Bay Area Billiken

Or St. Mary’s …

Green’s training camp incident with Poole destroyed GSW chemistry, per both Green and Coach Steve Kerr. We’ll see if Green is a Warrior next season. So no, an easy no, Draymond Green was not a better teammate than the National Assists Leader, who averaged 10.1 assists per game, at SLU.

Are you aware of the Draymond incident with Poole, and what that did to GSW team chemistry? Are you aware of Coach Steve Kerr’s end of season assessment of the matter? Are you aware of Draymond Green’s own post-season admission on the matter? Your statement, both parts of it, is incorrect. Yuri shot slightly better than Green from 3. But Yuri is a point guard; Green is an undersized power forward and the team enforcer. The Warriors do not rely on Draymond Green for their scored baskets. He has a very different role on that team. Unfortunately, one part of his enforcing involved his own teammate, not good.

Please. Yuri was First Team All-Conference and the National Assists Leader.

I’m not laughing at the comparison. Are you aware Caleb Love led North Carolina to the ‘22 NCAA Championship Game? He is a star, as is Yuri Collins, the National Assists leader, playing his proper facilitator role at point guard. But as for the typical reactions of elements on this board … They are so predictable.

However, in conference season, there was too much of the annual reversion into playing the East Coast Bus League’s half court chess matches. Run, play up tempo, don’t just engage in the annual talk, rather, let’s see action, do it. Dictate terms to the opponents, not the other way around. Overall in the A10 SLU usually has the better players. Let them play ball.

+ Gibson Jimerson. Only one basketball is needed. Have you ever stayed up to watch the Golden State Warriors, especially in their prime, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Wiggins, Poole, Draymond Green? This is basketball, correct, as in making baskets, scoring the ball. Try it. You might like it.

Yuri led the Nation is Assists this past season, as in Numero Uno. That’s good, not good grief.

There's no way anyone can objectively say this team is better without Yuri than it would be with him. That's emotion tainting the reasoning.

Put Yuri with players that can score the ball and keep him distributing at point guard. Let the other two score on Yuri dimes. The reactions on this board remind of when Pujols left the Cardinals after the '11 season. With time to heal that wound, he was welcomed back, triumphantly, a decade later.

I’ve read the Comments, attended 6 SLU games this past season in person (SLU went 4-2), and watched most of the other games on TV. I am aware of the known issues and know what I observed. If I was in charge of the SLU Men’s BKB program, I would advocate doing what it takes within the current rules to keep Yuri Collins for his 5th Season and pair him with Caleb Love and Gibson Jimerson, at SLU. SLU needs to win now with the Big East TV contract up in 2 years. SLU would have a better chance to win and win big, win as required, with Yuri and Caleb Love with Jimerson in Billiken Blue. Objectively and unquestionably the team would be better, significantly better, than what’s there now.

It's better to be Always Wright than Always Wrong.

https://twitter.com/mod4three/status/1644870581651734528?s=12&t=jikm5nKg-NlIUjy2c9C9zw

Some of those senior citizens are not Ekker-memoried, but some are. The experience makes one both hungry and humble. Ekker did not get the extension.

8 cupcake home games of the first 9 is not “the first few games.” We all know what Mizzou did and why Mizzou did it, with a new Coach and largely new team filled with mercenaries. The timing/sequencing of the games most definitely mattered and was by design.

Your post ignored the obvious beginning, the first 3/4. What Mizzou did in terms of scheduling was patently obvious, and it worked.

Mizzou's 2022-23 nonconference schedule from 11/7/22 through and including 12/4/22 consisted of: Southern Indiana (in its first season in D-1), Penn (should have prepared MU better for Princeton and that boat racing; we were there in Sacramento), Lindenwood (in its first season in D-1), SIUE, Mississippi Valley State, Coastal Carolina, Houston Christian, @Wichita State, and Southeast Missouri State. Playing those 8 cupcakes in the first 9 games, all in Boone County, more than qualified Mizzou as a finalist for the '22-'23 Betty Crocker Award. That was quite a Mizzou scheduling 9 game, 8 cupcake preface to the '22-'23 season, clearly by design.

Mine is hardly an “overreaction,” nor a complaint. The truth is neither. This is an all mid-major tournament, will not assist the NET. This is the new normal. We know next season is a rebuilding season, and the schedule will likely prudently and understandably be lighter than this past season.

Welcome to the 2023 Myrtle Beach (Mid-Major) Invitational. While I've never been to the Carolinas and am sure Myrtle Beach is a nice place, read it lies in the middle of a 60 mile long beach, the entire field at this tourney consists of mid-majors (assuming that is what SLU now is). Nary a Power 5 + 1 is in this exempt tourney. This is the new normal.

... with Fox TV expires in 2 years, 2025. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/36061636/ncaa-tournament-evolution-big-east-sets-basketball-revolution-march-madness

Watching the Aztecs, I really didn’t think they were that good, even though they reached the NCAA Championship Game. They played tough defense, which kept them in the games. But their shooting was so off, that my impression was they couldn’t shoot (an overall assessment). They cut the UConn lead to 5, but then ran out of juice (not gas, as they hail from California). Matt Bradley was SDSU’s only player who averaged double figures in scoring. He was a 3 year player at Cal, then played 2 seasons at SDSU. SDSU made the National Championship Game, finished 32-7, while Cal flatlined at 3-29. From a basketball perspective, Bradley made a good move.

A fellow member of the morning coffee group, a former Cal player who suited up against the mighty UCLA Bruins in their glory years, was at the Meet and Greet for Coach Madsen yesterday in Berkeley. I’m interested to hear his report this morning. Madsen has already brought some energy to the Old Blues after 3-29.

UC’s are the University of California. Cal State’s are the California State University System. They are two different public university systems in the same State.

I thought of both Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State in Baseball. But I think the Final 4 in Basketball is bigger.

SDSU overcame a 14 point deficit and its own 13-22 FT shooting. This is probably the biggest win in athletics in California State University System history.