courtside

Some good posts. SLU has an uphill climb due to lack of tradition, and it hasn't been out of that commuter school realm long enough to have more alumni school spirit. I think the most important thing SLU is doing is to get away from the commuter school thing. It is priority one. The reason I emphasize students so much to the ire of many because of their apathy...is that is where you have to start. Getting students to games...winning games...in a first rate atmosphere. The on campus arena will help some, but it is just part of the deal. Kids btw will go off campus in major urban areas to go to games...not out to suburbs, but close to city, yes. With the new arena, accessibility is not an issue. This will help attract the non hoops fan student. Winning helps. If the team plays good ball, on campus, people will go...and if those kids are having fun at games, they will bring in more kids...etc...and when these people graduate...as young adults, 20-30 somethings...if in the STL area, they will buy tix. The school then promotes the basketball team as THE thing to not miss on campus, game day atmosphere, mkting, promos, etc...and all incoming students should be well aware of this as an added attraction to the school. You can't just have one of the above..takes a combo of many things. Right now if you are a student, or Joe average adult fan....you have not had a lot to cheer about in years...and even this year, the games in the 40's and 50's....up and down season...playing new opponents that don't stir up a great deal of interest yet....game production itself is below standard...there isn't a lot of incentive to go. You need more than just the promise of one solid recruiting class. a lot more. If SLU can win games, play more attractive ball, on campus, and gretaly enhance the marketing efforts....I would think a lot of the non-commuter students would increase their level of attendance greatly. It is not enough to say, it is SLU people should go. People need an incentive to go, even students..on campus arena helps that a lot....now a lot of other things to work on too.

Look at the results when you ask for them in a positive way. BM doesn't need me to stick up for him. But if you are persistent and do it in professional way, BM will listen to people and make changes. He is stubborn, but not too stubborn that his show won't be changed. People were relentless about Andy Stricklnad...at first BM will defend his choice and guy...but in the end it is reflection on him and his show. He changed that situation. Tuna is a once week thing...supposed to be light-hearted etc...I am sure BM didn't think Tuna would even be on enough to piss off that many people. He thought wrong. Hold him accounatable. He isn't going to undress Tuna on the air, ...it isn't going to happen...but he could at least challenge sources and accuracy of info. And on this end, e-mail, press box posts etc... I don't know of too many other in town radio people who would even listen to what people suggested. ...or at least make themselves available for comments etc.. I would be relentless, hold him accoutable, but doing it in a class way will get you further. He knows the Tuna problem. Be specific, instead of generalizing, bashing etc...and a change will be made. ...even if it is stubborn and reluctant.

Roy, I can understand you want Liddell to get as many touches as possible, therefore, especially on this current team, you want him at the point. I get that and would agree with that based on what they have...because of lack of anyone else he would get more touches there. I also think in certain sets that is fine as well. I do think they need to add someone who's strengths are ball handling, running the offense etc...from that spot...more of a traditional pt guard. I think only having Liddell and Lisch is serviceable. I am interested in more than serviceable. Lisch has 32 assists and 43 turnovers in 25 games. Liddell has 67 assists and 62 turnovers. SLU is averaging 14 to's a game. Sure they have a young team and it is to be expected, but the level of competition is not very high either. I just think the position is undervalued, and also what having someone reliable there can do to open things up for Liddell and Lisch, and create desperately needed more offense, and better ball proection. As I said, it is my opinion SLU needs another point guard..or should I say at least one true pt guard..they don't have one. They are getting away without one in the A-10, and to me that is all they are doing. This is in general...as in ...in general they need a couple of shooters and an inside player who can defend and board. I think they need help in those 3 areas. We can disagree on this one and see both sides. Just know that obviously I know/think that SLU needs shooters, a post player as well. I would just add/include the third thing. You I am gathering don't think it is necessary and just want to concentrate on the other two areas. That's fine, I am all for those, but I am sticking to the third as well. I really think it would help a great deal on offense.

Cheese, I would agree with you that it doesn't really matter if its pf or c. Quality big men who can play inside are hard to find. I would take the best available player(s) at either spot in coming years. Improving athleticism, while maintaining size...someboday who can play back to the basket and rebound. I just mentioned in order for SLU to turn the corner they needed those three things imo...having some of them will improve the team, sure, and some is better than nothing.

Actually no, I said "a"...you were even kind enough to post it for me, albeit without the rest of the info in it, as in the other areas. Obviously other posters have commented on your inability to let facts get in the way of your conclusions. Judging by reading their posts, it has been a long pattern for you. A + g = C for you. Conveniently you didn't copy an entire post, merely part of one, and you still manage to get it wrong and continue your pattern. If you have some sort of sick fascination for me from left field, that's fine. This board seems to be full of that these days. Should we hold class so little Abomb learns the difference between the word "a" and "the"? I seriously hope you are a small child, because no grown adult could continue to make up "facts" and repeat them over and over again as you have done on multiple threads....and then beleive them to not only be true but the basis of their premise. Sure why let facts get in the way of anything. You did this in the baseball post, and now this post. Other posters have apparently called you out on this more than once. If you want to keep embarrassing yourself, keep posting. It is quite the laugh. Couldn't have laughed any harder reading your post when you actually decided to take the time to pull a quote, reply, and then proceed to not only exclude the rest of it, but actually read it, and get it wrong, yet again. I honestly laughed very hard, but then I felt sorry for you because my guess is you are a grown adult that has once again fallen through the cracks of the educational system. But, you chose to attack me on this thread for no reason, and for that you should suffer the embarrassment you are receiving. You can let it go and save even more embarrassment or keep posting, that right is entirely up to you.

Again...of those who didn't actually READ my posts...I said SLU needs shooters, an upgraded inside player who can board and provide some scoring, and a point guard. Nowhere in my posts did I say it was number one or only thing... I did however say it was necessary to have one to win in post-season. I don't expect the reading challenged Abomb to comprehend, but for everyone else, that is what I said. Obviously SLU has a lot of need in multiple spots...as evidence as to where they are as a program right now. First you recruit the best available players regardless of position, and that was done this year...obviously you need to start locally and this has been done...and eventually you recruit based on need, once something is established. I would rather not have Liddell be the primary pt guard for the next few years. We disagree that's fine.

Ahhh the Abomb troll is back. Genius post.

Yes, it is almost all about winning. But not completely. The school has to make the games more than just a game and make them a must attend event, and market the basketball program relentlessly to incoming students and current students.

First off Billikan, it is alright to disagree with someone...I will let your watch games more closely comment slide for one time only...that is the kind of garbage I don't like seeing on the board. I'd be happy to break down hoops with you any time. Disagree fine, nothing wrong with that. Roy, I didn't base my opinion on time of year and who they can get at this point. It was based on need and preference. SLU needs shooters, an inside rebounding/scorer, and a point guard. That's my opinion. Liddell can play the point in different offensive sets, and at times during the game. But imo they need a true point guard to carry the ball handling load and run the team. I think keeping the same group for next year is undervaluing the position. Schasz, I don't think Polk would be a point guard even if he did have a jumper. He doesn't create for others. He is a 2 guard who can't shoot, in a pt guard's body....assist to turnover ratio...etc.. He does two things, adds team speed and quickness, and he is a Vashon kid, and it doesn't hurt to build relations with them. IMO, in order for a team to be successful in NCAA, they need a good inside outside balance...but if you had to start with one thing, it is at the point.

Roy, Your term was "capable." That says it all to me...it says, well if they have to, those two can do it... So, no, I don't, I suppose is the answer. I want a true point guard....now, backing up that true point guard with one of them is fine. Those guys are not true point guards, and against future high level competition, wouldn't be good enough imo to do it a whole season without someone else to be the main pt. Are they getting by in the A-10 with them, this year sure. I really believe this should be a high priority. just my opinion....you want Liddell to have more freedom on the wing...and Lisch to get comfortable not having to worry about being the main ball handler....etc...doing it some of the game with a main pt guard out sure, fine, anything more...no.

I am also told Marquette is hot after an inside juco player .....don't know name yet...so I am uncertain of the level of their Stemler interest...I believe they have one spot open if the above kid transfers.......so they can only sign one kid.....Not sure where it is at for SLU...but that is the info I was given.

This topic made me curious. Marquette's late interest. They already have a Novak replacement recruit for next year in Lazar Hayward...stud East Coast prep school kid who picked them over Uconn, Pitt, UVa etc...looking at the roster...they have 3 seniors...and two incoming kids...and a redshirt kid(conveniently enough a 6'6 outside shooter)...so why would they look at Stemler? Didn't make sense. No offense to him but Novak was a top 50 kid and will be NBA draft pick next year. Did some digging...I asked around....and apparently Soph Ryan Amoroso is transferring, possibly to UNLV at season's end. ...was in coach's doghouse, didn't practice hard enough...etc...so they are looking to fill his spot, last minute, find a player, and it makes much more sense. Amoroso is a guy Billiken Law insisted would be their inside player this year when I questioned they didn't have one, and didn't think he would be their answer. To their team's credit they are a top 25 caliber team with serviceable at best inside rotation....but where is B-Law on this one? just teasing. Amoroso is classic tweener, 6'6 inside outside game, can be a good scorer...but doesn't defend well inside, and has fallen out of favor. Not sure of the level of interest, or bank the scholarship....and as of now, Amoroso hasn't transferred. But why else would Crean be there? As for SLU, ...without a good true point guard...how many quality looks would he get? SLU needs shooters, yes, a point guard, and a power forward. I would like to see an upgrade in point guard recruiting as a top priority. You can never have too many shooters, but you better have a true point...obviously Liddell and Lisch are being counted on to create for others...but need a point guard who can do it too.

So what MVC netwrok game did you watch out there too?

Is the Fazekas thing a joke? Fazekas is from Colorado...his Hungarian grandfather has a well documented story of escaping a Soviet Prison by setting himself on fire. And he eventually made it to the U.S.

I am uncertain but I think you have to sign up for Chicago Tribune..so I am posting whoe article. Novak has been nothing short of terrific his senior season...41 and double digit boards vs Conn...and monster game vs Pitt Sat. I just read this in this week's Chicago Tribune. Marquette, Novak are taking dead aim Golden Eagles making strong case for NCAA tournament berth, writes Dan McGrath Dan McGrath February 20, 2006 MILWAUKEE -- Marquette fans might have sensed it was their night Saturday when MU student Andy O'Connell flipped in a shot from three-point range for a semester of free tuition during a timeout for a promotion in the Golden Eagles' Big East game with Pittsburgh. The kid's bucket had an estimated street value of $10,500, but the record crowd of 19,007 that packed the noisy Bradley Center was even more demonstrative after Steve Novak drilled a three-pointer over Pittsburgh 7-footer Aaron Gray with 2 minutes 48 seconds left. Novak's fifth three-point basket of the evening gave Marquette an 81-77 lead. Much would transpire in those remaining 168 seconds, including two missed free throws by the aforementioned Gray with Pitt trailing 81-80 and two makes by Novak that pretty much sealed it for the Golden Eagles with 11.9 seconds left. The result was an 84-82 victory over the ninth-ranked Panthers, Marquette's second in three days over a top-20 team following a six-point win over No. 17 Georgetown on Thursday. At 8-5, the Golden Eagles are guaranteed at least a .500 finish in their first year of Big East membership, and at 18-8 overall they present a strong case for their first NCAA tournament berth since 2003. That's remarkable progress for a team that lost four of its last five and staggered to a 19-12 finish last season. Marquette was a first-round NIT casualty and struggled to score when do-it-all guard Travis Diener missed eight games with a foot injury and a broken hand. "We were scuffling at the end, but I don't think it's indicative of the type of team we were," coach Tom Crean said. "We were good and getting better when Travis got hurt." Diener made the Orlando Magic as a second-round draft pick. But it's quite possible Marquette has upgraded at his position with Dominic James, an explosive freshman who plays point guard the way Barry Sanders played running back. Going head-to-head with four-year starter Carl Krauser, James hit Pitt with 16 points and six assists in 32 minutes, without a turnover. Fellow freshmen Jerel McNeal (of Hillcrest) and Wesley Matthews also have been impact players for the Golden Eagles, but Crean insists he's not surprised. "I never doubted the young guys' competitiveness," he said. "They know how to win. "Plus we've got three seniors who have been through a lot and they're playing with a great sense of urgency. We've got old pushing young and young pushing old. It's a good mix." Novak, in particular, is flourishing. The 6-foot-10-inch senior forward is a remarkable deep shooter, in range when he enters the building, and the Bradley Center buzzes with anticipation each time he loads up. Novak leads the Golden Eagles with 17.1 points per game, shooting 47.2 percent overall and 45.3 on three-pointers, but here's some real money numbers: 66-for-67 on free throws this season, 235-for-252 in his career, one miss in the last 14 months. "You can see why we want the ball in Steve's hands at the end of the game," Crean said. "He's a high-level, big-time shooter, and he's playing with a great deal of confidence. With the way he's improved his overall game, he's going to make somebody a really good pro." Novak was a dangerous weapon off the bench for Marquette's Final Four team as a freshman in 2003, a beneficiary of Dwyane Wade's creativity. Left more to his own devices the last two years, he sometimes struggled to find shots, but James' ability to draw defenders and his own improvement as a ballhandler have helped make him a more consistent scorer this season. "If you pass it to him, there's a pretty good chance you're going to get an assist," Crean said. Novak dropped a career-high 41 points (with 16 rebounds) on top-ranked UConn as Marquette won its Big East debut on Jan. 3. He beat Notre Dame with a last-second three-pointer 2 1/2 weeks later, and he has hit five or more three-pointers in 10 of Marquette's 26 games. He's shooting with such blithe self-assurance that it's surprising when he misses, no matter the distance. "Coach has been on me to take the shot when I'm open," Novak said. "The other guys tell me that, too, so when everybody has that much confidence in you, you almost have to be confident in yourself." Even against the Big East's behemoths. "Before the season, coach made it clear that our goal was to win in the Big East now, not two, three years from now," Novak said. "I appreciate that. I'm a senior. Joe Chapman, Chris Grimm . . . this is it for us, so we want to win this year. The young guys who have come in, they play with a lot of confidence. We've been getting better the whole year, maturing as a team. We're starting to figure out how good we can be." ---------- [email protected]

This is circa 30 years ago...and some coaches unhappy with NCAA pulled their team to play in the NIT NEVER

....in a million years would I take an NIT Final over an NCAA First Round. EVER.

I think GW is going to get in regardless...but not a done deal yet. They are not likelyto stumble in last 4 and conf tourney...but if they do...trouble city...that 212 SOS ...wow! strong record vs RPI top 100 and top solid against RPI top 50 should get them in. Losing a few games down the stretch...well I wouldn't recommend it, and I don't see it.

SLU had two ways to help themselves. 1) beat Gonzaga, Iowa etc...at home 2) Win conference road games. They didn't do this. I think the A-10 gets one team this year.

All I ask is that if people are going to strongly object to something...they should see it first. I can at least say I have seen some places that have really impressed me with their total game experience. I have no problem with people sticking up for the band. That is fine, no problem. But I do have a problem if people are going to give the old knee jerk, oh not that stuff etc...blah blah...without experiencing a few places first. If someone is unable to experience other places, fine, I understand that....but then a more informed response would be ...well ...I sure do love the band...not sure if you understand the history, and special place the band has at SLU...etc...I can't speak for other stuff, but this is what I like.....That might make more sense to me. Instead some of the posts will come across as though those people do not emrace progressive change. Change can always be bad, but it can be good too, and done well to mix in something for everyone and make everyone happy. You see...you, this poster, that poster...etc..are not the only fans or only targeted fans...and neither am I .... And for the record...not chest thumping, because it isn't my style usually....but I am well aware of the band at SLU and other places...I have been going to SLU games since Luther Burden and Pee Wee Leonard...and SLU's band, while fun, good, great etc...isn't more special than many other bands out there too. Again, go see other places on their turf. I am in a position where I can do this, and I am telling you my own experience. And as I said, I am not in favor of anything that is shocking, or not clever, or tastefully done. I am willing to bet a lot of $$ that what I am explaining is not the impression you have in your mind. If you start from scratch and go to game without thinking of this in some places...you will leave thinking...wow, everything done from the minute I walked up to the game til I left was unbelievably well done. ...and you will be blown away by the difference.

No, not a band hater....plenty of opportunities for the band to play at games, not just pre-game and post game and half time....HOWEVER there will be plenty of other times I would prefer the alternative. Are you advocating band only music the whole game? I am far from a band hater...and like to hear school fight songs all the time. A great joy was on a visit to the College Football HOF in South Bend for example...there is an entire room where you can pick a school's song and hear it roar....I think Schasz would just have Rocky Top on repeat for an hour...I greatly enjoy Texas' song as well as many others. I can do without some of the tired deceade repeated and outdate numbers. I have first hand seen the difference at games at places...the increase in atmosphere is amazing.

I disagree, ...and this is what makes the world go round. I couldn't disagree more...this is after seeing the difference at many other places. No one is saying eliminate the band...but they would play pre-game, half-time...during a few timeouts during game...but would have their role reduced considerably. I am in favor of that....it is FAR ...light years far from an NBA atmosphere, and it does not come across as forced. NBA atmospheres are boring. The band has its place, but it needs to make room for other things too.

Yeah nothing like shooting down something without seeing it. Quality post.

I wish I had the link, but there was a great article on Wake Forest basketball last year on how they went to Marquette and lost the previous season....and were so impressed by the atmosphere, they hired some of the same people to better "produce" their own home games. EVERYTHING is organized micromanaged.....from tthe head coach making the rounds at the big booster club bars pre-game at the arena, to the giveaway EVERY single game when entering...bobbleheads, t-shirts etc...it is MUCH more of pumped in music atmosphere, and a lot less student band. lights turned down pre-game, sort of like the old Michael Jordan Bulls intros....a lot of video scorebaord stuff...of the coach speaking to fans before the game, and players...and videos of old and current players with music blaring....honoring long time season ticket holders with gifts at timeouts and half time....clips of a quote from "Hoosiers" late in games of tight games...... There is a tremendous non-stop flow, it's like a raucous clap along dance party from techno, to Welcom e To The Jungle, Start me up type stuff. And all of it is done while honoring tradtion, past players, honoring other sports teams...you name it in high class way. At places, this becomes an event not to be missed. Not just a basketball game. There is absolutely no down town, or quiet time or lulls. All SLU has to do is visit some other places for ideas....apparently even the ideas folks are being shared at some schools.

I would have preferred something that said....originally the plans did not include practice facilities and coaches offices...even thoughs of Seoderberg and everyone else were that the Arena would be that original size, AND iclude the amentities. I am supposed to read quotes from Levick that make the appearance that 10k waas the way to go all along...or that inexplicably the previous design didn't include the amentities? As I said, I'm not buyin. As I also said, it isn't a big deal to me, the end result. The seating capacity is not what bothers me. Just be upfront about what went on in the process. Really not a big deal to me.