HoosierPal

Just posted that the April 4 ACT has been postponed to June 13.

I look at what Hoiberg did at Iowa State and predict Nebraska will be an upper tier Big 10 team in a year or two. He took a 3-13 (Big 12) Iowa State team and took them to the NCAA the next season. Nebraska was decimated with injuries and suspensions this season. They had two football players on the bench as players #8 and #9 in the Big Ten tourney.

Many high school juniors take their initial ACT test during their second semester. They get a base score and then retake it as needed. Sure, some seniors may not yet have a qualifying score, but my guess is that the majority have. If a senior has not yet qualified, yes he may be at risk.

I took one last lap around my stats records. I have tracked SLU stats tracked Grawer's 88-89 team. This season's Billikens have the highest Rebounds per Game average at 39.9 rpg of any team over that time span. They topped the previous season's edition of 39.6 rpg The record setting FT% comes as no surprise, lowering the bar from the previous season's team average. I also have long used a Power Index that Sports Illustrated began using around 1990. (I have not seen them use it in a decade or so.) It takes into account all normal offense and defensive statistical parameters. I still use it as it allows me to compare players from Grawer's teams to players on Ford's teams, etc. Anyway, for what it is worth, Goodwin and French's seasons rank #2 and #3 on this Power Index list, trailing on Anthony Bonner's 1989-1990 season. That is pretty good company to be in. Just for context, Hughes' single season ranks #6 on this list.

Neat. Thanks for finding. Which one of the 'top four' for next year's tourney will the organizers feel is most expendable, i.e., selected to face the Billikens. My opinion, Xavier's brand is the weakest of them, Gonzaga, Auburn and MSU, so we may get the Musketeers.

Interesting note from the PD this morning (Sunday). Boys and Girls games are still scheduled for next weekend. As of Saturday night, the Missouri State High School Activities Association gave no indication that the remainder of the state basketball tournament would be halted or canceled. But should the games go on, Missouri would be the only state in America to play basketball. It was just one of five states that played tournaments this weekend. The other four wrapped up with spectator limits on Friday or Saturday.

Click on the photo and bring up Coach's twitter. He has a nice thread of tweets on this team.

Some last touches to Pistol's excellent work. I have always kept the '10th player' on my list when someone exceeds his totals, moving him down to 11th, etc. So my lists are longer than those on the SLU website. Our attendance average of 6,880 is an average of 10 less than the previous season and 8th best in the 12 years at Chaifetz.

They don't use random draws for these tourney's so likely the organizers want to see Michigan State and either Auburn or Gonzaga in the final. My guess is Gonzaga, Michigan State, Xavier and Auburn will be pitted against SLU, Boise State, Belmont and Siena in the first round. Mix and match any way you want, then tip it up.

Yes. Confirmed by our HS AD. He thinks DeSmet has opted out but not confirmed.

MSHSAA games are still on for this weekend, both boys and girls. Essential personnel only in attendance. IHSA has canceled, at least the boys.

Leagues around the world are postponing seasons. Yet you want the Billikens to play in NY. You want to be entertained. Go back into your cave. I’m very glad you are not a decision maker.

Wake up, will you. Look at what happened in the NBA, where 12 highly conditioned athletes were put together in a locker room, and one who had unknowingly contracted the virus gave it to at least one other highly conditioned athlete. These aren't run of the mill citizens. These are some of the best conditioned athletes in the world, and they have it. We are talking life here. You are talking about a sport, a game, entertainment.

They beat Wisconsin.

Some will bolt, but 3/4 of the players on the three teams should be back next season.

I'm indicting the Graduate Program rules of the NCAA. As I pointed out, Jack did his due diligence and the SLU staff said, yes this is legal. And as I said, I can buy an 'internship' as pointed out by Bishop, but not a 'working out' reason. The NCAA is apparently allowing 'students' to continue playing sports with little to no connection to a student's academic life. As I said earlier, good for Jack Rabion and the staff for finding this loophole. To me, it's not right for someone on an athletic scholarship to not have to worry about academics. If you are done with academics, move on. If you want to stay on as a student, be a student. If Jack does in fact stay around and completes his Masters, I will applaud him.

Okay, they weren't TRANSFERS, but they were Graduates with a BA and played after graduation. The transfer distinction is moot. Rabion graduated in December and is enrolled in a Masters that starts after the A10 tourney. Bess graduated in 2018 with a BA in Sociology. He stuck around a year doing what if he wasn't in a Graduate program? Crawford received his BA in 2016 and then continued as a Graduate Student and obtained at least one Masters. Him I understand.

Thanks guys. Maybe by piecing these two responses together, the answer is in there somewhere. I'm good on the internship angle, but I'm not sold on that internship being 'working out'. Again, if the loophole is there, good for Jack using it. The loophole needs to be closed IMO. We have had now, 6 Grad Transfers in the Ford era? Anthony, Bess, Isabell, Wiley and now Weaver and Raboin. (Foreman I don't believe graduated with his bachelors until his 5th year so wasn't a GT.) Did any of these get at Masters? Weaver and Rabion are of course TBD.

Chapley posted a wonderful article yesterday about Rabion. https://www.scoopswithdannymac.com/the-unsung-hero-of-slu-basketball-jack-raboin-earns-his-moment/ He seems like a wonderful person with a pathway towards fulfilling his ambitions. He graduated in December with a Masters in Sociology. I love this kid. However, there was an item in the article that raised my eyebrows. Below are the three paragraphs I interpret as Jack being on scholarship but he has done no school work or attended classes since December. His Master's program doesn't start until mid-March. And it does not say in the article if he will continue in the Master's program or not. Even Rabion says he had to check it out to see if this furlough was legal, and it is. This seems like a loophole that I'm sure many, many schools take part in for Grad Transfers, enroll in school but don't worry about any details such as actual classes, studying, or being a student. Just hang out, play basketball.....life is good. The senior is currently living the college athlete dream in his final few months of being an undergraduate student. After graduating in December with a sociology degree, he immediately enrolled in a graduate program so he could remain a full-time student. Joining the Organizational Leadership program fellow graduate student/senior Tay Weaver is enrolled in, Jack will receive a certificate that he can turn into a master’s degree should he desire to at a later time. The significant benefit of the program is that it doesn’t start until the Monday after the A-10 tournament. “I’ve just been working out, hanging out, enjoying basketball for the last month.” Jack explained, “I talked to the advisors and was like ‘hey is this going to be legal?’ and they looked into were like ‘yup you’re good to go.'” “It’s the dream. Wake up, work out, come to practice at 2:30, eat, hang out, and do it all again the next day.” Any info on insight from @DoctorB, @SluSignGuy

Just guessing here, but with Siena, Boise State and Belmont also in the Thanksgiving Tourney, I'll assume we will be in the 'second tier' with them, meaning we play one of the four schools in your list. Then it depends on W/L who we play in the next two games. That could be some great games or some not so great games. Boston College comes here, but that could be a Q3 game. I believe we also play at SIUC. Not sure if Kansas State comes here or not. @slu72 Auburn is 21-22 since they are in the tourney with us. That was prescribed when all of this was being drawn up.

Being SECOND IN THE NATION in steals is a pretty good resume stuffer too. (He is behind Gilyard....two A10's top the nation in steals. And for good measure, Goodwin ins 28th in the nation.)

The 20 game conference schedule is the issue. Instead of playing the Florida Gulf Coast's and Bethune Cookman's as two buy games, the Big 10 teams are playing each other. We need to up our schedule next season, and as the P5's will all be at 20, it will be very tough.

Perkins has 6th Man locked up. Rookie of the Year will be Mitchell. COY will be Grant. Defensive Player of the Year could be French, could be Goodwin, could be Langevine, could be Gilyard, could be Russell, could be Hughes, could be Wilson, could be a few others..... And BTW, I would have Richmond's Francis on one of my All Conference teams. Here is last year's list, just to refresh your memory on what awards are given out. https://atlantic10.com/news/2019/3/12/211795159.aspx