Quality Is Job 1

If Quin Snyder only goes after the best players, then please explain to me why he had to run off (or see depart) Wesley Stokes, Dwayne John, Najeeb Echols, and Ricky Clemons. I think Randy Pulley will fit the bill for Missouri. He won't score a lot of points or be all conference, and he won't be "the show" (as Clemons tried to be), but he'll fill the Tigers' need, which is a steady ballhandler who can set up the offense and get the ball to the big guns (Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding, Jason Conley, and Jimmy McKinney). I wouldn't bend myself out of shape comparing Pulley to Brandon Morris (on either side, Mizzou's or SLU's). Each will be a good fit at his respective school. Jason Edwin will be where? To me, "KSU" means "Kansas State." You had me doing a double take! I had to think about where I'd seen Edwin headed. Is that Kentucky State or Kentucky Southern?

Saint Louis University loses four players to graduation (Marque Perry, Kenny Brown, Drew Diener, and Chris Braun). That fact is at the foundation of my projection that the Billikens' record in 2003-04 will be about the same as it was in 2002-03. Built on top of that foundation is another fact. SLU has seven newcomers (Reggie Bryant, Tom Frericks, Brandon Morris, Justin Johnson, Ian Vouyoukas, Darren Clarke, and Bryce Husak) and Floyd McClain returns from an absence from playing spanning two years (the entire time coach Brad Soderberg has been at SLU). Topping it off, SLU returns just five scholarship players (Josh Fisher, Chris Sloan, Izik Ohanon, Anthony Drejaj, and Ross Varner). None of them has lit up the Div. I scene as of yet. That building seems rather shaky to me, hence my projection of around .500. However, then I considered the following. Each of the departing players will essentially be replaced by two newcomers. Brown will be replaced by Frericks and Johnson. Braun will be replaced by Vouyoukas and Husak. Diener will be replaced by Bryant and McClain. Perry will be replaced by Morris and Clarke. If the newcomers gel, the team would theoretically be better even if the holdovers don't provide any more production than they did last year. Here's why: Greater depth. Even if Husak redshirts as expected, the Bills will go from having just nine scholarship players available for action in games to having 12 guys itching to get and stay on the floor until fatigue forces them to get off. The team will have greater insurance against fatigue, injury, foul trouble, and the occasional off performance by individual players. Also, the increase in competition among the players in practice should make the team better. Greater athleticism. Each of the players "replacing" Diener is far more athletic than he was. Johnson also favorably adds to the mix. Better shooting. It appears that each of the departing players is replaced by a tandem that features at least one member that can shoot comparably or better. Braun is the lone possible exception, as I don't think Vouyoukas can hit three-point shots. I would even argue that Bryant will be a better shooter than Diener because he'll be better able to keep opponents off balance with athleticism and greater slashing ability (it doesn't take much slashing to be better than Diener) and get his shot off. Better ballhandling and playmaking. Morris is reportedly a true point. It will be the first time SLU has not had to rely upon a combo guard to run the point full time since John Redden departed. Soderberg's offense may well run with more precision in this, his second year. Besides all of that, it's reasonable to expect the holdovers to improve the quality of their play (even if the quantity decreases as a result of greater depth and competition for playing time), not remain the same. Well! Is that enough for me and "my followers" in the "pessimists" camp to switch allegiance to Nark and "his followers" in the optimists camp? Maybe I'm starting to hedge, as there's an eternal optimist in me trying to get out, but I've got to stick to my projection of "about the same." While I tend to believe the 2004 team will be better at the end of the season than the 2003 team was at the end of last season (and that's scary, because that team managed an eight-game win streak), I also believe that the 2004 team will be searching for its identity at the beginning of the season even more than the 2003 team was at the beginning of last season.

The comparison isn't meant to suggest that Pulley has become a good three-point shooter; rather, it's intended to point out that Kansas's Aaron Miles is an awful three-point shooter himself.

tseugnekillib (and Roy), I was not saying that there's no distinction between the "2" (shooting guard) and "3" (small forward) positions; rather, I was saying that both positions are wing positions. Similarly, the "4" (power forward) and "5" (center) positions are different, but both positions are "bigs."

Some of us know Nark's untruncated last name from the old Billikenboard or from reading his news stories on either that site or this one. Besides that, I believe it may be found in his profile. I have no idea what the quoted foreign language is, let alone understand what it means. And you're totally confusing me with your allusions. Lastly, would you care to link or quote this alleged letter to the editor that Nark wrote? I don't get the Post. Thanks

I consider a "2" (a shooting guard) to be a wing player. Both the "2" and "3" postions are wings, in my opinion. Why do you make a distinction between a "2" and a "wing"?

>>Graduated St. Louis U. basketball player Chris Braun was hired as the director of Sports, Teens and Family Director of the Webster Groves and Kirkwood YMCA. I doubt Miklasz intended to have the redundant "director" in there. I guess the correct title is "Sports, Teens and Family Director." Congratulations, CB!

Considering this topic is about censorship, should estiger's crass post be allowed to stand unedited? I'm tempted to change it, but I think it best to ask the members of the board. My feeling is that Missouri's problems (possible impending probation) and the fact that tigers fans can hardly express themselves on TigerBoard has estiger understandably frustrated. He forgot himself for a moment; perhaps he should slide this time. I don't see why Billikens fans should be in the middle of a Mizzou "civil" war.

Yes, Coach Soderberg made the statement that they are primarily looking at perimeter players because they will be pretty well stocked in the lane but not so much so on the perimeter, but he also said that he wants to get a look at the collection of players he's brought in over the last two years play together and the recruit based on his knowing what he has and doesn't have. During the interview, Soderberg said, in response to a "no-hedging, rapid-fire" query that the worst NCAA rule is that coaches can't work with players individually during the summer. Taking that further (and considering the statements of Mike Jarvis a couple of years ago), it means that a coach spends the summer recruiting without really knowing what kind of players he's got coming in already. Does Brad know just how much of a ball-handler and point guard Darren Clarke is? Well, without knowing that, he's bringing in Dwayne Polk. Additionally, without knowing how Bryce Husak might or might not develop, he's putting less emphasis on big men. What I want to say is this: If a really good big man that is the type of big man Soderberg likes wants to come to SLU, he'll take him, but other than that, he's focusing on signing players that operate outside of the paint.

Well, I've yet to get a response from KFNS whether or not I can publish the recording of the interview on the web, but I have re-listened to the entire interview (it's nearly 40 minutes long, comprising 9 megabytes of a low-grade mp3 file). It was a really enjoyable listen, and I hope that those of you who missed all or part of it will get the opportunity to hear it. Roy's synopsis of the interview was good, but I'd like to correct one thing. Roy insinuated that Coach Soderberg didn't seem particularly excited about Justin Johnson, but Coach did say JJ will have a good shot at contributing this year. He said that what he like about him is that he can shoot, in addition to hitting the boards. Coach also said he thinks pretty highly of Darren Clarke's chances of contributing if he comes in and works hard and plays well. He said the guys said he shot the ball extremely well this summer. Regarding recruiting, Coach said that he plans on filling all three scholarships (vacated by Josh Fisher, Chris Sloan, and Ross Varner), and that he's looking at perimeter players, as they're pretty well stocked in the lane, but not as much on the perimeter. He also spoke highly of the high school class of 2004 in St. Louis, saying that there are six or seven players capable of playing in a top six or top seven conference. One of my favorite parts of the broadcast was when Frank asked Coach about the beginning of the winning streak that capped the regular season, and I picked that to pull out as a transcription: Frank C: What a stretch there for you, as a head coach, when you have those victories, Louisville, Cincinnati, DePaul, back to back, because at the time many people were thinking, "Boy, this is really going to be a tough season; how're you going to sell season tickets next year," and then, boom, that stretch was exactly what the doctor ordered. Brad S: Yeah, you know, it was one of those things where you stick with what you believe is the right thing to do and hope it works out, not knowing for sure that it will. I mean, we could have just as easily, you know, had Marque missed the one he had against Louisville, or whatever the case may be, we could have had that string broken easily, and things just fell into place. And I feel some real momentum with our program now, not just with boosters, not just with calls and letters, but with our players, and that's what matter the most. I saw a different level of intensity this summer, and committment, and guys really wanting to get better, and that, I think, is a reflection of the end of the season we had this past year.

I have a dial-up connection myself, and it takes a long time to UPLOAD the file. Patience is a key. When I make the file available (if KFNS grants permission), I'll try to offer options that may help those with various connections. I haven't learned that much about sound files and streaming yet.

Did anyone listen to Frankly Speaking with Frank Cusumano during the 11 o' clock hour today? Brad Soderberg was on with him the whole hour. I recorded it and will seek permission from KFNS to put it on my website.

I guess I believe that Jessica Bunge is telling the truth as she knows it, but I think (hope) that Ricky Clemons strung her along brandishing a bad-boy, outlaw persona, making her think that illicit activities were taking place. Bunge did say that Clemons told her he could get away with anything. Perhaps it's a pipe dream, though, and Quin Snyder has been blatantly and STUPIDLY cheating (how smart is it to have players applying to Hearnes Center for their illegal payouts???). If so, then he should be fired.

I don't REFUSE to believe Missouri is cheating; I'm WAITING to see if it's true that they're cheating. I do concede that, at the very least, Quin Snyder likes to play within the vague areas of rules and/or has been very sloppy. But, really, why would I WANT Missouri to be guilty of cheating?

During the recent three-game series, I was completely neutral during the first two games, and the third game I was pulling for SLU, though (and perhaps some here remember my post-game "story") I was excited for the Tigers' way of ending the game, exorcising (in my mind) the demon of Tyus Edney by winning a game on a play in the last 4.8 seconds. Until the last couple of years or so, I always said that I root for Mizzou and SLU virtually equally, with a very slight edge to Mizzou. Since the change, which was during the 2001-2002 season, I think, I root for Mizzou and SLU virtually equally, with a slight edge to SLU. I think part of it is Missouri has been more nationally prominent and doesn't "need" as much support and SLU is an underdog that few in St. Louis ever give a chance to be good. During the next series between Mizzou and SLU, I'll probably pull for SLU but be happy for Mizzou if it wins.

What is the timeline for Maryland's investigation, Taj? How long after the initial reports did Maryland take to investigate? How much time elapsed before the conclusion and the corrective actions? Also, did Maryland have other, less prominent secondary violations as Missouri does? Missouri does have a series of secondary violations, but they're at the very beginning of their investigation. It's unfair that you're saying they've done nothing decisive. Give them time to verify or refute the allegations first, then see what they do.

I'm not defending Tigerboard fans. Nor do I pretend to represent the views of all Tigers fans. I don't base my fanship of Missouri on the couth (or lack thereof) of its fans or TigerBoard posters. I'm a homer, plain and simple. I must add here that it annoys the heck out of me that the owner of TigerBoard is on record as condoning cheating, because "everyone else is doing it." It's getting harder to interact with Tigers fans, but it would be difficult for me to get out of the habit of rooting for the Tigers. Rickey Paulding, Arthur Johnson, and company are among my favorite players, and I see no way I could just stop following these players I've gotten attached to. Then, in the process of rooting for the current Tigers players, I'll get attached to this year's freshmen so that I won't ever be able to quit rooting for the team. The same is true of the Billikens.

You've got to be kidding me. I root for Missouri to win on the court, but I do not have the illusion that they're angelic. It's obvious that, at the very least, Mizzou's staff flirts with the recruiting rules, but I sure hope they aren't paying players or recruits or committing academic fraud. I don't love Quin Snyder, but I root for the players. How am I doing their laundry when I've consistenly said that if Missouri is cheating the school should be punished and the principals fired? However, the difference between me and the Mizzou HATERS is that I'm hoping for the best and will WAIT for the university to complete its investigation and get word from the NCAA and the haters go to bed dreaming about Mizzou's being guilty and are already declaring their sentence.

Ricky Clemons is from North Carolina, not Southern California. Does that change your opinion of Jessica Bunge's credibility?

If Missouri is cheating (i.e., they made illegal payments to Clemons), then they deserve to be punished (and the basketball program should be cleaned out from Mike Alden all the way down), but if it's just a case of Clemons pulling the wool over Bunge's eyes to have this "romantic" outlaw image (i.e., he tells her he can get away with anything) and pretending that money he received by NCAA-permissible means was ill-gotten gain, then it was just a MISTAKE by Snyder in recruiting such a bad apple. The other things that I HOPE were mistakes and not blatant cheating include the gift of apparel and the improper plane flights for the parents of Paulding and Johnson. I think they definitely cheated to get Conley, but the NCAA has reinstated him and is still determining Missouri's punishment in that issue. FYI, I don't have black-and-gold blood. That was a ridiculous assertion. I did not attend Mizzou OR Saint Louis. I'm a fan of Missouri and of SLU.

Or it could be a case of Ricky Clemons brandishing an outlaw image to impress one of his girlfriends, pretending that his NCAA-permissible rent and meal money was ill-gotten gain. After all, Bunge told the newspaper that Ricky said he could get away with anything. I don't know that's the case, but I would prefer that to the idea that Qun Snyder and any member of his staff would be so STUPID as to have players apply to Hearnes Center for their illegal payments. I don't condone ANY cheating, but I would hope that if one cheated, they wouldn't do it so much in the open.

So what you're saying is that even if NO ONE corroborates Jessica Bunge's stories of Clemons' extravagant spending and receiving improper excessive academic assistance, it's not because Bunge is wrong or has been misled but because they're all afraid for some reason or another to come forward? Some SLU fans have already made up their minds that Missouri is guilty, just as some Mizzou fans have already made up their minds that Missouri is innocent of these charges.

...you've already made up in your mind that if Clemons corroborates Bunge's story it's the truth, but if he denies it, he's lying? I wish I had your foreknowledge.