Neighbor Dave

Brian, I appreciate that MU fans in general have had a superiority complex, but it seems a bit premature to be taking the same kind of superior attitude towards the MU program. The hiring of Majerus and the general program upgrade that seems to have come with that are HUGE steps, but there is still a row to be hoed here. Mizzou has a good coach, lots of resources, huge fan-bases on both sides of the state and is in a prestigious conference. They could very well land Suggs, Griffey and a few national level recruits in the next few years and be sitting in a great spot once again. I think that the gap that once existed between the two programs has been substantially closed but I also think that it is far too soon to start acting as if we're too good to play them. It just isn't realistic.

I'm as excited as anyone as to where things seem to be headed in the new era of Billiken hoops, but this line of thinking is simply silly. Mizzou is the biggest program in the state, they have a coach who we as Bills' fans know first-hand can and likely will build a solid program. They play in one of the high-profile big-$$ conferences and (Majerus notwithstanding) they have a higher national profile than SLU. Having this game on our OOC schedule every year would be a boon for our program. It would be a great game that fans and players alike would love. Look at how competitive and fun the series was a few years back when we were clearly a level below Mizzou (in terms of national rep). Get us at or close to an equal sex-appeal factor and the series would only be better. It would also, more often than not help our RPI and SOS and be considered a quality OOC game by the NCAA tourney committee. I fully understand and appreciate the "f-em" mentality toward their fan base, but it would be much more fun, imo, to deliver the "f-em" message on the court vs. being petty about taking the game.

They're not investigating the "basketball coach", they're investigating the crook.

Thanks guys. Good stuff!!!!

If Mark or anyone else hears anything about how this visit went, please let us know. KM would be a huge get, imo. PGs are huge in the college game and it would also give the staff some ammo with the "athletes" they are after if they can tell them that they've already got a big (BT) and a point (KM) lined up for them to play with.

Early 80s for me. I remember being one of the VERY select few students in the student section for some games at the old Kiel. I also remember how exciting it was when Monroe and his "tag-along friend" Roland announced their decisions to play for SLU. Then Bonner a year later. I feel that we are on the cusp of a similar renaissance of Billiken hoops. We aren't starting off as low as we were then and I think that our landing spot will be much higher this time as well.

I must be dense, because I still don't get it. Does it relate to the pm? Is it another way of saying "no message"? Obviously, it's insignificant to the board as a whole, it is just baffling me.

> The point remains that RM has >earned the right to be treated differently. Understatement of the day. Even with only 1 verbal so far, the "new Billiken reality" on the recruiting front is like a rope for a drowning man!

> It's >not flipping, it's readjusting viewpoints based on a changed >reality. BINGO x 2! Damn, I LOVE the new state of reality we're dealing with!

> I don't think the top prospects are going to be able >to keep RM dangling the way the could BS because of RM's >stature. BINGO!

Mark, Thnaks for the update. This is good news. Hey Courtside: What's up with the "*" posts?

Good luck with this new endeavor. We will miss your scoops on this board, which I am sure will be less frequent now that you're manning a premium content site. Maybe you can give us a few "freebies" early on to lure us in as customers. One request/suggestion: For any SLU-related site that wants/needs an air of "officialness," please be dilligent about using "Saint" vs. "St.". I see that it's correct in the linked site name and on some of the sidebars but not in the article. It drives me nuts that the Post has never made an effort in this regard.

i also like threads that don't turn into personal bickering What? Are you crazy? How can you possibly think that???? Oh well - I tried

Any word on his visit, which the story regarding his offer indicated may happen "very soon"?

While amusing, it is typical fan behavior. It has certainly happened a time or two on this board.

Any scoop from anybody out there re: (A) A confirmation/schedule on the K. Mitchel visit and ( an announcement of the rest of the staff?

"V" ain't me. He has been conspicuous by his absence lateley, though.

That's your job as the Dad, and I admire the mindset you are keeping. Fatherhood is tough enough with a "normal" kid. As exciting as the process you're going through seems to all of us as fans, I don't think for a minute that I would want the extra challenges that go along with what you are/have been dealing with on the recruiting scene. You have been very grounded about all of this for throughout and I wish you and your family nothing but the best possible outcome.

Cowboy, I forgot to mention, I have thought for a long time that your sig line was absolutely spot-on perfect. Like you, I hope that you will be forced to change it. The last few weeks certainly bode well in that regard. Alas, it is learned behavior for any Bills fan to be wary whenever things seem to be trending up and we are in or fast-approaching unchartered waters with to our "trending up-ness."

Thanks for the reply. It certainly maskes sense that UW and/or Marquette will be ultra-difficult to beat for those kids that they really set their minds to wanting. However, it's good to know that the connections are there to get a foot in the door and have a shot. Not to mention that there is no harm in "settling" for the third-best player in any given year from a state that seems to be pretty consistently talent-laden.

No one of any real or implied significance/impact with regard to Billiken hoops. It's simply what a long-time friend who recently moved close to us started calling me to differentiate me from the other "Dave's" in her life. And, from those humble beginnings a new and improved screen name was born...

He was number one on my list, simply because he had seemingly shown the most prior interest and I firmly believe that the sooner you get the first commitment from a player of this caliber the better your chances of selling other high-caliber players to come on board.

Also, did coach Moser have a presence in Wisconsin during his stint at ISSU?

Sounds like a promising PG. Here's hoping that the his wanting to visit right away indicates a strong interest. I can hear the M&M boys now: "Kwamain, we've got our Keith Van Horn (Thompson). Now we need our Andre Miller. That's you!"

CG-I'm fairly certain that we all know the answers to "if?" and "when?". It's the "who/where?" that will keep everyone in suspense. Enjoy the wild & crazy ride.