TheA_Bomb
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Posts posted by TheA_Bomb
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@billiken_roy I too love Avila and his basketball instincts are good. He'd still be a good player outside of Schertz offense but in the 5 out offense it maximizes his skillset.
I do think he'd be a liability on defense night in night out vs SEC or B12 big men. Unless that team had really good help defense.
So I think right here at SLU is his sweet spot. Close enough for his parents to watch him play. Hell maybe Chaifetz let's em fly in with him a couple times just to save gas.
Bills By 40 and cgeldmacher like this -
Didn't realize Kent was born in Austin, I wonder at what age he moved to IL?
This is not good.
Still haven't seen anything about Avila visiting Texas. I think that report was inaccurate.
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7 minutes ago, brianstl said:
Mark Pope to UK? Jesus, how the mighty have fallen.
They will riot in Lexington. I think the guy can be a good coach but not sure he'll get the chance. Was there really no one else?
BYU was pretty good. At home they killed, on the road not so much. Yeah they lost to Duq but on KenPom they were the #14 offense and #60 defense.
UK fans will not be happy. He has never accomplished anything in the post season. Even less than a certain former UK guard turned head coach.
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1 hour ago, Bilzz said:
WPB said on Twitter that Brett Putz is 1 of the 2.
https://eiupanthers.com/news/2023/5/24/brett-putz-joins-eiu-mens-basketball-staff.aspx
Putz is a former NJCAA Head Coach of the Year. He spent 1 year as an assistant at Tony Romo's alma mater Eastern Illinois University. Has roots to Iowa AAU, JUCOs, and experience in IL.
Unsure if the rumors are true that he gets a lifetime discount on Lender's Bagels and that's why Schertz is hiring him.
TRN likes this -
If USF Youngblood commits to Bama look for Texas to try to lock down Larry. Horns247 still haven't confirmed Avila visiting they're normally all over visits. So pull for Bama to whiff.
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1 minute ago, billikenbill said:
#TeamKaizan next up!!
Don't start.
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Notice the focus on actual basketball coaching, systems, development? That's refreshing.
He said 2 or 3 staff positions left to fill right?
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1 hour ago, brianstl said:
I don't know what to tell you. I don't think you really understand how much some of SLU"s boosters are really worth. These aren't the type of people that will be making NIL spends through a collective website. This isn't just Chaifetz that has stepped up. I have heard two different numbers for what will be available for SLU to spend on NIL this season. The lower of those two numbers would have put SLU among the very elite of P5 basketball NIL spending last season. Will Texas spend more this coming season than SLU will? Sure they could, I am sure they have the means to and they probably will. Also just because the money is available that doesn't mean SLU will spend every last penny of it. That still doesn't mean SLU won't be able spend just as much or more than Texas when it comes to what they are willing to spend on a specific player both programs are targeting. Being willing to spend that money doesn't even mean that SLU would land that player. There are many kids that would rather play for Texas at the end of the day.
I'm not diminishing the wealth of SLU Boosters. There's just economies of scale, Texas has more of those top level boosters and more of every other level.
I hope our Boosters are motivated, they seem to be, and can outbid a P5. Plus we have the inside track and the motivation to keep guys with their teammates and coach. Something other schools can't offer.
brianstl likes this -
1 hour ago, brianstl said:
SLU isn’t losing any of their targets because they can’t compete with the dollars offered. That doesn’t mean they will get everyone they target, but they won’t lose out because they couldn’t compete financially. Plus, why does everyone forget SLU has their own oil money?
I hope you're right on our "targets" which I assume we have an inside track on because our coach was their coach last season.
As you read this next part, know that I love SLU, I have 2 degrees from SLU, and one degree from Texas. When my children ask me if SLU played Texas in a sport who would I cheer for? I answer SLU without hesitation.
SLU does not exist in the same universe as Texas money. If the only factor was $ and Texas really wanted the player we're not likely winning that battle.
We have a collective that until recently didn't have a way to donate online or return inquiries. Texas has Collectives, plural.
SLU is upper middle class in the sports world in terms of support. The paying of the buyout, new coach and assumed promised NIL fund increase are all very good and can take this program where we want to go.
cgeldmacher likes this -
6 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:
He's visiting Texas with Julian Larry according to a Texas recruiting guy.
2 minutes ago, dlarry said:Not sure the Bills NIL can compete with Texas oil money NIL.
They can't compete. But I didn't see anything regarding Avila visiting with Larry on Horns247 and they're a really active pay board with moderators/journalists on top of recruiting.
Larry to UT makes sense as he's from Frisco, TX.
I don't see Avila fitting into Rodney Terry's offensive system (or lack there of).
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6 minutes ago, thetorch said:
Just hire Wade and be done with it.
It is good to see these high profile jobs with awful fan bases having trouble finding coaches.
Search Szn podcast host says his sources are saying SEC Commissioner edict is the reason no one hired Wade. That does make sense.
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1 hour ago, SLU_Lax said:
This makes me happy. Kentucky is a hard school to root for.
Then you need to look into Baylor's past. Really dark stuff.
I hate Baylor. Baylor's previous actions make it hard to defend those that criticize things like "toxic masculinity" and privileged athletes being above the rules/law. They created a cesspool of these problems on multiple occasions once when a basketball player was murdered and when they had a football coach recruiting multiple indicted, later convicted rapists that continued their crimes on Baylor against other athletes, that the school tried to cover up.
Plus Waco is a terrible city and their traffic driving north is annoying.
//rant over
Yeah UK fans might be in for a meltdown. This could get ugly.
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49 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:
The young fans who will experience all the winning over the next 3-5 years won't even know what we're talking about.
Kids also don't understand the National Defense Strategy but they live in a country of relative security. Kids don't understand how electricity is made and delivered to their homes but they live in houses with AC and heat. Kids don't understand the intricacies of how oil is discovered, extracted, refined, distributed but they ride a school bus. So it's up to us adults to do things to their benefit. College sports are not as important as those things but I'm not ready for SLU to go DII, DIII, or NAIA just yet.
To zoom in on another area you attempted to minimize the importance of, Social Media Marketing. We are all aware that NIL is necessary to attracting the best talent. NIL is enhanced by a good online presence. I eschew social media myself, but see the importance for the Athletic Department. Robbie Avila's online social media hype led him to greater NIL deals, media coverage including multiple appearances on Pat McAfee show. This raised the profile of ISU basketball and himself. He gets more NIL funds. This fact is not lost on potential recruits/transfers. At DKR Texas Memorial Stadium there is a room with all the National Championship and Conference Championship Trophies amongst them is a display tracking the online Social Media engagement. Why? Because today it really matters for recruitment and media deals. If SLU is to move to a better conference or stay in a decent conference our Social Media presence matters. TV Market Size doesn't matter anymore it's online engagement. That is the indicator used to determine media value not a cities population. Tuscaloosa Alabama is not a big city. There is no city in Alabama bigger than St. Louis but Bama has a better TV deal than SLU? Why? Fan engagement and sustained success. Much of fan engagement is now done via social media. Not posting final scores to X or engaging regularly online is dereliction of the most basic duties of fan engagement and inexcusable.
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25 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:
If Chris May sticks around, new SLU fans will know him as the AD in Golden age of SLU sports, where all the major sports teams were winning. Meanwhile in MBM land we will still be talking about his social media failures and overpaying Travis Ford. We will become the grumpy old men. It is our destiny.
If Chris May sticks around we're very likely to miss the opportunities of the continuing changing landscape of college sports. More changes are coming and the SLU AD was not prepared for the telegraphed changes everyone saw coming the last few years. So why would we expect anything different now?
The ACC is about to implode setting off more conference changes. The SEC/B10 partnership may cause a schism with the NCAA and develop affect basketball only schools. NLRB rulings and other court rulings may bring changes in athletes status.
Lacking leadership and vision makes it hard to navigate these complex situations. Lacking organizational skills makes it hard to run an organization effectively during times of change. The skill of sucking up to rich donors, raising funds and spending their money is just one part of the skillset needed to be a successful AD.
"Grumpy Old Men" is your attempt to minimize the importance of those criticizing the lack of effective leadership. Some of us want SLU to be relevant, we haven't been for the last 10 years directly due to May. One hire, a good X post and press conference, doesn't mean you can navigate the upcoming difficult changes. Concerns about these changes are at the fore front of schools with much more money/influence than SLU, see the B12 doing everything they can to stay relevant. Can we claim SLU and the A10 is doing the same?
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Just to caveat off the above. I've praised the recent actions by the AD in hiring, media management and marketing. I hope it portends improvement. However, we shouldn't forget the previous financial mis-management, poor social media marketing, absence of basic media releases, inability to effectively navigate compliance issues last basketball season, and lack of foresight on the changing college landscape.
Don't be lulled to sleep on the AD's shortcomings by a good hire and good week. We need the alignment of the entire AD for SLU to reach it's potential not just a good MBB coach. Keep up the pressure to perform. No more SLUwellfare checks for the AD. He needs to earn it.
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3 minutes ago, cgeldmacher said:
Gotcha. Along those lines, I would assume our nutrition specialists, strength and conditioning coach, and facilities will help all of that more than what ISU was able to offer him last year.
Yeah I hope so. Seemed like we had a lot of injuries. So I'm hopeful the support staff is upgraded too.
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2 minutes ago, Bilzz said:
Question for people more knowledgeable than me at xs and os. Given that Avila is a true stretch 4 is it out the question that another similar type (Pryor/Turnbull/etc..) could also get significant minutes with them both on the floor? Or does that hurt too much defensively?
I think it helps defensively. 5 out on the offense is kinda positionless, everyone needs to be able to pass, screen, cut, shoot 3s. On defense you noticed Avila basically stationary under the basket. He's not the quickest dude so that helps him not get beat off the dribble. Another big man could help vs teams with size at 4 & 5. Also Avila was playing 75.7% of the minutes available need some quality depth. Kent is 6'8, if Turnbull came and we had Avila that's who plays in the front court.
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11 minutes ago, cgeldmacher said:
In the day and age of free agency, saying guys are only juniors or sophomores has much less meaning. If a kid comes here, we are only guaranteed to have him for one year.
Huh? You're missing the point. Avila is a sophomore and next year will be a junior. One more year of physical development, college weight room, trainers. That's a reason for optimism that the ISU MVC Tournament 2nd place team could be better next year. All 5 starters have another year of experience.
That's next season, not the season after. I'm not projecting them any further into the future.
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15 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:
The IU Indy Star beat writer had Conwell listed this morning on the "good fit" list, along with several other shooting guards. The dead period ends tomorrow, so visits will resume. Conwell is from Pike HS in Indy, will/has transferred after each of his two seasons, so look for him to set up multiple visits. Will he stop by SLU? I'd guess that he would.
Might be hard to overcome IU if they offer. But we already have a 6'5 3PT shooter already at SLU that can be as good or better offensively than Conwell. Not sure on how Jimmerson's Defense compares.
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This article thinks IU will push for Conwell. Good data on his analytics in Schertz's offense.
"Conwell's three-point shooting jumped to 40.7 percent on 7.1 attempts per game. He also made 85.5 percent of his free throws. Indiana State wanted to take threes and layups, and Conwell executed that to a tee. He took 260 three-pointers this season and 119 shots at the rim but only 31 two-point shots away from the basket, according to BartTorvik.com."
TheChosenOne likes this -
8 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:
Coach Schertz's team just finished runner-up in the NIT. They were the number one seed. If four starters end up in Billiken uniforms, that's something like 80% of the scoring returning. Add Jimerson or a significant portal player and that roster is even more talented than the one Coach Schertz had at ISU.
We will have more "knowns" than just about any mid-major in the country. You've seen enough previews to know that translates into a preseason top 25 ranking. This is the toughest position there is in coaching. To win when everybody expects you to.
Interesting point at first I thought about what they accomplished last year with limited expectations and worried he couldn't deal. But then I realized Coach Schertz has dealt with expectations in DII when he built a powerhouse.
More attention, more media, more pressure but the good ones get it done and sustain success.
Much better to be in this position than one with no hope, no expectations.
Need a little depth too, because I've heard injuries can be a problem.
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This UK hire has the potential to get really interesting.
Evergreen big name candidates Jay Wright probably not coming back and Donovan turned them down 3x already. Oats said he's staying. Maybe Baylor's Drew? Otzelberger probably hasn't done enough for them. Beard and Pitino (to return) have skeletons. Pearl probably too old and has reported deal with Auburn to have his son replace him, ditto for Sampson at UH.
All because SMU fired a winning coach, took USC's coach and USC took Arkansas' coach and Cal is buds with Tyson chicken owner and Arky booster, Who's probably part of the inspiration for the bad guy in True Detective season 3.
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1 hour ago, billiken_roy said:
exactly. while so many have written off Chris May, he didnt get to this position in his career to sit back and not prepare for the possiblities and inevitables. i see no reason he wouldnt have been developing alternatives and scenarios. i am also sure if he was smart he would be at minimum feeling out the whales for the program and getting input and feelings and continuing to develop those relationships.
last, he likely had an implementation plan that he could more or less insert the winning name into the scenario. you are all foolish to believe he would not be ready to react to not only save his own job, but more importantly save the Billikens. right now it appears that is what i believe happened and i thank Chris May completely. We are lucky we have the boosters we have and the leadership and assertiveness that Chris May delivered.
However it happened he got the hire right.
He also had a really good marketing plan and press conference.
So maybe he's stepping up his game.
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30 minutes ago, RUBillsFan said:
I'm hyped, but always want to have realistic expectations. We can't take winning the A10 as a given.
Indiana State finished 38 in KenPom ranking this past season. They did not make the field as an at-large. Dayton finished 32 in KenPom. Dayton was cleared viewed as the "best" team in the A10, but finished 3rd in the standings.
I understand but here's a reason for optimism.
Avila and Conwell were only Sophomores.
Kent, Swope, Larry were Juniors.
Not 1 Senior in the starting 5.
If he gets the band back together, there's some room for improvement physically and technically.
Recruiting - 2024
in Billikens.com Main Board
Posted
Oliver? We have done ok with internationals but never had an Englishman.
I do trust the coach. If we lose these guys I trust his ability to evaluate players for his system. What he say in the interview? He brought in 8 new players and they were the #1 efficient offense (KenPom) in the nation. That's not an accident.
I'd rather have the guys that he knows and already know his system but if that's not possible I think he can find the pieces he needs. Perhaps Even better pieces with higher upside given a bigger profile and deeper pockets.