TheVanillaGorilla

Nice Call. Big win for thwe Tigers. Looks like the Tigers and the Billikens are heading in different directions as the season progresses. Must be the coaching.

Is ESPN right? Billikens are down over 20 to SEMO at home.

.500 will be about 6 games better than the 3-9 Billikens will be. At least none of our fans threw anything at the opposing team while they were shooting free throws.

Laurie will come out way ahead on this deal - SLU will break even. Plus everyday that dirt pit on the corner of Market sits there Mr Laurie make more money at SLU's expense. You have to admire the heart the Tigers showed today. Thats how to close a game!

It is to easy to make fun of this teams recruits and season. The Vanilla Gorilla will be back when the optimism returns.

Wow 7,500 (how many actually showed up) on a Saturday for your first game. I guess we can stop the Mizzou attendance bashing now. On a positive note it looks like your old coach was a good one.

I can't even count how many times it was stated that Polk was some super quick talented phenom that would lead the Bills to the NCAA tourny this year. It was some great injustice that he was overlooked in the recuiting rankings. If one thing is clear it is that while not perfect the recuiting ranking are more accurate than anyone here will admit. You all take Roy's and others personal observations and trumpet them around like he is some recruiting genius. St louis basketball is far below that being played elswhere just not that many talented kids here. They look real good against the competition they are playing against but don't stack up on a national scale. I don't expect anymore from the kids that are comming in next year. In 3-4 year you might be able to win the A10 if everything goes right. It didn't take long for the offseason optimism to end.

Poor coaching

Its always the coaches fault. He recruited the player, these are some of the players you have been heaping praise upon.

Never said I was happy with him. He got caught cheating and he sucks. However you guys would be giddy if you were in the tournament as offten as Missouri was. All Summer and Fall all I read was how this would be the year you would be back in the tournament, how Polk was some superstud that was overlooked. Now all I read is wait till next year when the new kids show up. I can't wait to see what you guys are writing next year. Roy has practically anointed Lisch as a God. Kids with these types of expectation will almost always disapoint. All the while you have no size and Brad is no better than a 500 coach who has yet to prove he can coach even marginally talented players. Add on the fact that the A10 + 4 will get no more than 2 or 3 bids and the Bills won't be able to afford any early season mistakes against the likes of Austin Peay or Eastern Michigan. Best of Luck

Your right, Soderberger displayed his coaching talent with some excellent come from ahead losses.

Your right Creigton is no Austin Peay or Eastern Michigan. Game was in KC, we will see how many people actually show up (Not buy a ticket - if that was the criterial all MU games are sellouts) for the Billiken games.

Much like the expectations you had for this season. The expectations your are putting on this kid are all but setting him up to fail. No one could live up to the praise you are heaping on. Much less a kid that is not even one of the top kids in the 2005 class.

The wait till next year banter has already started. Maybe it is the coaching. Maybe Soderberger can't effetively coach and adjust to marginally talented players.

Wow looks like SLU ripped a page out of the Mizzou Tigers Offensive Playbook. Brad "Pinkel" Soderberger both comming off signing new 5-year deals for doing nothing but barley going .500 These two are cut from the same block.

Davidson returns 4 of 5 from their NCAA team. Mizzou lost 3 starters from last years NIT team. Mizzou has talent but is very very young and undersized team playing a freshman point guard. The way the Tigers fought back from 19 down showed some heart. This was a fun game to watch but Davidson is obviously the more experienced team and it showed. I would not say this game was a disgrace lots of positives from the game. Davidson will be in the NCAA tourney. The Tigers will struggle early and often this year but have some upside. You guys have way to high of expectations for the Billikens. With no inside game and a freshman point guard you will have plenty of struggles this year as well.

Pee lost 4 of 5 starters from their NIT team and their best player was out. Conversly Davidson returned 4 of 5 from their NCAA team.

I'm not talking smack. Just repeating some of the things I heard this preseason. I really miss the optimism. I have none for the Tigers this year so you all were my source.

Where is the optimism? You have a super quick 5 foot 3 inch guard that should have been a top 10 recruit if the services were not biased. You scored over 50 points in 45 minutes against the tenacious D of the mighty Pea You have one of the best game day coaches in the world You have one of the greatest recruiting class comming in next year You have worldwide coverage with pay-per-hear internet radio coverage of your games You are a sure fire NCAA tournament team going to a great power conference You have a great dirt lot on the corner of Market that is one of the best dirt lots in America If nothing else at least this is going to be an exciting team to watch Where is the optimism - I miss it

Nationally Recognized? http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewrank.asp...2005&ra_key=768 Could not find them anywhere on the list. I know rating are biased aginst you FWIW the Tiger signed #137 and are still the favorites for #101. Not nearly as good as in the past but under the circumstances not to bad.

I started the thread to compare Soderberger to Pinkel they seem very very similar in their approach and results. The bottom line everywhere is that winning is what counts. Most coaches won't last long if they don't win, clean or not. Just a fact. Pinkel by all account runs a clean program and locks up the in-state talent. If he can't start winning in a year or two he will be fired. They don't give out trophies for cleanest most upstanding program. Cleanest program doesn't fill any seats. Cleanest program does not get the fan base fired up. Sad but true. Melvin Watkin was great guy and had some previous success - now he is an assistant at Mizzou - why because he did not win. Good guys get fired all the time because they don't win.

I didn't say I didn't like him nor did I say he is not doing a good job. Only pointed out how similar he is to Brad. At this time I am not sure if that is good or bad.

Not once have I talked about the BBall Tigers nor do I think they will be all that good this year - might make the NCAA's but I'm not holding my breath. Just pointing out the simalarities to Pinkel. Also I find it humorous how quick you are to say how great Lidell and Lisch are (exact same thing happens with Mizzou football - in fact they even signed a couple top 100 guys.) Maybe they will turn out ok but they are not on any top 100 list that I have found (I am sure there are some out there somewhere)

See point 10 in the first post. Same thing happens with Mizzou football - you think your coach has found a great one that everyone else overlooked or you get one that had some interst from other good programs and are estatic when you sign him. You think the kid should be a top 50 and that the recruiting services are biased against you. Sure every once in a while he turns out to be good but overall I would rather take my chances with the top kids - you don't miss as much.

Not talking smack only stating the obvious. The parallels to Pinkel are scary. Pinkel might still turn out to be a good one. Fact - neither Pinkel nor Brad has won anything of significance. Fact - the kids do not show up on many if any top 100 lists. I'm sure you think the lists are biased.