SShoe

Perkins will be fine, a lot of factors added up to what we saw last night. Working his way back to full strength against a Memphis team that was playing defense with the strategy to constantly foul and make the officials decide where they were going to draw the line. Very Shaka/Havoc eque. Memphis is also incredibly athletic and quick, maybe not the best situation for a player who could be lacking explosiveness.
This was an important step in his road back. He got knocked around, challenged at the rim and sent to the floor. He learned that his body is still resilient, that every time he lands awkwardly isn't going to send him back to the injured list. If nothing else he re-gained some confidence in his repaired leg.

When someone moves from a lesser program up to SLU, people are going to want to see him play before passing judgement.

NIL money isn't necessarily going to come from a growing pot of money.  Instead, as more contributions go towards a collective, I think you'll see donations for facilities, programs, and coach's salaries likely drop.  I mean, if the NIL money becomes everything, how important is it to pay a coach top dollar or have a sweet locker room?

@cheesemancouldnt the case be made that the conference tournament + NCAA tournament is basically the high school model? District, sectional, state. 

That's my take. It's just coach speak. He's just keeping the starters motivated. Majerus used to do stuff like that. Every incoming recruit including John Manning was going to make an immediate impact. Each new guard coming in was better than Kwamain, etc.

Usually I'm very pragmatic with my predictions but this should be an historic season.
We have never had a scoring duo like this since Clagg & Highmark and I think Perkins and Jimerson are better. We have the best PG, not in the conference, but in the nation, yes yes. An all conference center and at least 2 guys coming off the bench that would start for every other team in the league.
13-1 non conference 
16-2 conference 
29-3 overall and a 3 seed in the NCAAs.
 
 
 
 
 

We’re still worrying about short guards as if our best players the last decade weren’t under 6-2.

Yes, and not just this league. Fats Russell at 5-11 transferred from the A-10 to the Big 10 where he averaged 15 ppg. I'm not sure why some people get so hung up on the size of guards. I look for quickness, decision making and skill with guards.

There’s no denying it, you do have a talent for stating the obvious. 

There’s no denying it, you do have a talent for stating the obvious.

🙄  hate it.  another opportunity for the rich to distance themselves from the rest by encouraging stealing of talent. 

I think you're looking at this all wrong. First of all, there's a very real chance that Perkins is at or around 100% to start the season. It's more likely that he's brushing the dust off the skillset than regaining physical abilities IMO, because it will have been over a year by then and ACL injuries aren't what they used be. 

If Perkins isn't at 100% then he will be used conservatively in early games. We kept big games close without him last see (See: Auburn) and that was with a weaker supporting cast than what we have now, even without Perkins. If Perkins is at, say, 80% of his former self, but he plays limited minutes and is still fresh in those late-game situations, we're still good. 

So my question is - Do you not trust Yuri, Jimerson, Parker, Thatch, Hargrove, Forrester, Okoro, and the gang to not hang in those tough games early in the season?

I put him on ignore many years ago skip. Best thing on this board I ever did. 

The more I think about it the less I care about a back up pg. Lets get real if Yuri goes down for any significant amount of time are we really going to get a pg who could still guide us to the tourney at this point? Probably not. Like most teams in the A10 if we lose an all conference performer it's hard to have someone to step right in and carry on.  Even if Perkins was healthy last year, I don't believe we'd have made the tourney with Jones replacing Yuri. 
 

Totally agree. Maybe the offense will still be slightly less efficient in those minutes but it will be well ahead of this past season. Obviously if Yuri went down for like a 2 month long injury, I don't think we can get by with Perkins in that role but not sure we could get by with a Deandre Jones either. By "get by", I mean stay firmly in the NCAA hunt. 

Lets just divvy up the minutes fairly. Everyone gets 15-16 mpg. That is what's important right? Keeping the scrubs that the coaches aren't good enough to "coach up" happy? 

just what we need another wing.

Was thinking about this yesterday.  In addition to the above, how about places like Humphrey's (when it reopens) having NIL exchange nights.  20% of proceeds during and after games go to the exchange. That type of thing is a little easier to swallow.

That's not really what we're suggesting.  These are just the things the average fan can do to help because let's face it, a billikens.com fundraiser isn't enough either.  The majority of it is up to the athletic department to connect the athlete and big donor $s if that's what's needed.    

Was thinking about this yesterday.  In addition to the above, how about places like Humphrey's (when it reopens) having NIL exchange nights.  20% of proceeds during and after games go to the exchange. That type of thing is a little easier to swallow.

SLU is a catholic school so maybe a few of you have heard a Priest say,  "In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety...." 
I've also heard some Priests use an alternate phrasing "worry about senseless things"
If you're not into Western religions here's one from Ghandi, "There is nothing that wastes the body like worry...."
It's senseless to think the NCAA can or will do something about NIL. 
Ya'll need to stop worrying and learn to love the bomb err NIL.
 

You are absolutely right.  The immediate eligibility rule is under the control of the NCAA and following your suggestion would likely eliminate the "buy a player issue."  For example, do any of us with a brain really think Collins would be transferring if he had to lose a year of eligibility (and substantially less NIL $$$, if he got any at all) and do any of us really think TENN would be paying him any significant amount of NIL $$$ if he could only play 1 year after sitting out the 2022-23 season?
Unfortunately the decision makers at the NCAA are totally under the control of the major schools, which drove the immediate eligibility bus.  The NCAA is afraid that the major conferences would withdraw from the organization.

We could call this NIL....The Saint Louis U Sports Help fund.
Just call it what it is.

It's gonna be hard to remain a true fan of college sports if this is just the new reality.  

I feel like the money has always been there.  It's just become so much easier to take it.