TheA_Bomb

Schertz hired Phil Gaetano from Merrimak, a team recognized for their zone defense.  It's been called the no 3 zone or no fun zone. In any event, Shertz described Geatano as an Xs and Os servant. It makes me wonder if we will be running the no 3 zone?

Analysis below to answer @cgeldmacher's question.
Stats are from KenPom
ISU contributors (% of possession used) in order were:
Over 24%
Avila
20-24%
Conwell
Swope
Bledson
16-20%
Larry
Kent
 
Lineup projected Starters in Bold:
G Hughes, Dotzler
G Swope, McCottry, Johnson
G/SF Jimerson, Thames
PF Anya
C Avila, Casey, Pikaar
Swope took the most 3PA on ISU at 302 making 108
Gibson took the most 3PA on SLU at 214 making 74
Avila is the key to the offense. He is now a JR and gets to eat/workout at the O'Laughlin Champion Center so he should improve.
Swope see above. He can improve.
Is Jimerson better than Conwell? He is equal in 3PT shooting but less of a rebounder. Edge Conwell but Jimerson will improve in a better offense. Push.
Is Anya better than Kent? Anya has better OR & DR% but a lot less 3PT shots/makes. Push.
Can Hughes, Dotzler, Mccottry, Johnson be better than Larry in year one with Schertz? Probably not. Edge Larry.
Cumulative we have 2 improves, 1 push, and 2 likely less effective starters. That equals a push.
But I speculate that we'll have a deeper, more talented bench than ISU to withstand injuries etc.
So, yes, SLU can be better than ISU last season. Expect a top-3 A10 finish, 40 KenPom and a NCAA bubble season.
The prediction is that the offense is not at last year's ISU levels (that's hard to replicate) but still very effective, and the defense has slightly improved. 
 
 

Analysis below to answer @cgeldmacher's question.
Stats are from KenPom
ISU contributors (% of possession used) in order were:
Over 24%
Avila
20-24%
Conwell
Swope
Bledson
16-20%
Larry
Kent
 
Lineup projected Starters in Bold:
G Hughes, Dotzler
G Swope, McCottry, Johnson
G/SF Jimerson, Thames
PF Anya
C Avila, Casey, Pikaar
Swope took the most 3PA on ISU at 302 making 108
Gibson took the most 3PA on SLU at 214 making 74
Avila is the key to the offense. He is now a JR and gets to eat/workout at the O'Laughlin Champion Center so he should improve.
Swope see above. He can improve.
Is Jimerson better than Conwell? He is equal in 3PT shooting but less of a rebounder. Edge Conwell but Jimerson will improve in a better offense. Push.
Is Anya better than Kent? Anya has better OR & DR% but a lot less 3PT shots/makes. Push.
Can Hughes, Dotzler, Mccottry, Johnson be better than Larry in year one with Schertz? Probably not. Edge Larry.
Cumulative we have 2 improves, 1 push, and 2 likely less effective starters. That equals a push.
But I speculate that we'll have a deeper, more talented bench than ISU to withstand injuries etc.
So, yes, SLU can be better than ISU last season. Expect a top-3 A10 finish, 40 KenPom and a NCAA bubble season.
The prediction is that the offense is not at last year's ISU levels (that's hard to replicate) but still very effective, and the defense has slightly improved. 
 
 

The top 3 in minutes are more than likely going to be Avila, Jimerson and Swope.  None of those 3 guys are known as defensive stalwarts.  Thames and LHJ seem to have good defensive tools, but both are coming off a season where they were rotation players for one of the worst defensive teams in the nation.  Casey didn't play a ton & Miami was 112 defensively.  Brown was 183 and Anya was one of their better defensive players based on stats.  WV was 178 and Johnson played a lot for them without great defensive stats.  He seems to have good tools with with the big wingspan.
I'm not sure that adds up to the defense being better than ISU was last season.
On defense, Schertz teams:
Rarely give up 2nd chance points (his ISU teams were 13th, 9th, and 6th in the nation in defensive rebounding) Rarely foul a lot / give teams FTs (his ISU teams were 73rd, 162nd, and 27th in FT attempt per FG attempt) Largely force teams to win playing one on one / don't give up a lot of assisted buckets (112th, 7th, and 4ht in assists per field goal allowed) Given the make up of this SLU team I'd expect these 3 to continue.
On the down side, Schertz teams won't force a lot of TOs (310th, 235th, and 283rd in TO%) or block a lot of shots (350th, 344th, and 359th in block %).
All that adds up to a solid, but unspectacular defense.  If the D can limit good looks / hold FG% down, it will be good, if not it'll just be ok.  Since our offense should be really really good, that'll be the difference between a really good team and a great team.

According to the STL PD article he has a 6'8 wingspan and he's 210 lbs.  That's some beef at the Guard position.
 
According to KenPom he improved to .381 on 3 in Conference play (8-21) so he's not a volume shooter.  He was #3 in the nation in Fouls Commited for 40min at 1 compared to Jimmerson who was #1 in the A10 at 1.2. 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10104303-ranking-every-college-football-conference-after-the-2023-24-season
Last season CUSA barely edged out the MAC in average ESPN FPI.  MAC #10 with CUSA #9 of 10 total.  So yes last year it's the worst.  But CUSA isn't much better. MAC has more regional alignment for a Midwest school.
For basketball there's more of a gap. Per KenPom CUSA was #15 and MAC 24 last season.
If you're a SPUMAC Lite fan who would you rather play? Liberty, and Jacksonville St or Miami, and Ohio?  
Plus did you miss the part about the Snoop Dogg Bowl?
But to answer the question I didn't realize how bad the MAC is now. However, the difference in football with CUSA is negligible and basketball the gap is bigger but still they're both one bid leagues.
I'm glad I'm not a fan of that school.

TRANSFER IN (Updated 05/15/2024):
Davidson:
Joel Hurlburt (Colorado, 6'10"C): 10 gp, 2.4 mpg, 1.1 ppg. 6'10: C
Zach Laput (Bentley, 6'4" SG): 30 gp, 37.4 mpg, 20 ppg.
Dayton:
Zed Key (Ohio State, 6'8" PF): 36 gp, 15.4 mpg, 6.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg.
Jacob Conner (Marshall, 6'8" SF): 33 gp, 26.5 mpg, 6.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg.
Posh Alexander (Butler, 6'0" PG): 32 gp, 31.9 mpg, 11.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2.2 spg.
Duquesne:
Alex Williams (Furman, 6'5" SF): 25 gp, 26.9 mpg, 13.2 ppg, 4.8 ppg.
Jahsean Corbett (Chicago State, 6'6'" SG: 32 gp, 35.4 mpg, 15.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg.
Cam Crawford (Marshall, 6'5" SG): 24 gp. 17.6 mpg, 8.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg.
Trey Dinkins (Cansuis, 6'2" PG): 32 gp, 35.1 mpg, 15.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.4 apg.
Brandon Hall, East Tennessee State/Howard College (CC), 6'5" SG): 18 gp, 31.8 mpg, 16.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.5 apg.
Maximas Edwards (George Washington, 6'5" DG):  31 gp, 28.0 mpg, 12.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.2 apg.
Elijah Wilbon, St. Francis-PA, 6'8" PF): 30 gp, 25.6 mp, 10.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg.
Fordham: 
Matt Zona (Notre Dame, 6'9" PF): 33 gp, 11.3 mpg, 2.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg. 
Jackie Johnson III (UNLV,) 5'11" PG): 34 gp, 14.6 mpg, 5.4 ppg.
George Mason:
Brayden O'Connor (UMass - Lowell, 6'4" SG): 32 gp, 35 mpg, 9.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.2 apg.
K.D. Johnson (Auburn, 6'0" PG): 35 gp, 17.7 mpg, 7.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.2 apg.
Zach Anderson (Florida Gulf Coast, 6'7" PF):  32 gp, 31,8 mpg, 12.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.9 apg.
Giovanni Emejuru, Sienna, 6'10 C): 32 gp, 26.8 mpg, 11.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg.
George Washington:
Sean Hansen (Cornell, 6'9" C): 30 gp, 19.5 mpg, 8.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg.
Rafael Castro (Providence, 6'11" PF): 34 gp, 9.2 mpg, 2.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg.
Trey Moss (William & Mary, 6'3" PG): 33 gp, 31.3 mpg, 13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg.
Gerald Drumgoogle Jr. (Delaware, 6'5" SG): 33 gp, 28.6 mpg, 13.9 ppg, 3,8 rpg, 2.4 apg.
La Salle:
Eric Acker (LIU, 6'2" PG): 26 gp, 33.4 mpg, 12.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.8 apg.le
Corey McKeithan (Rider, 6'0" PG): 32 gp, 33.2 mpg, 8.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.3 apg.
Jahlil White (Temple, 6'7" SG): 28 gp, 23.5 mpg, 10.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.5 apg.
Loyola:
Jalen DeLoach (Georgia,6'9" PF): 32 gp, 12.8 mpg, 3.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg.
Francis Nwaokorie (UC San Diego, 6'7" PF): Did not play.
Kymani Houinsou (Washington State, 6'6" SG): 35 gp, 20.1 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg.
Justin Moore (Drexel, 6'3" PG): 31 gp, 28.6 mpg, 12.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.5 apg.
Umass: 
Daniel Rivera, Bryant, 6'7" PF): 33 gp, 31.6 mpg, 13.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.2 bpg.
Malek Abdelgowad , Murray State, 6'10" PF):  19 gp, 11.2 mpg, 3.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg.
Richmond:
Jonathan Beagle (Albany, 6'9" PF):22 gp, 30.7 mpg, 12.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg.
Dsuan Neskovic, Dartmouth, 6'7" SF): 23 gp, 26.2 mpg, 16 ppg, 4 rpg.
George Wahington III, Michigan, 6'2" PG): 22 gp, 6;6 mpg, 1.2 ppg).
B Artis-White, Western Michigan, 5'10" PG): 26 gp, 27.6 mpg, 10.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.2 apg.
Apostolos Roumoglou, Uconn, 6'7" SG):  24 gp, 2.1 mpg, 1.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.2 apg.
Rhode Island:
Jamarques Lawrence (Nebraska, 6'3" SG): 34 gp, 23.6 mpg, 6.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.5 apg.
Drissa Traore (St. Johns, 6'8" SF): 28 gp, 6.4 mpg, 1.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg.
Sebastion Thomas (Albany, 6'1" PG): 32 gp, 35.4 mpg, 19.6 ppg, 4,2 rpg, 4.9 apg.
St. Joseph's: 
Justice Ajogbor (Harvard, 6'10: C): 20 gp, 23.2 mpg, 8.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg.
Derek Simpson (Rutgers, 6'3" PG): 32 gp, 26.1 mpg, 8.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.9 apg.
St. Bonaventure:
Lajae Jones (Barton CC, 6'7" SG): 37 gp, 26.7 mpg, 15.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg.
Jonah Hinton (Panola CC, 6'3" SG): 34 gp, 7.1 mpg, 14.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.2 apg. (MPG off here?)
Dasonte Bowen (Iowa, 6'3" PG): 25 gp, 13.5 mpg, 4.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.0 apg.
Chance Moore (Missouri State, 6'6" SG): 31 gp, 26.8 mpg, 10.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg.
Jaxon Edwards, Valparaiso, 6'5" SG):  31 gp, 24.7 mpg, 7.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.3 bpg.
Saint Louis:
 Kalu Anya (Brown, 6'8" PF): 31 gp, 27.5 mpg, 9.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg.
Josiah Dotzler (Creighton. 6'4" PG): 19 gp, 4.1 mpg, 1.3 ppg.
AJ Casey (Miami of Florida. 6'8" SF): 24 gp, 9.4 mpg, 1.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg.
Isaih Swope (Indiana State, 5'10" PG): 37 gp, 33.5 mpg, 16.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.1 apg.
Robbie Avila (Indiana State, 6'1g.0" C): 37 gp, 31.2 mpg, 17.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.1 apg.
Kobe Johnson, West Virginia, 6'3" PG): 31 gp, 26.4 mpg, 6.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.3 bp
Virginia Commonwealth: 
Jack Clark (Clemson, 6'10" PF): 25 gp, 23.5 mpg, 4.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg.
Jamarii Thomas (Norfolk State, 6' PG): 33 gp, 31.1 mpg, 16.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.8 apg.
Phil Russell, UT-Arlington, 5'11" PG): 22 gp, 29.2 mpg, 14.9 ppg, 4.4 apg.
 
 

I do love a good Banksy after a Van Give and Gogh 

It's almost like there's a coherent media campaign that benefits Saint Louis basketball.

It's almost like there's a coherent media campaign that benefits Saint Louis basketball.

It's almost like there's a coherent media campaign that benefits Saint Louis basketball.

I apologize if this has been shared before, but there is an Etsy store that has two great vintage SLU t-shirt designs.  I added the t-shirt to my cart and a day later, I got a 10% off coupon offer, so if you are buying, consider that strategy.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/GatewayClothingCo?ref=l2-about-shopname

Bills move into a tie for first by scoring 2 in the 9th and 2 in the 10th to take a 5-4 victory and get the sweep over Mason!!

Well I was a Ford supporter who got on the dump Ford train late.  One thing I disliked about Ford was his apparent dislike for playing 2 Bigs at the same time.  I think that ends with Schertz.
I see a lineup of Avila, Swope, Jimerson, Casey or Anya, &  Dotzler/Hughes/or PG or CG still to be signed.  And would love to see Swope and Jimerson pushed hard this Summer by players hungry for playing time.
Needless to say, looks like this team will have a very solid, competitive and sizable rotation this season.  Summer workouts should be viciously competitive. 

Yeah but having an intelligent or a quirky character troll from the team you just decimated can be stimulating.  Not saying this do-fuss is either yet but it's a young season.

Yeah still not irony.  I think you are confusing it with hypocrisy. If you consider SLU's actions hipocritical then you're ignoring the actions of MVC schools and schools in every other conference better than the MVC. Hence criticizing SLU fans and not criticizing them as well, makes you a hypocrite.
While you obviously read my post you didn't understand. It's ok, not everyone grasps concepts immediately. Hang in there buddy you'll come to understand.
To review: If given a choice, schools and fans don't want to move to a lesser conference. The lesser conference coaches and good players will often move to better conferences. Accepting that movement doesn't mean you should be willing to move to a conference with less NCAA bids, media coverage and revenue.
It's just something else that seems hard for you to understand. But please try to seem smart in your retort by explaining a simile or some other non-sequiter.

Because he's smart and an actual SLU fan 2 things others lack.  Stick to cutting and pasting, Pal.

Because he's smart and an actual SLU fan 2 things others lack.  Stick to cutting and pasting, Pal.

Because he's smart and an actual SLU fan 2 things others lack.  Stick to cutting and pasting, Pal.