slu72

Being reported in Charleston that CoC has reached an agreement with Chris Mack. That is mind blowing.

I grew up in Maine back in the 60’s when UConn played in the old Yankee Conf with the other 5 New England state U’s. They were nothing special ,although CT had some great HS players who went elsewhere. If they had played in the old 60’s MVC they would have been killed. So, how did they become the UCLA of this century? Coaches! Calhoun was great. And now Hurley. Refresh my memory did Hurley ever do much at URI other than piss off the crowd? Yet, here they are sitting atop the world of college hoops. Point being, get the right guy, and just about any school can become a power.

BillikenRoy has met Old Guy. He’s real and he’s old according to Roy.

Hearing the Japanese will bomb Pearl Harbor.

The weave made me nauseous.

3 beats 2 every day of the week.

Read my post. I said no weave.

After watching ISU run its offense it would appear Gibby would be wise to stay. Under Ford, surprisingly, there seemed no sets to get him open for 3’s. To Gibby’s credit he got himself open for layups on the occasional cuts to the hoop. He’d get those in Schertz’s system plus many open looks for 3’s. We shall see soon what he decides as of today he’s listed as the 7th most desirable guy in the portal.

So, why would Schertz pass on UL? Big time traditional winner with great fans, great facilities, great boosters. My best guess is the road back in the ACC, as it stands today, is gonna be a lot tougher than returning SLU to the top of the A10. He’s got some good players and a good system, but are the guys he may bring with him ACC level players like the top programs, ie Duke, UNC, Cuse, et al, who typically land top 25 recruiting classes? Also, UL won’t be too patient, say a 3-4 year rebuild. At SLU and the A10 his pathway to success is a little smoother. If he’s thinking long term career, SLU just might give him a better shot at a P6 job in 2-3 years. If Kelsey falls flat at UL and gets the ax after 3 years he’ll likely be treated as a retread and end up like Ford after OSU fired him. Just speculation on my part, but this might have been his thought process.

That was quick.

CofC fans are gonna be devastated. From what I’ve heard UL will have to pay Kelsey’s buyout somewhere between $2.5 to $4.0 mm. This is a semi splash hire if true Kelsey turned down USC last year. He’s been a hot up and comer for a few years now.

I don’t think $4mm means that much to them. Again, you have to watch the clock here. No move by UL is going to scream we want Schertz!

Is $4mm in hand worth a Schertz in a bush?

I think it’s clear Schertz is UL’s top choice. Schertz has said he’s not announcing anything until ISU’s season ends. The earliest for that would be 04/02. If UL has not made their hire before then, it’s obvious they are awaiting Schertz’s decision. All the other coaches mentioned in their hunt have all seen their seasons end. Therefore, there is no good reason for them to hold off on accepting a career boosting offer. If UL has not made a move before 04/02 then Schertz is likely their target. If ISU goes on to the NIT Final and UL still has not announced then it would be crystal clear Schertz is 100% certainty the man they want. Now whether he’s already accepted their offer is unknown, but the odds are he has if UL makes no move until ISU’s last game. Every day they wait they are losing ground in the portal and delaying the restart of their program. Do you think they are going to gamble losing one of their other top targets on an undecisive Schertz? I don’t.

After watching ISU last night Gibby would be wise to wait and see. That 5 out offense is made for snipers and cutters. No weave no getting stuck in a corner no running back and forth along the baseline. It was clear ISU has offensive schemes unlike Travis’ helter skelter weave and then what offense. Fun to watch. The only question is you’re not likely to get many O rebounds off it.

As one of the most favorite sons of St Louis said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. “

Should have stayed away. It’s freaking me out.

I missed all the above while crafting this gem.

Those were honorable days. Days before the $$’s were small. Now the $$’s rule the day. It’s the Wild West out there a gold rush with back shooters and claim jumpers ( see UL). I have a suspicion that McCollum has been the backup guy all along. My reasoning: 1) McCollum told MOSt your facilities suck. What D2 guy is gonna pass up a chance to make the jump to D1 over facilities? Schertz didn’t mind ISU’s facilities. 2.) Schertz at the D2 level made the final 4 3 times yet never won it all. McCollum’s won 4 of them babies. 3.) Obviously they both can coach and evaluate talent. Yet, neither has taken a team dancing. Schertz is 0-3. McCollum TBD at 0-0. 4.) SLU knew they’d have to go large for Schertz and his 4-5 players. Not so much with McCollum, maybe a $.5 mil less in salary. Plus, he may have a player or 2 to bring that wouldn’t require another $1mm or so to bring with him. D2 players have surprised at the D1 level. 5) There were rumors WVU was interested in McCollum. Who are we to ignore the interest of a previous successful B12 program in a D2 coach? 6) Hoops is hoops. You can either coach it or you can’t. You can either motivate or you can’t. You can either recruit the right guys to your system or you can’t. 7.) If May played UL and other P6’s like a fish to land the guy he wanted all along, McCollum, but wanted some P6 school to pay us, he’s a fricking genius and should challenge Sparkoff to a chess match. I don’t believe he did, but if he did give him a raise. Finally other D2 coaches have achieved much at the D1 level. See Schertz, Buelein, et al. McCollum seem to be a chip off the old block. If we get McCollum I won’t be disappointed. Although, I prefer Wade.

B’roy, give up the morality play. There are no morals anymore in college sports. If there were Schertz would have put this circus to rest by saying I signed with SLU end of story and UL would not be poaching him. These days it’s every man for himself. Ethics and honor are out the window. We may not like it but it’s the world we live in these days. Wade’s won wherever he’s been and, now with NIL, he doesn’t need to cheat. Let him follow in the footsteps of Sampson and Pearl and bring us a winner.

I don’t think Kelsey will leave CoC for us. He wants a P5 job. Wade might view us as stepping stone back to the P6. Bucky from Samford ain’t a bad backup plan. And McCollum’s a winner.

I like him. Think Sampson at UH and Pearl at Auburn. Two ex cons who’ve done well. Forget the old days it’s a new dawn.

Tell UL we’ll let him out but they gotta buy him out for around $6mil. That ought to fund NIL pretty well for a few years.

I don’t think the UL fan base is gonna be overjoyed if Schertz gets hired. No dance invites. Yes he can coach and has some good players. But are they ACC level players? After Crum, UL had Pitino and Mack both proven major D1 coaches. I’ve been to two games at old Freedom Hall and UL fans are fanatics. The last game was in 2000 and the Bills trounced them. They were screaming for Crum’s head one of their most successful coaches. I just don’t think they’re gonna see Schertz as a guy who’s gonna restore their once glorious past.

UL whiffed on Mays. I’m not sure the UL fan base will agree that Schertz is a big enough backup.