slu72

Wow. Read it, please. Isn't that the way we'd all like to be remembered? You were one of a kind, Spoon.

How about a black spoon w/ Easy Ed's number in the bowl part of the spoon. C'mon, AD get er done.

You know, if I was the AD or someone in the AD's office, I would right now put Easy Ed's number on a jersey with a Spoon underneath it. Or put Easy Ed's number in the Spoon. I'm old, and I cant remember two more guys than Easy Ed and the Spoon who had a more postive impact on SLU basketball than them. However, I sure would like to see RM carry this whole deal thru to the end. And thank you RM for paying tribute to the Spoon tonight.

Let's stay with the welding theme. Sparks will fly tonight as we meld the Bonawelders into Centene Court. Feel the sizzle of the Billiken white hod rod, you mighty Franciscan welders.

I just hope people realize what Spoon did for SLU hoops in his time here. The best way to relate it is, in 94 I went to Cincy to see the Bills take on Cincy in the CUSA tourney. we lost, but on the way out I ran into some older folks who were all wearing Spoonball gear. I asked if they were alums and they weren't. They just loved Charlie Spoonhour. The point being, Spoon's reach exceeded just the SLU community. He touched all of St. Louis. A lot of those fans in the 17,000 avg attendance days of Savvis, were delivered compliments of Spoon and had little or nothing to do with SLU. He truly was the author of "your town, your team". I think a lot also had to do with his love of the Cardinals and how he'd talk about them on his KMOX show, that and his good old boy down home humor. Losing Spoon by not supporting him enough, should go down as one of Biondi's biggest mistakes as SLU's head man. Had he kept him happy, I'm convinced SLU hoops today would have been a major player on the national scene. We've always wanted to be like a Marquette and Zaga, well, we lost the man who could've done it over an ice cream cone on his expense account. RIP Spoon, you bought a lot of joy to long suffering Billiken fans.

Moy, I hope this is true. We need ol' number 3 back to being DA MAN!

I can make a case for improvement with just about everyone except KC and CR. But they haven't been giant leaps forward except for BC and CE (mostly in his grasping how different D1 ball is from international ball). Development also puts responsibility on the player. BC's obviously got a tremendous work effort, whereas CR doesn't appear to get how much work it takes to develop one's raw athletic skills. I think this is what RM meant when he said, "we've got guys who think of themselves as BB players, but don't want to play BB." For RM playing BB means becoming a terror on D, stay disciplined on O, bring it every game, and grow a set. I don't think KC's grown a set in his four years here. There have been times where KC amazes you with a baseline drive and a drop in basket, or put up a really good looking 3 shot. Those plays tell you he's got the tools, yet he consistently fails to use them. This must have something to do w/ his personality, eg mild mannered, or he just doesn't drink enough of C. Sheen's tiger blood. And one other point, RM had recruited the personnel to make this team a top 10 squad until WR left. If we can somehow find a guy like that next year, we will be a regular in the rankings. But sticking w/ this season, we just need to see guys like RL, JJ, MM, and DE continue to make progress in every game.

I'd have to say Temple, but they are beatable. Their big guard play is very reminiscent of how Nova played so well in recent years. They do have some really talented athletes on that team and we didn't see 'em all since a couple were hurt when they beat us at the Fetz (which was my fault for showing up to that game), and Dunphy's a helluva coach.

The Bonawelders always seem to give us trouble. I think it's those Brown uniforms. Seriously, brown and white for colors? But I'm guessing after the UMass fiasco, RM's likely stuck firecrackers up their keisters this week in practice and we should win.

Not sure how WR syndrome plays into this, but one reason is definitely the emergence of Conk as an inside scorer. In Nov we saw how effective our ball movement was in creating open looks for BC and we took advantage of it. That's great basketball. Now teams know better how to game plan us and BC's production has taken a bit of a hit, a bit. Now's the time for the guards to start picking up the scoring slack. Look as long as KC's in there we're playing 4 v 5. If you don't think coaches are looking at him as nothing but a passer, you're sadly mistaken. Another thing that's maddening about KC is he's not all that great a distributor of the ball in the vein of driving inside and getting it to an open man. KM did this very effectively his SO year, plus his 3pt shot seemed more consistent. Sure would like to see more of KM going inside and either taking it to the hoop, dishing it off to a big, or kicking it out to an open CE, MM, or RL.

Taj Mahal, TC is the Brian Gregory of the NFL? Uh, I hardly think so. Look I'm just like every other Gman fan, whey they lose 4 in a row, it's time for a change. But the guy keeps getting himself and his team off the mat. By the way the Ravens got jobbed, but that's not unusual in NE. We better get off this topic or we're gonna tick some people off.

NOT THE SIGN GUY. THE FUTURE PREZ BLEED'S BILLIKEN BLUE. Caps had to be added there to make a point. The only night he donned his Colonials T was when we scored 20. Who could blame him?

My nephew went to Vandy and loved it. Good luck.

[ And here I thought you were just an old retired guy w/ nothing better to do than post on Billikens.com. Obvious from your post, Smif v Dicley, you've done your homework. Good job, Westy Pine Jim. I'm sure that game's gonna be big for the Billikens. :ph34r: Old Guy Ninja strikes again.

Taj Mahal, please add to your list the 2011 NY Giants making SB 46. You are so right, doo doo happens, but why does it always happen to your Philadelphia Dream Teamers? Regards, Ninja Old Guy

Bay, I'm hopefully coming to Napa Valley in the spring or early summer. I like spending the coldest winters of my life in N.Cali. Will be making a stop over in SF for a couple of days. Is that where you're located? If so, lets have a drink or... two...or three... or hell let's make it five and I promise not to wear my NY Giants hat (your SF fans make death threats). My record for seeing the Bills in person recently... well, quite honestly, it sucks. 0-2 in Charlotte (both of those I'll lay on Tarheel, or Big Al as I call him), 0-1 at the Dean Dome, 0-1 at the Fetz (this one really hurt since I drove 1800 friggin miles and didn't fly, Thanks F. Dunphy). I'm thinking maybe I should stay away from ACity, but then again Taj Mahal was in DC for that 20 point egg and he's still not bought us a Miracle in Memphis in ACity, which he attends like Sunday Mass. I did see 'em whomp UL in Louisville in 2000 by 20 and that one probably drove the nail in Crum's coffin and also had a talk with the Dali Lama (not in Louisville), so at least I got that going for me.

Well, NH, with your self reported high ACT's it must be Vandy. Watch out in N'ville, it's panhandle city.

Tonka, you may well have hit on something with your post. Still, I respect KM for coming back to SLU. He could have easily slid out of town and gone to UWGB or possibly even a BCS'er given the way he played his SO year. But he came back. and we're all glad he did. SLU really was the best place for redemption. I really hope he and RM had this rumored talk. RM, more than any of us here, knows what he had in KM two years ago. And quite possibly told him, you're just not playing w/ the passion and dedication you did then. Sometimes that's all it takes. A little talk between the 2 guys that can most help us get to where we want to go. I will say this about this thread, there are a lot of Bills fans who just dying for a dance invite. And, dammit, we want it bad, but only if we earn it. Contrary to what Broy thinks, SLU is still in "the little engine that could" class. And, Broy, I think RM recognizes this as well.

Agreed, Bay Area, especially Evans he gets there then seems a little hesitant.

There's one line they could have added, "We are mizzou ... whoooo are youoooo.... but we're afraid to play the Blueooooo"

Classic, Brich, truly classic.

But these are the same players he led his SO year. I hope the report he and RM had a sit down is true and we start to see him assert himself both as a leader and a player.

Sometimes this is all it takes. A face to face where he says something like, "this is your team. Take it and make it work." I get the feeling despite RM's gruffness w/ the media about players and in practice, he's probably not a screamer in a one on one meeting.

February is the critical month for the NCAA selection committee. Any team that suddenly finds lightning in a bottle can get in the dance. If we were to go 8-1 or 7-2 and win 2 in the A-10 I don't see how they can keep us out. If we close at 5-4, we're gonna have to win outright in AC. Just maybe this was the reason behind RM's rant. He knows any team that has a good Feb can sneak their way in. Look at UW, they're now 14-7 and would figure to be a big bubble team. They suddenly rip off 6 or 7 Ws in Feb., no question they're dancing. It'll be the same in the Beast w/ teams like Pitt and possibly Nova. The UMass L did not leave us DOA, but anything more than 2 L's in Feb and an early exit from AC will.

I didn't understand this signing either, since he was going to RS in any event. A possibility might be, RM's trying to open a tradelane w/ Greece. Although, you'd think we'd have had one w/ IV. Maybe there's a big in Greece that ET is buddies w/ and would like to hook up w/ in the states. Again, who knows and then again we're would RM get the schollie? As for bigs next year, we probably won't get a full value replacement for BC, but between RL improving game by game in terms of toughness, JM and GG developing in the off season, and CE (who sometimes shows some really good moves down low) we should be ok. I didn't list CR because unless he gets hit by a lightning bolt, he's gonna stay a 5 minute man. His development window is starting to slam shut..