tseugnekillib

only a fool would think that SLU only has 3 prospects on their current list!

nice reward for Wendell's hard work at practice. Coach Soderberg stated at the post-season banquet that Wendell would not have to compete with the other walk-on candidates for a spot on the 2006-7 squad....glad to see he is also getting the unused scholarship money.

Spoon wanted Tate, himself,....but Tate went to Missouri and played for Norm Stewart. Since Tate has only two years head coaching experience, and all at MAC, perhaps you are thinking of Gene Bess who has been at 3Rivers for a live-time.

long rain /lightning delay....not sure if/when it re-started.

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since June of 2003, how many months has IV spent at SLU and how many with the GNT?

cheese.... other than Butterfield this past May, who has Tate sent to Missouri during his two-year stint at Mineral Area?

It's great that Tommie is being noticed by the Spurs. It also proves the point that a good high school player doesn't have to play in the ACC to get noticed by the NBA. I wonder how many calls the Spurs made..... like their call to SLU re Tommie. My guess is that they made 20+ calls across the country. Hopefully, the interest shown by a NBA club won't distract Tommie away from his academic responsibilities.

Ragin, what do you think those 2002-2003 tapes of IV showed? It sure in the hell wasn't the IV of Feb or March 2006! I believe Soderberg saw a kid with soft hands, a good shooting touch, and a capable passer. Perhaps he also saw a young 17yr old with 6-10+ body that needed some work. Bottom line.....IV was not a given 2006 first team A-10 center in those 2002-3 tapes.

Quin Synder, Floyd Irons, Norm Stewart,Rich Grawer, Spoon, John Wooden, Joe B. Hall, Jerry Tarkanian, Billy Tubbs and a thousand other former coaches are also out of work!!!! (btw, Montgomery and CL worked at Stanford at the same time for 12 years.)

From watching Kevin practice with the Bills, I thought he lacked ball-handling skills and, more importantly, the physical strength to bang daily with D1 players. Ian Mooney from Texas and Wendell Bennett were both much stronger/tougher than Kevin at that time, especially the Mooney kid. btw, Mooney will be a walk-on for the second year at the University of Texas.....he is a tough practice player. Bennett will be a third year walk-on at SLU this season.

once again skipper....I think your comments are very reasonable!

finest.....didn't Alex Tyus attend Country Day before transferring to one of the Hazelwood schools. Amazing someone interested in education would leave Country Day for Hazelwood ????.

Perpetual Hard-On Guy or simply PHOG

bauman, with school in-session and the coaches now allowed to do their minimum instructional workouts with small groups of players, I suspect there is significantly less pick-up games. Weekends may be a better timing for any pick-up games.

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Mojo, of the several players that have transferred from Marquette in the past 3-4 years, which ones were early committments? Thanks.

Billiken 75......you have to keep in mind that Hardball (PHOG) has never ever gotten over the fact that Coach Soderberg passed on Blake Ahearn. That fact will eat at Hardball until the day he dies! Sad, but true. Hardball wants early, early commitments like there is a prize for gaining non-binding verbal commitments in September. Bottom line.....it is the win-lost record that counts and not if you sign your quality recruits in November, April, May, June, July or August. Coach Soderberg has a "business plan" that HE thinks will build a successful long-term program. Coach Soderberg will succeed or die with HIS business plan. That plan will be judged on wins and loses, and not on early non-binding verbal commitment dates. It is really that simple.

Maybe someday we will see Hughes and the Cavaliers play a pre-season exhibition game at the new SLU arena. Not sure if a promoter could make money on this venture with a 10,600 arena. Not sure how the NBA drew at the Savvis in their NBA exhibition games. Where's Joe Yates when you need him!

While I think Frankie and the Rammer will have more in-depth Billiken conversations with their mid-day show.....I also think Slaten will have less talk about the Billikens without Ramsey at his side forcing the issue. Botton line....a better conversation, but less overall minutes about SLU basketball.

Shelti..... Monte Poole was Ekker's recruit!

At times, you will hear comments or discussions on which coaching staff could best evaluate talent or recruit. I believe there are many factors that go into why a certain player lands at what school. At the same time, I don't believe the coaches at Duke or UNC are better talent evaluators than the next 50 or 75 schools, I just believe the Dukes and UNCs are fishing in a richer pool of talent. For example, I don't believe Coach Romar is a better evaluator of talent at Washinton than he was at SLU, it's just at Washington he has access to a better and deeper pool of talent than he did during his three years in St. Louis. A lot of the recruiting for those schools further down line from the Dukes and UNCs comes down a coach's preference and his ability to draw his higher ranking preferences to his school.....just my opinion. Below are the recruits signed by Grawer, Spoon, Romar and Soderberg. Some players may be walk-ons, or started as walk-ons. Accuracy is + or - 10%. Players that came in the year of a coaching change were a bit iffy....see Marque Perry. GRAWER: Abdur Rahiim Al Martim,Eric Bickel,Anthony Bonner,Donnie Braun,Tony Brown,Luther Burden, Melroy Butler,Robert Carr, Erwin Claggett,Quitman Dillard, Monroe Douglass, John Duff,Chip Entwhistle, Kevin Footes, Jeff Ford,Jeff Gaona, Eduardo Garcia,Ryan Grant,Keving Grawe, Roland Gray, Scott Highmark, Jeff Hoback,Martin Howell, Redditt Hudson,Dwayne Hunt, McClother Irvin,Mike Ivester,Paul Jansen,Lowell Jefferies, Anthony Jones, Marcus Jones, David King,PeeWee Lenard,Jeff Luechtefeld,Tony Manuel,Damond McCann,Ted Mimlitz,Guy Moore,Charlie Newberry,Carvin Norman,Chris Peay, Greg Polite,Dale Renken,Melvin Robinson,Jim Roder,Rashid Shabazz,Carlos Skinner,Brian Smith,Vincent Smith, Todd Starks, Tom Stock,Travis Tadysak, Jamie Thomas,Ramon Trice, Jorge Wallace,John Wells,Daryl Wesley,Kevin Williams, Rick Williams, Julian WinfieldKevin Zapoir. SPOON: Matt Baniak, Sekeue Barentine, Jeramy Biles,Donnie Campbell, Tyrone Caswell,Virgil Cobbin, Charles Cranford,Donnie Dobbs,Derek Dust,Derek Falb, Dave Fergerson,Corey Frazier, Corey Grays,Andy Haemker,Chris Heinrich,Larry Hughes,Jamal Johnson,Eric Jones,Justin Love, Ryan Luechtefeld,Rasheed Malik Malik,Carlos McCauley,Evan Pedersen,Marque Perry,John Redden, Troy Robertson, David Robinson,Carlos Sharlow,Larry Simmons,Justin Tatum,Carl Turner, H Waldman,Jamall Walker,Luke Woltering Dan Wuebban. ROMAR: Marque Perry(supposedly had to re-recruit after Spoon left, who knows)Josh Fisher, Maurice Jeffers,Andrew Latimer, Floyd McClain, Chris Sloan,Jason Edwin, Daeryn Carter,Ross Varner,Randy Pulley,Kenny Brown,John Seyfert. SODERBERG: Anthony Drejaj,Justin Johnson,Izik Ohanon,Reggie Bryant,Bryce Husak,Ian Vouyoukas,Tom Frericks,Darren Clarke,Danny Brown,Luke Meyer,Dewayne Polk,Vas'shun Newborne,Obi Ikeakor,Tommie Liddell,Kevin Lisch,Dustin Maguire,Adam Knollmeyer,Horace Dixon.

speaking of juco's ...... how did Marquette end up with two jucos and two transfers on this year's roster. Who jumped ship?

cheese said...."if you are Brad you have to cover your bet to some extent". I agree. Plus, it is only a two-year gamble that in effect balances your roster somewhat as today only TL and KL are in this year's soph class. Add one juco next year and you are then carrying three players in that class.

cheese said..... "I consider a solid/good recruiting class as one that has players that make a real contribution all four years". Considering that you have 13 players on scholarship.... for all 13 to "make a real contributions" every year is a serious stretch or it means that your team is having a "good" recruiting class about every three years. There are just 200 minutes per game for 13 scholarship players! Except for those few teams, like a North Carolina and Tyler Hansbrough (sp?), that get young NBA-ready talent, I believe most teams win big playing basically juniors and seniors and redshirted juniors and seniors. I'm also guessing most teams use a 7-8-9 man rotation late in the season and I'm guessing most highly successful teams are winning with experienced, strong, mature, upperclassmen. What was the 2005-06 roster make-up of George Mason, Gonzaga or Wichita State.....just curious? I have heard a college coach state (Spoon I believe) that players generally make their biggest improvement in their game between their sophmore and junior years. This season well tell much about DB, LM, DP and BH.