TheChosenOne

Sincere coming back and playing along with Ezewiro the team playing at a tournament level. I don’t set arbitrary win totals. At one point this season I saw someone say well, we are just one win off what I had predicted. Do you place no importance on what is going on in those games beyond the final W or L? This team stinks to this point, but there is still the excuse of being without Sincere and previously Ezewiro too. Back to Sincere, on the off chance he comes back and the team plays like a tournament caliber team and then if you had the belief Jimerson was returning along with Parker and Ezewiro after a couple of months playing like a top 40 type team, I could buy into kicking the can down the road another season. I’ll let it play out, heck, there is nothing else I can do about it haha. I’m just trying to hold out some hope. Your 2nd to last sentence should be the only consideration in a couple of months when a decision needs to be made.

I think that is what this board has exposed with folks digging up Ford’s compensation that the University never divulges and comparing it to the rest of the league. With some on here catching wind of some contract terms that are rumored to make his buyout cost prohibitive, it makes the University look really inept. Not only that they were played by Ford’s representatives, but to get into a contract that could potentially impact your ability to move on from him is unacceptable. So as fans we see the spending of our program and compare it to the rest of the league and realize the program is not producing at that same level, we should be competing for the league championship most winters. It is obvious that buyouts and frequent extensions is how the game is played now, but you have to know you have the resources to eat it if the worst case happens and at this point it is hard to argue we are far from that (#236 in NET and #201 in Pomeroy). I still hold out hope that we get Parker back and somewhat salvage the season, but if this season doesn’t turn and we don’t have legitimate reason to expect next winter to be much different, Ford certainly needs to go. Hopefully the $ behind the program makes certain the buyout isn’t a consideration. Plus, one could easily do a financial analysis around the decreasing attendance compared to last season which was far from a high water mark and figure out rather quickly that there is lost revenue when the team doesn’t produce (plus we had an odd schedule with two fewer home games this winter, so those numbers can’t be pretty). The next few months will be real interesting.

Jimerson hit a big one against Hofstra. But, that was more the shot you want him to get/take vs. giving him the ball and saying go make a play which isn’t really his strength.

We have a difference of opinion on what tempo to play at, it’s ok. Not sure why you are so aggressive, but I’ll retreat back to not posting on the main board.

I think we have similar thoughts (limiting TOs has to be point of emphasis #1 and we need to beat teams from 3 to make up for the poor defense), I personally would try to get there using a different style of play than you. I think we might have a better chance bombing away from 3 and finding open looks pushing in transition and early in the possession before the defense is set vs. slowing it down and finding looks running offense.

Yeah, our defense is incredibly bad, we don't take anything away from our opponent. In the interview played before the game, Ford emphasized how the defense and TO's are unacceptable and needs to improve. So, he said the right things and talked about how they had made those points of emphasis in practice. And then we go out and turn the ball over 16 times vs. 9 for Loyola as they put up 80 points on us and Loyola is not an offensive power. The rebounding has improved, but we just do not defend. I think we have some limitations defensively individually, but we seem lost. Majerus and Sodie both had systems defensively that as a fan was easy to see play out in front of you. With Ford, I have no clue what our defensive system is. I honestly would be fine if Ford said that while we need to become more sound on defense, we are going to really try to force tempo getting point in transition and bomb away from 3 to make up for the defensive end. I guess we will just wait to see how things look once Parker returns.

We have a few A+ final minutes this season!

I find myself more on the fence with Ford than a lot of posters on here, but the above are some good points when evaluating the program and establishing what the expectations for the program should be. We are not competing in a league with multiple top #25 opponents and where the funding of our program is completely outmatched. The A-10 is now a one bid league with programs that more truly fit the mid-major description than when we were in C-USA or early in our time in the A-10. Ford is apparently the highest paid coach in the league, our facilities appear to be at the top of the league, and yet the results on the court while fine do not reflect that. And again, we are not competing against the programs you mentioned, so the powers that be need to decide what the expectations should be competing in the current A-10 and what our aspiration are. If our aspirations are essentially to be a top 4-6 team in the A-10 with no aims at getting into a better league, a lot of us would probably like to know that and will adjust our interest level accordingly. While many of us do not have lives (at least I know I do not), I can find other things to waste my time doing.

I have a tough time arguing that Chris May has not been a good athletic director during his time at SLU. My question and what needs to be the primary decision point is whether he is capable of continuing to lead us and lead us forward in the new landscape of NIL, conference realignment, etc. Plus, if we are being honest, men’s basketball is the only sport that matters at SLU. I think the athletic department failed to understand the importance of NIL and instead of viewing it as an opportunity, decided to ignore it and took the approach that they could not be involved and did not keep track of how it was evolving. Heck, even this fall Troy Robertson did an interview where he took passive aggressive shots at programs succeeding with NIL and utilizing the laws of the state, the same laws some on this board claim May lobbied for. That is pure incompetence, and it is not Troy's fault, while involved he clearly is not schooled on NIL. That was a lack of leadership from the athletic director to understand the game changing nature of NIL, is that who we want to lead us forward? Also, concerns that SLU can hire someone better should not be a factor considered. May or Ford either meet the expectations of the program and University or they don't. The next few months will be real interesting.

Steve, I completely missed this, but just sent a donation. Thanks!

His involvement was about as meaningful as any of us on this board. Hey Kurtis, this is Chris May from Saint Louis University, let me know when you would like to hear my thoughts on the NIL legislation. Oh, you are at a celebratory press conference at the University of Missouri with those you worked on the legislation with and it has passed? Good deal, well, glad I could help get that across the finish line. Former Mizzou offensive lineman and current state rep, Kurtis Gregory, went to Eli Drinkwitz when NIL was passed and basically said, let me know what you need from the state to give us the best chance to succeed, I am tired of Mizzou playing from behind. And I believe this is the second time they have gotten legislation passed in the state. To pretend May had anything to do with the legislation is just not true. Sure, have Stu add his name to the article in the Post Dispatch, but that is meaningless. And then Troy goes on the radio and basically says as much, hilarious. Dog and pony show.

Ross Dellenger Tweeted the NCAA says it will not prevent multi-time transferring athletes from playing immediately, per a statement to YahooSports. As a result of today's decision impacting Division I student-athletes, the Association will note enforce the year in residency requirement for multiple-time transfers and will begin notifying member schools. Great news (I suppose this only applies to those two weeks? At least it says the NCAA will be notifying schools), welcome on-board Bradley!

Thanks for posting, love it!

SLU has NIL figured out obviously, why would you assume anything negative?

I know, it is just funny conceptually to me. Tomlin gets kicked off of his team and is now instantly eligible, but Cody Ellis had to sit a semester because he took one class pass/fail, it is just amusing to me.

I know nothing about his situation, but I do appreciate that he is able to play immediately after being kicked off of his previous team while we continue to wait on rulings for our guys, hilarious.

Way to fight men, glad we got the win to show for it today!

Part of me sometimes wonders whether the boosters like it that way as well. I get too fired up posting about NIL and SLU, so I will stay out of the primary discussion. This season to date certainly validates some of that anger and hopefully it is waking a lot of folks up.

I think most of us were too angry and despondent at that point to notice, good catch. Anyone who had SLU +40, get paid!

I agree he would start on 90% of teams in the country and don't dispute your commentary on him as a player. I just would be interested in seeing what he looks like playing in a power 6 league game in and game out. I thought the same with Yuri, first what level of programs would recruit them if they were in the portal and then second what their game looks like in a better league where the competition might be better, but they presumably would be playing a better role for them.

Like I said, I’d be interested in seeing whether that is actually the case. I have some doubts, but love the kid, so I would be happy to be proven wrong.

I am somewhat curious what level programs would have interest in Jimerson? He has limitations that are the reason he began his career at this level. Definitely a heck of a shooter though.

Down 40+ with a few minutes left and we still have starters in the game. This is an all time low, right?