Billy Ken

Agree 100%!!!!! Great points!!! Honestly, I think the whole "athletics get in the way of academics" argument is bogus. Many (most?) of the elite basketball schools also boast good-to-great academics. Just look at schools like Duke, UNC, Georgetown, UCLA, Michigan, and Syracuse. A good athletics program reflects positively on the entire university. And not only does it boost academic recruiting, but the strong sports culture keeps current students and alumni invested in their school, which leads to a stronger alumni network, more donations, and greater fan support. Sure, it takes money to maintain a top-tier athletics department, but that investment stands to pay dividends over time.

I think this is a real conversation to have about the way Father sees athletics within this University. I don't want to believe he doesn't get it, but one has to wonder. I believe you can have excellent academics and excellent athletics, look at Duke. Would you view them as not a good academic school because they have an exceptional basketball program, no way! SLU doesn't have the weather/location like a San Diego, it doesn't have attractions like Vegas or Orlando, so besides academics you need to give kids a reason to come and be a part of SLU. Athletics is a major driving force behind the college experience. It brings the community together and gives this wonderful University a national platform to advertise. Sports is a multi-billion dollar industry, for a reason. More people are interested in how the basketball team is doing than where the Law School is nationally ranked. I'm not debating if one is more important than the other, our society says it's athletics. But why not have both? I just don't get how a guy as smart as Father is so out of it when it comes to funding and promoting SLU Basketball/Athletics. Plus, it gives kids an opportunity to go to school that they normally wouldn't have. Everything department matters, but athletics is the first impression you are able to make to a little kid. Again, they want a stuffed Billiken or a SLU t-shirt, not a Law School shirt or Med School book bag! It's really not that complicated. Father will be judged for good or bad depending on our admittance into the Big East. Do the right thing Father and go all out to get into this conference and fund every sport the way it should be funded. These aren't over-priced millionaires, these are kids going to school and hopefully future donors!

I disagree that Father knows how big of an impact sports is to a University. Look at how much money Georgetown, Gonzaga and Creighton spend just on Men's Basketball. It dwarfs what SLU spends in comparison. Look at the money Mizzou makes just on their merchandise, SLU could use a brand/logo "face lift" for sure and sell more merchandise to younger kids and adults as well. It's been reported that the President of Creighton from the start was aggressive with the Big East schools. It paid off. The arena was built by guys like Chaifetz who are passionate about sports, in my opinion. I think Father has been great for SLU, this isn't a slam post about him, I'll leave that to others. SLU wouldn't be where they are today without him for sure or in a position to even be considered for the Big East. I just think he needs to be more involved and aggressive about the Big East deal. I just don't want to see the Billikens left out. But, to your point he does have a great Athletic Administration in place and he did hire Majerus, so I just hope he realizes before it is too late that it's Big East or bust for this program and he needs to throw everything he can at this opportunity. In the end, I think it's ironic that his lasting legacy at SLU could be whether or not we get into the Big East and nothing else. I pray we do.

So much potential.....

Taj, I know, this stuff isn't hard to figure out. It was more of a statement than a question. Agree with you 100%!

Good Luck Bernie!

After watching/thinking about this special team play this season, it was awesome hearing people talk about the Billikens. At the grocery store, the barber shop, etc, etc. Regular casual college basketball fans were talking about SLU! Not Mizzou or Illinois or Kansas, SLU! People asking where to buy merchandise and asking for good places to watch the NCAA games, it was unlike anything I've ever seen as a Billiken fan. Athletics are the front porch to any University, it is proven the deeper you go into March Madness the better it is for enrollment (which is more tution $!!!!). Also, it has to help season ticket sales, individual game sales, traffic to the University and not to mention selling merchandise! As smart as The Father is, you would think he would be whoring the Billiken out at any and every possible venue. Even if you don't like sports (which is what I hear about him) you would think he or someone in his circle would be smart enough to understand how important having a winning basketball team is to SLU? I've never seen a 10 year old kid wearing a SLU Law School or SLU Medical School t-shirt or a MIzzou Journalism Jersey! Hopefully The Father will get engaged and guide us into the Big East, if anything just for the money! Congrats again to the AD, the coaches and all of the players at SLU! They are doing a terrific job and we are lucky to have them at SLU! Obviously Georgetown, Marquette, Creighton and Gonzaga know how important sports are to their entire University! I doubt anyone east of Washington would know where and what Gonzaga is without their basketball program.......Go Bills! Happy Easter!

I am nervous about our chances going to the NBE.....I think Dayton and Richmond are serious threats to take the last 2 spots. I just don't see this new conference adding 2 more mid-west teams. I hope I am wrong. Richmond is a serious threat, they have the resources.

Again, if they say the tv deal is for $600 million we are in good shape.

Good news.

Let's say the Big East is out.....what next? Stay in A10?

Won't we have a better idea what the Big East's future plans are tomorrow when we find out how much Fox is paying them? If it's $500 mil and not $600 mil that seems to tell me they are going with 10 teams and not 12. Any thoughts?

I think Crews is a great coach and from what I've heard an even better person. I don't understand why people think he can't recruit? Who can recruit at Army and Evansville? Not trolling, just asking the question.

We might not be out of the conversation.....could it be us and not Creighton? And when will we hear a final word?

I called in to the ticket office last week and the seats they are selling through SLU are suppose to be great. Not sure if I am going, but $250 for an all session ticket in NY doesn't seem too bad to me. Esp to watch the likes of VCU, Butler and Temple.

The Big 12 will last until Texas jumps to the Big 10 with Notre Dame. It will be interesting to see what places like OU and Louisville, Cincinnati end up doing/coming or going, etc. Everything depends on what the Longhorns decide.

Great read!

Not bad considering the Bills never adverstise really. I come up to St. Louis from November thru January for the holidays every year. I rarely see any type of advertising or schedules out. Just imagine how many more people would come to the games if they actually knew when the games were. I've said this before and I will say this again, they need a better tv deal, at least some merchandise in the stores and they need to lower the ticket prices. Just do a little bit of all three and keep winning and then you"ve got something. Eventually, they will become noticed. I never did understand the "Our Town, Your Team" slogan, especially when St. Louis is Cardinal Town, not to mention the Blues, the Rams and that little state university in Columbia, MO. I love going to the Fetz on game day, it has so much potential/great atmosphere, I know the Bills are a college program, but for heaven's sake, I wish they would take notes from a NBA team on how to market their program better. The Grizzlies do a great job marketing basketball in Memphis, come on down and take some notes. Memphis is a good basketball city, but not as good as St. Louis, MO. Let's go Bills!

Just curious, but who else would everyone like to add to the A10? Creighton? DePaul? Marquette? What would be the dream conference for the Bills? Having Dayton, Xavier and Butler is a great start.

Hendrickson was there before May.......so........he is a hell of a coach. I hope SLU realizes it's hard to get this good of a coach, especially in the midwest. I hope he retires a Billiken!

Tick, tick, tick...

I like this. Murray St will be fun to watch!

If you were to ask any AD in the country, high school, college, etc..."how long does it take to hire a woman's NCAA D1 head coach?" I betcha they wouldn't say almost 3 months! Especially when it wasn't a surprise the former coach was let go! Hope they come up with something really good there, the program needs a home run. I feel bad for this AD, he isn't in charge. If he his, then we've got bigger problems! The Father makes the decisions. From what I just read, RM isn't coming back, either his decision or The Father's. Chris May is just the puppet, he's probably got the toughest job in the whole university. If RM doesn't come back/fired, this program had better over pay and do "better" otherwise the Fetz will be the nicest fine arts arena in the country! The Billikens could just go right back to West Pine. Something tells me The Father wouldn't be upset over that......not when your legacy is grass, fountains and lawn ornaments. RM, go back to ESPN or another program that will appreciate you. Just think where we were before he arrived, not dumb luck or chance.

Now if Creighton comes.....

Father will step up, have faith.