kmbilliken

I see improvement in WR. He's rebounding better defensively and playing better help defense. I see improvement is KC. He seems to have a little more confidence offensively and is playing better defense. KM is improving all aspects of his game and taking a leadership role. BC has been tough all year. He can't get his shot off against taller opponents, but is getting to the line. BT is just a long term project, but he certainly has tools. He probably won't be effective until his junior year. That's not to say there aren't big flaws in their games right now. WR needs to play his man much better on defense. KC needs to be less tentative on offense. There's ussually a big jump between freshman and sophomore years for players. Remember, Clagget, Highmark and Winfield only won 5 games their first year and were sub .500 as sophomores(Winfield was gone but Donnie Dobbs took his place). They will be a better team next year and the year after will be really fun. Just hang in there through the growing pains.

Its simple. They have better players and a better coach. You can win with freshman. Look at the Fab five. The problem is the freshman we have are going to get take time to develope.I think WR and BT are both going to be good big men in two years. BC is a good role player who will improve. KM is good right now will, but will end up being 2nd team all conference before he's through. This is a rebuilding process and we are still laying the foundation. If any of these recruits surpise us and turn out to be stars it will quicken the process. Otherwise we're still 2 years away.

We've only had one player capable of carrying a team to the NCAA tournament, Larry Hughes. KL and TL are both exceleent players, but they can't do it by themselves. I think they are of the caliber of Clagget, Highmark, Waldman and Dobbs. That team had four guys to carry the load. KL and TL are only two. What happens this season depends on the Freshmen. TL is having a good year and KL will too. He hasn't forgotten how to play. Once the shot starts to drop consistently this debate will end, but we aren't going anywhere without the Freshmen coming through bigtime.

Maybe better food would get people to the game earlier. I always ate at the Scott Trade Center, but I won't eat at this place. The food is bad, even for arena food. Does SLU handle it themselves or is it a food service?

The crowd sitting in those seats tends to be older so the walk from their cars may slow them down. One thing that has suprised me is how well the parking works with a near capacity crowd. I expected more congestion and a scarcity of spaces. I have to wait in line a short time to get in the Lindell garage, but I get out of there in no time(and I never leave early).

Guy is much better than Holder. He has way more enthusiasm and is better at getting the crowd into. Who cares if he makes a few mistakes a game. I'm watching the game and I know whats going on.

What kind of contact are coahes allowed when dealing with sophomores?

KL is a good player. He's just in a shooting slump. He's had them in the past as most players do. Problem is he's our only shooter(unless PE has suddenly found it). When he starts hitting again(and he will) we'll all forget the December/January shooting slump.

Why did SIU pull their offer? He is quite an athlete. Has he developed a jump shot?

I think Cassity is more like Luke Meyer his freshman year. Luke had a hard time scoring, but a good floor game that merited playing time. Luke's scoring came his junior and senior years, but he always deserved court time. I'm hoping Cassity developes the same way. Roy, Diener may not have had ball skills, but Highmark did. Spot up shooting was his forte', but he had a good floor game and took it to the hole when given the opportunity.

Everyone knew for this season to be a good one KL and TL would have to carry the load and the freshman would have to develope quickly. KL and TL are both good, but not great. I see them as being on the same level as Waldman, Clagget, Highmark and Dobbs. With four players of that caliber we went a long way, but two aren't enough. I think part fo the problem is they are trying to do too much. They do need to take charge, but they can't do it all. The freshman are developing. If they can collectively pick up their play we have the potential to gell and make a run in conference play. No one else is close to Xavier, so getting trouced by them on the road doesn't mean we can't finish in the top 4 in the league.

Any place closer to downtown showing it?

the siu game Orlando Stewart took over and beat them, driving down the court for the game winner with time running out.

They're not signed yet. The fall of 2009 is a long way away.

All this tells us is RM is done recruiting for anyone coming in in 08 and giving the scholarship to a practice player. Its a no lose situation for RM. He knows Daniel Lisch is going to work his tail off in practice and be a good influence on the other players. If he surprises people and can contribute in games he'll keep the scholarship. If not, I'll bet he hasn't been promised a 4 year deal. RM even said in the press release scholarships are renewable each year. I'm sure Daniel thinks he can show he has enough to stay on scholarship and I wouldn't bet against him.

I'd be happy with the cap it, grade it, seed it and have a park option. We don't another City Centre type failed project. DeWitt got his handout for the ballpark. He's now get it set up to renotiate for a better deal with any developement he could lure figuring the city will sweeten the pot at this point to avoid further embarassment. Make it a park and get DeWitt's nose out of the public trough.

Baniak always looked like he should be a better player, but the thing I now remember most about him is the second half of his senior year when he started shooting 3s and hitting them. I wondered why he didn't do that his whole career if he was capable of it.

108, H, 6-9 I've never sat behind the basket before, but they look like good seats.

I picked yesterday at 4:34. I had signed up for gold but the only seats left in the center two sections were a few seats in the top two rows on the section behind the visitors bench. At first I was disappointed. I've always had seats at about the foul line about 18 rows off the floor at our last three venues. The only other gold seats left were on the corner, past the endline. I almost took them, but checked out the seats behind the basket. They were green seats and about the same distance from the court as the the corner gold seats so I took the green seats, 8th row behind the basket. I think I'll like them.

He never showed Danny Brown's speed or athleticism. I thought with his size he had potential to be a power forward, but from his comments he wants to be a wing.

Why would he do that? He still has two open scholarships. With 13 scholarships somebody is going to be sitting on the bench. Fill them all and let their play determine who gets the minutes.

That sucks. I'm in the low 400s and don't pick until June 16. I'm put in for the gold seats, but it doesn't sound like there's going to be any left. I've had tickets since 84 and have always had good seats around the foul line 18 to 20 rows off the court at the arena and both Kiels. Now that doesn't sound possible at twice the price. What do they do if they fill all the golds and still have takers left, just expand the section? If they screw me too much, I'll just go for the cheapies.

Donnie Dobbs was a 6'2'' power forward. I'll take him on my team any day.

Wasn't that the same story on Dustin Maquire. He played wing in AAU, but center on his H.S. team. Hopefully he's quicker than DM.