billfan4life

Most of the guys listed were 2007-2008 players. Because of the record last year are we looking to sign Juco Big or wait till the spring to sign somebody.

This has been the most talked about basketball season in along time. We have a young team that can run and shoot the ball. Brad finally has some good players to go along with his killer defense that always keeps us in games. We should be able to compete with most of the teams that we play this year and I think we should be well over five hundred when the season is over. Some people will say that you are putting way to much pressure on this young team. Everyone who covers college basketball has low expectations for the Billikens this year. As a fan base we need to start getting excited and go into every game like we our the team to beat. I know some of the players read the board and all they are seeing is criticism about how they can't shoot or how the lack of depth inside will get us in trouble. The point is that the students need to start getting excited about this team and need to show it during the games. When was the last time that the billikens have had so much talent that can run and shoot the lights out. The name Liddell and Lisch should put a smile on every face that is reading this. Because of the 6-21 year, most writers see St. Louis as a team that was better last year than they are this year. Its now or never for a Billiken dynasty to start.

any news on the kid. what class he is in. are we still intrested. has he grown any. All the recruiting site don't have much on him

This would be a great situation for Tyus and St. Louis if he commits. He would be able to go outside and shoot the three or go inside and dominate. He would start right away unless of an injury but he would get good minuites as a freshman. St. Louis gets a 6'8 forward who fits Brad system perfectly. He is also athletic and can handle the ball pretty good for his size. If St. Louis get him it will open the door for more recruits outside the area to give Brad a look. He could be the missing peace that could take us far into the NCAA tournament.

If anything is cooking its international because all the recruiting sites have us out on anyone with any talent. I think we might get a big in the spring. but i would't count on him being a Greg Oden or anything close to that.

I don't see us picking anyone else to the spring signing period...I hope brad is waiting and can pick up another steal like he did with obi.

IS Brad still on the recruiting trail for another big or is he gonna wait to see if we can get another steal like we did Obi. I haven't heard any other name besides lawson. Just wondering if anyone else knows any other recruits we are after

Donald Lawson 6'9 powerforward from chicago to make a fall decision....Rivals have us with Depaul, Minnisota, Purdue St.Louis and Standford as the finalist...does anyone kno if we are after this guy....seems like he would be a good get but a long shot to

Hey just a thought I don't see brad stickin around St. Louis is much long He eathier will get fired for loosing or leave for a better school. UC basketball program is just a little bit better than SLU. Im just be realistic

may brad be interested in the UC job. There would be a lot of positives for him as a coach if he would accept a job at UC. He would be in ohio where he could recruit a lot more easier and get the players that he needs on his team. This would be a major step up in coaching and could help him become gain star status. He might not have any interest at all but i think this would be a great thing for him if he does go. He has a chance to be a hall of fame coach if he is put into this situation.

Ive heard from a lot of people that they think Kevin is better than Tommie. They say that Tommie is more of an athlete but Kevin has a great sense of the game. Plus they say that Kevin is a better defender. Who do u think is the better player?

"you will find out later this summer about when a shovel will be placed in the ground." The only way that they can give us a specific date would be if someone bought the rights to the new arena. I have a bad feeling that they will just keep telling us that fundraising is going well and groundbreaking won't be far away. The fact of the matter is that the arena should have already been built. I have a feeling that we are all getting our hopes up for nothing. Not saying that the arena won't be built but it is still a year to a year in a half away from breaking ground.

The answer is still a two or three years down the line. The new arena will be nice but construction will not begin until 2007-2008. St. Louis will never be like Gonzaga or Xavier because the administration does not care about sports. When was the last time that you saw Father Biondi at a basketball game? My guess would be that he has never seen a game. I hate to say this with such a great freshman class coming in but they will not get to play in new arena. Until Father Biondi leaves or get fired, our sports programs will not be NCAA tournament competitive.

Cory Johnson from minnisota pick Iowa State Was he the one that SLU was interested in. http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=429289

The reason why Ohio State is getting these top recruits can be credited to the head coach Thad Matta. I remember him when he coached for Xavier and they made it to the elite eight. He made a name for himself then and was able to recruit some big recruit to come to xavier. I don't know why but Thad has always been a great recuiter and now his skills are showing off at Ohio State

gister - "But, your statement: He is still a long ways away from being a 100% is a little scarry(spelling?)." ACL tears take around a year to heal. Im just saying that it takes a lot of work with the trainers for Obi to get back to his normal self. Plus he hasn't played basketball for 8 plus months now. So he will need some time for his game to come back to him. I still believe that that he is a couple of months away from competing against VN and JJ for the 4 spot.

I thought since we are talkin about Tommie and Kevin we might as well talk about our third recruit. As I go through the recruiting websites I see that they have him as a SF,PF. He might be the most athletic Big to every play at SLU. Out of all our recruits this might be the biggest steal yet. First, he has attended the famous Reebox ABCD Camp which means he must be pretty good to get the invite. Second, he has been a leader on his AAU team which has competed against the best compition in the country. Third, He is considered a guard in a forwards body which shows how athletic he can be. He is still along ways away from being a 100% but he might be the greatest steal in the class. I still think that Tommie and Kevin are great pick up but when u have a 6'8 power forward who can step out and hit the three, than you create a big problem for other teams. If Obi can get healthy by the end of the summer and be 100% by the time the season starts than he has a great shot at starting next season.

You can add Donald Lawson to the list of 2006 players that the billikens show interest in. He is a 6-9 power forward from Chicago IL. This guy must be good because he already has 8 offers from schools like Depaul, Minnisota, Purdue and some Mac schools. Does anyone know if we have offered him a scholarship yet. http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect...y=40626&sport=2

Would it be wise for Brad and Shimmy to start recruiting some on the east coast as well as here. Reason being that we are now in the Atlantic 10 and most of the teams are from the east coast. There are a lot of bigs out on the east coast and I think that SLU can easily pick one up if we show interest. We will be playing a couple of games a year on the east coast which gives recruits who come to SLU more chances to play in front of the families and friends. I also think that we should go after prep players from hardgrave and other prep schools for help inside. I would make sure that there grades are good enough before offering them scholarships. These Bigs will be playing elite players form Oak Hill and North Carolina. Knowing that we will need a center in the next two who will have to contribute right away I was just wondering if this is a good way to go in case there are no real D-1 centers in the St. Louis area

I don't expect to pickup anybody that who will be able to contribute till next years spring signing period. I do expect to see more names to appear on the recruiting sites because we still need a center who can contribute right away after Ian graduates. I think Brad will be out this summer at different AAU tournments looking for some bigs that will help us out in the upcomming years. In my opinion, I think we need to go after a big who has competed in the AAU circuit for a couple of years. He will get a lot of experiance playing against top high school players around the country. If we can have a good showing in the A10 this year, I think that we will be able to pick up a big time sleeper in the spring season who might have been hurt like Obi and take him from the bigger schools. I also don't know why Brad always keeps a couple of scholarships available. I would give a scholarship to a very athletic big who needs some work on his game. Brad could redshirt him for a year and have him ready by 2007 year. The key is picking up an ATHLETIC big who can use his athleticism as an advantage.

It time for the billiken students and fans to start getting excited and help are young team this upcomming year. Our coaching staff has signed three great players who might all start on the first game. I believe that Saint Louis has the best incomming class in the Atlantic 10. Tommie Liddell who I think is the best prep point guard in the nation for the class of 2005 should bring his toughness and energy from Hargrave into the Savis Center. Kevin Lisch is more than just a three point threat in the way that he can shoot fake and take the ball to the hole. Obi Ikeakor seems to be a player that will grow for everyday life in the gym and should be the best post presents that we have had since Anthony Bonner. I know that recruiting services have ranked these three as only three stars but I think that they are more in the four star range. Tommie with his experiance at Hargrave gives him more college level experiance against some of the greatest players in the nation. Kevin and Obi would have been 4 stars but were injured last year. If we want to build a dynasty here at SLU than the fans and the billiken students need to get to more games. Our players play well when they have a crowed behind there backs cheering them on in a close game. Recruits who come to the games should see the passion and the energy that the billiken fans show for there team. If our fan base is stronger than we will win more games, which will attract more recruits, which will help us get more radio and television deals which will give us more money for the arena project. So lets get the Savis jumpin next year and show the rest of the A10 that we mean buissness.

With the team all but set for next year, who is the player that we give the ball to with 15 seconds left down by 1? Do we go with a post like IV and Obi or do we go with a guard to win the game for us TL,KL,DP,LM, maybe AD. We were in this position a lot last year and to win those close games this year we need a player who can step up and make the shot.

I would think that he should be ready for the 2005-2006 season. The report on his injury was back in October 2004. Most basketball player who blow out their knee during the season are usually back by the next season.

On rivals website has Obi giving St. Louis a verbal commitment. This is great. Great job Brad, just hope his injury will be healed by then http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect...=2&pr_key=24595

About time that our coaching staff is giving a 115% to a big man. The way that they swept Dustin off his feet to give us a commitment earlier this week makes me believe that we really have a good shot at this guy. SLU has a lot to offer this big man and I hope that Brad does everything that he can to steal this player away from the other big time schools.