Clock_Tower

Yes but no. Yes, alot of players leave when the new coach arrives. And yes, we had alot of coaches over a shorter period of time. But unlike Xavier, VCU and other successful programs, our coaches became angry and quit or were fired - and new styles, staffs and philosophies came in. Of course there was alot of turnover under these circumstances. And while some did OK or even good at their new schools - not one player did I ever wish we still had. We let guys go to make room for Javon Bess, Foreman, Rashad Anthony and then Goodwin, French, Henriquez and Graves. I am glad we started fresh and gave the ball to Goodwin instead of Carter and Reynolds, glad we had Foreman and French instead of Relephorde, Bess instead of Malik, Henriquez and Graves were set to be an upgrade over Bartley. We could not have signed all the new guys while retaining all the former guys. Players I wish we never lost? Yes, our baseball Cardinals traded away Steve Carlton who routinely beat us, won MVPs and World Series while we endured the 1970s Cardinals. We gave away Keith Hernandez who beat us and won World Series for the Mets. We traded away Andy Van Slyke bc he could not play everyday- except on very good Pirates teams. No similar Billiken players come to mind.

Jimmy who? Where? All I see is a locomotive

Dennis W. What’s wrong with Old Guy’s post? Why the “bad post”? Yet another example of intolerance. Moderators. In my opinion, This new feature is being abused. There needs to be a check on this when objectively nothing posted is wrong or controversial. Bad posts? How about bad posters like A Bomb who have been marking every single post of mine as a bad post for over a year - after I called him and others out for his anti-Coach Ford posts. He was not alone - as many thought Ford was/is not a good coach... a bad “game coach”, only a good recruiter, his teams don’t run an effective offense, wondered why a former PG doesnt have a good PG? Because Ford loses his PGs and outside shooters unexpectedly due to S2 and then all the complaints on Coach Ford start to fly - mostly by basketball neophytes. How do we bad post those who abuse and make bad posts?

Yes. We have had space fillers Bob Warming.

Go Mocs Thank you for your questions. Always appreciate fans of other programs coming on our Board who are respectful and who come on for good intentions. We all share the same thing -- love of college basketball. Good luck to your team and hope we have a normal season with butts in the seats and not empty arenas. Agree with Pistol. Don't believe ANY us really know very much about Hankton. Now, we know he was a good teammate and we heard no hint of any academic or discipline issues. Like most Freshman, he came in with high promise and expectations but a skinny frame. It is obvious that he gained weight and strength the summer after his Freshman year and he had a few games where we thought - hey this guy can play - I now see why he was recruited. Then, opportunities seemed far and few between and when someone on this Board mentioned this, someone else would say that they heard he injured his ankle, back, shoulder... I honestly don't know much more about Mr Hankton. Some guys are brittle and injury prone. Other guys are unlucky. Some guys can play through injury better than others. Who knows? Not saying he did not get injured over the past 2 years but were the injuries, or all of them, the real reason he did not play? the real reason his absences of play were as long as they were? Don't know. All guys play injured to some degree. I am not aware of any broken bones or surgeries. I am not aware of his needing a year to heal his body physically. Wil another year of not-playing help him mature, improve his skills and allow him to gain weight and strength? Sure. Did Coach Ford believe he needed to be 100% to be a role player and that he had nothing to offer the team if not 100%? Not sure. I suspect that Coach Ford had little confidence in him (even at 100%) as a Freshman because we played only 6 healthy guys - even when exhausted. Also feel that Coach Ford believed he had other/better options as a Sophomore even when 100%. With all this said, Hankton appears to be a great kid, it did not work out for him here but I wish him all the best in the future at Chattanooga. Please give us updates from time to time.

Yep. Which is why Mizzou has far more resources than Gonzaga and Villanova. Mizzou is P5 and Gozaga and Villanova are not. Big East (Villanova) and other really good basketball programs (Gonzaga) are not P5.

Yes. P5 is a football term. No, P5 does not mean a program is great or even good team. No, the use of P5 still DOES have relevance with men's basketball. In short, the only way for SLU to gain real revenue and real exposure for the University is through men's basketball. Maybe if SLU women's team wins the NCAA Tourney each year like UConn, or if the men's soccer team can win the NCAA Tourney again, then there will be exposure and, and if so, revenue will be earned. And yes, revenue is realized with butts in the seats so SLU soccer does raise some revenue and should not be in the same category as the cross country teams. But with that said, conference affiliation revenues, TV revenues (both through the airing of games/corporate sponsors) as well as butts in the seats/concessions revenue is mostly all through men's basketball. Basketball programs which are in the P5 (whether or not they good, have won recently -- Mizzou, Alabama, LSU... come to mind) benefit having two (2) such revenues streams -- football and men's basketball. And with these football revenues, which dwarf basketball revenues, they can and do use these monies to hire/retain good basketball head coaches, assistance coaches, travel expenses, athlete housing and basketball recruiting budgets. Mizzou, Alabama and LSU have this money from football whereas Seton Hall... and even the good non P5/Big East schools like Gonzaga, Xavier, Georgetown, Villanova, etc. do not. So even when they are bad/mediocre, P5 basketball programs have a huge advantage. Now, whether or not they take advantage of this is another issue.

Believe unfair comments and comparisons being made to BOTH Thatch and Jacobs. Fred was a tweener in high school who used his speed, strength and height to score - and he scored a lot. He joined our team with a lot of Senior/upper class leadership and did whatever it took to play -- relentless, hard-nosed defense and he rebounded better than most upper class guards not named Goodwin. His weakness as a true Freshman? probably the lack of a deadly perimeter/3 point shot and the lack of PG skills -- both skills not unusual for Freshmen. Hell most Freshmen barely get off the bench and can barely defend their own man much less becomes a defensive specialist. And by all accounts, Fred improved on his weaknesses and came back last year a new player -- all ready to be an offensive player instead of solely a defensive specialist - but his season never really got started due to medical issues. Jacobs came to SLU, like Fred, with impressive high school skills Like Fred, Jacobs faced the same Senior/upper class dominated players, also tried to find a way to play and be a factor, but unlike Fred, he lacked the strength of Fred and he sustained injuries. Had our team not been so shallow and one-dimensional due to Situation 2, Jacobs would have redshirted or would have sat the bench with no expectations of his playing. Instead, we were short-handed and we lacked perimeter shooting so we looked to Jacobs - a Freshman - for immediate help. And in response, we saw a deer-in-the-headlights look, together with non-muscular frame, and we wrote him off as a guy who won't make it here at SLU. Then, after he matures, heals and undergoes his own "Conklin summer" and becomes a starter, we then place more undue expectations upon him. Our team again desperately needed an outside shooter -- and unfortunately Jacobs was not able to be that guy each and every game (though he did carry us in some games and he did dominate in parts of certain games) in his first season of real playing time Again, a lot to expect of a Sophomore. Most of the time, this role falls upon the best guard (Goodwin) and the upper class guards (Goodwin, Weaver) or is shared by the others -- but Goodwin is not a perimeter shooter, Tay Weaver had some limitations and was adjusting himself when Fred (1 of our Big 3) sustained medical issues and Jimerson broke his foot. As a result, we put unfair pressure on Jacobs for the second year in a row. Why can't we be happy that Jacobs, as a Sophomore, became a starter/contributing role player for us. Next year: Jacobs will be a Junior -- an upper class leader. No more excuses for him from me. Normally, I would say the same about Fred -- though he missed last year and, unfortunately, will never be 100% from a medical standpoint. Though next year, we will have a diverse team including outside shooters and Jacobs and Thatch will be able to be -- Jacobs and Thatch.

We know RM did not like the pre-game distraction and changed the Senior Day tradition/ceremony at SLU. Has anyone ever asked Travis Ford what he thinks?

Yes. Total class on and off the court. My favorite Billiken. And yet, Anthony himself has said he basketball career did not get off to such a great start. Anthony himself credits his then high school coach - the first Floyd Irons - for cutting him from the team as a Freshman in high school. Others may recall more but Coach Irons apparently said he showed up late to the tryout... Even though only 14 years old, many guys would have gone in the wrong direction after that. Anthony did not. Makes you wonder how a guy like Carte'Are Gordon would have turned out if he had received some discipline instead of coddling and cover ups.

Exactly. Going "pro" such as the Turkish league and $45,000 would mark the end of one's dream -- the NBA. And why? Because of possible injury? The same risk that they faced before last year's college season? Why even play college for "free" at all? Instead of focusing on the likelihood of injury, how likely is it that G League and "pro" basketball will have their seasons this year and pay their players? Anyone hear of plan to re-start the G League? I hear of plans with the NBA with all games in Orlando Florida without no fans - butts in the seats - but nothing else. And assuming the owners and players can agree, MLB will make money due to high TV ratings/revenue (though not as much without butts in the seats due to COVID 19). Same with the NBA. SLU basketball has name recognition (together with the rest of the NCAA schools) and will make money from TV ratings even without butts in the seats or as many butts in the seats. SLU will open its doors to students because it desperately needs the revenue from tuition (many will not pay full price for online learning), from housing and from basketball to subsidize the non-revenue sports - and basketball is simply a large and visible part of SLU re-opening its campus to alumni, fans and future students. As to the NBA G league, not so sure. How will the players make $125k without butts (or as many) in the seats? Advertising revenue will be a bigger challenge as well -- not as much for MLB, NBA and I suspect NCAA college football/basketball, though, I suspect there will simply not be as much revenue to go around and that not all sports programs will have the revenues it had in the past. And believe it or not, my knowledge of Turkish league basketball is not extensive but I doubt all of the overseas "pro" opportunities will not exist or not be as attractive as in the past. Giving up being an NBA lottery pick and guaranteed millions for Obi Toppin to stay another year in college with your friends and possibly win an NCAA Championship is what most people talk about -- not worth the risk. Other than Little Bill, does anyone else think the chance to end their NBA dream in order to play low level "pro" by a college player with eligibility (Has and Goodwin) during this global pandemic when guaranteed "pro" money seems far more suspect than an ACL tear is - not worth the risk?

Sure. But go ahead and state ALL the other equally likely events: get struck by lightning, quit basketball, become an Instagram star...

You are a disgusting human being.

Yes. I am not aware of anyone in the community like this when Grawer and Spoon were on our sidelines. Huge difference.

A Bomb. Despicable that you would "bad post" my wish that things work out Levi Stockard. Why do wish ill will upon Levi -- a local kid, good citizen, good basketball player who, by all accounts, wanted to be a Billiken. Only b/c Travis Ford has done such a great job for us do we found ourselves, this year, in such an unusual position. How many years would we have been thrilled to have a guy of his stature become a Billiken. And not only for his benefit as I believe most wish the best for good people but even if you are not such as person -- then for our your own crass benefit. No Billiken fan should wish ill for a local kid from a basketball power like Vashon High who has contacts with current eligible players like Russell and future eligible players like Nick Kern. Shameful.

Hope it works out for him.

My son is a graduating high school Senior this year - 2020 and my daughter is a high school Sophomore so I am quite familiar with many of the issues (though do not profess to be any expert on the subject). Here's some information: 1. The ACT (mostly used by Midwest schools) and the SAT (mostly used by East and West Coast schools) is certainly a major factor for both admissions and scholarships-- though we have found that grade point average is just as important.. Most kids do better on one versus the other but the elite kids truly do well on both -- and that's what separates them from their competition. 2. There has been a recent push to change the topics and format of the standardized scores to help disadvantaged students and also to incorporate your zip code or proximity to poor/disadvantaged areas into your test scores - but this failed. The intention is to reward disadvantaged students as 3 Star points out but I suspect too many issues exist as there are poor areas/homes in the wealthiest zip codes and a lot of wealthy areas/homes in or near poor areas/zip codes. 3. A major change which DID pass is that next year, you will now be able to sit for only a portion of the test: For instance, if you took the ACT and scored: 30 on English, 28 on Reading, 28 on Science and 26 on Math, schools will receive all 4 scores and your average/composite score of 28. Up until now, you had been required to sit for and take all 4 tests even though you might only want to increase your Math score. If you did, you might increase your Math to 28 but then you English could drop to 28 and you are no better off. Some schools allow you now to "superscore" by taking your top scores from multiple days of testing - but to do so now, you must send in your scores from the different days of testing. Next year, though, you will be able to sit for only the Math test and then you will be able to have the ACT add this to your other 3 scores and then send in your best 4 scores - thereby creating your own "super score" 4. SAT/ACT testing has been canceled this Spring due to COVID and studying this summer for the standardized tests will likely be more limited than in the past. 5. The biggest detraction to standardized testing is that kids are no longer going to a Saturday session or two OR spending $20 on an ACT/SAT prep book from the local bookstore and a few hours of your time as they did back in my day. Nowadays, kids are paying $70 to $125 per session for private tutor sessions and many are taking 15 to 20 sessions. Purchasing 5, 10 and 15 session packages is common and there are discounts the more sessions you purchase. Kids also go to Tutor A for English reading, Tutor B for Science and Tutor C for Math. Modern scientific calculators which can store formulas for the calculating areas of an irregular trapezoid ARE PERMITTED. Testing schemes and strategies is sophisticated. Being taught and prepared helps - and helps a lot. Are we any better off as a society? Probably not. But if your competition is doing this, then you need to do as well. I have heard up to $5,000 to $10,000 spent on their kids but even a more "reasonable" amount of $1500 to $2000 is money well spent (if it improves your child's score) when you consider that college tuition costs between $20,000 to $85,000 per year. "Buying" a high test score has become big business. 6. Many schools have been dropping the REQUIREMENT of the standardized testing though these same schools still use standardized test scores for admittance and to award scholarships. Frankly, many schools are desperate for students and feel they can attract more if they drop the requirement by appealing and marketing to all the kids who don't do well. I assume they are successful. The real question is: will SLU (and the others) stop awarding scholarships to those with high test scores and/or start shifting money to those without high scores -- or now without even having standardized test scores. I suspect that standardized testing will continue to be very, very important.

St. Bonaventure I presume? Nearly every A10 team could use a guy like Stockard. Good luck to you! Well, no luck when you play the Bills. Didn't he have one of his best games ever at K-State when he played us?

Do casual fans, or more than casual fans, realize that all teams in the March Madness Tournament are D1? Ask if they believe Florida Gulf Coast, College of Charleston, Lehigh, East Middle Tennessee State.... are all D1. vs are allowed to play with/against UCLA, Michigan, North Carolina...

Lack of football (and exposure from that) and what D1 means causes confusion as well. Most casual fans follow football over basketball. D1football has 130 teams vs 347 for basketball.

Yes. Every year we need to be in the running for our very best local players - whether they are 4* or 5^ McDonald's All Americans. And the better our program, the more they will consider staying home to play for us. And every once in awhile, a few will select us. At the same time, this is not the method for us to build and maintain our program. We lack the national TV exposure (lucky to just be able to watch our games on computers!) and the A10 is not on par with the ACC, etc. A strong head coach, with strong assistants/recruiters, and a combination of 3* and diamonds in the rough - who are both locals and non-locals - is our path. We have been through this for years: Chris Carrawell (Duke), Jahidi White (G-Town), Loren Woods (Wake Forest) used their skills to go to some of the best basketball and academic programs. Same recently with Caleb Love (UNC) and Fletcher (Kentucky). Keeping these kids in town, year after year, is not realistic. Having a strong, NCAA bound program each year as a local alternative is.

Funny bc Sloan was not good enough to be an impact player in the C-USA

Believe many have said the same thing, but I recall RM saying good local recruits are often harder to get than good non-locals. And some guys want to stay home, play and be a star in front of their home town and build a winning program... but most not. Most want an already established program. Going out of town to a top P5 programs means go to an established program- one where you will likely win, be a Tournament team, play on TV and get noticed/watched. We need to win and be a Tournament team most years. If so, the good locals will stay home. Until we win and become a Tournament team, we will need to win without the local 4 star kids

Yep. Not much left here by Romar but Soderberg started strong by getting us not only Dreja and Ohanan last minute but also Reggie Byrant - who was a very good player. Then Liddell & Lisch -- but then not much further. We seemed to have an inside tract to the best local recruits.... But yes, Harrellson, Ahearn, Kent Williams... were the guys we were missing. Brad gets alot of blame for poor talent evaluation and waiting far too long - if at all. And not blaming it all on facilities and our drop to the A10 - though Brad sure would have benefitted from our new arena/facilities and better, or at least better known, conference rivals.

And Kent Williams, of course, is the head coach at DeSmet Jesuit High School who have two pretty good soon-to-be Senior