Topeka

I thought I would be able to get information about Jeff from Hayden High people, but no one seemed to know anything. I suspect they just were being tight lipped because of all the issues involved. I hope he will fully recover from all of his problems and return to St. Louis. Everyone I talked to said he was very excited when he signed and I know you did not get to see him at his best. Good Luck with the rest of the season.

I saw him over the holiday period watching a Hayden (Topeka) basketball game. I think this was after his concussion. He looked a little listless. I could not find out much from people who were close to Jeff last year about his status. I hope that he stays at St. Louis and qualifies for a medical red shirt this year. I imagine that decision will come soon. Congratulations to everyone for beating Richmond. I still think that Reid could be a significant offensive threat for Saint Louis in the years to come and he might even play passable defense !

Sorry - I have been checking in every once in a while - but I don't think that the bunion problem existed with Jeff during high school. I will try and find out by talking with the Hayden people when basketball starts this coming week. Football just ended for Hayden - they lost in the 4A Championship finals. It sounds like it would be better for everybody if he would just take a redshirt and get the foot problem resolved. I got a chance to see the Nebraska game on TV - good job St. Louis. Looks better that Nebraska just beat a PAC-10 team tonight. I hate Nebraska basketball.

Perry Ellis sounds like a different cat than some of the other Kansas phenoms of the past. But - the Wichita area is becoming known for some strange recruiting wars - at least in football. KU does not always get the top Wichita players. Antoine Carr was one that got away. Dreiling went to WSU - then switched to KU. Darnell Valentine was a major recruit at the time - high school coach ended up as an assistant at KU. I am a KU fan - but the school has a history of handing out jobs to relatives of recruits. Ed Manning came along as a coach a year before his son Danny enrolled. Mario Chalmers dad got a job on the bench the same year that Mario enrolled. So - I think they will pull out all the stops if Ellis continues to get even better the next 3 years. He is a 15 year old Freshman (late in the year birthday). That was what was reported on our local boards - 15 as of the start of the basketball season. I would guess that old Roy Boy, Coach K, and other prestige Universities will all make a play. His high grade point average opens up a lot of other schools not usually able to recruit from this area that might appeal to him. If he continues to improve - everyone will probably get sick of hearing about it.

Perry Ellis is the first Freshman to ever be named ALL-CLASS ALL-STATE (top five player team in the state). It will be a real zoo in the Wichita area for the next few years. Let's just say - i don't think he will be going to Wichita State. A school better be ready to hand out a job to a close relative

Just for the record, that is a picture of Jeff when he was 16. He is now at least 17- maybe older. They used a photo of him from the previous year because he was unavailable for the All-State photo session this year. He has put on more weight and muscle since then. No Charles Atlas for sure - but has grown up quite a bit since that photo. He stood up pretty well against a variety of hacking this year in high school. He was often Hayden's main outside threat. When he gets settled in and can be set up by more athletic team mates - I am pretty confident that he is going to have some outstanding shooting nights for St. Louis. Other comments on this board about Jeff's offers - I can't say for certain, but I think K-State would have offered if they thought Jeff really wanted to go there. Colorado or Nebraska would have offered (no I don't have inside info). But then - who really wants to play for those two programs. No - I think it was Majerus who impressed Jeff by making a solid offer early.

No way. He got along fine with his team mates. Those guys made friends with him right away - bunch of football guys for the most part. I have heard that he is kind of a quiet type - does not show much emotion on the court. KU can go after so many others - he probably would have had to wait until very late to see if KU would offer and I don't think his family wanted any part of that. I am sure he could have went with K-State - that is where his brother Josh played. But it was Jeff's decision to go with SLU and Majerus made the early commitment.

He was used on other team's best scorer except if that player was in the post. When they really wanted to shut someone down, he got the assignment. I really am surprised that other teams supposedly backed off recruiting him. I guess they may have questioned his physical endurance and possibly that he sometimes let's defensive players get in his head at times. But, those weaknesses (if they are even real problems), will get better with coaching and maturity. I think St Louis is perfect for him - maybe he won't have the huge pressure he would have here trying to play for K-State or some other BIG 12 or even MVC team. I think the Catholic connection will help him also. I stress that I don't know the family - just an old Hayden fan that is very happy they decided to move to Topeka and play for Hayden. As far as his ball handling is concerned - he had to scale back some of his fancier passing due to changes in our starting five this year. I think you will be pleased - he has his share of TO's but I know he will get better with the ball as well.

Reid's final totals for Hayden (Catholic) in Topeka. He was 42.2% from 3 - 50.7% overall FG made average. Free throw line = 86.1%. Scored 498 points over 25 games (had to sit out one game due to dislocated finger) for a 19.9 PPG average. Don't have access to his rebounding stats - but he had his share - many blocked shots when he went inside to help. The team finshed 3rd in Class 4A. Specialty defenses used that did get to him a little in the semi-final. Third place game was an absolute blow-out with Jeff hitting 8-8 on his first 8 shots and 4 of those - I think - were threes. Scored 28 in his final appearance. I think he had 20 in the first half. Good luck Jeff. I hope that he will be able to show a little of what he has done here right away at SLU. If he is shaky at first - give him some time.

He is listed at 6'5" and I think that is right - but he is not a banger inside. He can go in and can dish if the shot is not there. Against HS competition - I know he can go inside. Like I said, they just have needed him outside more this year. He will get his share of rebounds. I just don't think you would want to use him that way (as a 3) . Not slight of build - but I have heard that he is less than 200 pounds. In a pinch - you could use him as a 3 and I think he would do OK. Who knows - maybe he will grow a little and I am sure he will get stronger with age.

I think Reid will have to use his Freshman year to adjust. He has played a lot of basketball with the AAU program Pump and Run ? out of KC. But, everyone should know that he played his Freshman and Soph years at a little school (Brewster) way out in Northwest Kansas. That school played in the smallest class in Kansas. He was very advanced in his basketball skills - but he must have experienced a social adjustment period moving to the larger population area in Topeka. Now - he will be making the jump to ST. LOUIS - not exactly a small college town like Manhattan or Lawrence, KS. So, I would be surprised if he comes in and starts right off the bat. But - he might get close by the end of his first year. I certainly hope he takes off at SL, it would be fun to have another team to follow at the D-1 level. I would also like to see a Hayden player finally be a regular starter for a D-1 program. Closest we ever had was Mark Turgeon and that was kind of a miracle at the time. He started several games for KU - did not hurt that he was a great passer and got to dish the ball to Danny Manning. Reid can also deal out assists - but has not done much of that this year due to the team's need for his scoring.

Back to Reid (only SLU topic I know anything about) he hit for 30 for Hayden High school tonight and Hayden qualified for the CLASS 4A State tournament with the win. Small town team was not bad - they tried to play zone and Jeff shredded it in the first half - 24 points. I think he had 6 3 pointers in the first half. Most of them were well beyond the high school line.

Hayden finished 2nd in their league - Jeff is on pace to break his own single season record at the high school. Team is not quite as deep as it was last year. Jeff has been asked to carry a lot of the scoring load - and has had his share of minor injuries that he avoided last year. Someone on the board said he might not be a big impact player his first year. I think that is right - but he does need to play. I think red shirt is a mistake. I think he has enough 3 point potential that he can contribute as a freshman. He is shooting @ 41% on his 3's - 52-127. And his normal 3 ball shot is way outside the high school 3 point line. With coaching and more maturity I do think he will be a major contributor to SLU for his other 3 years. He has had heavy pressure all year and has been fouled several times on three point shots this year. He almost always hits all 3 free throws. He wastes no time shooting at the line either - kind of unusual in that regard.

He has had a few bad games - but he does other things when his shot is not falling. This year's team does not quite have the outside shooting that last year's group did. So, Reid is often placed outside to provide the 3 point shooting. This has taken away from some of his moves inside. Yes - I have no doubt he will be able to get his shot off in D-1. Has his bad nights like everybody else. I know his game gets better as the competition level rises. He will take coaching - I think Majerus will be able to get the best out of him. I saw the game that he won with a last second drive to the basket. He had two guys hanging on him and still came through. This was against a very disciplined small town school that Hayden has had trouble with the last 3 years.

No - just enough to throw him off on the dunk. Actually - he should have just dribbled around until he got fouled. He is a very good free throw shooter. 10-10 on Tuesday.