AJ

I agree with Billikan and P Diddy 100%. Frankly, there are a lot of us who are committed fans that rarely post on this board because of all the nonsense from the "haters" and "the glass is always half empty" crowd. Some of them don't even live here and never have seen our team/players play live. Yet before the season even started they were offering opinions on how bad our recruiting class was, sight unseen. Some fanboards deal with the haters by booting them, which probably won't happen on this board, and maybe shouldn't happen. Here is another alternative, however, that should be considered by our board administrators: Make it a rule that if someone posts a critical comment about our team, our coaches, or our players they should be required to provide the following information: (1) Their full name; (2) How many times they have seen our team either play or practice; (3) A specific account of their own athletic/coaching accomplishments either in basketball or some other sport(i.e. played HS basketball at SLU High 80-81; coached junior high boys at CYC level, etc.) This approach probably won't silence all the haters but some of them will probably tone it down if they kow they are not going to be allowed to toss trash the Bills without being held ACCOUNTABLE.(The haters recent mantra) If nothing else, it will at least allow the rest of us to assess the credibilty of these self-styled basketball "experts."

Great idea; count me in!

I was at the shootout most of the day. I agree with the positive comments on Kramer S. He reminds me a lot of Kevin. The only thing that will keep him from being a high-level D1 player is size. Needs to either grow 2-3 inches or develop some exceptional point guard skills. Although he handles the ball a lot, his game is more that of a scoring guard. Griffey is a talent but still a little slow on the defensive end. Still, he's only a Soph. and looks a lot more stronger and athletic than last year. I liked both Roundtree and John but both of them take the ball to the hoop to score. I didn't see any outside shooting to speak of. John reminds me a little of S. Watts from Jennings. I thought the DeMatha/Decatur game was one of the best shootout games I've ever seen. It ended with both teams getting put-back slams from their big men. Decatur has two D1 committed players and a ton of foreign players. I liked their soph point guard, Ty Nurse. Decatur might be worth a recruiting visit for us. I agree the Vashon game was ugly. I left at halftime. Both teams looked ragged offensively. In fairness to Bonner he's only had 6 weeks with these kids, so it will probably get better. Also the refs in that game were terrible, calling fouls on every trip down the court. The players and the fans were getting frustrated. This same thing happened two years ago when Kevin was a senior and playing the last game of the evening. The refs decided to take over the game and called Kevin for 4 fouls in the first half. If Pickett continues the shootout he needs to tell the refs to let the players play the game.

Very well said Billiken75. I've been a season ticket holder since 1982 when the program was on the brink of going Div. 2 and losing to the likes of UMSL, McKendree, etc. 1500 fans was a good night. The problem with a guy like Miklasz is that, like most writers, he always sees the glass as half empty. When Norm was winning big at MU, Bernie was his biggest critic because of recruiting violations, player graduation issues, etc. Meanwhile, he led the charge to get rid of "Saint" Rich Grawer (Bernie's term) because he couldn't get SLU to the NCAAs. He refuses to recognize the substantial progress that the program has made the last 12 years: 4 NCAA appearances compared to 1 in the previous 40 years, the new arena finally becoming a reality. If we were to ever see ANYTHING favorable from Bernie about SLU, he might have some credibility when he says he wants SLU to succeed. Instead he comes across as a guy that wants to find fault and is giving Ft.Biondi and Brad the same treatment that Grawer, Kurt Warner, Stewart, and many others have received from him and some of his friends at the Post. If the Post really wants to support the program within the context of fair coverage, why not have Nate be assigned as the beat writer?

22-8 regular season 2-1 conf. tourney 1-1 NCAA

In response to several earlier posts that reference Powell "really wants to come to SLU" no place in my original post did I say that. My only information is that Powell is still expressing an interest in SLU, period. That would not foreclose the possibility that he is also looking at other schools, like Bradley, for example. He also may be waiting for the spring signing period to see how his senior year goes, how SLU does, etc.

Within the last week, I am still hearing "street talk" that Leon Powell is interested in SLU. In a year when there are no high-profile D1 recruits in the St. Louis area, Powell would be a nice fall signee for us. Our late signings this summer may reduce the urgency for a 4, but Powell has the potential to play the wing as well. On a related note, its interesting that one of Brad's latest recruiting "flops" (Obi) may be flopping his way into the starting lineup soon. If this happens he will join a lineup that includes at least 2 - and possibly 3 - NBA prospects who are also part of Brad's flawed recruiting efforts.

I think its great that we have a young man like KL in our program who is not only a great BB player but a great person and a committed Christian. Clag and Highmark were also involved with AIA both during and following their SLU playing days.

Cheeseman: I guess by that standard we shouldn't have aggessively recruited Tommy and we shouldn't be making offers to kids like Brandenberg, Griffey or Harrellson.

Why are people on this board constantly questioning Powell's academics ? My Vashon sources tell me that Powell is a good student and an all-around good kid who should qualify. Vashon may not be MICDS but we've had 6 players from Vashon in the last 20 years and 5 of them have proven to be good students. If someone has some different information about Powell's academics/ability to qualify let's hear it.

My name is Al Johnson and you can reach me at home 314-645-4169 or work 314-726-6489. I will happy to arrange to have a copy made for you or anyone else who wants one. I have taped over some of the tape, but I think I have the whole Wisconsin game and portions of a few of the other NIT games. Give me a call.

I have the tape, although I had forgotten about it until I saw your post. Gray, Douglas, Bonner, Newberry and Ivester were the starters. What a game ? I may have taped over the last part, but I think I have it all.

Skip, Give it up; there is no use arguing with a few of these guys on the Board who seem to think that Brad can pick up a phone and order whatever he wants in terms of players and within moments there will be a line forming at West Pine waiting to play for SLU. I agree with you on this one, Brad needs more time before people give up on him.

Yes Brad is "accountable" for not landing Stemler, whatever that means. Likewise, Mike Krzeyewski was "accountable" when he took over a Duke program in 1981 that had been a nationally ranked NCAA tourney team in 1978-80 with a roster full of top 100 players. He was accountable when his first three teams went 17-13, 10-17, and 11-17 and most of the alumni wanted him fired. Fortunately, the administration didn't fire Coach K because they say a potentially great coach who needed time. Brad has done a better job of recruiting than either Spoon or Romar did and he has the program headed in the right direction. Believe me, I've been a fan for over 30 years and sat through losses to UMSL, McKendree, with 1000 fans in the stands and nobody that even resembled a D1 athlete on the court. Some of you guys don't know what bad coaching and poor recruiting really is. Brad also needs to be given credit for developing IV, recruiting KL and TL AND finally convincing Biondi that we need an on-campus facility. I think he deserves a little more time and patience before we give up on him. Some of you who think otherwise might also start thinking who else would apply for this job if Brad goes. After Grawer, Spoon and Romar's experiences here the applicants weren't exactly lined up all the way the the Arch after Romar left.

It's amazing that the Stemler recruiting story gets more publicity in Wisconsin and Indiana than in his hometown. I'll repeat the prediction I made a week ago: If Stemler signs with SLU its a third page story in the Post but if he doesn't sign with us it will be reported in a front page column critical of SLU's recruiting.

I was at the scrimmage today. I've seen Lance play once this year so I was more focused on how he seems to fit in with the rest of the team. He did not have a great shooting game but he is smooth and fluid with a great feel for the game and no major weaknesses. He reminds me of a bigger version of Scott Highmark. We can argue over whether he is a 3, a 4 or whatever, but he would be a great addition who could play several different positions depending on the opposition. The buzz in the stands today is that we have a 50/50 chance of getting him with Marquette the main competition. One pleasant surprise today was Obi. I had not seen him play since early in the season and he looks much better. There is no noticable limp and he is moving much better. He appears to have dropped a fair amount of weight also. He still moves a little slow but it appears that he will be ready to play, and potentially contribute by November.

Skip, It's not the worst idea I've ever heard, but let me throw out an alternative: What about students and fans showing up at the scrimmage and giving Lance, and all our players, some support ? Will the scrimmage be open to the public, and if so, what time ? Let's at least let Stemler know that our students and fans want him worst than any of the other schools that are recruiting him.

Unless I have missed something-a possibility since I was out of town several days in the last week-the Post appears to have given virtually zero coverage to the Stemler story. This is the first time in recent memory that a metro area player has made JUCO all-american; plus Stemler may be the best unsigned recruit left in this year's class. You would think this would rate some type of a feature story in our local paper. Let me guess that if Stemler doesn't sign with us, Bernie, or one of his friends, will put out a front page editorial questioning Brad's recruiting abilities, demanding that SLU fans start holding him accountable, etc. On the other hand,if he DOES sign with SLU then the story will end up on the third page with no accompanying editorial. Other than Nate, it doesn't appear that anyone at the Post cares too much about St. Louis BB,or SLU. Fortunately, we have a few guys out there, like Frank C. who have covered the Stemler story and act like they want SLU to win the recruiting war.

A great honor for Kramer. He was joined on the first team by Watts, Moosmann, Plackemeier, and Harrellson. 5A 1st team included Washington, Hill and Powell from Vashon. (I am sure V-Time is happy). Mo Smith and Bill Brandenberg were on the 5A 2nd team.

Roy - With all due respect I think Watts is a little bit better than McKendree and Lindenwood caliber, even without a 3-point shot. That's why Nebraska, Iowa State, and SIUC have all continued the recruiting process eventhough they know he's doing a 2 year hitch at JUCO. I agree with those who say that Watts probably doesn't fill our needs in the immediate future unless he develops a 3 pt. shot. However, I think it is likely that he will be encouraged to work on his shot at JUCO. His shot mechanics are good and he actually made 12 3's this year despite the fact that his coach forced him to play inside because Jennings needed his inside play. I hope that we follow Watts in JUCO and don't wait to show interest until it's too late. Otherwise, we may be looking at the next Brooks, Tatum, Falkner situation.

Nate, Thanks for the nice report. How did some of the other players look, such as Hill and Maguire ?

It looks like FutureBilliken and I were BOTH Right: Watts and Moosman share the POY honors. Hill, Washington, and McGuire join them on the first team. V-Time correctly predicted that Washington would replace Soderberg on the first team with Kramer on the second team. I can't argue with that too much as Washington did lead his team to a State Title, although his supporting cast was a lot stronger than Kramer's, who frequently outscored all the rest of his teamates combined. The major surprise to me was Powell being demoted to 3rd team along with Harrelson. I can understand an all-senior first team but I view Powell and Harrelson as the two top junior D1 recruits and I think it does a disservice to them to be placed on 3rd team all-metro status. Scott Highmark calls Powell the best junior in the State. Although his offense sometimes disappeared this year he still was the leading scorer on a nationally-ranked, State Championship team. If you look at Powell's defense, rebounding, shot-blocking ability, and how he moves away from the ball, he deserves 1st team status, in my opinion. Likewise, Harrelson is the top center in the area and, at a minimum, deserves 2nd team status. I have to admit I have not seen Jones, Lacey, or Plackemeier play, so let's hear some other thoughts.

FutureBilliken: Let's not kill the messenger, friend. I qualified my post by noting that I was only mentioning players I had seen play at least once this year and I had seen Plackmeier play. I put my thoughts out there and invited input from others. Several people mentioned Plackmeier and they may be right. POY discussion - I saw Moosman play only once and I have seen Watts play 4 times over the last 2 years. I thought Moosman was a great player when I saw him, but there a lot of great players in St. Louis Metro this year, particularly in the Jr. and Soph. class. The reason I say Moosman came on strong at the end of the year is his performance in the State tournament. There are lots of guys out there who knock down 20-25 points a night but can't lead their team to post-season play. Moosman did that and it certainly elevates him in my mind. Based on post-season play you may be absolutely right that Moosman will be POY. V-Time could probably make the same case for Powell, Washington or Hill. I guess we will find out tomorrow what the Post-Dispatch thinks. One more sidebar on Watts: Part of my opinion on Watts is based upon who SIUC likes. I was at 2 Jennings games this year where either Lowry or his chief recruiting assistant were in the house. They are very high on Watts, eventhough they know he is going JUCO. If we look what SIUC has done to us the last 8-10 years in St. Louis Metro from a recruiting standpoint, we all need to sit up and take notice when they like a player. Moosman, Watts, Washington, Hill, McGuire and others will all be on display March 25th at UMSL in the MO/ILL border war. I won't be able to go but I will be interested in a game report from others who plan to go.

Who would you suggest is better than McGuire ? With your suggestion I would be interested to know how many times you have seen McGuire play as well as how many times you have seen the players who you believe are more worthy of first team status.

I've seen about 25 HS games this year and, with the season over, I thought I would share some of my thoughts on the top players I've seen. I guess this could go on the offseason board, but with recruiting issues a constant focus of discussion, I thought I'd post it here. I am not commenting on players I haven't seen. AJ's First Team: Sanjay Watts - Jennings Comment: The consensus metro player of the year is headed for Juco. If he develops a 3-pt. shot we might look very seriously at him in two years. Kramer Soderberg - SCW Comment: Outstanding scorer who reminds me of a young Kevin Lisch. Clearly a major recruit in 2 years if he grows a few inches. Leon Powell - Vashon Comment: Did not develop as much this year offensively as some thought he would but his defense was exceptional. In my opinion the top player in the Class of 2007. Alex Moosman - Borgia Comment: Came on strong at the end of the year. Another Blake Ahern story ? Dustin McGuire - Edwardsville Comment: My SLU bias may be in play here but I think McGuire finished strong after a slow start adjusting to a new program. 2nd Team Bobby Hill - Vashon Comment: Could make a good case for 1st team ahead of either Moosman or McGuire. Like Powell, a solid defender who needs to work on his offensive consistency. Ill. State gets a potential sleeper with Hill. Josh Harrelson - St. Charles Comment: Could rival Powell for player of the year next year. Big and talented, this guy could really elevate his recruiting status this summer. Still developing. James Washington - Vashon Comment: The top pure point guard that I saw this year. Spencer Stewart - Edwardsville Comment: Not far behind Moosman and Washington. Brandenberg - DeSmet Comment: Has a ways to go but you can't coach size. Runs the floor and faces up to the basket well. It will be interesting to see what he does next year playing his true position - center. My honorable mention would be: Tyler G. from Lafayette, and Sean K. from DeSmet. I did not see Mo Smith, Roundtree, Suggs, or Sharpe who are all players who could probably make a strong case for the first or second team. I saw both O'Rear and Mike Smith this year but I am not considering them because they are outside the metro area. I would be interested in the thoughts of others who have seen more players than I have or who have some different thoughts on players that I did see.