Spoon-Balls

You should read Malcolm Gladwell's book, "Blink." Then you'll understand why it absolutely is a racial issue simply because of how our brains function in situations of extreme duress. People don't like to admit it but all of the latest psychological research shows that we humans are extremely biased creatures. That affects our split second decision making and judgements about other people, especially in high stress environments. The chapter in the book about 4 cops in New York back in the 90's who end up killing an unarmed black man is very striking, just because of all the wrong split second assumptions they made about the man... When the situation precipitated, the cops were so amped up on adrenaline that when the guy reached into his pocket to pull out a wallet they shot him over 30 times. Whatever actually happened with this case, there's something to be said about the need to provide more counseling to police officers so that they won't precipitate situations needlessly. Many cops in St. Louis have suffered from toxic stress for a while and there's a lot to suggest that their split second decision making might be significantly affected by that.

Larry Hughes Jr. will be class of 2022, he's in 8th grade right now. Book your calendars for 2023 national championship.

Apparently the "[email protected]" email address sent a promotional video for the Akron game to all SLU students. This is great news if the AD is going to do likewise for the basketball games.

"Michael Porter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III couldn't put up the production that Doncic is doing in a 40-minute FIBA ball-control game," an NBA veteran scouting executive told Bleacher Report. Doncic, who went for 27 points and nine rebounds against Latvia, is building confidence in scouts and momentum in the debate as the No. 1 overall draft pick for 2018. "Yes, 100 percent," said the executive when asked if Doncic could go first. "His game is leap years above anyone. Continues to shine and impress." In 2018, Porter won't be able to cake-walk to No. 1 at Missouri with empty team production, the way Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz did in college.

If SLU had some intelligent marketing people (I hear they've been getting better in that department), they could really try to take some serious jabs at Mizzou in social media, ads, etc. Similar to that women's basketball tweet that someone posted. They need to seriously push the "St. Louis' Basketball Team" theme, the fact that you can see a basketball game here in town without having to drive 2 hours into the stix...

Mizzou won't play SLU because they know that it would in their minds cede legitimacy to the Billikens in the STL recruiting scene. They want SLU to be seen as second rate in the eyes of casual fans, high school and AAU coaches, etc. Can you imagine the Bills playing Mizzou in the 2018-2019 season? Carteare Gordon and Jordan Goodwin running all over Cuonzo's squad would have a lasting impact on SLU's recruiting. Misery doesn't want that to happen, so that is why I still doubt they would ever play us unless the public/media pressure becomes too great (which doesn't seem likely at this rate either)...

When people see the Arch the first thought that pops into their head isn't usually Boone County...

http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/15105

Hoops Insider likes to say that he "wants the best for both programs," but it's all an aversion to the fact that his idea of "best" for SLU is pretty far off from his idea of "best" for Mizzou. For him, "best" for both programs is similar to saying "I hope SLU competes in the A10, gets all the local 2-3 star recruits, and makes the NIT consistently." For Mizzou, it's getting all the STL 4-5 star recruits that are just "too good for SLU" (last year he said Gordon wouldn't come to SLU), competing in the Dance, and taking the national spotlight as THE program for Missouri (and STL) hoops. The simple truth is that Hoops Insider can't help but view SLU as a typical "mid major" that can't compete with the likes of Misery, but he still wants the "best" (i.e. status quo).

It's all part of Cuonzo's efforts to counteract Ford's recruiting efforts in STL. He wants the kids to think that Boone Country is essentially "home" and that St. Louis is a Mizzou town. It's his way of downplaying SLU's "staying home" pitch to local recruits, and he will try to paint himself as a true son of St. Louis. Martin will only continue to push that message in recruiting battles for 2019, 2020, 2021.

Pure comedy reading about Odom's program falling off the hinges...

Exactly. A pretty big thing that those schools we strive to be like do is that they get the high end local talent and showcase it for the region. Not only does it boost local pride, but it also makes the team as a whole feel more like the city's team. And this is only the beginning. If these guys that Ford brings in start going to the NBA, it has a wide ripple effect local players around here. People will start to look at the SLU program and viewing it through a completely different lens, a lens of legitimacy.

True, I think though that it's more so the sustained culture that I'm referring to. Like I said, whenever I travel to Omaha, the support for Creighton basketball there is unbelievable, and has been that way for years, even in their down years (which are obviously fewer and farther in between than SLU's). When you come to St. Louis, it's a mixed bag of support and the local media writes ten times as many articles about the school 2 hours away in Boone county as they do about the local basketball team. SLU has TWO top 100 recruits coming in this season, yet I've seen hardly any media hype this summer. I understand the Post Dispatch is all but dead at this point and needs to do all they can to generate clicks, but when you don't even hype up the local basketball team for what could be an incredible season, something is wrong with the local sports media.... You are correct about SLU basketball being a pattern of sustained ups and downs, which doesn't help foster much longitudinal local support. The fact that Biondi was never fully committed to basketball also hurt us longterm. But the media should have still been all in on SLU these past several decades. They should have held SLU accountable and to a higher standard. That is what you would see in Omaha for Creighton. It's about making SLU "St. Louis' basketball team."

+1 "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people." "The cornerstone of democracy rests on the foundation of an educated electorate." -Thomas Jefferson Ironic for conservatives to ignore this simple truth in today's day and age... The MO legislature is filled with backward idealogues who believe that the government is evil and "cutting everything" is the path to prosperity for society. How long will it take for the right to realize that eduction is fundamental for a healthy society, and that if we all pay into the same education pot we are all going to reap the benefits? https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/09/07/the-sad-story-of-public-education-in-st-louis/?utm_term=.b0cad15868a7

There's still a general problem with the perception of SLU basketball in the St. Louis region. It will always be viewed as second rate by casual fans and the Post Dispatch (which might as well be the Columbia Post Dispatch at this point), etc. You go to cities like Omaha, where Creighton is basketball king over Nebraska. Or Cincinnati, where Xavier is viewed more highly than U Cincy. It's not even a question in those places. But in this region, SLU will always be looked at simply as a lower tier program for recruits until Ford can change the perception. Having local guys like Goodwin and Gordon commit is a terrific start, but even now you see the pushback against Ford's valiant efforts. They said, "oh that's cute" when SLU was a top 10 team, but in reality they never believed it was a sign of longterm legitimacy. Unfortunately, Mizzou has jumped back into the fray, moderately rolling back the tide on Ford's momentum in STL recruiting. One need not loo any further than the "coaches" who post on this board and proclaim their "duel fanship." Yet when you read between the lines, it is pretty obvious they harbor the same condescending attitude towards SLU that the local media and most of the other high school and AAU coaches all have. It's subtle, but it makes a huge difference in how recruits themselves end up viewing a program. Until St. Louis as a region and city embraces SLU as its basketball team, rather than the school 2 hours away in Boone County, no one will really take SLU seriously as a program and you will continue to see coaches, friends, family, etc. all trying to convince players that they can "do better than SLU." There is no reason we can't be like Xavier, Creighton, or Gonzaga, a place where recruits believe they can thrive and play for a winning team. All it takes is commitment from the administration and consistent support from the local region.