pompeytir

Kellerman was offered by SLU but choose to play at Central Michigan.

33, 36, 34, 32, 33...For the 5 starters, its easy to understand why there is no transition game, and the team failed to get rebounds and box out...Eventually the bench has to be used and developed or UB needs to get an O2 machine for the team. Coaches get caught up in the action and come backs and don't pick up on it alot of times, I saw Shimmy for the girl team use a similair 6.5 man rotation against Arkansas. I don't especially like what the bench has to offer but at some point this team is going to need to use the players they have.

Jan 13, 2007 is the next big game...SLU vs. Xavier. Can this team go 13-2 the rest of the way to get an NCAA bid?

2 palming TO's so far what were the other two?

I saw Maguire in High School too. He's changed his shot from High school to get a quicker release. His shot looks more like a flick now vs. what it was in high school, a solid jump shot but a slow release. I think in the long run it is an improvement. His foot speed is a question and his handle is non existstent but UB has to develop the bench and find a cosistent shooter off the bench. Although I'm not a big fan of Maguire, I would like to Danny Brown's minutes given to him. I have no doubt his FG% would be over 40% and his defense can't be any worse. Maybe those 2-5 minute lulls where they can't find the basket would end if someone off the bench can shoot consistently.

-I agree that Liddell is the best guard for dribble-drives and kick outs but he is NOT a point guard. However, he doesn't find the 'open' man in transition which is maybe one of the reasons why the transition offense has stalled. And his handle is not up to snuff at this point, he really struggles against pressure D (as does the whole team so far). He just is not an offensive facilitator like Spencer Laurie was/is for Mizzou St. That's what I'm looking for in a PG, someone who helps put his teammates in better position to score. Right now the only way Tommie does that is when he's driving to the basket. I just don't see the court vision at this point. He's definetly a SG in my book and a blue chip one at that. -The offense looked much better in the 2nd half of the Ole Miss game becuase Tommy wasn't monopolizing the ball (I don't think he had more than 1 shot in the 2nd half before the dunk). -At the next home game...Watch Tommy bring up the ball and dribble for 10-12 seconds before he makes a decision on what to do with the basketball. With him off the ball, teams have to be aware of his jumpshot and also any pass that allows him to drive to the basket. Can Tommy post up? I'd like to find out. It makes him a better scorer, something this team needs more of, and might indirectly free up Lisch for more open shots. -I like Lisch running the transition show because he's fearless on the dribble drive and he has 'court vision'. I can't wait for the day that this team hits an 'slightly' open wing on a break and they score on a layup. How many times has Tommy or Polk brought the ball down and just dribbled up the court without hitting an open win. It drives me crazy. -Polk seems like a rocket on the break with the ball in his hand, he facilitiates the basketball consistently well in the half court but occassionaly butchers an entry pass to the post. He has to stay on the court for his defense and continue to improve his shot.

>>our recruits need to be screened to a higher level on acedemics than at other schools. It's just something we have to accept and deal with.<< If they're extensively screening recruits for academics then SLU is going to have an even tougher time recruiting. There is enough valid complaints about the recruiting and now there is a flag raised about wanting SLU to make sure they have acadmic all-americans on the team. It's impossible to have a balance unless you are an established power and SLU isn't that. I hope UB keeps taking chances on kids he feels can succeed academically if they really want it and at the same time bring in some high upside/chance kids. If Dixon had worked out I think he would have been a big impact player in a couple of years if not next year.

Yep, saw it too. Wondering if Trey Wingo got a call from St.Lou and told them to get the clip in.

I haven't seen Missouri State but from what I've read and seen on the Mizz st forum: -They take what you give them, they aren't a team to force things offensively and beat themselves by changing how they do things. Besides Ahearn and Laurie(s): -Tyler Chaney is this team's Liddell, good rebounder, passer, and so far accurate shooter this year, passive offensively too. Someone posted that he's the team's best wing defender. -Nathan Bilyeu seems like a glue guy at PF, willing to post up and draw contact (watch out IV/Meyer). Undersized, 'Luke Meyer' with more size? -Drew Richards is a foul prone big guy, can't shoot FTs (hack-a-shaq?), seems to be able to score in the bost and has decent hands. His rate of personal fouls seems to limit minutes. -Deven Mitchell is a foul prone forward who worries me most as an 'X' factor about this team. He can score, generate contact, rebound well both offensively and defensively, generates a lot of steals, played really well in big games against Wisconsin/Okla St. Matchup wise with Chaney and Deven Mitchell, coming off the bench, in the game at some point, who is Liddell covering and who is taking on the other player? I imagine Lisch will be on Ahearn, Polk on Laurie, IV against Richard, and Meyer and Bilyeu.

What is his major? Wow..."drama class was canceled. His others take place on different days: English, African-American jazz music and Swahili". I imagine that one would be hard pressed to get this same schedule at SLU...lol.

Wow, The kid hasn't played a game in high school and he's already being recruited and gave an early verbal to UI. Maybe the jokes are not so far off. This is inane: "All of this happened after Jereme Richmond had played one high school game at this private school, where he enrolled in August." http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/st...C5?OpenDocument

If you offer now he might be intrested in 6 years. Personally I'd get his parents involved and get a Letter of Intent signed now before he turns 18 or decides that he'd rather play video games. (If you hadn't had the last part of the post, people would be taking this seriously).

Through a veil of sarcasm Drew did have make a valid call for some type of adjustment. I would've liked to see UB throw a zone out there or adjust his 'help' defensive scheme as the matchups dictate in the last few games because his system wasn't working (whether it was the players or his fault doesn't matter). UB's adjustment tonight for the second half was to pick up the offensive player outside the 3pt line(how many second half 3pt attempts until the final 90 seconds?-I counted 3), worry only about the 3pt shot, and hope the team is good enough to recover on any drive to the basket; it worked. In the last few games he just hasn't made any adjustments, even he openly questioned what he was doing. Looks like he figured it out in time and the defense looked as good as any I've seen this year (including SIUC). So now SLU can beat UTM and get ready for the biggest non-conference game of the year in my opinion-Missouri State.

Only lost to Texas A&M by 12. Hope the defense is better.

> >Some posters (like pompey and Realistic), are so critcal and >love to throw insults at these freshmen. And since DM, OI >and HD have hardly played, are they basing their negative >comments on watching warm-ups? Lol...I saw Maguire play in high school and I've watched him in practice at West Pine a few times-'He is what he is' (a shooter). I like HD and would love to see more of him but as for OI he needs alot of work.

--Read my post-- "He's got a great shot (NBA 3pt range) and is really quick with it. He reminds me of a 'coach's son' because he is uber-confident on the court and has good technical skills but will not blow you away with talent." -"He's slight of build right now (not super thin though, just hasn't filled out) and probably 5'10''." "Kramer’s improving and UB talked about it on the radio that he’s expanding his game." Apparently I must have said I know everything about him and he's a finished player who sucks because that's exactly what I get from my own post too (not really)...Lol, someone asked how he looks and wanted a first hand report because they've seen his box scores. If someone else thiks differently than thats cool, its my opinion. Get over it.

Saw him at the shootout. He plays SG, SF for St.Charles West. He's got a great shot (NBA 3pt range) and is really quick with it. He does not have a pull-up jump shot or anything like that. When he drives to the basket he goes full tilt with his head down and draws a lot of contact. He's slight of build right now (not super thin though, just hasn't filled out) and probably 5'10''. He IS NOT a Point Guard. He doesn't keep his head up when he dribbles (even on the break) and he doesn't have court sense. He reminds me of a 'coach's son' because he is uber-confident on the court and has good technical skills but will not blow you away with talent. Right now at West they run the offense around him and it was painful to see four kids tentatively try to play and run the offense with Kramer well guarded. His stats are a bit inflated because of the quality of his teammates (he doesn't have to defer to anyone) and their offensive scheme is to run the offense around him. -A lot of people compare him to Lisch. Kramer’s a good high school basketball player but comparing him to Lisch is unfair because Kevin was probably the best player on the court no matter what the team in High School was. He’s really a poor man’s Lisch at this point except Lisch has/had a lot more court awareness. So right now I would compare him to Maguire because both of them are basically set shooters (Kramer’s improving and UB talked about it on the radio that he’s expanding his game). He’s got a quicker release than Dustin Maguire and similar range. His foot speed is questionable but he’s no plod like Maguire. He is still undersized for college basketball but that is generally meaningless if he’s in there to shoot, etc.

I would agree with you that the defense wasn't the biggest problem(cold shooting) in the game but after having such a stellar defense the last few years seeing the defense the way it is now just makes its deficiencies stand out that much more. Most of us have been clamoring for UB to adapt his pack defense on a game by game/player by player matchup. As for the offense, generally speaking its been good but when the shooting goes cold everyone is cold. I’d love to see someone off the bench spark the team one of these times

I was at the game...and I was watching. -The open shots were from the pack defense, the team didn't trap that much (a half dozen times). UB needs to develop a zone defense (what they should have played today) or let go of the help defense and have his players stick on their shooters. WI could have been up 10 at half if they had hit 1/2 of their open shots. Are they practicing the defense as much this year ?(I didn't see it when I've been there) -I think the help defense is fine against teams that can't shoot or have a dominate big man. Unfortunately this year the team has poor rotations so that isn't even working. -Ikeafor isn't playing becuase he's a mess defensively and despite what you saw in a 30 point loss to A&M, he has an extremely poor handle and no real basketball instincts. He hasn't played ball in two years, he will be a long term project. Stop by practice some time and watch the drills, it's fairly evident that he needs a lot of work and besides the walk-ons he's the next worse player. He's also out of shape too. UB put him in against Quincy and yanked him after one minute because he hasn't figured out what a box out is and has been chastisted in another game for the same thing (i.e. UB exploded on the side lines). -Polk is really the best defensive player on the team and he gives them the most energy on defense. They are different defensive team with him in the game. I would love to see his +/- for the game; it's probably best on the teams for today. His 'J' is still awful but he's getting more aggressive in the half court with his floaters. -Knollmeyer is now a favorite of mine but he looked bewildered defensively. He's still struggling playing the pack defense as a '4' and turned his head continually along with losing his defensive assignment in the post (more time in practice the better he will get). Offensively he looked fine, I didn't see a back to the basket game but he was aggressive. He brought energy and some brute fouling (he's a foul waiting to happen right now) and I'm glad that IV was in foul trouble so he could get some time. UB needs to develop the bench. -Wondered where Husak was but if your going by the height factor your very wrong about his advantage in the game. Husak isn't a post player and looks much more comfortable on the perimeter. There was no mismatch to be taken advantage in this game, #24 was extremely active in the first half (8 points) and looked good as their undersized center. IV had problems guarding him and picked up some fouls. -Maguire isn't playing because essentially he's Danny Brown except he has a weaker handle, slower feet, no speed and doesn't know the system well. If WI was getting open shots all game, Maguire wasn't going to make things any better. He's a guy UB needs to figure out his spot roles but I don't think he would make a difference today. -One thing I would like to see changed is having Lisch run the fast break/secondary break. Tommy and Dwayne don't really get their head up moving down the court and a lot of time there are guys open that they don't see or get the ball to. Lisch was known to have great court vision in high school and we saw some of it last year. I would love to see some more layups on the break instead of the usual secondary break '3' (that the team isn't hitting right now. Also, Tommy on the wing to drive one on one wouldn't be too bad instead of trying to take it to the hole and split two or three guys. Also, Lisch can hit the pullup from the top of the key alot more accurately than Tommy; I just see a lot of advantages to Lisch running this or at least giving him a chance. So...develop a zone defense, bench and keep throwing in the trap every once in a while (it was a great change of pace).

Agree on Vashon they were down to Alton at half. Didn't see anything from Powell in the first half, he's 6'8'' on the program but he didn't play that tonight-bad shooting (shoots the ball from behind his head, has to jump stop to get a shot off), no real back to the basket game and didn't really impress for all the hype. I'd post more but I'm too tired...saw everything from St.Charles West to Vashon at half,

Five and two is where I expected the team to be. This team is still on course, they just can't lose to any teams they are 'supposed' to beat. SIU is a good team, I won't say who should and shouldn't be a sweet 16 team but they will definetly be in the tournament.

I would probably say because most SLU fans (including I) look at SIUC as a program they should be better than because of SLU's money, private school status and location (downtown Saint Louis). SIUC has a recent and continual (see Weber-Painter-Lowery) amount of sucess this decade, SLU isn't there yet and there is probably some envy. Unfortunately, if SLU put the offense that SIUC put out there and played the same defense (of which SLU and UB have been close to in the past) the fans would be clamoring for a head coaching change because no recruit wants to play defense (see the thread on why didn't we recruit Falker?-Fire Brad thread). Overall, some people just need to cry and whine until the team has some acceptable level of success and then they'll cry and whine some more.

ORV, I would lay off the coffee, diet coke, uppers whatever-get checked for PKU. I'm 100% completely behind Brad but he has to make the tourament this year.I love the defense that UB has had in the past and hope he can temper it this year with a new offensive philosophy; so far I don't think he has. Yet, save the bitching until SLU gets an NIT bid or starts dropping conference games. They were underdogs in two games and lost, big deal. SIUC is a top 50 college program, they don't roll over at home and SLU needed a great night to win, they didn't get it. I could even understand the crying if they get beat down in the Missouri State game then the bitching might be reasonable but for right now quit crying.

Agree about the dumb smack talk, which was started (initiated) by a SLU fan (somewhere there is a village missing their idiot). After the loss to SIU, according to this board, SLU was dominated, needed to burn down the house, fire the coaches and quit the season. Either they were really outplayed by a better SIU team or they lost to a bad team. Personally, I think SIU is a damn good team and they have a chance to go far in the tournament (they shoot the 3ball and play defense like a whirling dervish). The whole smack that SIU is not a top team is bogus; who really is day in and day out in college basketball these days? (Kansas lost to Oral Roberts) With the way they play defense and play within themselves along with having an identity (hard nosed defensive team) they have a chance to beat any team in college basketball; as for where they are now, I have no doubt that they wouldn't lose by 30 points if they played A&M in College Station. Listen to Brad's show, SLU still needs some work. 5-2 is where I had them with these loses...doesn't mean they are not going to be a tournament team.

Is he more comfortable with his back to the basket or when facing it from the perimeter?