Billikan

The duo of Sears and Crispin is deadly. It is a real tribute to our defensive play by our guards that they did not hit or even get more shots. Sears had only 5!! attempts--great d by all involved, particularly fisher and Drejaj--they fought thru the screens all night. I think that Fisher actually blocked one or two 3 point shots.

After watching him at practice and in the scrimmage I have to agree with you. I know others still hold out hope but I have real questions. For his sake I hope he can get it together.

They were also big enough for two players to fit in each uniform! Poor Ian and IO could not keep the shirt tucked in because it was huge and the shorts were so big they would not stay up. Those shorts make the NBA long shorts look small and tight. What's up with the shorts?

I think you are not being fair to Ross. He hit at leasst 3 open shots and played tough inside. His only problem was guarding the thin 6'8" kid who could run and shoot the three. I commented during the game that he may be the most important sub this year until Ian can play because Tom will be in plenty of foul trouble. I was very negative on Varner the past two years but he deserves a break. He came back stronger and in good shape and his shot rotation looks terrific!

Justin was in street clothes!

One further note--JJ did not play--he was in street clothes as was Husak. I have no idea about JJ--I assume Bryce will redshirt.

The Bills are like the old saying about the little girl--when we are good we are very good and when we are bad we are terrible! The good news: 1. the half court defense looks as tough as ever. This was a very talented offensive team we played and I doubt they had more than 7 or 8 baskets in the half court offense when we were set on defense. Fisher, Drejaj, Sloan and even Ian looked outstanding on defense. 2. We seemed to shoot the ball well from outside except for Clarke who gunned 4 very long three balls and clanked them off the rim. Bryant has a very nice shooting touch from long range. Varner hit several nice long shots when open. Drejaj looks confident in his stroke. 3. There were several spectacular plays by Bryant and IO--they will be fun to watch. IO did an NBA reach around the basket shot on Hughes that was impressive. 4. Fisher seemed to have a terrific game. We can expect him to get more isolation plays in the post against smaller guards in the man to man. He looks very confident and he is very athletic--jumping over bigger players for shots and rebounds. 5. Generaly our intensity was very good when the seniors and Frericks were in the game. We are strong and tough and rebounded the ball very well. Bryant looks to be a nice rebounder for a guard so we have 3 guards who can rebound--incl. Fisher and Drejaj. 6. A nice comeback win after being down 25-18 in the first half. Now for the bad! 1. Horrible, terrible turnovers that often lead to layups or open shots. Clarke is a FRESHMAN!!!--he needs a lot more concentration on the offensive end. When he and Hunt were in at guards the other team dominated us. Also, on one play clarke gave the ball away and the player raced up the court for a lay up--Chris Sloan raced back to stop the shot but Clarke was still at half court watching so an AIA player following the play got an easy layup. The good thing about good freshman is that they learn from their mistakes--I sure hope clarke fills the bill because his first game was not a nice thing to see. Also, Bryant turned the ball over a number of times--he reminds me of Perry in that he believes he can dribble thru traffic. I have confidence he will learn from this game. 2. Frericks is fierce and will foul out of every game if he does not stop fouling. I hope he will learn because we need his size in the middle. 3. Both IO and Varner were beaten for layups. Both had excellent offensive games but they need to get better on the perimeter. IO is really the concern here. Coach took him out after an easy basket was scored in his are and Izak seemed to have a little discussion with the coach. He sat the bench the rest of the game. Varner will not be in that position very often because he was defending the 5 and all five players for AIA were 3 point shooters and moved well without the ball. 4. If our starting guards get in foul trouble--incl. Bryant--we are in for a very long year. They just dominated us when Clarke and Hunt were in the game. Conclusions: We could be very good. Or, we could be very mediocre. We will need to stay out of foul trouble and cut down on the turnovers to have a good year. I am excited about our prospects.

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As I prepare to go to Saavis Center for the first exhibition game I am shocked by the optimism of the picks in the season record contest. I am such a diehard fan that I am always optimistic but WOW! It seems that the average wins by prediction is 18 or so. We are playing a tough schedule--the conference is much stronger than last year-- and we have to work in new players in key positions-- Center and scoring guard. It seems that only 18 months ago the group was pessimistic and concerned, etc. There are a lot ofnew posters so that may provide a basis for the new optimism. I sure hope you are all right. It will be a great season if you are!!

One of the reasons why we have been somewhat inconsistant over the past 10 years is because we have had "the Guy" (not counting Larry Hughes) who may have had some strengths but he also had some weaknesses. Also, having one "Guy" allows the opponents to pressure him relentlessly so an off game is inevitable. I think we will see 5 people that could lead our Bills in scoring this year-- IO, Sloan, Fisher, Bryant and Drejaj. If any of those players are double teamed I believe that one of the others will pick up the slack. Add in Tom Fericks and DC and we should be ok on offense if our shots are dropping. the defense will be solid but teams like Cinn. will put a lot of pressure on us with match up challanges. We will need a "team" effort in order to achive our fairly lofty goals.

I did not remember that Bryant had 10 points in the scrimmage - I only remember 3 baskets--but I will take your word for it. If that is true then it bodes well for his scoring this year because he was playing against the number one defense and his teammates were not nearly as good as they would be if he plays with the first unit. I may have to rethink my position re him leading the team in scoring. I do remember that he had a number of good defensive rebounds.

Amen to that! Why that idiot continues on a board for Billiken fans--when he is not a fan and he hopes the Bills will lose-- is beyond me!

He was being guarded by IO in the scrimmage and two of the threes came as the defense shut down all inside play and Clarke was standing way out past the three point line and he made the shots--probably 2-5 feet past the arc. The other was after a screen in the offense. I have no idea whether the coach will give DC the green light for those long three pointers but I would doubt it. However, if our offense is stagnating I could see the Coach going to DC to try to get a lift. He is a very nice offensive player and he has great range-- that could be a very good asset against teams that play zone against us. The downside is that if we miss those long shots they often result in a long rebound and a fast break for the other team. That is something the Coach said is his number one priority this year on defense--to stop fast break buckets. After watching our half court defense I can see why--If we can keep teams from scoring on the break then they will really have to work to score in the half court.

TOday was my first chance to se this year's Billikens. They had practice and a 20 minute scrimmage with officials. My observations are as follows: IO will be our leading scorer this year without a doubt. He is the most difficult guy on our team to guard by far. He looks stronger, faster and more athletic. He is also more confident. What a great find for our coaching staff! Fischer looks stong and confident. His defense was outstanding. He will be the "glue" for this team, particularly on the road. Sloan looked like he will take no prisoners. In the practice he demonstated an excellent outside shot and in the scrimmage he fought inside ferociously. He and IO will give us a couple of very fast forwards to run the court. Drejaj was playing with the first team and his toughness and tenacity were on display again. His defense on Bryant was suffocating. He looks very confident and as intense as ever. Frericks looks strong and intense. He is a lot like Drejaj in that regard. He will never replace Kenny Brown on the defensive end but he looks tough enough to handle the middle. He will not block shots but he goes hard for the rebounds. He made several nice inside shots in traffic but he missed some as well. Overall, he looks to be a nice improvement over Brown on the offensive end. Bryant was playing with the second team and he had a very erratic time. Our first team plays killer defense and he had a very difficult time getting anything going. Late in the scrimmage he hit a couple of driving shots. I would say the jury is still out on how he will fit in to the team. I would doubt very much that he will be our leading scorer as I thought last year after watching him in practice. He did seem to be putting out a strong effort on defense but he was guarding IO and that was a mismatch. Darren Clarke impressed me and I am sure he will get time in the 4 guard rotation. He is smooth and confident, although very thin. He hit three very long three point shots (out of 4 shots) and made a nice driving layup. He turned the ball over a couple of times and that frustrated the coach but I see Clarke as a very nice addition. From day one he will be an upgrade over Drew D. Varner looks strong and confident as well. The coach looks to him to be a coach on the floor and he is, along with Sloan, the best screener in our motion offense. He will be the first "big" off the bench until Ian V. gets eligible and I think his intensity and intelligence will make him a positive contributor. Ian V. was wearing a knee brace and his right hand was taped-- it looks like a thumb problem. He still looks lost at times but he has a big upside. He is very tall and he plays big. He has a nice NBA style hook shot that he can take over almost any defender. He will play some when he gets eligible and I think he will be a force when he puts on some muscle. Another nice pick up by the coaching staff. Bryce Husak is TALL! Standing next to IO he looked 6 inches taller! I agree with those who say we should redshirt him this year. He is willing but he does not understand yet how to use his size. If he get stronger and plays in he system for a year or two I can see him getting minutes in the middle which will move Ian V. to power forward and IO to small forward. That would be the biggest front line in Billiken history. With the guards we have coming in--and with Clarke and Drejaj, the future looks bright. But Ian and Bryce need to hit the weights! Hunt was the same as always but he is truly outmatched and out muscled when he plays against Fisher and Drejaj. For those of you who think that JJ should play ahead of Varner-- It will never happen. JJ is like a lot of players I have played with and coached over the years--he is talented and athletic but the switch in the brain has not yet come on for him to play smart with intensity. At times he looks ok but often he just doesn't get what he is supposed to do and the team suffers as a result. At the end he was on the "scout" team with two coaches and two walk ons. He will warm the bench until he "gets" it-- and I don't know if he ever will. I ame away from the practice with very little idea how we will fare this year. Our defense looks great. IO looks great on offense. the rest of the starters seem to be playing smart with intensity. If we can avoid injuries and foul trouble I think we will be pretty good but we will have to improve if we are to reach the 16 regular season wins that I predicted. As for Monday nights game: Coach says the this is a better AIA team than the one we played last year. Sears--the former Creighton star plays the point and Solomon Hughes--the former Cal. star plays in the middle. They shoot the ball very well from 3 point range and they scored over 100 points in a win last week. This will be a real good test for our Billikens. Our defense will need to be great if we are to win.

I believe that AD has the potential to be our equivalent of Gerry M., the point guard for Syracuse. I see a lot of similarities in their games and they both compete ferociously every minute they are on the floor. Go Bills!

I agree that AD is an improvement over Diener but don't question his heart and that of his family. His cousin, Travis is a hard nosed tough competitor, as is his brother. Drew's problem was that he never bulked up, never got in great shape and therefore he had limited value. Let's not pick on his whole family!

Although I would agree that we a hardworking hardnosed team, I can never understand this concept that we are not "athletic" Fischer is extremely strong and very athletic. Chris Sloan is very strong, very fast and extremely quick on defense. IO is incredibly athletic for his size--he can jump very well and he is almost unstoppable off the dribble when guarded by players his size. Bryant is very quick and can run the court and score in traffic. Sure, Fericks is a beef but he has some skill. JJ is a leaper but lacks some of the other skills. Ian sounds like he could be a terrific player. My point is that it seems like you can only be "athletic" in the modern thinking if you can jump out of the gym like LeBron James (By the way his debut was extremely impressive, particularly his court sense) yet there are a great number of players who are great on defense because they move their feet and even if they are not high flyers, they are athletic. I truly doubt that we are in danger of losing 17 games. With a little luck we should win 15-17 unless everything collapses and then I see us winning at least 10-12.

Buzz was a good friend of mine so this is a hard message to write--although I knew he was deathly ill, I did not know until I read Steve's post that he had passed away. We have all lost one of the "good guys"-- no matter your political affiliation he was liked by most and loved by many. He was a truly good man who loved his family and his friends. It happened so suddenly that it should make us all rethink our lives and value every day with our families. Buzz will be missed!!

I was amazed at your comments about his 3 point shooting because I remembered a awful lot of bricks last year so I checked the stats and I beilieve that he was 5 for 23 from 3 point range last year for a dismal 21%. I think he may be better this year but in game action last year he was horrible. I do remember the long 3 at the end of one of the early games two years ago but he has not done much since!

I agree with you about Shaq--he is still the dominant player that cannot be matched in the league--no one can stop him once he gets the ball in the low post and he is an excellent passer, defender and rebounder. But he is also a primma donna and egomaniac. That being said, I think that the Lakers do not win without Kobe. He was doing Jordanesqe things and playing absolutely terrific defense. Tha sad thing is that they are each millionaires one hunderd times over and they are still pouting and worrying about petty arguments. They are two of the luckiest people in the history of the world. They have made fortunes just because they can play basketball well--at a time when the stupid boob tube allows such people to make massive fortunes. Compare them to Bill Russell, Bob Pettit, our own easy Ed, Oscar Robertson, or other early stars who dominated the sport but made nothing compared to today's stars. These two crybabies are two of the richest people on the planet and they want much more. Shaq is demanding $30 mil a year for two years in a contract extension and Kobe will get well over $100 mil after he opts our of his contract this year--if only he can stay out of jail!! The whole thing is ridiculous!

If you want to read an absolutely amazing interview, go to ESPN.com and read the interview by Jim Gray of Kobe Bryant. It is amazing for a number of reasons: 1. Kobe and Shaq are now in an outright public war! 2. Kobe basically said that Shaq showed up fat and out of shape last and his sore toe was just an excuse! 3. Kobe says Shaq is not a team player, etc.--prior to this interview Shaq criticized Kobe as a selfish player that was not ready to play! 4. Kobe says that Shaq never wished him well after the Colo. rape indictment but that a number of big names like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, etc. called with their best wishes. I think this may be unique in the history of professional sports-- that two all star players who won three world championships together are in such a public fight with insults going back and forth. Also, in spite of at best an incredibly arrogant and stupid action on the part of Kobe and at worst a horrible criminal offense by a person who no longer believes the "rules" apply to him-- we have the elite of pro sports standing behind him. It is interesting to see where we have come in the world of pro sports. It make syou proud to be a Billikes fan!!

I agree that Varner seemed out of shape and slow at various times over the last two years. However, if he has finally gotten back in shape after his two year mission then he could be a valuable bench player. he is tough and he can shoot--or at least he could shoot before he went into the horrendous slump-- I still am sick about some of his airballs at crucial times--especially in the Missouri game. I hope for his sake and ours that he is back in form!

Varner must have improved greatly to be considered similar to our four "commandos". I hope you are right--if he payed that hard and tough and also could hit his outside shots he may well be part of the rotation, at least until Ian is eligible and can get his feet on the ground.

Over the years I have attended a number of practices and at times last year I thought they were the most physical I have ever seen. There were drills where virtually no fouls we called and people ran into the wall in chasing loose balls. I have not been able to see any practices this year but it sounds like they are as intense as ever. Question: Is there a point that we should cut down on the physical play in practice to avoid injuries to our key players? My answer is that we need to make sure our players are tough enough for the grind in CUSA and the big brutes at Cinn., etc. On the other hand, if we lose players like Frericks and IO to injuries our team will struggle to compete with the better teams. On another note--based upon the reports on Frericks, we will have 4 "commando" type players-- Sloan, Drejaj, Fisher and Frericks and it will be brutal for any team who is playing us when those 4 are in the game. That group looks a lot like the old Wisconsin teams who were hell to play against in the Big Ten. Let's hope we can have some of the success if everyone survives the preseason practices.

Dave Telep and various others are reporting that Polk committed to Butler today. They describe him as a 6'6" forward that needs to get stronger but is quick and can score. It suggested that we still had an offer on the table but I have no idea whether that is true. He sounds like the type of player that we have not had for a long time. A lanky 6'6" runner who could score. Sloan comes the closest but he is realy an interior player who can run and defend. We seem to have moved to a three perimeter player--two "bigs" lineup with IO hopefully serving the role as a slasher at the 3. With Ian, JJ, Bryce, IO on tap for next year with a bunch of athletic guards I can see us continuing our 3/2 alignment. I am really interested to see who we might sign with our last schollie!