Pistol

I was trying to be polite before. I don't read your full posts. I have skimmed them before. We generally record on Sunday nights. I don't read the board much if at all on weekends. If you think I'm stealing, I'll go ahead and put you on the ignore list to make it impossible. The bottom line is: When you post every single possible detail about a game and then two guys talk about that game for a few minutes and make a few points about it, the odds are pretty high that one or more of those few points are going to sound similar to the exhaustive list of thoughts shared previously.

Thanks for listening, truly. Also, thanks for letting us know we're welcome to post and interact here, which I've been doing for 15 years and Zac - @billikenfan05 - even longer. We both plan to continue doing so. At a high level, the aim of our show is to be a fun, welcoming, positive, and informative place for all SLU sports fans. We could make it men's basketball-only, as that is unquestionably the largest draw of the athletic department in general interest, attendance, traffic here, and our show/Twitter feed. But covering the other sports has given us another dimension and we've gained traction especially with soccer fans. The Katie Shields interview, for example, was by far our most successful show until we had Travis Ford on. We got word that a lot of players and their families listened to it and enjoyed it, which was great for us to hear. I don't want to get into the weeds by addressing every individual item in your post, but want to address them in a more general sense by saying this: We've only been doing this together for 7 months. It's new, it's early, and it's a work in progress. We're learning and always trying to improve. We make mistakes. We have an outline but we're covering a lot of topics in a relatively short time and some things get overlooked or mixed up. We don't have a producer. There are two of us, which means sometimes things get said/posted that might contradict (or correct) something that was said/posted previously. I think our chemistry continues to get better but we're still two minds. We're also two busy people with full-time jobs. Mine also happens to be in the busiest time of the year. I also have a 5- and 2-year-old and between them and work, this show is the bulk of my vanishingly small amount of free time. I would love to be able to get deeper into the details of everything we cover to improve my knowledge but it just isn't possible. And it means we also can't watch or attend every single event. We have a finite amount of time on every show. If we were to cover every game with the level of detail put into your posts on individual soccer games, each show would be longer than a Marvel movie - something we neither have the time or desire to do, and something that would also alienate listeners because we have to give them something they can digest. A lot of our commentary is the result of reading this board, the official site, social media, and whatever else we come across. We will try to do a better job of attribution moving forward (not necessarily a standard all of sports media is held to, but still). If you think we've stolen individual ideas from your posts, it's not our intention. We love having guests on, but we don't just have an open line to every SLU sports-affiliated person at any time. We're not credentialed media members and there are certain unofficial barriers between those employed by the AD/school and an unofficial podcast by and for fans. Guests come on our show out of pure graciousness on their part - we can't pay, and we only have so much reach to promote what they do. This is a labor of love and takes a lot of time and energy, and we don't make a dime from it. We see covering the non-revenue sports as a value add for SLU fans, most of whom are more casual when it comes to those sports. As we've picked up more soccer, volleyball, and other fans along the way, we're continuing to work to get better. The basketball season is really our bread and butter and the thing we follow closest all year long - and keep in mind, we only started toward the end of last basketball season. Your soccer posts show a level of detail that we just can't realistically manage. It's also not what we're shooting for. But hopefully this gives you a better idea of who we are and what we're trying to do.

VC hasn't shifted the classes over yet. A lot of JUCO players can go after either their freshman or sophomore years; Parker opted to return. VC will update soon.

Perkins and Jones are done after this season, as fifth year seniors. Kramer and Thames can't replace 10 combined years of experience immediately. Parker gives some immediate scoring punch at the 2 with a couple years of JUCO experience under his belt. I'm not 100% sure whether Williams can play another year or not. I wasn't sure if COVID waivers were going to 2x transfers but I could be wrong. He's listed as a junior.

I put a bio up on the 2022 interest list a few weeks ago. Not much to the scouting report, as I had added a ton of new names and was going to circle back to edit/add as needed: Sincere Parker - G, 6-3, 180 - Rockford, IL (Moberly Area CC, MO) - Twitter: @SincereParker8 Offers: None. Interest: Saint Louis, Butler, Iowa State, Arkansas, Missouri, Cincinnati, Tulsa, New Mexico, Valparaiso, Indiana State, Illinois State, Jacksonville State, SIU-Edwardsville, Texas-El Paso, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, Cleveland State, Illinois-Chicago, Green Bay, East Tennessee State, William & Mary, Nicholls State, Georgia State, Little Rock, Louisiana-Monroe, South Dakota State, Denver, Kansas City, NJIT, Long Beach State, UC-Santa Barbara, Southern Utah, Montana State, Radford, Longwood, South Carolina-Upstate, Bryant, North Florida, Grand Canyon. Latest News: Parker will play another season at Moberly. (9/3/21) Scouting Report: Parker is an athletic, versatile guard who scores on three levels. He's a very good perimeter shooter. He rebounds his position well. He played his freshman year at Moberly Area after finishing HS at Compass Prep in Arizona. -I had come up with a shortlist of candidates after Sean West's post here and he was one of them. Have to get back to work at the moment but I'll have more thoughts later.

Just a coincidence.

Right. I also wonder about a guy who has attended four high schools in four years and who will require a long-term development plan with limited minutes early on. He's got an interesting background. Appears to be 1 of 11 kids. His dad ran a catering business and died last October, survived by those 11 and several grandchildren.

Max Lee Allen - PF, 6-9, 260 - Las Vegas, NV (Compass Prep, AZ) - AAU: Vegas Elite (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @MaxLeeAllen1 Offers: Saint Louis, DePaul, Boston College, Houston, UNLV, San Jose State, Portland State. Interest: Duquesne, Butler, Illinois, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Arizona, USC, Arizona State, California, Utah State, Boise State, Wyoming, BYU, Saint Mary's, Portland, Dartmouth, Loyola, SIU-Carbondale, Murray State, Morehead State, Rice, Illinois-Chicago, Milwaukee, IUPUI, Sam Houston State, Georgia State, Little Rock, Oral Roberts, Cal State-Fullerton, UC-Irvine, UC-Santa Barbara, Cal State-Bakersfield, UC-Riverside, Montana, Montana State, Southern Utah, Eastern Washington, Liberty, Chicago State. Latest News: Allen received an offer from SLU. (9/13/21) Scouting Report: Allen is a tough, physical forward with a huge frame. He moves well, with great footwork for his size. He's crafty around the basket. He can stretch defenses with his shooting and mid-range game. He's a good rebounder, too. He plays with high energy every time he steps on the court. Allen began his career at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, then transferred to Heritage Christian (CA), then to Sierra Canyon (CA), and will finish at Compass Prep (AZ).

I'm operating under the assumption the Big East is set. They have 11, which makes for a crisp 20-game schedule. I don't think there's expansion pressure right now. They're solidly a power conference in basketball. With UC, UCF, and Houston going to the Big XII, the A10 and the Mountain West become the best non-power conferences. If Memphis and Wichita State are stuck in a weaker AAC that might grab a few CUSA schools, SLU might not need to do anything. We just have to keep an open line with those two and the other schools we've mentioned.

Not to derail this but the A10 schedule drops at 2:00 STL time today, so we'll have a whole season's worth of dates at that time.

This is the point that always gets ignored when people talk about the A10 needing to restructure. Conferences just don't boot schools. Even when there are massive scandals or even the death penalty, schools stay in their conferences. SMU didn't get kicked out of the SWC. Penn State, Michigan State, Baylor - no matter how big or horrible the scandal is, they get to stay. And schools that underperform and go down a level leave conferences on their own. They don't get booted. It doesn't happen. We just have to keep an eye on - or communicate with - schools that have similar interests and situations to us and stay aligned with them. In addition to the A10, that means Memphis, Wichita State, Loyola, and Belmont, keeping an eye on what happens with the AAC and which other conferences could be broken up based on what happens there.

Appelhans committed to New Mexico. Saving bio in case he reopens at any point. Braden Appelhans - SG, 6-6, 175 - Blue Springs, MO (Western Reserve Academy, OH) - AAU: KC Run GMC (Under Armour Association) - Twitter: @AppelhansBraden Offers: Wichita State, New Mexico, Akron, Eastern Michigan, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Vermont. Interest: Saint Louis, George Mason, George Washington, Creighton, Butler, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas State, Baylor, Tennessee, South Carolina, Missouri, Stanford, Utah, Washington State, SMU, Tulsa, East Carolina, Nevada, Utah State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State, San Francisco, Harvard, Cornell, Brown, Loyola-Chicago, Drake, SIU-Carbondale, Northern Iowa, Valparaiso, Illinois State, Bradley, Belmont, Morehead State, Austin Peay, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee-Martin, North Texas, Florida International, Rice, Marshall, Ohio, Toledo, Central Michigan, Illinois-Chicago, East Tennessee State, Furman, VMI, Georgia State, South Alabama, Colgate, Lehigh, Drexel, Towson, Iona, Niagara, South Dakota State, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Oral Roberts, Omaha, UMBC, NJIT, UC-Santa Barbara, Montana State, Idaho, Northern Colorado, Radford, Bryant, Liberty, Lipscomb. Latest News: Appelhans finished sixth in scoring efficiency in the UAA. Northwestern, South Carolina, FIU, and East Carolina are now showing interest. (8/11/21) Scouting Report: Appelhans is a long, lean, left-handed wing who scores on all three levels. He has a smooth stroke with serious range and can make it off the catch or create off the dribble. He's a smart player who read defenses well and knows how to play off screens. He uses his length to finish over smaller players but needs to add to his frame. He transferred from Blue Springs HS to Western Reserve Academy in Ohio for his senior year. Rankings: 247Sports Composite - 252.

Amare (Ami) Neal - PG, 5-10, 150 - Swifton, AR (Tuckerman) - AAU: Woodz Elite (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @amare_neal002 Offers: None. Interest: Saint Louis, Arkansas, Tulsa, Liberty. Latest News: Neal has new interest from SLU. (9/1/21) Scouting Report: Neal is a well-rounded point guard with a strong work ethic. He's got a good shot from mid-range and the perimeter. He handles the ball very well. He's an excellent on-ball defender.

Davis-Ray was already on the interest list, so that was an easy update: B.J. Davis-Ray - G, 6-5, 165 - Dallas, TX (Lake Highland) - AAU: Team Griffin (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @BJDavisRay1 Offers: Saint Louis, LSU. Interest: Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Arkansas, Utah, SIU-Edwardsville, Lamar, Texas-Arlington, Coastal Carolina, Elon, Bryant, Liberty, Seattle, Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Latest News: Davis received an offer from SLU. (9/2/21) Scouting Report: Davis is an athletic wing with good size. He scores on all three levels and can guard multiple positions. He handles the ball well and is crafty getting to the basket. He finishes hard in transition. A St. Louis native, he moved to Dallas right before high school.

Correct. We had the return game scheduled for this season but it was bumped back to next season. It's still happening. Not sure if the request to move it came from our end or theirs, not that it's a huge deal.

Half of SLU's 2023 offers are now to Texas players. I like the timing here. Steffe picked up a number of strong offers early in HS but SLU is the only one this calendar year. He played this EYBL season with Team Griffin 16U and was 40%+ from 3 but didn't get any new offers. He's in the process of taking some visits to Colorado, Butler, Minnesota, and Oregon State - only OSU has offered, so maybe the other three will do it on his visit to each campus. He has a ton of high-level interest. I'm wondering how committable some of those other offers are - kinda feels like a lot of the interests and early offers might still be taking a wait and see approach. So if SLU comes on strong now, we could wind up very much in the mix.

Drew Steffe - SG, 6-5, 175 - Frisco, TX (Memorial) - AAU: Team Griffin (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @DrewSteffe Offers: Saint Louis, DePaul, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU, Auburn, Arizona State, Oregon State, SMU, Tulane, Texas-El Paso, Rice, Western Michigan, Texas-Arlington. Interest: George Washington, Villanova, Xavier, Creighton, Marquette, Butler, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Baylor, Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Arkansas, Missouri, Georgia, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Oregon, USC, Colorado, Utah, Washington State, Houston, Memphis, Central Florida, Tulsa, San Diego State, Boise State, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Yale, SIU-Carbondale, Southeast Missouri, North Texas, Toledo, Sam Houston State, Northwestern State, Georgia State, Texas State, Georgia Southern, Hofstra, UC-Riverside, Cal State-Northridge, NJIT, Montana State, Bryant, Liberty, California Baptist. Latest News: Steffe received an offer from SLU. (8/30/21) Scouting Report: Steffe is a sharpshooting guard who scores on three levels. He's an outstanding shooter with deep range. Not a one-dimensional player, he's also a solid playmaker who finds his teammates and breaks down defenders off the dribble. He plays a very controlled, confident game. He's a versatile defender and high-level competitor. His dad played at Quincy and Portland State.

This thought came to mind almost immediately when looking at Memphis' roster for this season. Goodwin and French would give up length but give them a rough time. Turnover city. I expect Bates to have an uneven season. Young and still a bit lean but will show plenty of moments of brilliance because he's an extraordinary talent, can play anywhere at 6-9. Duren is ready to go, as you say. He was too much for BBE in the Peach Jam final. Listed at about 6-10, 230 right now.

Completely agree. Watching games last season, she immediately jumped out. No one else had/has her on-ball speed and creativity.

Not just no wins in the first three games, but no goals. The team had 9 suspensions spread out over the first two games. They've also had some short-term injuries to deal with and the long-term absences of Larson and Lawler. Larson's speed and scoring are particularly missed right now, and Lawler is just so solid. It's been a good schedule but SLU would've been the favorite in all three under normal circumstances, and even under the roster challenges shouldn't be 0-3. There's no reason they still can't dominate the A10 and will still be expected to do so. The problem now is they're digging out of a hole for the rest of the season and they're probably already past the point of being a top-16 seed like they were in the NCAA Tournament last season. So no, it's not time to panic by any means but they need to right the ship in short order.

Possibly. I've been more interested tracking the 2022 bigs, as higher-profile guards seem like a stretch at this point, given the roster. The pattern with a lot of our 2022 F/C offers has been to offer early and be in the mix, and then the kid's stock rises quickly with a flood of offers in short order. Saunders blew up this spring and summer. I think he had 1 offer coming into this calendar year and ended up with something like 26. Part of this is pandemic related but no one thought he was semi-dominant until the past few months.

SLU made Saunders' top 10 but not his top 5: ND and VT are actually new to his list and weren't in the top 10. I guess that's what happens when you make a list and get a couple higher-profile offers.

I'm afraid the Stamos ship has sailed: I like our odds with Marlon Wayans, though.

I had to break the news to my brother, who hadn't heard yet. He had Dr. Bush for 6 classes and was his TA in grad school. He also worked with him on his book "Continuing Bonds with the Dead". Not that I was particularly involved in my brother's grad school work, but I never made the connection that this was DoctorB. My wife took one of his classes, too. Both of them had great things to say about him.

No, but we already saw from Kundermann a few days ago on Twitter that his is still pending. I'm sure we'll hear soon.