courtside

I don't think any team is guaranteed. Their only two losses to this point are at Memphis and a tight one at home to AZ. As long as they have a decent run in conference, their rpi will most certainly be good enough. They went what 12-1 non-conference. Depending on how many teams C-USA takes, they really wouldn't have to be much more than 8-8 to get in. Depending on a few others. I'd be shocked if 4 teams didn't make it from C-USA. Tough to win in their building for a lot of teams. Quick glance at their schedule and I would think they would win their share of tough games like the Charlotte at home etc...the teams they would need to knock off to do it. If they lose at places like East Carolina, and the like, then it would be different. If I was asked today for an opinion, Marquette would have to fall on their face and go under .500 in conference to not get in. I think they can go anywhere from 8-8 to 11-5, guessing 10-6 or 9-7 for them this year. that would be well over 20 wins and solid rpi, and perhaps adding a win in the conference tourney.

I would agree that students is the place to start. And that begins first and foremeost with a serious commitment to winning basketball. A little tighter watch than past years. More funds directed to the program. Kids even more so than adults need that entertainment factor. Levick's job is to create a top 25 program, that LONG term has 3000 to 4000 student season tickets. Without football, basketball should be the destination of a SLU student once to twice a week between Jan and March. The basketball program needs to win first and foremost. You will get more kids if it is in any decent attractiveness of ball. Will Levick get the job done? Will she get the full support of the university to do so? Only time will tell. It is my personal recollection than in the 90's successful era, though student section sold out, etc...it wasn't exactly near the size mentioned above. you had the old folks, and a lot of random walk ups, adults, who do not have ties to the program who jump off when they stop winning. It will take some time, but she seemed to do it on a miniature level in Santa Clara and Stanford. This is a bigger task, with many more seats to fill as long as they play at Savvis. It certaqinly isn't impossible to do.

Isn't Marquette's ahoya board the same as their rival board? Maybe you are thinking of another board. ...and sometimes all that talent at Memphis comes together, a dangerous team at times. Thanks for the word change, I am holding you to a higher standard. ;-)

What does the mention of Thomas have anything to do with Missouri? I never mentioned Missouri once, and their same time probation is just an unsolicited cheap shot out of left field. I never stuck up for Missouri. Earl Austin Jr, STL youth basketball guy, Bruce Pearl, UWM coach, former S Indiana coach, and assistant to Dr. Tom Davis at Iowa. U of I cheated, period, spin all you like. And I don't care either way to be honest with you. Pearl did tape conversations and was banished for a long time to S Indiana. That would be an interesting topic. Bruce Pearl. Do you ban a guy forever for making that particular mistake? Is there a period after many many years, you forgive and move on? or no? In sports today it is funny where some people get free passes ALL the time repeatedly, and others, don't. Vijay Singh, people still hate him in golf and do not root for him for cheating many years ago. Maybe it comes down to, if you are not already a likeable big time star, ...tough to overcome. As for my personal thoughts, ...hmmm..if people commit a mistake that warrants just punishment, but is forgiveable, and correct punishment served, then slate is clean. ...in general, imo...(obviously it has to be something within reason)

"Soft" would be better for me. And Diener is NOT soft. Novak on the hand is a soft player. Doesn't get any more clear cut than that imo. Roy you base your entire opinions on this topic on two things: Bliiken Law and the ahoya board....lol...no wonder you hate Marquette. That is a pretty small sampling don't you think? ;-) I'll break down any team in the league, but I'll do it objectively. Memphis has grossly underachieved. They offer matchup problems with Marquette especially when they hit their perimeter shots. Down 20-3 to start the game, of course Diener is going to try to do too much. He had I believe 32 agaisnt Wisconsin, and theyh led AZ late in game before losing. They are a tourney team. Depending on how their younger kids develop will depend...will they win a game in the tourney. Their schedule was to let new younger players gain confidence, experience and wins at same time. Just looking at it, sprinkling in Air Force Nebraska etc...not good teams but good enough to schedule, ...with the above mentioned two. Could have been tougher. But maybe not the right one for that year's team. Memphis is a dangerous team that too often doesn't put things together. But you can't have it both ways....Calipari...you could say doesn't get enough out of his kids...but you have to also take into account he gets the players too. Sure overall they should be in tourney every year making a run...like last year.

So what you are saying is...that because as we know UW is a football school, you couldn't or didn't want to follow the hoops team a bit(didn't say root for)??? Sure UW is a football school. But what does that have to do with not following the hoops team when you move there and live for 4 years? I guess I just don't understand. I suppose lack of coverage/support in the area up there led to your lack of interest...I suppose. I can see where it would more difficult to get interested from the casual fan. I went to some non football events at UW this past year and know it is obviously a football school, even when you win 1 game. But who cares if it is another sport in front of fewer people if that is something you like or something any good to see.

Good posts Skip. I too don't understand the Marquette envy on this board. Maybe becuase people read a couple of posts negative about SLU at the Marquette board and label the rest of them. I was actually told that is why other better boards started because people hated that board. Maybe it is because of Billiken Law? Maybe it is a new conference sour grapes thing. Maybe a combiniation of a few things. Nothing wrong with trying to develop rivals. But I won't stop being objective. And Roy...I really thought words like pu$$y were beneath you. Wow, disappointed.

Deion Thomas anyone? ...couldn't resist.

Wow, it was one game for both teams. Some big judegements on just one game. I certainly didn't fly off the handle when Louisville lost to Houston when I saw it, or when DePaul waxed Notre Dame or got waxed at Cinci if I just watched one game. Memphis had been playing poorly, and at some point with their talent was going to put to gether a big game and they did. How about crediting them first? Marquette did play a bad first half, got down big, played a better second half, but got down too much. Memphis has a lot of problems but has the talent to be an NCAA team. Only Arizona from what I have seen has defended Marquette as well. Take away the pick and roll sets with Diener and Novak and force the others to beat you. Not sure why other teams don't defend them this way. I would agree Mason is not a superstar yet and may never be. He is a nice player, a typical improving Soph who will probably be getting better and better next two years, but no he isn't a Dwyane Wade impact player in his first two years,(Wade only played two years, one more than Hughes) has too many lapses. I would disagree with Mac, Diener is 13th in the country in scoring and is a scorer. He can shoot it, from 3 or mid range or on drive, and he is almost a 90% ft shooter, who knows getting to the line is important. I think he just had a bad game. I think he will be a mid to late second round pick. Hinrich? I always thought he would do well in NBA. ever see him up close? he is a big dude who could always score because he can shoot, has size and athleticism. His question was he willing to play point and distribute and handle the ball? Both he and rdnour are much taller than Diener and can throw it down if they have too. Diener would be more appropriately compared to a Steve Nash(obviously I am not literally comparing them on results), ...I think he has a place in the NBA. Comparing Novak to Chris Braun is laughable imo. Watch more games. If you just watched Wade based on his games vs SLU people would say he wasn't that good, and a LOT of people here did. Get a larger sample of the other teams, especially conference teams. For example, Diener has to score this year, if Marquette wants to win, period. They do not have developed big men on their team. So, Marquette runs endless perimeter screens for Diener and Novak, because the three is like a lay up for them. Marquette has a big time recruiting class for next season, but for this year, Diener needs to score for them. I actually am impressed even more by him because not only does he get 20 plus a game, but his turnover ratio and assist ratio are quite good too, tough to do when asked to be "the" guy. The only thing I don't like about Diener's game is his defense, which has gotten better but isn't good. Marquette obviously isn't as good as thier record, but they are an NCAA tourney caliber team this season. As we all know here, tough to win on road in C-USA, like many conferences. If East Carolina gets off to a better start the other night, they give UC a run for their money.

Why didn't you follow UW? Sort of difficult not(if living in Seattle) to unless they were horrible when you lived there. Sort of like the current brief bad football teams of past couple of years. I know it is a football school, but ...just curious.

AP boys basketball rankings January 11, 2005 Here is The Associated Press Class AA and Class A boys basketball polls with school, first-place votes, record and points. Records are through Jan. 10. Class AA 1. Thornton (24) 15-0 414 2. St. Joseph (2) 13-0 375 3. Carbondale 12-1 328 4. Homewood-Flossmoor 13-2 317 5. Julian 11-2 312 6. Westinghouse 10-2 298 7. Bloomington 13-1 250 8. Simeon 12-3 215 9. (tie)Glenbrook North 13-2 167 9. Hillcrest 11-2 167 11. West Aurora 12-2 112 12. Marshall 11-2 95 13. Warren 12-2 77 14. Proviso East 11-3 75 15. Edwardsville 10-1 55 16. Marist 11-2 52 Others receiving votes: Peoria Richwoods, Thornridge, Rockford Jefferson, East Aurora, Conant, Alton, Peoria Central, Von Steuben, Mount Zion, Bolingbrook, Murphysboro, Lyons, Bethalto Civic Memorial, Brother Rice, Quincy, Lincoln, Rockford Boylan, Belleville West, Farragut. Class A 1. Hales Franciscan (8) 12-4 216 2. Quincy Notre Dame (2) 16-1 199 3. Breese Central (4) 15-0 198 4. Belleville Althoff 9-4 189 5. Seneca 15-0 134 6. Winnebago 12-1 110 7. Teutopolis 12-3 92 8. West Frankfort 12-2 86 9. Leo 11-4 82 10. Normal University 12-4 70 11. Rock Falls 12-3 58 12. Nashville 11-3 51 13. Liberty 12-0 50 14. Lovington 12-0 48 15. Red Bud 12-2 37 16. Maroa-Forsyth 13-1 36 Others receiving votes: St. Joseph-Ogden, Colfax Ridgeview, Mason City Illinois Central, Hope, Timothy Christian, Barry, Riverton, Winchester West Central, Nokomis, Concord-Tropia, White Hall North Greene, Carrollton, St. Anne, Bureau Valley, Carthage, Illinois Valley Central, Rock Island Alleman, Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran, Bloomington Central, Pinckneyville, Steelville. Copyright © 2005, The Associated Press

I would agree that most STL residents have no affiliation with much of anything once you cross the river. No need for a "Roy" response, just stating what I have observed. Other than some footballers over the years, U of I doesn't have a large STL contingency. ...a big Chicago school. Because U of I is pretty far from Chicago, imo most Chicago people only follow them or root when their teams are doing very well. Local STL tv covers U of I decently, but not sure there is any interest on MO side of river. To beat IL in hoops this year. Need two good low post players. IL is obviously very good and well coached, ...but beatable inside. ...as is KU imo.

Huggy wears what he is paid to wear. He has gone from sweaters, to suits, to pull overs...etc...depending on the season.

Zero doubt zero question zero debate, Donigan is better coach, recruiter, and everything in comparison in his sport vs Soderberg. There is ZERO comparison. Period, end of story, game set match.

Not that it isn't probably true, Sluballs posted what he heard on a Bob Ramsey show...good info, but I would like something more official. Ward, plays at a pace the other kids on SLU can't play at, with the ball. Size, speed, toughness, skill. Will sometimes takes a beating on this board. Obviously he is surrounded by top players on national team. When he has to do everything himself, he gets shut down by multiple people. Good for those players. Tough for the program. I feel for Donigan. You always imo recruit the best possible players, and he did that. SLU will still be competitive next year. As for people mentioning in other posts I have read regarding not getting top local kids...well, he got one, and there aren't a lot of openings on the roster with the young players. This will create some room. Timing again, like Ibisevic, is poor...not as bad as Ibisevic's. But not great. Kids also like to go away to school and I am long an advocate for going away to school, though wanting the top local kids good enough to play at SLU to stay...IU wins another national title with a DeSmet kid. Ambersly with the pk in title game. Noonan, Klein, etc...helping lead IU to a national title in recent past years. Sure it would be nice to have some. This past year's team needed a finisher and a creative mifdfielder. Dado is the midfielder. They need a kid like Ward, up top who can finish. Size, speed pace, skill. Part of being a good college coach is how well your kids do when they leave...Davis and those guys, Jackie Jewsbury, etc...Vedad, and these kids...not too shabby for Danny Donigan. Not every SLU recruit will leave early. They will get over the hump under Donigan, waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more confidence in him than any other coach at SLU for any sport. Period.

"obtuse?" Easy Andy the warden is on to you.

Hasn't it been oh about 6 minutes since my last update on the Boston Red Sox on the Boston Network...ur uh ESPN Network. Perhaps Bob Ryan can update us in the next 5 minutes that Bill Russell is indeed the greatest basketball player ever, and Peter Gammons can cry that Pedro left because he was selfish and went for the money(hmm but it is okay to do the same with other team's players) and that the little engine that could, the BoSox, won in David vs Goliath fashion with the highest ever payroll to win the WS. No, I don't get enough Boston sports coverage, ;-) just kidding with you....at least this was at the college level, refreshingly.

Students never show for any school during break unless a monster game. and with this team, ...against a bad Tulane team....there you go.

Aslo go to stltoday.com/preps then basketball for area STL rankings...once in a while they include a state ranking as well.

Try Mosports.com. ...try highschoolelite.com, chicagohoops.com, chicagosports.com and go to preps. Do a google seatch on the topic and you will find more. As for the "V"...no disrespect for Vashon, but seriously, they have a weak schedule this year. The two Chicago teams they defeated, one barely aren't even top 30 in just a small limited area poll, and not top 50 in state. Charleston had a losing record when Vashon played them. I actually thought USA today was getting better at that, making teams play national schedules to get ranked high. Disappointed. They do play Louisville Male later in the year, a top 10 Louisville area team. But that is it from what I have seen of their schedule...not saying they aren't a very good team though. Lafayette and Webster have nice teams, but imo wouldn't have much of a shot in other deeper area years.

I did not read the letters, and will defer to Roy that they are uninformed if he says so...but, ... GREAT!!!!!! people taking the time to voice some disgust at some of the pathetic performances this season. THAT,.....is a good thing. I love it. A little pressure is a good thing. And quite frankly I wish there was a little more of it on SLU hoops to do well.

That is a good post. I know Dipsy struggled to get off the bench for Chicago all season, but usually when he did, or as second half substitute he did very well and got all important results for the Fire.

Some very nice praise for Will John...saying he has made the MOST impact of anyone at midfield for US U-20 National team. Both he and Ward are moving ahead with the U-20 team. SCHMID NAMES 22 PLAYERS FOR FINAL U.S. UNDER-20 MNT CAMP BEFORE CONCACAF QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT FROM JAN. 12-16 Schmid Will Choose Final 18-Player Roster Before Qualifying Tournament; U.S. Will Face T&T, Panama and Costa Rica at The Home Depot Center; Fans Can Follow All Three U.S. Matches on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker CHICAGO (Dec. 30, 2004) – United States Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach Sigi Schmid named the 22 players that will participate in the team’s final training camp at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., before the U.S. Under-20 MNT attempts to qualify for their fifth consecutive FIFA World Youth Championship. Of the 22 players named to camp, 16 are in college while five are professional players, four of which play in Major League Soccer – Freddy Adu (D.C United), Arturo Alvarez (San Jose Earthquakes), Eddie Gaven (MetroStars) and Danny Szetela (Columbus Crew). The final professional player is first-choice goalkeeper Quentin Westberg, who plays for ESTAC Troyes in the second division in France. Midfielder Robbie Rogers, who recently had a two-month trial with PSV Eindhoven in Holland, is currently not under contract with any professional team. The players will arrive into camp on Jan. 2 and Schmid will select his final 18-player roster days before the U.S. competes in Group A of the CONCACAF Under-20 Qualifying Tournament, which will also be held at The Home Depot Center, from Jan 12-16, 2005. The U.S. is in Group A along with Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago. The U.S. will open against Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. PT before facing Panama on Friday, Jan. 14 at 8 p.m. PT. The U-20s wrap up the tournament against Costa Rica on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2:30 p.m. PT. Fans can follow all three games on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker, presented by Philips Electronics. The top two finishers in Carson will advance to the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, which will be held in Holland from June 10-July 2. Tickets ranging in price levels from $10 to $24 are available online at ussoccer.com, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout Southern California (including Robinson’s-May, Wherehouse Music and Tower Records), by calling 213-480-3232 (Los Angeles), 714-740-2000 (Orange County) or 619-220-8497 (San Diego), and at The Home Depot Center ticket office. Groups of 20 or more can call U.S. Soccer at 312-528-1290. “Despite the short window we had to choose our team for the qualifying tournament, I’m confident the players we are bringing in will provide us with the best opportunity to finish in one of the top two positions and advance to the world championship,†said Schmid, who was named the U.S. U-20 MNT head coach in late October. “Going up against Trinidad & Tobago, Panama and Costa Rica will be a difficult challenge, but it is one the players are looking forward to meeting head on.†With four professionals available to play the inside and outside midfield positions, the U.S. will look to lead from the center of the field. While only being 15 years of age, Adu is one of the most experienced international players on the team as he was part of the U.S. Under-20 MNT that had a remarkable run at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates, finishing in fifth place. In the past two years with the U-20s, Adu, who has played in midfield and as a forward, has appeared in nine international matches with two goals and one assist. Gaven will provide an offensive bite from his central midfield position, but the amount of time he sees on the field may be limited as he is still recovering from hernia surgery he underwent in November. At the outside midfield positions, Szetela provides a formidable attack with his speed, vision and pinpoint passing on the right wing, while Alvarez brings experience on the left with 17 international caps over the past two years. On defense, Westberg is the first-choice goalkeeper as his international experience in France and with the U.S. Under-17 MNT has pushed him to the lead in caps for goalkeepers this year with 10 international appearances for the U-20s. Defender Jonathan Spector will most likely not be able to assist the U.S. U-20s in qualifying as he is currently playing in England with the Blackburn Rovers, who recently retained his services on loan from Manchester United this past week. Out of the 16 college players invited into camp, a total of 12 schools from six conferences are represented. The Pacific-10 Conference leads the way with five players (four from UCLA), followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with four, the Big East with three and Conference USA with two. The two remaining – Big Ten Conference and Southern Conference – each have one representative. There are a number of college players that will be looking to solidify the defensive line in front of Westberg and backup goalkeepers Andrew Kartunen (Stanford) and Justin Hughes (UNC). Patrick Ianni (UCLA), Patrick Phelan (Wake Forest), Tim Ward (St. Louis) and Greg Dalby (Notre Dame) are all options at central back, with Dalby and Ward also possible fixtures in midfield. On the outside, Schmid has the benefit of choosing from three solid defenders in Hunter Freeman (Virginia), Nathan Sturgis (Clemson) and Marvell Wynne (UCLA). In midfield from the college ranks, Will John has made the most impact over the past two years for the Under-20s as the St. Louis product’s versatility has made him a valuable asset to the team. John is capable of playing a number of positions on the field, including as an attacking midfielder, on the wing or even up front as the lone forward, performing at a high level every time to lead the team with nine points (four goals, one assist) in international play. Benny Fielhaber (UCLA), Sacha Kljestan (Seton Hall), and Randi Patterson (UNC-Greensboro) may also play a role in midfield for the Under-20s during qualifying, as all three made an impact in the final camp of 2004 to earn one of the 22 spots. Schmid will have an array of weapons up front with the ability to choose from Chad Barrett (UCLA), Charlie Davies (Boston College), Jacob Peterson (Indiana) and Patterson, who could also see time as a forward. Barrett finished second in scoring for UCLA with 22 points (six goals, 10 assists) this season, while Davies (22 points - nine goals, four assists), Peterson (24 points - 11 goals, two assists), and Patterson (46 points – 19 goals, eight assists) were the scoring leaders for their respective squads. Since taking over the reigns of the Under-20s in late October, Schmid has gone undefeated (6-0) with impressive victories over CONCACAF counterparts Mexico (2-1) and Honduras (2-0) in Fort Lauderdale in November and two 1-0 victories over Canada at the HDC in December, increasing their overall record in 2004 to 12-7-6. In Carson, the U.S. will open play on Jan. 12 against Trinidad & Tobago, who defeated Cuba 6-5 in aggregate in the Caribbean Zone to advance to the final round of qualifying. The U.S. holds a 7-2-0 record against Trinidad & Tobago in world championship qualifying, with a substantial goal differential of 26-5. The USA’s second match on Jan. 14 pits them against Panama, a team they have never faced in U-20 qualifying. Panama advanced to the final round by finishing second in the Central American Zone behind Costa Rica, who is the third and final team the U.S. will face on Jan. 16. The U.S. and Costa Rica have met eight times in qualifying and the series is tied up at 2-2-4, with the U.S. holding a slight edge in goal differential, 7-6. The other two CONCACAF representatives to the 2005 FIFA WYC will come from CONCACAF U-20 Group B as Honduras will host Mexico, Canada and Jamaica in San Pedro Sula from Jan. 26-30, 2005. This marks the second straight time that U.S. Soccer will host an Under-20 qualifying tournament, as just two years ago the U.S. hosted the 2003 Under-20 Group B qualifying tournament in Charleston, S.C. Before that, the U.S. hadn’t hosted the event since 1980. This will be the first time any U.S. Youth National Team will play at The Home Depot Center, site of U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center. The U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams have both played matches at The Home Depot Center. Under-20 Men’s National Team Training Camp/2005 CONCACAF Qualifying Carson, California January 2-17, 2004 Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Hometown Club / College Adu, Freddy F 5’8 150 06/02/89 Potomac, Md. DC United Alvarez, Arturo M 5’9 170 06/28/85 Houston, Texas San Jose Earthquakes Barrett, Chad F 5’11 180 04/30/85 Beaverton, Ore. UCLA Dalby, Greg D 6’0 175 11/03/85 Poway, Calif. Notre Dame University Davies, Charlie F 5’10 160 06/25/86 Manchester, N.H. Boston College Fielhaber, Benny M 5’9 150 01/19/85 Irvine, Calif. UCLA Freeman, Hunter D/M 5’11 170 01/08/85 Allen, Texas University of Virginia Gaven, Eddie M 6’0 145 10/25/86 Hamilton, N.J. Metrostars Hughes, Justin GK 6’0 165 04/23/85 Wake Forest, N.C. University of North Carolina Ianni, Patrick M 6’1 175 04/15/85 Lodi, Calif. UCLA John, Will F/M 5’10 155 06/13/85 Overland Park, Kan. St. Louis University Kartunen, Andrew GK 6’1 175 02/07/85 San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Stanford University Kljestan, Sacha M 6’1 150 09/09/85 Huntington Beach, Calif. Seton Hall University Patterson, Randi F 5’10 170 04/16/85 Hackensack, N.J. UNC – Greensboro Peterson, Jacob F 5’10 160 01/27/86 Portage, Mich. Indiana University Phelan, Patrick D 6’1 175 01/16/85 Enfield, Conn. Wake Forest University Rogers, Robbie F 5’9 135 05/12/87 Palos Verdes, Calif. Sturgis, Nathan D 5’10†150 07/06/87 St. Augustine, Fla. Clemson University Szetela, Danny M 5’11 170 06/17/87 Clifton, N.J. Columbus Crew Ward, Tim D 6’0 160 02/28/87 Waukesha, Wis. St. Louis University Westberg, Quentin GK 6’1 180 04/25/86 Paris, France ESTAC Troyes (FRANCE) Wynne, Marvell D 5’10 170 05/08/86 Poway, Calif. UCLA U.S. U-20 MNT Staff Position Name Residence Head Coach: Sigi Schmid Manhattan Beach, Calif. Assistant Coach: Dave Dir Addison, Texas Assistant Coach: Mike Lapper New Albany, Ohio Assistant Coach: Peter Vermes Overland Park, Kan. Coordinator: Erik Carlson Long Beach, Calif. Doctor: Scott Powell Pacific Palisades, Calif. Trainer: Jeff Thomas Chicago, Ill. Trainer: Mike Overturf Aurora, Ill. Massage Therapist: John Zecopolis Charleston, S.C. Equipment Manager: Mike Manning Newbury Park, Calif. Press Officer: Neil Buethe Chicago, Ill.

Okay...original post...well...on the college level U of I and KU are 1 and 2 nationally...for Midwest ball. But if your post is about high school players which I assume it is...well...let's take a look. Absolutely there are some great players in the Mid-Atlantic area...but remember some of those kids are originally from somewhere else. Chicago for example has some serious high level talent most years in hoops, very deep, and they often lose to the Peoria's in high school team ball. You are also talking about a radical difference in population. I would agree also ...who cares where kids come from as long as you win. Without the hoops tradition of a KU for example, it is tough for SLU to get elite kids period, but elite kids from far away too. Recruiting is tough tough business, very hard. If you are going to get a second tier recruit, sure it makes sense to have it be a local kid as opposed to from somehwere else....but SLU has not yet reached the point as a program where they can say, you are a marginal local player, not interested. Recruiting is tough as I said. ....I was reading the Chicago Tribune recently...and they did a story on a kid who is going to Marquette next year...the kid was not highly recruited the last two years when Marquette was all over him early, and now, picked as top 5 local player on number one team drawing wild Dwyane Wade like comparisons(which obviously is overboard etc...) but the point...like Wade, who was NOT highly recruited his first few years in high school, he went under the radar a little bit, and now everyone wants him. SLu needs a few of those. not an easy thing to do. I would agree that STL does not ahve D-1 depth of area talent, major d-1. But....that is okay, plenty of other areas to get kids from. Mizzou football coach got a commitment from top Texas QB...because the Texas schools were too busy with other kids in the fertile recruiting area there. SLU has a nice recruit for this year, and two for next year. Top 25 teams get great classes every year. Soderberg needs a good class after next year's to solidify the first one. Lastly, obviously you need athletes to win. But you can have a solid decent non-superior athlete, who is a "skilled" ball player, and win too. you need both to win.

juco's and international players can fill a need once in a while. I wouldn't say never or rarely use them, but I would agree to not make them a priority. As for Freshman, ...only a very small amount of Freshman nationally make a significant contribution their freshman year. If you do not have one or more of those superstars immediate impact players...again of which there are very few, ...playing a lot of youngsters can mean sacrificing the season to gain experience. It means the rest of your kids just aren't good enough to get it done. I believe in playing your your young players, but most good teams can spot their play and sprinkle them in...etc...at this point, SLU has nothing to gain by not playing the youngsters. But if SLU lays an egg all season with an embarrssing record, it won't matter who Soderberg has coming in next year...the guy first and foremost has to keep his job and play whoever can help that cause young or old. Unfortunately for the kids coming in next season, there will be added extra pressure on them to make significant contributions. This season...SLU can improve, but let's face it, record-wise will be disastrous, and that is what matters. Next season, with all of the new faces playing, I think SLU will still have problems having more than just a decent record. And, SLU will be looking at two years from now to make the tourney. Playing in the A-10 will help that cause. Unfortunately the pressure will be on Soderberg(if there is any commitment to winning at SLU), to win next year.