I think it’s fair to say that Marquette, Butler, Gonzaga, SIU, Creighton, Western Kentucky, Providence, Xavier, Depaul, and other small "mid major" schools have been able to be far more successful then SLU has over the past 10 years. I think it’s also fair to say their administrations are similar to ours.
However, I’m confused by the constant complaints on this site of how our administration has put us at a disadvantage in comparison to the above named institutions. Please cite examples how those administrations are so drastically different then SLU's and how they offer their coaches so much more. What is SLU's "recruiting budget" compared with those schools I mentioned? Does anyone have numbers? Maybe I don't know the recruiting game that well. Do you need a huge budget to go to Gateway Tech and recruit a Randall Falker or to recruit Matt Shaw or a Blake Ahearn or Leon Powell? The list obviously goes on of local recruits we missed. Is the excuse that our recruiting budget is too small? Why is SLU's budget deep enough to recruit an Anthony Drejaj from the East Coast or a Bryce Husak from Iowa or Danny Brown from Texas but it’s not deep enough to get it done locally. How does the administration hold us back from recruiting these local guys? Don't tell me they're all dumb and can't succeed academically here.
My second point... it seems like a lot of you make the assumption that most basketball players are dumb and b/c SLU holds their athletes to such high academic standards, none of them can get by. That is completely false. Please list all the players kicked out of SLU or suspended b/c they couldn't hold up their educational end of the bargain. Also list those players that would have come to SLU but couldn’t qualify here and then went on to succeed at another university. JT would have been ineligible anywhere. Ricky Cranford was a busted recruit who didn't leave due to grades. Nick Kern appeared to be a lost soul. Our two recent losses: Obi was lazy, not surprised he couldn't keep up his grades. As for Horace Dixon, did not leave for grades alone. Otherwise SLU would have come out and said he's ineligible. He's going to juco b/c Soderberg was quoted to say he's not fitted for D1 college basketball - flat out bad recruiting by Brad. I don't remember anyone ever being kicked out for drugs or beating up or raping a girl or having guns but if they did or would be I would praise my alma-mater for doing so. In terms of success stories, SLU has made dramatic strides with a number of student athletes including Liddell. He didn't do it alone. There are plenty of D1 prospects out there that can play at a high level and meet SLU's standards. Don't blame the administration for holding them at the standards they do. This has not adversely affected the program. That's another weak excuse from fans for the fact we couldn't win the recruiting battle.
Some say the administration does not give our program the proper amount of funds they need to do a successful job. However, Brad has said publicly numerous times that there is nothing he's asked for that they've turned down - most recently at the MAC kickoff breakfast. Now they're building the men's basketball team an $85 million dollar arena - a huge recruiting tool. I want examples as to why the administration has quit on this program from a funding standpoint. Maybe they need a team Boeing 757 Jet for their road games. Maybe they need 2,500sqft apartments with hot tubs for players. I'm sure all those other mid majors have and do this stuff. What else do you want them to do, or please cite references of what the above institutions do to put them at an advantage over SLU.
A tv contract. Hold the A10 responsible for that. Not the administration.
Holding the administration accountable for the program being poor is a copout and an awful excuse. Jobs are delegated downwards. For the men's basketball program it goes Biondi then Cheryl then Brad. It is Cheryl's, was Woolard's and Brad's job to make this program successful.
If anyone has evidence and not rumors that this administration does not give Cheryl and Brad the necessities other administrations give their heads of their programs then please provide facts and I will take them to the tip-off meeting Thursday and bring it up with who ever is there point blank. “Cheeseman†said the other day that “the past 2 days there are several websites related to this topicâ€. I read this site consistently but have never seen anything concrete. I don’t want hear about rumors of SLU not paying coaches cell phone bills or proof of what Duke or KU does for their programs. Please compare successful mid majors to our program and show me the differences. If anyone has facts, maybe we can take them to Cheryl directly and poise the question why we have that particular disadvantage. Better to be proactive and do something about it rather then whining on this message board. Otherwise quit using the administration as an excuse.
CAG
