bauman

Just to be fair, if your definition of St. Louis is the area, not just the city then you can move Build a Bear out of the positive and into the negative column since it is a net negative for the region. When taxpayers fund, through tax credits, a intra-region move it is just a cost w/o a benefit. Other than that, yes, a good few days for the region. And likely a negative for the STL County B-a-B employees who will have to add parking cost (or risking their lives on Metrolink) and having to pay STL City earnings tax, unless they currently live in the City.

Old Guy, I concur that we should not be assuming that we will fall out of the "top tier" (however that is defined) of the A-10. I understand a certain level of coach-speak, but unless TF is living in a dream world, I think he is not conceding anything about where we wind up in the A-10 standings. If we are 3/4 as good as he is sounding then I think we will be better than last year. It sounds like JB could be a definite upgrade from DJF in the role of a big; it sounds like JP might be no more that a small drop off from JB; GJ, JP, Weaver and an improved FT Jr should far exceed what we got from scoring beyond the arc and TH Jr. and YC give us abilities/qualities we didn't have last year. Couple all of that with normal progression from JG, HF, KCH and DJ and I think we are justified in having high expectations from this team. Looking at the non-conf schedule it seems like TF and staff are trying to put us in a place where an at-large bid is possible. He is certainly challenging the squad with few, if any, cupcakes.

We seem to have a big gap between FGCU (11/5) and E Washington (11/13) so I would guess that we are trying to get a game in that period. Pistol mentions that we need 18 home dates, but we had 19 last year so, with certain season ticket prices going up, it seems that we would at least keep the same number of home games.

Roy, I rest my case on using initials at some point in a thread of posts!! You would not have made the mistake of misspelling Jimerson's name if you would have just used GJ. The last time I checked the roster the only GJ would have been Jimerson

Looking back at last year, we had 8 non-conf home games; 9 conf home games and 2 exhib for a total of 19 gates. I assume that this is the number that they shoot for each year. I seem to recall that tournaments, like our game with BC and Tulane this year and Pitt and Fla St last year have some impact on number of games a team can schedule. Fla St was a one time game so it might not have had an impact on games we could play, kind of like Auburn this year. One thing that might impact our number of home gates is the K-ST game in KC. I don't think we had anything comparable last year. Confused? I know I am. Let's hope we can get this announced soon

The NCAA allows 15 scholarships for WCBB, not 13 like for the men.

But SPUMAC didn't really want any of the ones we got! The article (by a SPUMAC grad) implies that Illinois is a recruiting threat in the St Louis metro area. Other than the one year they got out of M Smith who else has Underwood gotten from the 314/618? I do have to admit that Martin has gotten a few really nice metro area kids, that we would have loved to have gotten. e.g.Watson and Tillmon

Not with the other schools on Love's list.

I'm certainly not a SPUMAC or Martin fan but he is still in the running for Love although I don't think Love is going to Columbia. Until Love announces, Martin is still in the chase.

72, your last sentence is EXACTLY what TF is trying to do and he has succeeded with a fair number-CAG (I know he's gone but he came because of Ford's "build a better program pitch"); JG; TH Jr; YC and FT Jr.

While I agree with your list of six, the main point of my post was to question why some on this Board seem to think that we have no chance with the 3 players mentioned because they have offers from "bigger and better CBB programs." What I was trying to say is that none of their offers should relegate SLU to a fallback status for RK, LK and DB. The Program TF is building will be competitive with all of the schools listed as offering them at this point. Until I hear from those players that we are no longer being considered, then I choose to believe that TF has a chance.

While a few posters on this Board have more inside knowledge of recruiting, looking at it from the outside, I don't understand the feeling that Kalkbrenner, Kasubke and Bradford have "blown up" relative to offers they are getting. I don't see any what I would consider blue bloods in the list of offers compiled by Pistol. I don't see Duke/UK/KU/UNC/Nova/Zaga/UVA/FLA/F. ST/ Auburn/MSU/Mich/TN, or other CBB powers listed in their offers. I see mid-level Big 10 and Big 12 schools along with a few Big East offers. I have to say I think X, which has offered all of them, is probably the best CBB program in their list of offers. Given the preceding, why do we think we are out of the running for any of the three? It's not like C. Love who is getting offers from Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and N Carolina. Don't get me wrong, I think all three of those local players would be great gets for Coach Ford and I would love to sign them, but I don't see them as having a list of offers from schools which are going to be better than SLU over the next 4-5 year period, so why not stay home and help TF continue to build the Billikens into a consistent top 30-50 Program? If you plan on making STL your home, why not get all the notoriety that comes from playing for SLU as opposed to X, DePaul, Iowa or Nebraska, just to name a few, and why not enjoy having your friends and family in the stands watching you?

I think last year showed how valuable a semi-local rivalry can be. If Butler wasn't a sellout it had to be close with a lot of the ticket revenue coming from Butler fans. If we could get an alternating home and home with them and one of the other schools mentioned above (Marq, DePaul, X) so that we had one of them on our home schedule every year it would be great from a $$$; fans and RPI (or whatever they call it now) standpoint. I don't care to see SPUMAC on our schedule. They are so much better than us so it would only ensure starting every year with a guaranteed loss!

Sorry but it not. His last name is Jimerson not Jimmerson orJamison which he has been called in a few posts. He is one of our top recruits so I think it is only common courtesy to spell his name correctly, especially sine the correct spelling has been pointed out before. If we can't spell his name correctly I suggest we use GJ. I don't see anyone misspelling our other recruit's names.

Who is JiMMerson?