slu72

Three thoughts on this; for a few years Brad is going to have trouble landing one of the top 100 either locally or nationally. First, the program needs better results, read: NCAA appearances and more TV exposure. Second, we have the current facilities problems. Yeah, we can say the Biondi domes coming but until a shovel is put in the ground we don't have much to show a potential recruit. Third, this conference thing could come into play. Us going with the merged non bb schools will help, us going to a revised MVC will not help. In fact, we would probably lose UB. So, until all this develops, SLU's program is going to have to be built with "the hidden gems" out there populating hs hoops. AD is one and have a suspicion Matt Shaw is another. Get him. Also, I am encouraged by Brad's euro excursions. There's probably a whole crop of kids flying underneath the radar overseas. I don't forsee us being a team with 2 or even 1 Mickey D all americans until the above happens. But the good news is you don't have to be to succeed, sucess defined as at least one sweet 16 appearance sometime in the next four years. That coupled with a sparkling state of the art on campus arena, will garner us the Grimes, Lidells, etc of the world.

I think these east coast papers just overlook us. Face it Marquette is sexy right now, XU a strong program every year, but why is DePaul always mentioned? Cripes, two years ago they had thirty or forty people leave a game that only had about 300 in attendance. Of course they do have the Chicago thing going for them. One other thing that makes no sense is only 4 teams from the midwest and the rest from the east? I have to think there will be a midwest division of this league, to ease the travel burden on the midwest schools. How does adding Rhode Island and UMass improve them? They have been down programs for the last 5-6 years. Also, I can't imagine Fr.Biondi is not on the phone with his Jesuit brethren saying "hey, you can't leave SLU out of the mix." Now if this were to come to pass, what do we do then? Pick the bones of the A-10 and what remains of CUSA? I think the best we could hope for if we are not included with MU and DePaul, is a conference slightly above a mid major level. This is not appealing. LIKE ROSANNA ROSANNADANA USED TO SAY,"IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING, AND IT AIN'T EASY BEING A BILLIKEN FAN."

I think a conference like this automatically generates increased attendance in St.Louis. When you've got schools like ND, XU, MU think of all the Catholics that would appeal to.

I like the addition of XU and Dayton. Then you've got two 6 team divs as follows: East: GT, Prov, SH, StJohn's, Nova, Charlotte Midwst: ND, MU, DePaul, SLU, XU, DAyton Now that's a conference you can be proud of.

champs in Steve's poll last year (although I did have the exact final record my projected road map was quite a bit different than the actual route taken), I will jump into this debate. This is way tooooo early for forecasts. UB will be sewing a whole new tapestry this year. At least last year he had had a year to work with what was coming back, which besides MP wasn't a whole lot. However, I don't believe it is to early to say who has to come up big in order to give us any shot at a post season bid. First and foremost, UB's going to have coach his a** off this year to have any shot. I think that's a given. Players that cannot disappoint: Bryant, Frericks, and IO. Players who will deliver what we normally get: Fish, Sloan, and Varner. One comment on Sloan: I think this is going to be his year to shine. He's going to be the team's spiritual leader and he has to have some confidence in his offensive game after the way he closed last year. Mystery player who could rise: AJ. That opening game in CUSA tourney still makes me smile. Can he come near that on a consistent basis? If he does we've got ourselves a Steve Logan. No expectations: Zorba, JJ, Clarke, and Morris. Bottom line: If Frericks is a D force in the middle and Bryant can hit for 18-19/ppg, IO causes matchup problems, and Sloan is a force, I think we'll be pleasantly surprised. If they struggle we're in for a long year. Face it we don't have anyone coming back or coming in, ala Larry the legend or JLove, that is making other teams fear us. Here's one guarantee: all the mags will pick us between eight and six finish.

"The Runaway ATV"-On tonight's episode local bad boy Ricky C crashes his mentor's ATV at a wild fourth of july party when he's supposed to be safely tucked in bed at the halfway house. And who was the mysterious teenager riding on the back? Coach Q's pretty wife rushes to Ricky's bedside, while everyone wonders whose bedside Q is rushing to? The local DA wonders if Ricky C is really a student and say's Jail may be in his future, but of course that will be a decision for Judge Judy. Also looming over their heads is the mysterious threat of another scandal being investigated by the evil big city newspaper the Post Disgrace. Where does it all end for Q and his merry band of hoopsters? Tune in next week for another episode of as The Tiger Turns. Let me get this straight-The President of a Major US University invites a man convicted of illegal detention and assault to his gala fourth of July party? Life in Boone County really is stranger than fiction.

So our masked marauder is riding off into the sunset once again? Is he taking any of his sidekicks with him, like AJ Arete, MUTgr? Is anyone suspicious he has changed his moniker to Butter 33? My guess is this hiatus/sabatical he's taking was caused when Mom caught him in the basement looking at no-no's on the internet. Just a guess. Gee we're really going to miss his keen insights into college hoops. My top two Too posts were: When he threatened A-Bomb with the cyber police, and When he reported direct from a sky box at Busch that Brian Gregory was a done deal for SLU. I'm sure more of you guys who read him regularly have many more...many more. Hasta La Vista, Ciao baby, Aurevoire, Sayanora, we're really going to miss you.

Nice defense of SLU, David. Boy it's something what a final four will do for your ego. I guess we can all say "we knew you when". The best way to show MU our distaste for their arrogant and haughty behaviour would be to kick their a** twice next year. I too cheered for MU in the NCAA's and was sad to see them get their hats handed to them by KU. I still think MU lives off the glory days of Al McGuire, even though Crean is building a powerhouse program today. I wished we had had the foresight to hire him instead of Zo, but am not displeased the way things turned out with UB. I'm rambling because, like you, am a little upset at their total lack of respect for a fellow Jebbie institution. Build the Biondi Dome and let's see how things shake out between the two programs.

Hey guys thanks for the decal. Everytime I look in my rearview mirror there is Billy Billiken winking at me. Looks great. The billiken now rides in Dixie. This Ahern vs Clarke stuff is best left for discussion down the road. I'll admit 42 pts in any game is pretty good, but let's trust Brad's judgement. If Ahern becomes an all american then Butter can gloat all he wants.

Every high school all star game I've been to there are always the "Rock Stars" who try and show off. This is street ball at best. OK, so Husak didn't look impressive, big deal. If he didn't look like he belonged out there why did he get invited? Now Ahern scoring 40 is an eye opener. Here's hoping we didn't overlook a gem in our own backyard. Got to trust you guys know the situation better than we out of towners, but scoring 40% of an all star teams points will grab your attention.

I don't like the fact that we are always on the outside looking in at this thing. If this comes to pass, we are in big, big trouble. Where would we go if we can't tag along with DePaul and MU? Also, I don't see what the allure of DePaul is over us? Granted it's Chicago, but their program is in worse shape than ours. Time for this to develop is a plus and a minus. Plus: UB restores the program to respectability. Minus: I can see rival coaches telling recruits, well you know SLU ain't in the picture. Look what's left if this all happens: Memphis (Calipari will leave), Charlotte, SLU, Tulane, Houston, TCU, UAB, etc. NOT MUCH TO CHEER ABOUT THERE. I'm beginning to tremble.

Let's face it, we either come out of all this b**l s**t in a top rated conference, say top 6 or 7, or the program is in jepoardy of becoming mid major. So much depends on this, it's frightening to think what unfolds if we don't. First, why build Biondi dome if we're going to be playing MVC schools? Worse, if that's our conference,what kind of atmosphere is going to exist at Savvis when you have 3,500 fans in a 20,000 seat arena? I can see West Pine being used. Home and homes against top teams are history with little or no tv exposure. UB sees himself, and rightly so, as a top 50 program coach, he'll check out at the first hc opportunity that gives him this. No games against Mizzery (hell, its' hard enough to get them to show up now) what would it be like if we are a SMS class program. I'm hoping the powers that be in CUSA and Big East have us in their sights. But if there was a merger, how many teams would be in this super sized conference? I appreciate the Memphis AD's candor. Especially when he said, they'd jump in a heartbeat but will sue anyone who tries to jump if they aren't included. He's telling it like it is. I wonder if VTech is still party to the suit against the ACC? My guess is they've dropped out.

BROY,no didn't get it. Thanks for the trip to the Bookstore. Did you actually see Billiken gear in black and gold? Kill the merchant that made that screw up. Billiken Rich, very nice of you, much appreciated, I am in your debt, I owe you a six pack of beer of your choice, I'd give you my first born but she's 32 and married. I'll drive around Charleston with great pride.

Hmmm, what was most interesting were two points: 1.) CUSA has a yet undisclosed plan, and 2.) The conference commissioners are talking. I smell an urge to merge in some fashion. A twelve football team conference of BE left overs and CUSA would necessitate the bb only conference we want. Of course, now that the ACC wants only MIA and VTech this article is pretty much irrelevant. But will the BE want Marquette if they can get UL and UC? Also, three years ago would anyone of cared where Marquette ended up in this mix? Boy, reaching a final four would be nice.

Was watching HBO's real sports last night to see the story about my boyhood hero, Ted Williams aka Teddy Popsicle, and they had an interesting segment on about an Italian BB school. John Thompson, the old GU coach, was being interviewed and bottom line is the foreign kids are developing into much better bb players because they are drilled so much in fundamentals. This vs our players who are more into the entertainment aspect of the game. Maybe UB, with his recruitment of IO and Zorba, is onto something here. I'm glad to see him making inroads overseas as I'm sure IO and Zorba have friends that play hoops as well. If they go home and report a favorable experience with SLU and America, who knows what kind of pipeline might open for us. As an aside, they had a segment on the number of ex or even current wrestlers that die before 45. Sad. But what was even sadder was the behavior of that jerk who runs the WWF. He slaps the paper out of the interviewer's hand and had to check himself for a second before he put the guy in a half nelson. I strongly encourage everyone to avoid watching wrestling as well as avoid reading Too Pac's posts. There just isn't anything real or funny about either one. Time to get off the soapbox. Hey Roy thanks for trying. Did Billikenrich have one?

Doesn't everyone find Too Pac's "College Notes" just so informative and entertaining. Also, helpful with his tip about the old tires. I'll bet you are all out there checking that pile of defective Firestones sitting in your backyard for mosquito infested water. Is he talking about Polk? You got to admire his commitment to accuracy. I don't even know why I opened it, but am glad I did....comic relief is always appreciated. Thanks Too Pac! By the way, when's you're next art gallery showing.

I've seen McClain play once, at Louisville almost 3 years ago. His Freshman year. He didn't play much, so how can I judge? I was just getting a little jab in on Zo, seeing as how I believe the best thing he ever recruited at SLU was UB. When UB takes us to the sweet 16, I'm swearing off ever knocking Lorenzo Romar ever again. Roy, appreciate the leg work on the decal. Did we recruit K's sister at SLU? Is she coming here? I don't know about your thinking with K's dad having a grudge against ND. ND alumni/grads are pretty devoted to that place.

I read with interest last week's posts on Brad's radio gig. Now I know he's supposed to plug his players/recruits, but for some reason I BELIEVE UB. This is in contrast to 'Zo saying stuff like McClain's the best athlete if we could ever get him out of the hospital, or Edwin's NBA material if ever gets off Island time. So, when UB says IO is developing into a solid big man and Zorba is some kind of stud in the post, I begin quivering like a Mizzery fan that just put the $50 down payment on their first double wide. But I do wonder why he never mentions JJ? Anybody got a good read on this kid? Hell, he was recruited by a Big 12 school and comes from Hoopsville, Indiana, he's got to bring something to the table. Also, isn't it typical for our players to stay in the SL area over the summer and play in the Bonner League? Why no reports? Couple of side notes/queries: Taj, do you work for the GAO? Roy, any news on the decal? I'm getting killed down here by the *****, Heels, and Blue Devils mob. Time to publicize SLU in Dixie land. Do we have any shot at this Lisch kid? He sounds like a major player? Or will Daddy send him to ND? It's awfully difficult for a good Catholic kid to reject TD Jesus and the Golden Dome. Does anyone else agree when all is said and done on the arena: Budweiser will come forward with the $$$$?

Since you all missed the point about the contest, i.e. whats the best package you can make out of the worst case scenario, here is what I conclude you all want (even though other schools may not play along): Assume: UL, UC, Marquette jump to Big East You want CUSA to dump following schools: ECU, TCU, Houston, S.Florida. That leaves: SLU, Memphis, DePaul, Charlotte, UAB, Tulane, and So.Miss. Then add these 3 teams to CUSA: XU, Dayton, and Creighton. I would really like to see this scenarion play out. Of course, Memphis and So. Miss would have to find a football home. So say they leave and we add Butler and select from one of the below: Detroit or Valpo. The Board's perfect conference would be: XU Dayton Creighton SLU DePaul Charlotte UAB Tulane Butler Detroit/Valpo That wouldn't be too bad.....

Ok, it's summer, there's very little news recruiting or otherwise. I'm tired of projecting next year's starting line up, so let's do this. Given the fact that SLU is not being mentioned in a lot of the big time conference realignments, let's see who can come up with the best based on what may be available out there. A few rules: 1.) Marquette, Louisville, UC, and Memphis bolt for the big east which stays in tact. 2.) Dayton and XU stay in the A-10. 3.) SLU admin says no to valley and no to horizon So Father Biondi hires you as his new AD and says come up with a new conference that will attract fans. Here's my picks: Northern DIV 1.) SLU 2.) DePaul 3.) Creighton 4.) Butler 5.) Valpo 6.) Detroit Southern DIV 7.) Charlotte 8.) College of Charleston (have approval to build new 8,000 seat stadium and I'm selfish) 9.) Tulane 10.)Davidson 11.)Winthrop 12.)UNC-Wilmington Is this better than the valley? The horizon? Most of the schools have a bb legacy, all are non fb, similar academics, etc. I like it better than the Horizon or Valley. Schedules could be 2 times a year against div foes and 3 one games a year against out of division foes. That's 13 league games, which would leave us about 3 games to book big timers for our RPI. Which means we could maintain our traditional games against UC, UL, and Memphis or Marquette. I would like to see the three games every year against our original valley teams as fans think of these as rivals. Be interesting to see what you guys come up with.

Are we paying Too for his insights into college sports? Geez, I hope not. Just out of curiosity, what was Too's projection for last year's team in regards to final record? My guess would be he had us pegged for about 11 wins. Quite the expert old TooPac is. Will we be better this year? That is a toughie, but I think if Reggie B can handle MP's role at a 50% level we'll be ok. Watch out for CS this year. I'm projecting he averages 10-12 ppg's and about 5-6 rpg's.

Taj, you are way over the top here. What's so wrong about a coach's wife being involved. I remember when Lute Olsen's wife died how all the commentators kept making remarks how much the players were going to miss her, i.e. their mom away from home mom. Does that make AU a mom and pop operation. Hell, all during the NCAA's we kept getting looks at Boheim's wife, and she is a looker. I'm in agreement with what it takes for a sweet 16 appearance, a couple of shining stars and a good supporting cast, a few breaks, and you're there. Hell we almost made it back in 94-95 against Wake. What did we lose by 5 or 6? If I didn't think it possible I would never visit this board again nor look for another billiken score in my lifetime. You gotta believe, Taj, you just gotta believe. As Jimmy V said never give up never give up, don't ever give up! You did this on purpose didn't you, just to stir up the pot?

Boy, the board is virtually dead. We must be in the "dog days" of college hoops. Hell, I'd even read a post from TooPac just to break the monotony. Some comments: 1.) I can't see Clarke taking time away from Bryant. If he beats him out on a talent basis, then we got a steal. 2.) Why does everyone discount Dre when starting lineups are projected? This kid is a hoops junkie. I'll bet, and maybe some of you know, he's working his butt off this summer getting ready for Oct 15th. I still marvel at his first game in the CUSA tourney. 3.) Am I way off base if I project as starters: Fish, Bryant, Dre, Sloan, and Frericks? I realize it's a small one but is IO really ready for the starter at the 3? 4.) Does anyone else get the feeling the great class of talent available in St.Louis area for next years recruiting is slipping away from us? First, X man goes to Purdue (I thought he'd be a lock with the Wiley connection), Grimes expressing little interest in us, Liddell being wooed by MU, KU, and Kentucky. Hmmmmhhh? 5.) Anymore on the McKinney/Quinn spat? Or was that just wishful thinking on our part? Besides, if he left Mizzery would his first choice be SLU? 6.) Did Marcus Summerville ever decide on a school? 7.) What the hell: How about a little poll on what our record will be next year? Since, I am one of the defending champs in last years official poll, I'll start off around 18-12 and another trip to the NIT. Man, is it hot and humid here in Charleston. Reminds me of my summers past in old St.Looey. BRoy, how we doing on the decals??

to land some local talent. Lidell going to either MU or KU is a ball buster. Here's a kid, according to those of you who have seen him play, a star in the making. When was the last time we nailed a top notch recuit? Say a top 50-100. Don't answer McClain or Edwin-where are they now?

With all this talk about our lack of a PF (#4), one name never gets brought up JJ. Is this because you all think he's just not going to have that big an impact? Was this a wasted scholie by UB? You go back and look whenever someone starts a post with "next season's starting lineup", JJ is never in the mix even as the 6th, 7th, or 8th man off the bench. I don't get it. By the way I would love to see McKinney in SLU Blue. And wouldn't it be in character for Irons to direct him toward SLU just to stick it to Quin?