Pistol

I thought Holder did a decent job, which is all you need from a PA guy. I can't think of other places where the PA guy tries to make it his own show, like Guy does. Fans don't want an obnoxious PA guy telling them what to do; it comes off as bush league when he tries to pump people up. A good product on the floor and good attendance in the new arena will help build a good atmosphere, and we'll get there. It's one of those jobs where if you don't notice him, he's doing well. It was Holder's first time doing it, and he had 2 'corrections' that I can remember, which is a lot less than Guy has each game even though he's been doing it for years. I hope the rest of you season ticket holders out there who got an online survey from SLU's athletic department last week used the opportunity to voice an opinion about the PA announcer- there were a few questions to rate him. I gave Guy the lowest score possible and said he's the worst of anyone I've heard in any arena I've been to.

Splendid in the classroom? You must have him mixed up with someone else. Tatum was a nightmare in the classroom. His last year there he was still taking a freshman math class, and on the rare occasions he showed up, he spent the whole class hitting on the young grad student teacher in front of the whole class. His attitude and poor work ethic caused issues with Romar, a guy who could keep a lot of other less-than-perfect students at least somewhat in line.

They are each about 6-0 and north of 200. They're looking like a ready-made offensive line for Chaminade in a couple years. I laughed when I saw you write 'butterballs' because that is not the least bit inaccurate. It's unlikely they'll be basketball players unless the freshman coach just wants some big bodies in there next year.

I don't appreciate the sarcasm when I choose to disagree with you on something and feel I am fairly arguing my point. Check your PM.

Taj Gray was supposedly going to walk on his freshman year and have three years on scholarship after that. Had Romar stayed and Kern likely wouldn't have been admitted, Gray would have gotten his scholarship. In hindsight, it's amazing that Romar had an arrangement like this with a guy who turned out to be an absolute stud in the Big 12.

Nothing's a guarantee. I'm just surprised that so many on here have such dismissive attitudes about Romar, especially a lot of the same people who defended Brad for so long. I obviously can't state that it is a fact that Romar would have brought a lot of success to SLU because he left and we'll never know. But I strongly believe that he was the right guy and would have gotten it done. We had 5 stagnant years after him, and Brad's most loyal supporters can't argue that.

Okay, so your definition of "Winning Big" is 30 wins or 3 consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. It's settled. There are very few coaches that "Win Big" if that's the case.

His records did get worse as he was at SLU, but that second and third year dip happens to a lot of coaches inheriting a program- the older guys are products of the old coach, his recruits are young or not there yet, and there is generally some attrition. Keep in mind that his 2001-2002 team had exactly zero seniors on the roster. I have no doubt that the 2002-2003 team would have posted a better record than his 15-16 last year or the 16-14 record that Brad had with them. Is "left the cupboard bare" a fair argument? He didn't sabotage SLU's program; those guys left on their own, and he had discussions with each of them encouraging them to stay. Some did, but a lot didn't. Floyd McClain actually did stay, and 2002-2003 was his second straight medical redshirt season. His frustration and poor relationship with Brad led to his departure. And like I said before, Edwin would have stayed but probably had a semester of ineligibility, Pulley also would have been academically ineligible, Seyfert got homesick, Kern may have never been admitted, and Ryan Hollins was never going to play for Brad. Is it Romar's fault that the cupboard was bare when he built strong relationships with his players and recruits? Why should they stay when their coming to SLU was based on him? Marque Perry, Drew Diener, and Chris Braun were the guys on the 2001-2002 team who Spoon recruited (he told Romar when he took over, "You're gonna like the little fella.") and Romar got them all to stay and honor their commitments. Fisher, Sloan, and Brown were all Romar's recruits. Soderberg's first year would have been an unmitigated disaster without them and his second year would have been a lot harder without Fisher, Varner, Hunt, and Sloan. Also, you are all ignoring the inroads that Romar was making with the local high school players while he was at SLU. Soderberg may have been his top assistant, but he was there for the X's and O's, not to be the pitch man for these kids. Liddell was the one guy who had a relationship with Romar who came to play for Brad (when they were all underclassmen trying out for the 2002 Eagles squad in the WPG, Romar told me Liddell would be the best of what looked to be a big class for the area- Grimes, Jackson, etc.- and that he was confident he liked SLU. Tommie wasn't trying out because ESL was in the playoffs). A lot of the area high school kids at the time loved Romar, and when he left SLU was out of the picture for them. Sure, he might have not had a 20-win season in 2002-03 or 2003-04 (then again, he may have), but he was only going to come in second on those big recruits for so long before it started to pay off. I'm confident that with two more seasons, we would have been a totally different program with a totally different caliber of talent. The other thing to remember is that he actually went after the big boys- Brad didn't even bother with the top area players and took too long on the next tier.

Those Sweet 16 years were back-to-back 29-win seasons. Romar has won big, and in consecutive years. I have never met a SLU fan who doesn't consider 29 wins "winning big." I also can't imagine a SLU fan who wouldn't have wanted Hollins. Are you serious? A 7-footer who started on a UCLA team that went to the NCAA finals? A third-year NBA player? I've never heard anyone use the term "second coming" to describe him (and second coming of whom? Ed McCauley?), but I would have been happy to have him. You're also forgetting that the two freshmen from 2001-02 left: Pulley, who only stayed for Romar and whose grades were going to be an issue, and Seyfert, who claimed homesickness. McClain's back issues and consecutive medical redshirt seasons were no one's fault. Edwin may have been ineligible one semester but would have been worth keeping, and he would have stayed for Romar. You also say "He wouldn't have done as well as RM" about Romar. Really? He went 19-14 and got us in the tournament his first year, went 17-14 his second year, and 15-16 his third year. Majerus went 16-15 in his first year and is 10-6 now against a bad schedule, and both of those records include a win against a D-II team. So I can only presume that your statement is based on how you feel Majerus will do, because he certainly hasn't done it yet.

I know it's not easy for me to make this argument when he left before anything happened. I guess you and cheeseman never met him. His recruits and the players who left had close relationships with him; for most of them, there was no reason to be at SLU if he wasn't there and Soderberg certainly wasn't the same type of guy or coach. He was handcuffed by a limited budget, a terrible practice facility, an oversized off-campus arena, a poor AD and antagonist associate AD (Flanagan). In spite of all of this, Romar is a guy I had full faith in and his players would do anything for him. Why do you think there was an exodus once he left? Those guys had no relationship with Brad and didn't want to play for him. One or two may have missed the first semester of play for academic reasons, but we wouldn't have lost entire consecutive classes. By the way, this freshman class at Washington is a top 20 class (on a very young team overall) and he has another nice one on the way, including one of the top point guards in the country.

So when I'm in town for Saturday night's game, can I walk up with the 4 extra people and hand that voucher to the ticket office for 4 tickets on the spot? Also, who's name is supposed to go on the form- mine or a guest's?

Got it- I misunderstood. He's certainly a mixed bag as a coach, a lot of things I love about him, and some others I don't feel great about. Couldn't agree more about Romar, and no matter what Skip says in his comments above, Romar was very much on the verge of putting together a special program here. I guess you can either believe that or not, but anyone close enough to the program knows it. I just wish he had been here long enough for everyone to see it happen.

It had to be lower down the top 10 than Derrick Brown's alley-oop that night, right? Still cool that we made it.

I wrote that with tongue placed firmly in cheek. However, the Romar example works, as I think he could have won big or was on the verge of winning big (if by SLU standards). He was squeaky clean, treated every person he met with the utmost respect and kindness, built incredible relationships with his players, and knew how to recruit. I was talking with a buddy recently about what Washington would be like if he didn't have so many players leave early- the blessing/curse of getting the one-and-done guys. Oh, and Dollar acted on his own (even though, I know, the head coach is in charge and will be at least partially blamed).

I don't think the comment is a huge deal. However, tact is not one of the strong suits of Majerus, as we've all seen to some extent by now. He does seem like a guy that would not be fun to work for or with, but that people are willing to take the bad with the good because of his knowledge and abilities. A quick anecdote: I heard that he has a habit of ignoring cars ahead of his waiting at the gate to get in that new lot adjacent to the arena. He apparently just drives over the curb, sidewalk, and through the grass to get into the lot before any of them without using the key card entry. I guess a few people complained and he recently got a $100 fine for it. Of course, he gave his pal Larry a call and told him (I'm sure in the nicest way possible) that he would not be paying the fine.

Roth seems to be basically Indiana's version of Brad Redford. I'll never feel sorry for Tom Crean. He was always a jerk and I wish more SLU fans realized that. He's never been as dirty as Sampson, but he knew what he was getting into. That program has to start from scratch with personnel, and he's got to recruit his butt off over the next few years. He's fortunate in that he has one of the best programs in history, a nice school, and great facilities to sell kids on. As impatient as fans are at programs like that, I think they realize he needs at least 4 years before they can start scrutinizing his job security.

Brad Soderberg?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm actually worried about Reid joining the SLU roster. Between him and Willie Reed, this is a nightmare come true for Guy Phillips. The word "correction" will be forever echoing through the Chaifetz Arena.

Read Jeff Pearlman's Boys Will Be Boys if you want more stories on those early-90s Cowboys teams. Jimmy Johnson cut dozens of guys on impulse but rarely confronted any of his stars or former Miami players. In the grand scheme of things, this Lyons incident is pretty minor. But the fact remains that Anderson has tightened the reins on these guys and Lyons did get arrested. He could have just paid the fine two years ago and this thing doesn't happen.

I haven't seen any of them play, but I'm guessing Conklin would be the least likely in the bunch to play a the 3. Ellis can step out and shoot but still seems like a true PF. I'm guessing Smith is probably the most natural wing- again, just based on the sizes and descriptions. What I like is that there is some versatility to the guys Majerus is bringing in. He'll have some flexibility with the roster.

Wasn't Jonathan Smith supposed to be something of a slasher? What does this do for our scholarship situation- one left?

I wouldn't say the fouls were particularly because the bigs saw more pressure. A couple of Willie's were unnecessary fouls because he got out of position. Barry had a couple where his man beat him and he fouled to stop the easy basket. Thompson's 2 fouls were legitimate, solid fouls- one where he looked straight up but there was contact. I'll also say that I thought Brett and Willie played very good defense overall, though there were some lapses that led to quick and easy points for Xavier. Xavier's bigs weren't necessarily doing the damage, it was the whole team. Frease actually didn't look good at all and Love had a solid, if unspectacular, game. C.J. Anderson beat us baseline a few times, as his whole game is about getting in behind guys and getting under the basket. He looks to score as many ugly points from within 4 feet as possible, and is quicker than most bigs, so he drew a couple fouls that way. Kevin and the others were looking to swat inlet passes to the bigs but I wouldn't say it was a major team strategy. Xavier got a lot of points on solid jump shooting and in transition, just taking holes wherever they were. Our half court defense wasn't bad, but Xavier's shot selection was outstanding and Brown, Love, and Anderson got a lot from penetrating. The variance between the two teams' experience and athleticism was very apparent.

Yeah, that was the funny thing about that play. Brown was on the wing with Conklin right on him- respecting that newfound 3-point ability- when Conklin disappeared and Brown got behind everyone and launched. No one was looking for that because Conklin getting hit by the screen was so sudden, not to mention a decent distance from the ball. It was a nice surprise for the home crowd, that's for sure. I don't think they'll run through conference undefeated. I don't know if it will be Dayton, but at least one team should surprise them (like BC over UNC, but on a smaller scale). There are enough tricky road trips in this conference for them to stumble somewhere. They should go undefeated at home from here on out, though, unless they really stink it up some night.

That will be a good one for the next few years, as both are similar in size and style. We had some decent looks that didn't fall and then, like Majerus said in his postgame comments, failed to get back in transition defense. So a lot of times when it looked like we had an easy 2, it wound up being and easy 2 or 3 the other way. A few of those in a row the first half seemed to set the tone for the game.

Now that I've had a night to sleep it off, I'll write a few thoughts from the debacle at Cintas Center last night. I'm not sure what insights I can provide as someone who saw it there in person, surrounded by Xavier fans, but I'll give it a shot. -10 NBA scouts in the house from 9 teams to take a look at Derrick Brown and the SLU seniors (I'm guessing this doesn't include Barry Foul-A-Minute Eberhardt). Brown gave them a good reason to make the trip; our seniors did not. Tommie disappeared completely. As many things that have been written on here about Lisch and why he's not playing up to his potential, Tommie was a ghost last night. -There isn't much I can say about our offense last night that you can't see in the box score. Watching us shoot free throws was painful. I was surprised to see we hit 10+ because I forgot that Conklin and Thompson actually did okay and hit a bunch in the second half. The other guys looked worse than the putzes that get out there for halftime promotions. Same story from deep: 1-10 from behind the arc. I thought we'd be shooting more of these because we had plenty of opportunities to shoot and were down by a big margin the whole night. -Derrick Brown is a stud; I'd be curious to see what the NBA scouts wrote about him. Once again, he had one of his perfect games from the floor and has become one of the most efficient players out there. I'd like to see him rebound more and block more shots- a little more aggressiveness and he's got a shot to be a lottery pick. He caught an alley-oop that looked like he fell from the ceiling. No one saw it coming. His 3-point shooting is also a new development this season, and his shot selection is excellent. -Kevin was working hard last night, but looked frustrated. He had some great passes early that were all either tipped out of bounds, dropped, or otherwise botched- had these been handled on the other end, we would have been out to an 8-4 lead (this also includes a layup he missed after embarrassing his defender). His shot was off, but that could be said for everyone. I at least saw work out of him, but nothing whatsoever from Tommie, who had no reason not to show up for this one. He can score against anybody, so that was frustrating to watch. -Conklin and Reed continue to work hard and I love to watch these guys. Thompson also showed me a lot last night- still looked like a freshman, but one who is going to be a very good big for us for 4 years. I can't wait to see what offseason conditioning will do for him and Reed. Both of them were cheated out of blocks, by the way- Thompson had one in the first half that wasn't counted, and Reed blocked at least 3, including one where he blocked a guy twice in a row. -Mitchell is also going to be a very good player for us for 4 years. I was impressed the way he got to the hole and scored layups in traffic a few times last night. He didn't look all that different from Holloway on Xavier. -It was a weird night with the fouls, as the refs really let it go. I think the disparity shows not that we were favored, but that Xavier was playing harder from start to finish. There were a lot of no-calls that could have gone either way. Oddly, we only had 3 guys with fouls- Reed, Thompson, and Eberhardt. -I think efficient would probably be the best word to describe Xavier as a whole last night. 70 points on 52% shooting; normally teams that shoot that well score more, so maybe on an off night we could have been in this one. I could tell we had them well-scouted on defense but just looked lethargic at times and overmatched at others. They locked us down defensively, and it didn't help that we missed so many open shots, particularly in the first 10 minutes. They outworked us; probably the best play to show this fact was when Jackson forced a turnover from Lisch, tipping the ball loose and immediately hitting the deck to push it out of his reach, then getting up, retrieving his own steal and turning it into a nice assist at the other end. -The place was near capacity, but was half empty by the 6:00 mark. The fans were a lot of fun around me after seeing my SLU stuff. I got razzed pretty good as lineups were announced but all in good fun since most of the guys around the seats see me at every game anyway. Most of them know their stuff, too, and have a lot of respect for SLU, Majerus, and the direction of the program, acknowledging how young we are.