the four is fine with Reed, Remuken, Smith, Conklin and Loe. I am not sure we have a five but we never had (except IV and Heiney) so who cares. Ellis needs more athleticis to stay a true three so he bumps into the four group as well. We are overpopulated at the 1/2 with Mitchell, Jordan, John, Cassity, Salecich and McCall. John is too small to be a three and Evans is a freshman. The three is light and incomplete ---- Ellis is a shooter and heady player but not typically athletic; Smith is athleticly long but can he shoot; John plays defense but is still an offensive unknown after two years in the program; Cassity is too short and is athletic like Ellis; Evans is a freshman; Salecich mirrors Cassity. I'd go with a super three ---- a Jordan Crawford, Larry Hughes, Gordan Hayward style three.