David King

"You have to be lucky. I mean, we were lucky. You gotta be good. But you gotta be lucky." Jim Crews Actually Coach, when looking at the series of misfortunate events that led to you assuming the role of Head Coach, we were pretty darn unlucky.

Easy- P.J. Carlesimo

Plus, the new coach won't have as many bad habits to un-teach.

Soderberg is a better coach AND recruiter than Crews. Just think how good we would be doing now if Sodie had inherited the team from Majerus, instead of Crews.

I completely agree. Of course, Coach Crews demonstrated to me, last season, that he wasn't worthy of our support. I fully expect him to re-demonstrate his unworthiness this season. Coach Majerus set a new standard of excellence for SLU, and Crews is clearly not up to the task. Watching the program slide back into another decade of mediocrity is almost as depressing as the thought of HRC as commander in chief. Coach Crews, I know you read this site religiously, so be advised- 18 wins, or get the hell out of Dodge! Wasn't Crews originally only supposed to be around for one year?

It was the coaching that led to last years disaster. 18 wins, or Crews goes! I've already sharpened my pitch fork to lead the uprising.

No. If Justin Tatum were named "interim" coach, Jayson is likely to pick the Billikens. A Justin Tatum coached Billikens' team with Jayson Tatum, is far better than a Jim Crews coached Billikens' team without Jayson Tatum.

Good for Willie! I know he has been working really hard, and he deserves it. I will be following the Nets now.

Probably the key to long-term success of a mid-major basketball program is the commitment of the school's administration. Butler, and Xavier are good examples of this. Both have had numerous coaches, and they still consistently field top 25 teams. Evidently, they are also skilled at evaluating coaching talent. Anyone who has watched, and cheered the team since back in the Ron Ekker days, like I have, knows that the SLU administration has definitely stepped up there commitment to Billiken's basketball over the last 6 years, or so. New, state-of-the-art facilities, and a $1million/yr HOF coach are a pretty good indication that they are serious about having a consistently winning program. I am optimistic hat they will not settle for mediocrity. Let's just hope they are also good talent evaluators.

I see. Fire him after next season then?

So, you are saying that Crews should be fired immediately?

It's a little bit sad that the Great Rick Majerus' legacy will forever be somewhat tarnished because he gave us Jim Crews. We really shouldn't blame Majerus. He just wanted Crews as an assistant coach. You'll recall that Majerus dragged Crews out of retirement, and it was only going to be for one year. Then, fate took over. What was a huge loss for Saint Louis University, and all of college basketball, was like winning the lottery for Jim Crews. Similar to many lottery winners, Crews squandered it all in a few short years. The SLU administration shouldn't be faulted for his hire either. Their hands were tied. It was clear that they had misgivings about Crews, but, back-to-back A-10 championships, and coach of the year made it impossible not to, grudgingly, keep him on. There was nothing in Crews pre-retirement resume that indicated he would even be considered for a head coaching position at SLU, or any other mid-major. Prior to SLU, he had an uninspiringly, mediocre record of 353-349. Anybody that was paying attention could see the ever accelerating deterioration of the teams under Crews stewardship. Admittedly, the 2012-13 team that Crews coached was the greatest Billiken's team in the modern era. But that team was Majerus', and the death of Rick, during that season, probably added extra motivation. The 2013-14 team underperformed. Yes, 27-7 ain't bad. But as the season progressed, it was obvious that Majerus' signature lockdown defense was springing some major leaks. Many of the late season games, against inferior opponents, were nail biters to the end, and only won due to senior experience and leadership. Then there was this year. Everybody expected a down year, but not 21 losses! Plus, the team got worse, not better, as the season progressed. From watching most of the games, many times, it was difficult to determine if the players were being coached at all. Of course Crews won't be fired this year. It's unlikely that he will retire again soon. Best case, reasonable scenario, both for the future of the team, and the fans, is that the team sucks, out loud, next year, too. Then, Crews will be fired. I have confidence that a good coach will then be brought in, and the Billikens can get back to the business of being a consistent top-50 program.

You're right. As last season progressed, we witnessed Rick Majerus' influence on the team disappear like tears in the rain. Lock down defense is now just a distant, fond memory. Time to watch Hoosiers again.

Let's throw a surprise retirement party for Coach Crews.

It's Ben Jacobson, ass-hat! We can just hope that Crews doesn't ruin the Billikens' name so much that Big Ben doesn't want to come here.

... than Crews. Granted, he was a lousy recruiter, but he would have done more with this team. The Billikens administration made a bold move by bringing in Majerus, and it resulted in the greatest Billikens' teams in the modern era. After Majerus passed, they fell into Crews, by no fault of their own. Unfortunately, Crews quickly frittered away what Majerus had built. Obviously, he will come back next year, but, most likely, the Bills will suck, out loud, next year. The real question is- Will Crews be fired after next year? Let's hope so.

Regardless, he's right about Crews.

If that is how you feel, it's all the more reason to get rid of Crews now. After all, the Billikens just came off of three consecutive NCAA tournament seasons that were three of the best, if not THE best seasons in the modern Billiken era. It should have been prime time to score big in recruiting. My personal opinion is that the current Billiken talent is fairly decent; they just have a coach that is mediocre, at best, which is reflected in his 30 year record. If he remembered anything that the great Bobby Knight taught him about self respect,, he would have already resigned. Justin Tatum won't attend a Jim Crews coached Saint Louis University. Since many of the players read these posts, and value the wisdom of us sages, here is my advice: When the season ends, circulate a petition to be signed by the entire team, that calls for Coach Crews termination. Then, gather as a team, and deliver the petition to the AD. Good Luck!

Moderators! Please shut down this ass-clown!

As of today, Willie is the # 2 prospect in the D League. He's averaging 13.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks/ game this season

Macauley Bonner Claggett Lisch Jett Majerus

If the regular season ended today, I say the Billikens would be in the Big Dance!

I'm 7' 0". Back in 1986, Coach Grawer pretty much gave up on me after I dropped a brick on Jim Roder's head during wind sprints.

Pee Wee Lenard doesn't belong on this list. First of all, he didn't stay. He went to U of Ga freshman year, and then transferred to SLU for more PT. In 3 yrs, he averaged somewhere around 7 pts and 3.5 assists/ gm.

If Craig Upchurch had played on the 90-91 team, the Billiken's would be in the Big East right now due to the domino effect.