Nate Latsch
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Posts posted by Nate Latsch
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>Nate, as always, good stuff, please keep it coming.
>why hasn't the pd hired you yet?
That's not going to happen, unfortunately.
People don't move around much at the P-D, either moving to better jobs somewhere else or up the food chain.
I interviewed twice for a job at the KC Star a couple years ago. I didn't get that job, but the person who did has already gone from low-ranking high school prep writer to one of the main prep writers to the Kansas University beat.
I have no regrets. Except for a family member with some health problems, my life couldn't be any better right now.
- Nate
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Thanks for the nice words.
From what I can gather, Majerus has just talked to various coaches/friends all over and tried to grab a kid or two. I don't know that he did much, if any, of his own evaluation of kids.
SLU is now probably better off saving scholarships for next year, when the coach can have a chance to get out and evaluate and go after the kids he sees fitting in with his program.
That doesn't help the depth for next year's team, however.
- Nate
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The recruiting wasn't that close to the vest under Soderberg.
There were people who knew who the Billikens were going after.
- Nate
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By my calculations, Brandenburg would have been 12 years old when Majerus was last coaching.
Unless he was growing up in Utah, he probably wouldn't have been very familiar with the Utes coach.
There are probably a lot of people who don't remember the ESPN talking heads from their playing or coaching days.
- Nate
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Here's some recruiting info I found out yesterday:
I was told the Billikens were still trying to get in touch with Mantas G. at Three Rivers.
I talked to a couple area prospects. It looks like Majerus has talked to Wahsington junior guard Scott Suggs, but had not talked to the other kids I spoke with.
There's definitely a new feeling about SLU with area recruits.
John Brandenburg, the 6-foot-11 DeSmet junior forward/center, said he'd never heard of Majerus before this stuff happened with SLU, but he's impressed with the coach's track record for developing big guys.
"SLU’s a different school to me now," he said.
I had been hearing for a while that Brandenburg would not go to SLU. Now, I think SLU has a chance.
Other players I talked to were definitely interested in the new coach and were looking forward to talking to him very soon.
I think this coaching change has given the Billikens a chance to grab several of the area's top prospects. I don't think that was the case a month ago.
- Nate
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Why No. 10?
Jeff Coffey is now the starting power forward.
- Nate
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Rick Majerus can help get Tommie Liddell to the NBA.
Majerus apparently really likes Tommie and will work to get him to be more aggressive.
An aggressive Tommie could be a wealthy Tommie in a couple years.
- Nate
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You were sitting dangerously close to me.
- Nate
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>People are talking about Billikens basketball like I have
>never heard them talk before. In the BSC people were all
>trying to get a look at the new coach.
As I was walking in, I walked past one of the dance team members who was directing people to the press conference.
I overheard her tell someone "I wanted to go to the press conference, not direct people to it."
Good stuff.
- Nate
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>He also said he's going to bring in George Karl (one of his
>best friends) to talk to the team so that they can see how
>much passion he has for basketball.
>
>Freaking awesome!
I forgot about Karl.
- Nate
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>Biondi really stressed 85 Million when he talked about the
>arena. I thought it was 80.5? Did Majerus's negotiations
>require something that upped the value by 5 mil? Any
>speculation or knowledge here???
>
Majerus also said he wanted it to be a 100 million dollar arena by the time it's done.
With his ability to engage the St. Louis community, as well as big-money boosters, I wouldn't be surprised if Majerus gets it to that number.
- Nate
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Those of you at the press conference got a glimpse of how Rick Majerus plans to sell himself and the St. Louis University program.
He's sent 11 guys to the NBA, including Andre Miller and Keith Van Horn.
How many times did he mention those two during the press conference?
Everyone knows Majerus has contacts in the NBA. He mentioned several coaches he is close to who are in the league (like Don Nelson and Del Harris) and talked about his former players in the NBA — though he didn't mention Andrew Bogut.
He also mentioned his many contacts through the US, saying he will have the team talk to people like John Cheney and former coaches all over the place.
With his track record for NCAA Tournament success and his connections with ESPN, Majerus can really sell three things that recruits care about: NBA, playing in the tournament and playing on television.
Those three things weren't going to attract kids to SLU under Brad Soderberg, but those factors will bring kids to St. Louis to play for Rick Majerus.
- Nate
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There were a lot of media folks at the press conference, including ESPN.com columnist Gene Wojciechowski, who was in town to cover the Cardinals-Cubs series.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/sto...06&sportCat=mlb
There were several Post-Dispatch writers there, so I think you can expect to read a lot about this in tomorrow's P-D.
- Nate
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>Thanks Nate. Any specific info you can share on either
>recruits for next season or for class of 2008?
I heard the Billikens were still trying to get in touch with Mantas at Three Rivers.
I'm working on a list for tomorrow's P-D of the local kids Majerus has already contacted.
- Nate
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At a lot of schools, the teams have practice facilities in huge arenas that most students don't have access to. At Missouri, for instance, someone would have to get into the building, then need an ID card to get access to certain parts of the building.
I would imagine SLU will be like that in another year and a half with the new building.
- Nate
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>
>It was terrific. great turn-out. I sat in the front row
>next to coach's girlfriend, Frank C., and Randy C., with
>Jeff from the Post-D. right behind me.
>
>2 things stuck out -- Coach M. has a very in-depth, and I
>believe genuine, interest in Jesuit eduction. and 2-- a
>very tender hearted person, and well-read. In particular he
>riffed on Mark Twain near the end.
>
>Oddly, hardly anyone (even the journalists present, who I
>thought were paid to do so) had questions at the end. So I
>got to ask about new recruits or adding to the talent for
>the fall. Coach M. made it clear he was ready to play with
>the players he now has. He of course did not rule out
>adding guys but from the sound of it he realizes that may
>not be possible at this late stage. He said at one point
>there may be up to 3 scholarships not filled.
>
>That might also mean, we end up with an incoming class of 7
>freshmen for the new arena--holy cow!
You forgot to mention you're discussion of Mark Twain with Majerus.
The Billikens are still working on recruiting for next season. Majerus has already talked to local recruits in the junior class as well.
- Nate
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Roy,
How come you never responded to the thread in which someone wrote that Frank C. mentioned Brad wasn't getting out and recruiting as much as he should have been?
Do you come here bashing Frank for saying the same thing I've been saying for a while?
I don't know how much I'll see Majerus on the recruiting trail. I can imagine, however, that when he goes to game he'll be visible and recognizable and won't hide in the bleachers and try to blend in with everybody else.
- Nate
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>is games on TV. I'm willing to bet SLU gets 4 or 5 ESPN or
>network games simply by having him on the sideline. That's
>a big help when it comes to recruiting.
The most immediate impact RM has already had is selling tickets and building excitement for the program.
- Nate
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You're right. Thompson could be a big pick-up.
I don't know if he'd be bigger than Brandenburg or Griffey, who are true local guys, but if he has a good summer Thompson will have the same kind of attention.
I don't put much stock in the story on Thompson from a couple months ago, because from everything I've heard the kid did not have an offer from LSU like he claimed. I heard he really likes LSU, so if they did offer I'm guessing he would've jumped at it.
The key to recruiting this junior class will be to get a group who wants to play together — not just a Thompson or Suggs or Brandenburg, but getting a couple of them who want to be the future of SLU basketball.
The junior class is good enough that you could turn around the program with that group.
- Nate
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Is St. Louis U. a top 50 program today?
I think you can make a case that it is.
If you take last year's team and swap the head coaches, Majerus for Soderberg, how many more games do the Billikens win, where do they finish in the A-10 and do they make the tournament?
I think you could add on a couple wins, a few spots closer to the top of the league and, under those conditions, pencil SLU in to the field of 65 for the NCAA tournament.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Billikens receive votes in the preseason rankings, just based on the coaching change.
Rick Majerus brings that kind of instant credibility.
How many people here have already ordered season tickets or plan to renew based on this coaching change? I know of at least one reader here who was thinking about not renewing his season tickets for the first time in many years, who instead couldn't be more excited to renew.
That's the kind of excitement this move has generated.
Now, the last piece in the puzzle will be to see how this change is received by recruits.
I don't know what SLU's odds are for getting kids like Suggs, Brandenburg or Griffey, but I'm sure that the excitement generated by this in the community will give the Billikens a chance with other kids who were probably not considering the school.
I got ripped on here before for saying that one thing high school recruits want is the chance to play in the NCAA tournament. Under Soderberg, that was possible but not liking. Under Majerus, that is not only possible but expected.
I'm hoping to talk to some recruits soon and see how they feel.
I might post that info here, but I might want to hear what Frank C. says on his radio show so I can get the real scoop.
- Nate
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I don't understand all the hostility toward Bernie on here.
Wasn't hit major stance that he wanted Biondi to step up and get the basketball program to the level he promised many years ago?
I hear people say that Bernie got Brad fired. That's just garbage.
Was it Bernie who made the terrible recruiting decisions — who to bring in, not to bring in and to wait too long to offer certain kids scholarships — that led to last year's team not having enough depth?
Was it Bernie's fault that Brad wasn't out recruiting the area as much as he should have been?
I think Bernie is just another excuse. Like cell phones, facilities, conferences, etc.
Obviously Bernie had Biondi's attention or else Biondi wouldn't be addressing him by name. Maybe Bernie's consistent jabs at Biondi helped the guy realize he needed to make a big move.
- Nate
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>Rick would put his ducks in a row if he coaches again and
>there would never be a question to his commitment, effort,
>or plan after taking any job at this point in his
>career...at least not from me. Sure he isn't going to coach
>forever...but he isn't a 20 year plan. The only way Majerus
>would ever leave hisnext coaching job is because of health,
>not second thoughts.
Fair enough.
- Nate
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>"Majerus is sincerely wrestling with the decision... just
>does not know if he is willing and committed to taking the
>plunge back into the coaching life....this is a grind, and
>he knows it, and to do it right, he has to be all in... and
>he doesn't want to do it unless he's all in ... and he is
>agonizing over this...we may be in a holding pattern for a
>few days; I don't think he's going to rush with a
>decision....he's really torn about it. I talked to one of
>his friends a little while ago and he told me that Majerus
>is fired up about SLU, but it comes down to whether he
>really wants to do this or not. If he turns the job down, it
>won't be because of SLU or Biondi. It will be because of
>health, age, lifestyle.
>
>--B"
Is anybody surprised to hear this?
The worst thing about going after Majerus is even if you get him, he still might not be the coach for very long. If he's having this much trouble deciding, he'll probably have second thoughts after taking the job.
Majerus would be a great hire, but this is the baggage that goes with it.
- Nate
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Kyle Kirk leaves Missouri State
in Billikens.com Main Board
Posted
Thought some people on the board might be interested in this:
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...385/1002/SPORTS
Kirk was a St. Louis area player (Zumwalt West) as a freshman.
There have been some rumors that Kirk's brother, who is supposed to be a good prospect as an eigth-grader, will play his freshman season at a high school in the St. Louis area.
- Nate