[2019-20 Season]

42 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

Hope this plays out by the end of the season. We need a go-to offensive player to emerge and Perkins' combination of shooting, ballhandling and size makes him the toughest guy to match up with.

Javon Bess is in town for 30 days before he goes to camp with the Pelicans and I had an opportunity to talk to him for a while at practice. He is in great spirits and very excited to have a potential opportunity. He is working out hard and looks to be in great shape. He plays open gym with the guys and he said that Perkins was playing outstanding basketball and can score from almost anywhere on the court. As soon as school starts Perkins can join the team at practice. It is difficult to know how all the distinct new players will mesh but I have been watching early practice for about 40 years and this is the most athletic and potentially best scoring team I have ever seen from top to bottom. With all the leapers we have it will be hugely entertaining! Go Bills!

[2019-20 Non-conference schedule]

2 hours ago, Clocktoweraccords2004 said:

It’s august and no Perkins. Panic mode or patience? 

Perkins has completed his work at junior college and has been admitted to SLU. All is good.

[BenFred to the rescue]

12 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

If those same ratios hold up in games and Jimerson is the 45% shooter we think he is then Yuri is about 25%.

 

You may be right but I can say Yuri looked very comfortable shooting the ball and I think he has the potential to be a much better 3 point shooter than 25 percent. To state the obvious--we won't know until well in to the season whether he will be an effective shooter in games.

[BenFred to the rescue]

1 hour ago, kmbilliken said:

Hargrove is not going to be a back to the basket player. He will go over his man or around his man. He can slash and jump. Those are his strengths and they will play at this level. No need to reinvent the wheel, just let it roll.

I was fortunate enough to attend a recent practice and I agree with this analysis. Hargrove can run the court exceptionally well and he is a better outside shooter than most on this board give him credit for but I seriously doubt he will often be looking to post up in the low post like French or Bell. He definitely can score on the inside with quickness and jumping ability. I expect goodwin to post up more that Hargrove. He is getting better all the time at finding a spot on the low block and cleverly finishing at the rim. He will post up any smaller guards and possibly some of the talller ones because of his skill down low. Another observation, Yuri is a much better outside shooter than most on this board seem to believe. He is not a sniper like Jimerson, who in the practice I watched seemed to hit 70-80 percent on three pointers. That young man can really shoot but Yuri seemed to make a good percentage--maybe 40 percent from 3 and much better from the midrange. Go Bills

[Grad Transfers - 2019]

4 minutes ago, moytoy12 said:

Agreed.  I know it's not quite the same, but perkins' commitment came out of nowhere as well.  At this point, just got to trust Ford and his staff.  They've shown they can get it done on the recruiting trail and I'll continue to believe that will be the case until proven otherwise.  

With so much information on social media and highly competitive recruiting from many schools, I think the staff at SLU will play its cards very close to the vest if they identify a possible recruit that fits in with our team. I do not think they believe there is any benefit in telling everyone who they are recruiting.

[Signed Recruit Thread 2018-19]

10 minutes ago, Pistol said:

Cuts off in the middle of a question, but the first 2:20 is worth a quick watch.

For those of us who have been fans for decades—and at times watched teams that did not have very good shooting—it is very exciting to see us add a young man who appears to be a pure shooter! With next years team we will probably see double teams on Hasan and teams helping on Jordan in the post and Yuri off the dribble. I can see passes out to a wide open shooter or two. If Gibson can hit those open shots it will open things up for Perkins and Hargrove as well. Then if JImmy can spell Hasan in the post and Fred can polish up his shooting we could be looking at a team with much more offensive firepower. If the new guys can defend—we know the returning 3 of Jordan, Hasan and Fred can be tough defenders then with Jacobs and Hankton we will have a deep and athletic team. Young with great potential imo. Let’s all show up for the banquet tomorrow night! Go Bills!

[DM VELITE Nations Classic National Game—April 6]

Gibson Jimerson was selected to play in this national all star game. If you look at the roster for the National game, which I has the best talent of the three all star games, the other recruits are going to many “name” programs, most are power 5 or the Big East. Nice honor for Gibson Let’s hope he plays well. Also, the word is that Jimmy Bell Jr played outstanding in a big all star game recently on the East Coast. We will be very young next year but I love the potential of our recruits and how they seem to mesh perfectly (on paper) with our returning players. Hope to see everyone next Tuesday at the Banquet.

[Sinquefield $50 Million Donation]

1 hour ago, willie said:

What ever happened to Doc B. Get mad and take his ball home? 

He is all in and very committed to SLU, the business school, the basketball team and the university as a whole. All is good!

[Sinquefield $50 Million Donation]

3 hours ago, WUH said:

As for Dr. Pestello, do I understand correctly: he is considered to be weak at fundraising and Biondi was brought back to make the big ask from guys like Sinquefeld?

There is a plethora of misinformation on this board that often seems to somehow get a life of its own and is cited as fact when not true at all. This statement is false. Dr Pestello has done an excellent job of gaining the confidence of many major donors to the university including Dr Chaifetz and the Sinquefields, among others. He has also delveloped an excellent relationship with many of the top leaders and philanthropists in St Louis and in other cities who value and respect his leadership at Saint Louis University. He has played a key role in the highly successful fundraising done at SLU over the past three years and continues to do so.

[Welcome Terrence Hargrove!]

1 hour ago, kshoe said:

This can’t be serious.

I watched Bonner in several high school games and as a senior he was a 6’7” wiry strong super quick athlete who did not have much of a shooting touch but could defend like a demon and rebound like a fiend. I saw Hargrove play in his soph year when I went to watch Goodwin and I thought he looked like he had great potential as a high flying wing who could shoot the 3. At least in high school they had completely different game skills. I did get to go to practice a few weeks ago and when I first saw Gordon I thought of Bonner. He is bigger than Bonner was as a frosh but he is a sculpted athletic 6’8” athletic big man who can run the court, rebound and he has a pretty nice shooting touch. He is not yet the defender or rebounder that Bonner was but he is more polished offensively than Bonner was as a freshman..It will be fun to see how he develops with our other skilled and tough big men.

[2018-19 season]

1 hour ago, Box and Won said:

Get on a f-ing WOW flight ASAP, Thor.

Thor is playing for Iceland in the U-20 European championships. He will come over in July after that competition..He is practicing hard and the games will be tough so he will be helped by the experience.

[Fall 2017 allegations against unnamed players (aka Situation 2)]

6 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

My understanding is that technically goodwin was expelled but is allowed to reapply to slu after 2 months.  

This is false. As with so much is speculated on this board.

[OT: Business School Renaming]

3 minutes ago, Spoon-Balls said:

This. I more or less was pointing at the fact that Dr Chaifetz seems to be the only one who consistently strategizes to aid the growth of SLU basketball. He has made it a priority (I'm not sure about the other board members). I'm sure the BoT members are all "fans," but it seems like most of them don't go nearly as far as Doc does to express their support (both monetarily and vocally). 

You have no idea what you are talking about. Some of the basketball teams biggest and most vocal supporters who have made major financial contributions to Billiken basketball are on the Board. They go to games and are very visable fans in every way possible.

[OT: Business School Renaming]

47 minutes ago, Spoon-Balls said:

We really are incredibly fortunate to have a guy like Rich Chaifetz on the BoT. Seems like he's the only one with any semblance of public dedication to the basketball program. Do you ever see guys like Sinquefield or Conran going to SLU basketball games? Does the rest of the board even care?

Many of the Board members are huge supporters of Billiken basketball and large contributors to the program as well. Conran, Sly, Fox, Phoenix, O'Loughlin, Kalsbeek and others attend almost every home game and many go to away games as well. Your implication is way off base.

[Proud of our Billikens]

I started going to Billiken games with my dad in the 50s and hardly have missed a home game since 1963 but I must say I am about as proud of our team tonight as I have ever been.

With a depleted roster, and our star frosh out with injury and unbelievable bad calls from the refs, particularly after we looked to be in control in the first half, when we went down 10 in the second half and had so much foul trouble I was concerned we would finish with 4 players and lose by 25--, the fact that we played with grit and intensity and did not give up and ended up winning this game is a tribute to this team and the coach. I sit close and the technical foul was a joke. the ref was actually being aggressive with Travis and stirring him up and all he did was clap. Ridiculous!

Amazing comeback and win with basically 5 players.

[New Soccer Coach???]

9 minutes ago, Billy Ken said:

Ok where to begin.

1. If your argument that the med school paperwork and curriculum issues aren't a big deal that's insane. They are the only program in country currently on probation! Who wants to fork out $100s k on student loans to go to a med school not accredited and the reason it's not accredited is because of paperwork? Again who wants to go to a school who can't pay attention to something 99.9% of all other med schools can and I think med schools are detailed in training, correct? It's an embarrassment and can't be defended. As far as there curriculum it's in complete chaos! There are rumors of the residency program being no more! SSM would bail today on that deal if they could! That hospital should be in the county, not on that campus where other places like Wash U and Mercy are. Ridiculous. Oh and current students are transferring at a record pace, you just got confused.

2. New locker rooms had some private donations for sure but the majority came from Ford going over AD head after waiting almost 18 months and no action. You are wrong about that. And if AD wants to say it was all raised privately fine. It wasn't and wouldn't of been in good taste to say university was anonymous donor after lay offs, but I'm lying about that too I guess.

3. Law school is getting better but that's because of smart alums guiding it because Pestello was floundering and begged for help.

4. Fine new dorms are full, then every other one is almost empty and in 3rd world condition from 1970's. You can have that one I guess. I'd love them too if I didn't have to go to another older dorm!

5. And the capital campaign that started as a billion, then $500 million....well they typically announce it when they have at least half. It's been three years! Very secret silence phase I guess. And if it's going so well why bring Biondi back???? FACT they aren't even close to half way. But, I guess I'm lying again. Heard that straight from a board members mouth. But I guess he's lying too. Liars usually all hang out together and just randomly make up lies because we are trolls and hate SLU! Please!

And again all universities have good students and faculties that do good things! What does SLU Corner the market on "goodness" and "people that care?"

Answer me this question. Please. How does Dayton, Villanova, Georgetown, Creighton, Duke, Vanderbilt, TCU, SMU, Pepperdine, Gonzaga, Boston College, Marquette....etc,etc do it and SLU can't? That attitude and excuse making by people like you to just take it or leave it is the problem. Nothing wrong with accountability, honesty, goals, vision and wanting to be better. 

But to just call someone a liar and rant like a "troll" mind you is not constructive. And to defend AD and President, I believe you are on wrong side sir. You aren't dumb or stupid, maybe just misinformed. But to try and discredit someone you don't know by calling them a liar is exactly what you say should not be "allowed" on this board. We can agree to disagree.

whew! I'm done for a while too! 

I have no idea how you get your information but I do believe you distort it intentionally to post falsehoods. the medical school has never been not accredited and several major medical schools have been on probation over that past few years. I never said it was not important and if you knew anything you would know that there are dozens of people working to deal with the paperwork and curriculum issues.

You are lying about the locker rooms.

You are lying about the campaign. if your source is a board member then he never went to a meeting and has no clue as to what is going on.

There is not a single person involved in the leadership of SLU who does not want for the university to be better, stronger and thrive in the future. And in many areas, we are better than many of the schools you list. But SLU, like all of those schools, has its challenges and It also has to keep pushing and striving for more success in everything it does, including athletics.

The  glass is half full--and there is nothing wrong with saying we are doing well in many things but we have a ways to go in others rather than just ripping everyone involved at the university and pontificate and insult anyone and everyone who is involved.

 

[New Soccer Coach???]

2 hours ago, Billy Ken said:

I've never said I was an expert on Billiken athletics. I've been a season ticket holder since the old Kiel days sir. So to say I don't care about the program, that is not true, if anything I care more about it than I should! I will agree that the students are great and they are the customers of the university. In the case of the athletic department I've soured on leadership, read my post going back years, I was on board with AD longer than most. But if you are talking about "all the good things going on" like...med school in probation and possibly staying on probation and on meltdown, lay offs while spending millions on scoreboards and locker rooms, a law school which is getting better but a shell of its former self and two brand new dorms that sit half empty, oh and that big capital campaign that has been in the works for three years and can't raise a dime, a president that is indecisive and over his head running a university like slu, oh clocktower accords worked out great, where is the follow through there? Hey, our opinions differ but everything I just listed is a fact. Very easy to call someone a troll or that they hate something IF the other person disagrees. It's actually the opposite! If I'm wrong and don't know anything, please correct me. But if we can't have an honest conversation without disagreement then you sir are the "troll" or "hater." Defend your points and quit your "pontificating" on proper etiquette on a public board. If your child is out of control, you can be upset and angry at them, but you still always love them. That's how I feel about university and athletics right now. But if you want to believe what you want to believe and rag against anyone who disagrees with you and not be open to criticism then you must either work at SLU or you have problems forming original opinion for yourself. Go Bills!!!

This post is a perfect example of the trolls on this board who post things as absolute fact when they are in fact made up lies. You post so often that it is impossible for anyone to respond and correct each time but I will do it just this once and then I will be gone for a while.

The folks at the med school are working hard to correct the paperwork and curriculum issues and are on track to get off probabation. But the untold story is that the school is doing very well with excellent applicants in large numbers, outstanding students and graduates who are receiving prestigious placements. The new $500M hospital and ambulatory care center are under construction and considerable new development will take place across the entire new Redevelopment area which was approved by the Board of A with SLU as the developer.

the new locker rooms were paid for by private donors solicited by Chris May.

The issues with the law school, which you blame on President Pestello, have nothing to do with him--he inherited those problems and is trying to deal with them. Law schools around the country of our ilk had an almost across the board reduction of 50% in applications due to the cut backs in hiring of lawyers nationwide and we all know of the various dean issues which had nothing to do with the current president. 

Another BIG LIE--"two brand new dorms that sit half empty"--In truth, the two new dorms are completely full with waiting lists and the students love them.

Another BIG LIE--"big capital campaign..can't raise a dime" In fact, SLU is in the private phase of the campaign and will go public late in 2018 but it has been successful in the quiet phase and overall fundraising for the past few years has been close to or over record levels on an annual basis. But a private Catholic university like SLU has to do everything possible to be cautious with costs rising and net tuition revenue basically flat. The push/pull for funds from every part of the university makes it a major challenge to provide funds for needed projects and still balance the budget.

We all would like to have unlimited funds for support of all athletic programs but at a school like SLU that will never be the case. However, SLU made a major financial commitment to this men's bb coaching staff and other parts of our athletic programs. If someone want to give SLU millions of dollars for a specific athletic need I am sure they will take it and apply it as requested.

SLU is not perfect but it does many things very well and as a university it has a wonderful faculty, wonderful students and people who care.

 

I am done for a while.

[New Soccer Coach???]

5 hours ago, Billy Ken said:

NIT is as far as Stone will get the program. I like what she's done, need a coach now to take them to next level. Not to discount what's she's done, just again look at her history...she is what she is and nothing more.

Who in the hell appointed you as the pontificator supposed expert on all sports at SLU for Billikens.com. You know so little but say so much-- over and over again- that it is truly astounding. We know you hate all things Billiken. Why not just give it a rest. This board is already so full of junk that many long time fans ignore it and say that it is now the home of trolls and idiots (of course there are still a few long time long suffering true blue Billiken fans but not that many as compared to the trolls). You have no idea what is really going on at SLU-and in fact there are many many good things happening. It is in fact a wonderful school with excellent students who really care about making a difference. These days and times are some of the most difficult ever in the history of private Catholic education and SLU is dealing with these complexities very well on many fronts. Your constant negative ignorant diatribes do not make them true just because you type words on your computer.

[Fall 2017 allegations against unnamed players (aka Situation 2)]

1 minute ago, Billiken Rich said:

You know it's just shocking to hold the head of and organization responsible for what that organization does.  Just shocking!  It never happens anywhere else in the public or private sector........

 

If Fred is as far out of the loop Billikenwins says, he should be fired for neglecting his duties.  Obviously I don't expect him to play "junior gman" and start participating in the investigation but I do expect him to have a say in how things have proceeded and what punishments are handed down.....

   

My last comment--you and most on this board do not understand how Title IX works. If the President of any University is involved or even perceived to be involved is attempting to influence this process he or she would be in incredible hot water and probably would eventually be fired. this is nothing like the real world.

 

[Fall 2017 allegations against unnamed players (aka Situation 2)]

8 minutes ago, Westy03 said:

Thanks for the information.  Just one question, who has suspended the players for gameday only the AD or the school?

The AD has absolutely nothing to do with any of this at all and the same is true with regard to President Pestello. they are not involved in terms of any actions, decisions or the process.

[Fall 2017 allegations against unnamed players (aka Situation 2)]

There is a huge amount of false information being posted about President Pestello on this board and at some point I may respond to the BS.

But today I only want to say this:

This process is dictated by the federal government and has been for some time. Many don't like it but that is a fact.

The president of the university and many others including the AD have nothing whatever to do with the investigation, any delays or the decisions made.

When the allegations are made, the University legal department and the title IX coordinator take over in terms of the investigation and the process.

In this case, the university hired outside counsel to do a full investigation and present a report to the hearing officer. The President is completely out of the loop in terms of the investigation or the timing of anything done in the process. Any delays are directly attributable to the complexity of the matters involved and the time taken by the outside firm to do the preliminary and final report to the hearing officer.

To suggest that Fred Pestello has intentionally delayed or been in any way involved in this process, or intends to attempt to influence the process, is ridiculous and false.

[GDT, exhibition enjoy the season and forget about suspensions that have not happened]

19 minutes ago, slufan13 said:

How long can the school reasonably go without saying anything but still keeping the players suspended?

The title IX process proceeds on an confidential basis until concluded. As with any other group of students who might be involved in this type of process the University will not make public statements while the matter is pending and often do not make any public statements after the process is concluded. I feel fairly certain that nothing will be said publicly while this proceeds to a resolution.

[GDT, exhibition enjoy the season and forget about suspensions that have not happened]

5 hours ago, slu72 said:

Yeah, this game was definitely an underwhelming W. Every time it looked we were going to put them away for good, they came back. Not having seen it, but just from the GDT and the live stats play by play we missed a lot of bunnies and FT's. Sure we'd all have felt better if we'd hit the 80 mark and this is why we didn't. Still, allowing them to rain down 3's on us to stay in this thing is also disconcerting. I'm sure we're going to run into a lot of better 3 pt teams than HS. Did we just not defend them, or did HS just get hot ala the blind squirrel that finds not just one nut but a whole bunch?

Can't use being shorthanded as an excuse for this game, but it will definitely be a factor down the road. Too few guys playing too many minutes will wear on a team. Remember how we closed the '13-14 season with basically a 6 man rotation. The tank was below the E mark.

They made 3 or 4 from about 23-25 feet and a 26 foot shot off the backboard. The key issues from my observations at the game were missed layups--shots that those players will make most of the time and missed free throws. If we clean up those two things, and part of the issue may have been a bit of first game adrenaline, we will be a much better and move effective team.

[Chris May]

6 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

But none of his points rebut anything said previously. Nobody is saying anything about win loss records. It’s about providing adequate environment for your coaches to thrive in. Is Chris May providing that is the question. 

The answer is absolutely yes. I deal with many of the coaches and they are very happy with Chris and his support--particularly Travis and Lisa. You have no idea what goes on and your idiotic posts like the one about the President's wife should be wiped off this board.

[Chris May]

d

24 minutes ago, Billy Ken said:

I have no idea if AD is a bad guy, however he has outlived the typical life span of a college AD at one place, especially SLU. I am not going to comment on rumors and attacks. I do think it's fair to debate and ask questions about the current state of the program and what it ultimately wants to be. Big East? I do think facilities need upgrades, Chaifetz is great but a lot of things have changed since it opened and updating/keeping current might be in order. Xavier just upgraded their arena and it's not that old. All of this takes two things university support and people giving money. That's where I would judge an AD, can they raise money? If the department is so disfunctional then I'm surprised university doesn't know about it, however SLU has quite a lot going on. IF AD really is interviewing that isn't strange in athletics profession, it's one thing if institutions are reaching out to him, now if he's actively perusing other jobs, then I'd have an issue if I was university leadership. Easy solution is Dr. Pestello talking to anyone internally and externally about current state of department, alumni, coaches, staff, etc. Maybe this stuff is true and maybe it's just a troll trying to stir the pot, either way look into it and find out, then move on. Businesses do this all the time. My biggest concern is the soccer program. Great win today but it's not a top 50 program and has really gone off the rails over the years. Plus, you can't even blame an AD for athletic department issues, this ultimately is Dr. Pestello and the university board responsibility. IF it's that bad, the burden is on them to fix it. Thank god for Travis Ford! Again, great win tonight! Go Bills!

These two trolls are idiots of the first order. Chris May does a great job under difficult circumstances--a situation which faces every private university--involving limited resources and competing demands. He works closely with the Board of Trustees and many donors to raise money for the Athletic programs. He hired some great coaches, including Travis, Lisa and the women's soccer coach among others. He works long hours and interacts very well with the University leadership. There are many other things he does which I will not detail but these two idiots have no idea what they are talking about.