slufanskip

I am glad I kept reading and see there are some positive fans out there. If we are depending on AD to shut down the opposing 3 we are in trouble. There is no comparing AD to JF. JF was bigger and stronger. Guarding the 3 will be an issue but many 3's are slashers and not shooters so we need to match up ... give space and make them shoot. The ones who are shooters usually arent as quick and a quick smaller gaurd can harass them and deny them the space and the ball. There are very few who are good shooters anf slashers ... so we need to match up well ... Brad will figure it out. I don't think it matters who starts. TF if he can stay healthy will get the most inside minutes maybe 25-30. then you have IO,IV, and VN to fill the remaining 50-55 minutes with JJ getting some and BH a few. I don't see where we are not pretty good inside. At the 3 guards ... we have a lot of strength ... I see DP, RB and Alexander starting ... we know RB can score and I can guarantee you DP will be able to get his share. If Alexander can score as I expect he can ... we will be hard to defend. And I didn't even mention AD, DC and LM. ( If you have not seen DP play ... get ready, this kid is GOOD. ) I for one and very excited about the prospects of the upcoming year. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

I just started reading this thread and I am surprised at how negative. I can't beleive more of you do not think that IV is going to be very good. He had some good moments as a true freshman. Name me a few centers that had decent years as freshman ... not many. Some people have been confining themselves to too much Billiken BBall where you haven't seen a center in so long that you forgot what they looked like. IV has a big frame with a nice touch on his shot, he needs more upper body strength and work on his footwork, it will come and ... he will be good ... maybe very good. BH is going to be a freshman this coming year ... he is over 7' I haven't seen him play ... but all the negatives I hear are exactly what I would expect from an 18 or 19 year old 7 footer. Brad says he has potential ... give him a chance. I keep hearing about Donnie Dobbs as a good PF, and I know Jeff Harris wasn't bad. Many of you wanted the 6'6" Matt Shaw. But now that we've signed the 6'6" VN the expectations seem to be low. I'm confused ... or maybe just slow. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

Sounds like fun ... wish I could have been there I grew up and am still an OU fan. Can't wait until they lose in the finals to SLU Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

I just had too post something ... couldn't stand to see a day with no posts Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

Just couldn't let a day go by without some kind of Billiken post ... true or made up. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

Welcome to the board ... We are all interested anytime you can add some perspective to our babble. We are all looking forward to having Tommie at SLU. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

One of the knocks on Gary Buchanon coming out of high school was that he played against weak competition ... he turned out ok. I hope he gets onto an AAU team so he can be fairly evaluated. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

So ... it seems we need another email campaign ... Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

SLUBALLS ... I am going to go. I may not get too many more chances to go. Lets check in Friday and meet up. Anyone else going for sure ... we can all get together. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

I may try also ... what is the game time? Is it at Soccer Park in Fenton? Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

I think the wing is the position where we are the shortest next to pf. TL isn't here, DC hasn't shown much and LM worries me. The allstar game I saw him play ... he was so slow and seemed out of place. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

How are high school players going to the NBA going to hurt SLU. How many players are we talking about 10 in a good year? Get real. Does anybody really think too has any inside info obout anything. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

A Bomb ... I agree with you. I was and am still a Romar fan but I think UB is a better fit at SLU. I think Washington is the right place for Romar. I will follow Washington a little and cheer for them to do well. I am sure Romar wishes he had secured a few more of the recruits he was close on than he did ... but I think he gave it his best at all times. I sent him an email congratulating him for his success before the tourney ... about 3 or 4 days after they were eliminated he sent me a reply with thanks for the kind words. I wonder how many coaches would have taken the time to respond to a fan at his previous school. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

You are right ... he did get hurt. He just didn't make the game saving stops I thought he was capable of. Hopefully this year he will take the next step from good to elite. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

Have you seen Tim Ward ... I have not. How big is he and if you have seen him how good is he? Is he mostly a defensive defender or does he have skill with the ball at his feet. How fast? Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

Hutton ... he wasn't a freshman. I will say though that he did not play up to my expectations last year ... not that he wasn't good ... he was, but I expected him to be close to All American caliber. Some one last year didn't agree with me ( courtside I think ) and it looked as if they were right. Now this year my expectations for him will be a little lower ... and hopefully he will prove me wrong again. I thought he let in a few easy ones and didn't make the big stop as often as I thought he would. I am surprised you left Brian G off of your list ... I really like him a lot. It seems we all agree that John D is the best of the bunch right now ... but the most potential belongs to Vedad. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

Anything goes on the court of play? I disagree ... a little smack talk between players is one thing ... but what is acceptable now ... is ridiculous. In the early to mid eighties I used to officiate a lot of games ... mostly small college. Some of the BS was beginning to get out of hand then and is so much worse now. Too much bitching to the ref ... constantly delaying the game ... by pushing the ball away after a penalty, standing over it until your team is set, and the worst of all ... the 5 minute rolling in pain on the field after being nicked or not touched at all. IMO the excessiveness of these things is hurting the game. About 4 years ago I wanted to start officiating again at the HS level ... after watching a few games I knew I couldn't do it. I wouldn't put up with it ... and you cannot be as different from the other refs as I would have been so I chose not to do it. Go watch a few rugby games ... you will see tough players and an incredible respect for the game. I played with an army team in Germany from 86-88 and the level of sportsmanship is incredible ... it can get rough and dirty in the scrum ... but that is an accepted part of the game. Nothing like what would now be considered gamesmanship. I hope it is still that way ... I used to go to forest park to watch ... but I haven't been in a few years. If you've never been ... go you will enjoy it. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

Sluballs ... I like Mo alot also ... I also Like Casey Speiss. I expected more from Peplinski but injuries and the rest of the talent hurt him a little. I was looking for your ranking of the top 4 ... not the rest of the freshmen ... but I'm always interested in your opinion anyway. I wouldn't mind going to watch them play ... but it is hard to find the time. Since opening my new lot in Feb ... it has been 10-11 hour days ... 6 days a week ... now I realize I am getting old ... at 42 I don't have the energy level I used to ... it's kind of telling me I need to get back in shape before I get too old. Let me know when you are going ... I'm not sure if I can make any games ... but I would like to and will try to if at all possible. Thanks for the links. Courtside ... appreciate your input. We need to get a few of us together at the games this year. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

well said courtside ... glad to hear from you. I too am happy for him. I am partial though and would of course like to see him start. I just don't watch enough european soccer anymore. Actually I don't even see as many MSL games as I would like. The one thing I try never to miss though is the Nat'l. team men or women. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

Torch you are right on about John D ... but Vedad was much more than just a finisher ... he created many of his opportunities on his own and to me a finisher is usually someone who just put the ball in the net. His weakness is that sometimes he would try to take on 3 defenders at one time and miss better opportunities elsewhere. He also let the opposition goad him into losing control of his emotions. They are both great players ... I actually think Vedad has the most potential as he has tremendous size and strength. As he gets better in the air ... he and John D will be a very dangerous combination. John D doesnt have great speed or size ... in fact a very average body ... but a great work rate and as I have said before ... his accuracy on set plays is amazing ... as good as I have ever seen. I am also a big fan of Brian G. He has fantastic composure on the ball and very good field vision. Obviously I am not the coach and I am sure Coach D sees something that I have missed ... but IMO he would be my starting midfielder. My only concern is I think he needs to work on the delivery of his passes ... but when the ball is at his feet he has the knack of knowing exactly when to push, maintain or lay it off ... he really has a great feel for the game. In my lineup Will would be playing upfront alongside Vedad ... he is so quick and dynamic in the open field and with the crowd Vedad draws he would be the perfect guy to lay off to. He also has good vision ... but seems to be a bit soft on a lot of his passes. He is a suprisingly good finisher. ... At midfield where he usually plays ... he seems to get closed off ... his small size also makes it easy to push him off the ball. I spoke with coach D about Will a little and he agrees in part ... but thinks that his creativity outweighs his lack of strength and that is why he plays him at midfielder generally. It is amazing that we have 4 freshman of this caliber ... all 4 of them could have easily been on anyones all american freshman team. John D and Brian G played for the USA U17 team. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

I am happy for Vedad ... but this award shows how little most of the people who cast the votes or decide on these awards actually see them play. The best freshman on the Bills by a considerable margin is Johnny D. Vedad has a lot of upside obviously... and putting the ball in the back of the net is clearly very important ... but there were many times when Vedad was a negative on the field. He often let his emotions get the better of his play ... and is still learning when to hold and when to push forward. Because his numbers don't stand out as much John D has not gotten as much recognition ... but it is a team game. I saw probably 6-8 games this year and if I had to rank the big 4 freshmen ... I would put them like this 1. John D. 2. Vedad 2 1/2. Brian D 4. Will J. Sluballs ... and any one else who has seen them play alot ... what are your thoughts? Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

We also should remember that rankins are usually based upon seeing a guy play once or twice along with size or leaping ability and things like that. Kevin is more of a long haul player ... if you took 10 very good guards his size and watched them once Kevin might not be near the top ... but how about after the 10th thime you watched them. His consistency and work ethic would surely increase your opinion of him Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

No doubt you are correct ... Also with him being much better in the air than on the ground ... he has to have people who serve it properly. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

I haven't followed it at all ... but his managers comments make it sound like he doesn't get that much playing time. I would be surprised if he stays in a situation like that. They must not utilize the cross much as Brian is one of the best players in the world with his head. He also works harder on defense than most forwards. Personally I hope he comes back to the states. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

I thought it was a good article ... he is right on many points and is very complimentary to UB Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman