NH

Synergy and Second Spectrum both do. You won’t be able to watch live though.

Consider me impressed by you both

How did you find this?

Carter also said that no A10 player had a chance to get drafted, when everyone who followed the draft knew that Bones Hyland was a lock to be drafted (ended up going first round). I am a fan of Carter and the work he does, but I wouldn’t put much stock in his evaluation of players.

Who are these people you are referring to? I have heard nothing but respect from fans/media for Kanter’s willingness to speak out on issues. I also saw lots of people (correctly) criticize Lebron when he failed to speak out against the violence and injustice in Hong Kong. I’m totally with you about Kanter’s commenrs, I just think it’s a little counterproductive to turn this into a First Take episode by jumping right to a comparison against Lebron. There are countless examples of people who represent Nike who could have spoken out against these practices and have not.

Was a bit surprised he makes more than both Rhoades and Grant. Makes me feel good about our current level of investment. I also like that we brought in two grad assistants, a young but up-and-coming assistant (who likely wasn't the cheapest option) and that new strength coach. We also have a new video analytics guy which is good. I felt really, really good about the staff investment when we got Ford, Bailey, Macon and Tate, plus other key supporting staff. I got a little nervous when we backfilled Macon/Bailey but Giacoletti, Young Ford and now Forte all seem like smart moves. We are trending in the direction of operating as a total program at a level only matched by rivaled of our conference mates. We need to be the leader of the pack in this regard and I now have confidence that's what we're trying to do. I would expect a big 2023 recruiting class and would expect us to be a good player in the transfer market this year.

One of my favorite Eckerle stories is when SLU was playing against Memphis in a closed-door scrimmage, and Eckerle was having trouble staying in front of his man. Majerus kept laying into Eckerle during timeouts until eventually Porter Moser said something to Rick about the player Eckerle was guarding and Rick turned around and said "wait, THAT'S Derrick Rose?"

Xavier was a #1 seed just a couple years ago, which is something I doubt happens without them moving to the Big East. Attendance is still strong and expectations haven’t dipped. I think you’re right that nobody who joined the Big East would give a second thought to going back.

I wonder when they would have announced this were it not for the Big East speculation. On one hand, I don't think this project really moves the needle for whether we would get invited to a new conference. Chaifetz remains a top tier arena, but if we're being honest SLU is still middle-of-the-pack when it comes top 100 D1 practice facilities. But if they were planning on making this announcement sometime in the coming months, it would have been foolish to delay given the ongoing conference realignment. In the ongoing arms race, upgrades like these aren't "transformational" as much as they are necessary. It is good to see SLU making the necessary investments (or better said, raise the necessary funds) to keep us at the table for high D1 athletics. And I think the benefits to non-basketball programs will be a big boost for SLU athletics.

This is an important and necessary step forward for the program. I wish the news were more exciting, but am glad they're doing this nonetheless. I don't know why they hyped it up the way they did. Seems like an e-mail before the presentation would've been fine.

Like many fans, I have long pined for the Big East. That said, I don't really think the difference in basketball quality is as big as I once thought. Look back to 2018-2019, when SLU beat both Seton Hall and Butler yet still finished 6th in the A10. SLU has had Big East caliber talent throughout Ford's era and we still only have one tourney to show for it. I think the real reasons why the Big East is so attractive from a SLU perspective are (1) re-introduction of regionalish rivalries against DePaul, Creighton, Butler, Marquette and Xavier, and (2) in the perpetual struggle for conference re-alignment, the Big East is positioned in a much safer spot than the Atlantic 10. Imagine if Dayton and VCU were to leave the A10 and how precarious that position would be for SLU. We wouldn't have those same concerns in the Big East.

Any thoughts on Strickland or Yuri for those who attended?

I just finished watching Mozeliak and DeWitt's press conference. I still think Cardinals fans are owed a better explanation than whatever they gave. It clearly wasn't based on how Shildt managed the team, and Mozeliak indicated that Shildt was "shocked" by the news and that the front office only began thinking about this in the past week. My guess (and this is wild speculation) is that Shildt was speaking poorly of some front office decisions (perhaps Albert, perhaps player choices) to people within the organization. Word got back to Mozeliak and Mo decided the dissent needed to be quelled. Mo and Shildt haven't even met face to face since the season ended prior to the firing. Very weird way for things to go down.

For what it's worth, here is the annual basketball budget for some relevant schools based on the latest info I can find (2019). The first number is the national ranking 8 Marquette: $15.0 million 10 Villanova: $14.4 12 Georgetown: $13.6 20 Providence: $11.1 27 Gonzaga: $10.5 34 St. John's: $10.0 41 Uconn: $9.3 51 Creighton: $8.6 60 Wichita St.: $8.2 68 Seton Hall: $7.5 71 Dayton: $7.4 72 Saint Louis: $7.4 73 Xavier: $7.4 80 DePaul: $6.8 87 VCU: $6.1 90 Butler: $5.8 These numbers change every year and can vary based on variety of factors (facilities upgrades, coaching buyouts, etc.). I post it only to get a rough sense of what the investment is like across the big east and how SLU and other possible additions would fit into that landscape. Obviously having better TV contracts like the big east teams do will allow more financial flexibility than the teams in the A-10 have.

Nesbitt’s difficulties at Memphis were no secret, least of all to the SLU coaching staff. They were thrilled to have him join TeamBlue and so I am thrilled as well. He’s had to deal with some tough circumstances in high school and I’m glad to have him in the supportive and welcoming team culture and fan base that TeamBlue and Billiken nation offers.

I think yours or anyone else's guess is as good as mine at this point. Last year Lorentsson didn't play because he couldn't defend. In moments of pressure, Travis always reverts to his most aggressive defenders, so how Lorentsson has progressed on that end of the ball will be the true indicator, because there is no doubt that he could help us on offense. I cannot put my finger on Markhi's place. He has size and athleticism that is hard to find in the A-10. I'd love to see him carve out a role because of the defensive flexibility he could offer. Both he and Lorentsson could be due for a bigger leap than we realize given how their growth may have been stunted by the COVID season. From Coach Ford's tone, it doesn't sound like their has been much separation made by the role guys yet. We know this will happen. My guess is we will have some games in our grueling December where certain players lose minutes and others are given chances they may not have had at the start of the year. We have a lot of players who probably feel like they deserve minutes. That is a difficult balance in today's day and age where players expect to play from day one. TeamBlue will have to continue doing a good job of keeping chemistry and continuity throughout.

Good interview with Travis on KTRS this evening. I can’t remember everything. He sounded tired and less coach speak optimism than the off-season. I think that’s a good sign; he’s getting locked in. Sounded like Okoro is still getting his rhythm back but coach is optimistic. Said Perkins, Williams, Jimerson, Lorentsson and Nesbitt have all been shooting the ball really well. Sounded very positive about Lorentsson, who he said had 18 points in 25 minute scrimmage today. Pointed to Fred, Yuri, Linssen and JP as the leaders (those are the four captains so makes sense that he’d single them out). Said Nesbitt still has a lot to learn but will play big minutes. Williams is learning that a higher intensity of defense is needed at this level and is making big improvements. Wants more consistency out of Hargrove.

Edit: duplicate post

This might not count as evidence you’re looking for, but I saw Nesbitt play in a holiday tournament his junior year where he went 6-9 from deep. One of the better shooting displays I’ve seen from a player that age. He’s a much better shooter than Goodwin, Thatch, Yuri, or Hargrove where when I saw them play at the same age. I doubt the 25% figure you’re citing is correct (which is probably more of a result of the stats database not being strong; not blaming you).

Maybe, though It’s hard to learn those things when you’re not practicing. I’m sure he has a head start on the newcomers.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Linssen were *technically* ahead of Okoro at this point if for no other reason than he knows the system, sets, rotations, etc.. Both Linssen and Okoro have their spots in the rotation secured.

SLU and Memphis have the same number of scholarship players, 13. Richmond has more scholarship players than Memphis does.

Because of the COVID restrictions Nesbitt couldn’t begin practicing until February. He had one month of experience at Memphis. He was never going to play.

That sucks for VCU and the conference. They've had brutal luck going back to their tourney game being cancelled. This could mean a bigger role for Nick Kern as a freshman.

I personally think it's tough to have him and Linssen out there together because we won't have much spacing. But I'm curious if Ford ends up using 2 bigs like he did with Bell/French at times or if he opts for more of a 4-out offense.