Steve I work in state government and this pay a lot of attention to state elections.
It is truly incredible how little attention people pay to state legislators and instead just vote for whatever letter is behind their name. Nice to see some academic research into this. Probably gonna have to get this one signed.
Great topic, Steve. I've often talked about "robotic" voters who walk into a voting booth and have no idea what's on the ballot. But...I'm old-fashioned so I bought a paperback copy of the book. Can't wait to read it. Good luck. I hope it becomes required reading.
I fully agree with what you are saying Steve. For example, in MO we have to vote to elect judges. I assume most voters know absolutely nothing about these judges decisions, they either vote for no judges at all, or vote for them according to party affiliation (if available).
I thought that some of you might want to know that Schaz's wife died last Saturday morning. An offering of prayers for her soul would be appropriate for those who wish to do so.
I'm still here. But I was just disappointed with the season post Iona as everyone else. It was a lost season. The last 5 months of posts have all been a variation on that theme. So I decided to focus on my other hobbies instead of contributing to the negativity.
Updating 2023 interests - The following names have either committed elsewhere or are those being followed by Phil Forte that are probably not actual SLU interests anymore. I'm stashing the latter here in case they pop up again.
-Sultan Adewale committed to Iona today.
-Patrick Bath committed to Drake.
-Grgur Brcic committed to Toledo.
-Corey Camper committed to UTEP.
-Khamani Cooper signed with Connors State.
-Maki Johnson signed with ETSU.
-Chris Loofe committed to Middle Tennessee.
-Deng Mayar signed with North Dakota.
Braylen Blue - PG, 6-4, 165 - Sun Prairie, WI (James Madison Memorial) - AAU: Movement Hoops (NY2LA) - Twitter: @BraylenBlue
Offers: Arizona State, Washington, Murray State, Tennessee Tech, Rice, Florida International, Cleveland State, Milwaukee, Northern Illinois, IUPUI, Austin Peay, Oral Roberts, Eastern Washington, Howard, Jackson State, Grambling State.
Interest: Saint Louis, Duquesne, George Washington, Butler, Georgetown, Creighton, Marquette, St. John's, DePaul, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Notre Dame, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Rutgers, Minnesota, Penn State, Northwestern, Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Utah, Stanford, California, Cincinnati, Wichita State, SMU, Central Florida, Tulsa, Utah Sate, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, BYU, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Pepperdine, Portland, San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Columbia, Brown, Loyola-Chicago, SIU-Carbondale, Indiana State, Valparaiso, Bradley, Belmont, Tennessee State, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee-Martin, East Tennessee State, Chattanooga, UNC-Greensboro, Samford, Western Carolina, Ohio, Kent State, Toledo, Akron, Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Old Dominion, Texas-El Paso, UAB, Marshall, Northern Kentucky, Green Bay, Illinois-Chicago, Youngstown State, Robert Morris, Sam Houston State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Northwestern State, Incarnate Word, Georgia State, Appalachian State, Southeastern Louisiana, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, South Dakota State, South Dakota, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Denver, Omaha, Western Illinois, St. Thomas, UC-Irvine, Cal State-Northridge, UC-Davis, UC-San Diego, UC-Riverside, Iona, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Loyola-Maryland, Lafayette, Boston, William & Mary, Northeastern, Drexel, UMBC, Siena, Stony Brook, Hartford, New Hampshire, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Idaho, Idaho State, Southern Utah, UNC-Asheville, Bryant, Florida Gulf Coast, Stetson, Lipscomb, Kennesaw State, North Alabama, Liberty, Seattle, Chicago State, Utah Valley, California Baptist, North Carolina A&T, Maryland-Eastern Shore, North Carolina Central, Coppin State, Alabama A&M, Prairie View A&M.
Latest News: Blue received an offer from Austin Peay. (3/28/23)
Scouting Report: Blue is a pass-first point guard with natural instincts and good length. He's got a polished skill set for his age and is a tireless worker. He's an excellent passer with great vision. He can shoot and has deep range. He transferred from Sun Prairie to Madison Memorial before his sophomore season. His father is an AAU coach with experience as a basketball skills trainer. His cousin, Vander Blue, played at Marquette and in the NBA.
Mathok Chol - C, 7-0, 200 - South Sudan (Colorado Prep, CO) - AAU: Brad Beal Elite (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @MChol12
Offers: Texas A&M.
Interest: Saint Louis, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Tulsa, San Diego, Missouri State, Murray State, Evansville, Lindenwood, Chattanooga, UC-Riverside, Liberty, McNeese State.
Latest News: Chol received a JUCO offer. (3/28/23)
Scouting Report: Chol is a long, athletic big man who runs the floor extremely well. He's an elite shot blocker and contests everything without being susceptible to fouling. He rebounds well at both ends. He finishes hard at the rim. He has a raw but rapidly developing offensive game. He transferred from John Burroughs to ISA-Hoosac in NY for his junior year, then to BFL Prep Academy in Seattle for the summer before his senior year, but opting to go to Colorado Prep instead.
Dior Davis - PG, 6-3, 175 - Brooklyn, NY (Ellsworth Community College, IA) - Twitter: @davis_dior
Offers: None.
Interest: Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure, DePaul, Louisville, Arizona State, Boise State, Santa Clara, Indiana State, Missouri State, Illinois-Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, North Texas, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Milwaukee, IUPUI, Southern Indiana, Chattanooga, Wofford, Hofstra, Northeastern, Iona, Marist, Stony Brook, Manhattan, Appalachian State, North Dakota State, UMass-Lowell, Long Beach State, Cal State-Fullerton, Southern Utah, Northern Colorado, Longwood, Radford, South Carolina-Upstate, Queens, North Carolina A&T, UMass-Lowell, St. Francis-Brooklyn, LIU-Brooklyn, Bryant, Stonehill, Texas A&M-Commerce, Norfolk State, Morgan State, Coppin State, Bethune-Cookman, Texas Southern, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Southern.
Latest News: Davis has new interest from St. Bonaventure, FIU, UIC, USC-Upstate, Cal State-Fullerton, Northern Colorado, UMass-Lowell, and Texas A&M-Commerce. (3/28/23)
Scouting Report: Davis is a quick, crafty point guard with a controlled game. He has tight handles and plays with great pace. He's elusive going to the basket. He can shoot it from outside. He's a freshman qualifier in JUCO with three years of D-I eligibility remaining.
T.J. Ford, Jr. - PG, 5-9, 160 - Missouri City, TX (Ridge Point) - AAU: Houston Hoops (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @tjfordjr2
Offers: Texas-Arlington.
Interest: Saint Louis, Creighton, Texas, Texas A&M, South Florida, East Carolina, Belmont, Rice, Louisiana Tech, IUPUI, Southeast Missouri, Elon, Mount St. Mary's, Georgia State, St. Thomas, UC-Santa Barbara, UC-Riverside, Stephen F. Austin, Texas-Rio Grande Valley, Tarleton State, Abilene Christian, Fairleigh Dickinson, Texas A&M-Commerce, Incarnate Word, Texas Southern, Alcorn State.
Latest News: Ford has had a quiet recruitment the past couple months. (3/28/23)
Scouting Report: Ford is an undersized but strong, quick, talented PG. He has a great feel for the game, pushes the ball, and makes good reads. He controls pace and has high-level passing ability. He's a smart, disciplined defender. He has a quick, confident release from the perimeter. He is the son of former Texas and NBA player T.J. Ford.
Cole Gingeleski - C, 6-11, 220 - Tampa, FL (Alonso) - AAU: Team Breakdown (Under Armour Association) - Twitter: @cole_gingeleski
Offers: Wyoming, Tennessee-Martin, Marshall, Merrimack.
Interest: Saint Louis, Dayton, George Washington, Florida State, SMU, South Florida, Belmont, Drake, Cornell, Florida International, Ohio, Wright State, Northern Kentucky, IUPUI, Morehead State, Wofford, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Samford, Holy Cross, American, Boston, Fairfield, Marist, Georgia State, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, South Alabama, North Dakota State, UMBC, Cal State-Fullerton, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Stetson, Liberty, UNC-Asheville, Radford, Presbyterian, Northwestern State.
Latest News: Gingeleski received offers from Wyoming and Marshall. (3/28/23)
Scouting Report: Gingeleski is a big, imposing frontcourt player with a good skill set in the post. He plays well with his back to the basket and passes well from the high and low post. He's got decent bounce for his size and is a quickly improving shot blocker. He's a sound player and finishes strong.
Addison Harmon - PG, 6-2, 160 - Prosper, TX (Prosper) - AAU: Southern Assault (Adidas 3SSB) - Twitter: @addison3harmon
Offers: None.
Interest: Saint Louis, Ole Miss, Wyoming, SMU, SIU-Carbondale, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Rice, Louisiana Tech, Chattanooga, American, Northeastern, Texas-Arlington, Coastal Carolina, UMBC, Denver, Liberty, Northwestern State, Texas-Rio Grande Valley, Texas A&M-Commerce, Prairie View A&M.
Latest News: Harmon is recovering from a brain bleed. (3/28/23)
Scouting Report: Harmon is a playmaking point guard who creates shots for his teammates and consistently hits his own shot off the pull-up. He can heat up from the perimeter. He's also effective driving to the basket and finishing in a variety of ways. He's an active defender who creates turnovers. He has good vision and passing ability. Harmon was discovered to have a brain bleed in August 2022 and has a long recovery ahead. It is unclear if he will be able to play college basketball.
Don'Trell Jenkins - PG, 5-8, 140 - Alachua, FL (Santa Fe) - AAU: Florida Rebels (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @trell_saucy
Offers: None.
Interest: Saint Louis, Florida International, Samford, Appalachian State, Troy, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Florida A&M.
Latest News: Jenkins has new interest from Samford and Florida A&M. (3/28/23)
Scouting Report: Jenkins is a compact but electric true point guard who scores on three levels. He's shifty and quick, with a great feel for the game, smarts, and outstanding vision. He's a pest on the defensive end. He also plays baseball for his HS team and is listed as a utility infielder.
Deng Majak - C, 6-11, 200 - Turalei, South Sudan (Indian River State College, FL) - Twitter: @Dengmajak24
Offers: None.
Interest: Saint Louis, Miami, Illinois, Rutgers, Iowa State, Temple, Bradley, Rice, Florida International, IUPUI, Milwaukee, SIU-Edwardsville, Lindenwood, Western Carolina, Arkansas State, NJIT, Cal State-Fullerton, Idaho, Utah Valley, New Mexico State, Stetson, Jacksonville, Bryant, Fairleigh Dickinson, Charleston Southern, McNeese State, Prairie View A&M, Chicago State.
Latest News: Majak's recruitment has been quiet for the past six weeks. He may return for his sophomore year at Indian River. (3/30/23)
Scouting Report: Majak is a mobile rim protector with length and good hands. He's a strong low post presence offensively, finishes strong, and passes very well for his size and position. He rebounds very well at both ends and runs the floor. He dunks everything he can but can step out and shoot it, too. He's raw offensively but developing quickly. He is originally from South Sudan and attended prep school at London Basketball Academy in Ontario.
Ahmadou Ndiaye - PF, 6-9, 210 - Everett, MA (First Love Christian Academy, PA) - AAU: The House We Built - Twitter: @ahmadou_21
Offers: Manhattan, Bryant, Stonehill.
Interest: Saint Louis, La Salle, Illinois, Temple, Pacific, Brown, Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Milwaukee, Youngstown State, IUPUI, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, VMI, Holy Cross, Northeastern, Towson, Sacred Heart, Marist, UMBC, Albany, NJIT, Maine, UMass-Lowell, UC-Santa Barbara, Mount St. Mary's, Fairleigh Dickinson, Wagner, Texas A&M-Commerce.
Latest News: Ndiaye has gotten more lower-division attention lately. (3/30/23)
Scouting Report: Ndiaye is an athletic, fluid big man who plays with a high motor. He's a high-level rebounder at both ends and a skilled passer out of the post. He's a rim protector with length (7-2 wingspan) and timing. He's versatile offensively and defensively. He can shoot it out past the perimeter and has good touch around the rim. He started his prep career at St. Joseph Prep in MA, transferred to Putnam Science Academy (CT), then Scotland Campus (PA), and finally First Love Christian Academy (PA).
Corry (C.J.) Smith - SG, 6-7, 205 - Oklahoma City, OK (Putnam City North) - AAU: Team Griffin (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @ImCjsmith
Offers: None.
Interest: Saint Louis, Loyola-Chicago, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Central Florida, Utah, Wyoming, SMU, Tulsa, Brown, North Texas, Texas-San Antonio, Florida Atlantic, Sam Houston State, Milwaukee, VMI, American, Elon, Texas-Arlington, Texas State, Marshall, Oral Roberts, Stephen F. Austin, UC-Riverside, North Alabama, Liberty, High Point, Howard, Lamar, Texas A&M-Commerce.
Latest News: Smith has new interest from Texas State. (3/30/23)
Scouting Report: Smith is an athletic shooting guard with good size, strength, and athleticism. He's got a solid jumper from midrange and three. He's a strong defender who attacks passing lanes and can guard multiple positions. He's unafraid to mix it up inside for rebounds. He has excellent ball skills for his size, can blow by defenders, and causes mismatches at both ends. He transferred from Heritage Hall to Putnam City North for his final season.
Ashton (Ash) Williamson - G, 6-3, 170 - Gary, IN (21st Century) - AAU: Indy Heat (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @AWilliamson02
Offers: Valparaiso, Tennessee State, New Orleans.
Interest: Saint Louis, DePaul, Butler, Michigan State, Purdue, Indiana, Northwestern, Georgia, Louisville, California, East Carolina, SIU-Carbondale, Illinois State, Evansville, Middle Tennessee State, Florida Atlantic, Kent State, Western Michigan, Bowling Green, Ball State, IUPUI, Milwaukee, Mercer, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Southern Indiana, Lindenwood, Holy Cross, Hofstra, Niagara, North Dakota, Stetson, Jacksonville State, Incarnate Word, Alabama A&M.
Latest News: Williamson is said to have interest from Louisville. (3/30/23)
Scouting Report: Williamson is a talented, athletic scoring guard who can take over a game. He scores on three levels. He has elite quickness and handles and gets to the rim at will. He has excellent leaping ability and can be a highlight reel finisher. He defends at a high level. He transferred from Calumet to 21st Century as a sophomore. Rankings: Prep Hoops - 287.
The Portsmouth Invitational consists of 8 eight man teams of college players who either have used up their eligibility or are seniors. The young one and done's aren't invited. So while it is a solid field of players, it is not elite. Yes, players from the PIT do get drafted. Back in 2017, 6 who participated in the PIT were drafted (most second rounders). In 2018 two were drafted and in 2022 one was drafted.
I did not watch any of the games, and I am only recapping the stats for our two players, Collins and Perkins. You can draw your own conclusion as you desire. Both played in all 3 games. Starters were rotated, and most all players on each team played pretty much equal minutes.
Collins, 25 min per game, 2.7 ppg on 19% shooting (3 of 16), 0% from the arc (0 of 5), 1.3 rebounds per game, 6.7 assists per game, 2.7 turnovers per game and 1.7 steals per game.
Perkins, 23.3 mpg, 6.7 ppg on 53% shooting (8 of 15) 43% from the arc (3 of 7), 1.7 rebounds per game, 0.3 assists per game, no turnovers, and 0.3 steals per game.
Dayton's Camara made the 13 member all tourney team averaging 20 ppg and 11 rpg, but hit only 3 of 18 from the arc.
There is a G-League Elite Combine in Chicago May 13-14, and then the NBA has a Combine in Chicago May 16-18. Withdrawal from the NBA draft deadline is May 31. Players who have remaining college eligibility can request a waiver from the NCAA and return to college, but in the past they have had to sit out the first 3 games of the next season. This pathway would be available to Collins, but he earlier indicated he is gone. After the combine, players can be called into group or individual workouts by each NBA team.
Then Crews was given the interim instead of Whitesell who was more highly ranked on the coaching staff. If Majerus did have a plan, it backfired. I don't think he did. Whitesell got pissed at Crews being elevated and also left for a lower level job. I feel like Crews was only going to be an Asst to somebody like Majerus, when we should have elevated Whitesell instead. Whitesell would never have gotten the full time gig because he didn't have the coaching history and connections Crews did. We could have brought in another hire, who would probably still be here and never have to go through another rebuild.
This is correct . Alex wanted to be assigned as the associate head coach before Rick's health getting worse which Rick did not agree to actually giving it to Jim Whitesell obviouslt taking for granted his relationship with Alex would make him stay . Rick viewed Alex as almost his son and their falling out was very unexpected by Rick which led to Alex moving to Canton Ohio as the head coach of their G league team .
Final season records:
Francis Okoro ended up with a FG% of .565, which is 9th all-time for fourth year players. He finished at .579 for his SLU career, which is second behind Kelvin Henderson (.636) and just ahead of Willie Reed (.574). He finished 7th in rebounds for fourth year players with 271. His 46 blocks are tied for 3rd among seniors with Abdur Rahiim Al Matiim.
Javonte Perkins finished with 1,186 career points, good for 22nd all-time in SLU history, one point behind Carl Johnson and moving Hasahn French (1,178) to 23rd. His career scoring average (14.0) is just outside the top 20; he needed to get to 14.3 PPG.
Javon Pickett came up short of the season and career FT percentage lists, as he ended up at .797 for the season and 21 attempts short of the minimum needed for the career list.
Jake Forrester ended up with a FG% of .568, which is 7th all-time for fourth year players and just shy of 10th on the all-class list (Gibson Jimerson, .570). He reached the 125 minimum FGA to make the career FG% list, on which he is now tied for third with Donnie Dobbs. His 30 blocks are good for 8th among fourth year players.
Yuri Collins owns the all-time assists record, with 878. He also took the fourth year and all-class season records, with 324. His 20 assists vs. Tennessee State gave him the all-time single game record, passing his previous mark of 19. He just barely made the 1,000-point club, reaching 34th in program history with 1,002 total points. He had 42 steals this season, 7 shy of the fourth year player top 10 list. He has 176 career steals, good for fourth all-time, bumping Jordair Jett (174) to fifth and three behind Josh Fisher (179). He has played 3,751 career minutes, which is 8th, just behind Jordan Goodwin (3,907). His 35.1 MPG this season tied him with Roland Gray, Josh Fisher, and Kevin Lisch for 8th most in a season.
Terrence Hargrove is not currently on pace to make any lists this season.
Gibson Jimerson has 1,303 career points, good for 18th in program history behind Lewis McKinney (1,325). He had 462 points this season, just shy of the 465 he needed to tie Javonte Perkins in 10th for third year players. He had 85 3-pointers, good for second among third year players (I'm assuming he's going on the third year lists despite his RS season) behind Erwin Claggett (87). That number is also good for fourth all time in a season. For his career, he has 233 3-pointers, which is third all time behind Kevin Lisch (259). His career percentage of .409 is sixth, behind Erwin Claggett (.412). This season, his .401 percentage was 9th for third year players. He has attempted 569 3-pointers in his career, which is 5th most in SLU history. His 212 3PA this season were the second most attempts ever, behind Claggett (246). His FT% of .837 is fifth for his class and his career mark of .831 is fourth all-time.
Fred Thatch ended his season and career early and will not qualify for any lists.
Sincere Parker was .875 from the FT line this season, which would be second all time for second year players, but he was 10 attempts short of qualifying.
Daniel Rivera did not play this season.
Lamont Evans was a perfect 1.000 from the field in just one attempt. He needed 99 more to qualify for the FG% list.
Larry Hughes, Jr. hasn't played enough to qualify for any lists.
Mouhamadou Cisse hasn't played enough to qualify for any lists.
Kellen Thames will not qualify for any lists.
Phil Jones will not qualify for any lists.
Nick Kramer did not play this season.
I think we are easy to scout. Non conference teams don’t spend that much time game planning against us. VCU knew how to take Gibson out of the game and pressure the ball creating the fifty thousand turnovers. Non conference teams don’t know our weaknesses like conference teams do. Unfortunately we have a lot of structural weaknesses.
The only "system" we had that was identifiable was "bully ball". That's not a system. With Majerus you had a motion offense with precision screens(6"!) and he wanted a stretch 4 to help open the lanes. Soderberg ran the pack line defense that focused on taking away the easy interior buckets. What do we have now? It's not coherent in execution or apparent to me what it's supposed to be. I think it's a normal motion offense, MTM D With some zone. But poorly executed both because players aren't playing smart together and the lack of a cohesive roster of players with clear roles.
