logitech Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Luke is playing extremley well this season. Does anyone else feel like he is flying under the radar? He is averaging almost 10 points per game and 6 or 7 rebounds yet you never see him being talked about. He is also the teams top post defender, maybe besides Ian, and can go outside the lane and play defense as well. It seems like JJ is being talked about more than Luke and I was just curious why that is. I am a JJ fan, but I was just wondering why he is talked about more than Luke. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billikan Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Luke is a classic fundamental basketball player who makes the team better when he plays. A lot of the posters on this board have been extremely negative about Luke and for some reason they are very reluctant to give him his due. He reminds me of some of the classic glue and effort players on the old Bobby Knight teams. I absolutely love the guy. His non statistical contributions are key to a lot of our victories. He also plays in the shadow of two highly touted players who are sophomores and they deserve a lot of the spotlight because of their excellent play in many of the games. My guess is that some people will never accept Luke as a starter on a D1 team and that is a shame because he has proved that he not only belongs but he is a very significant contributor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 >>It seems like JJ is being talked about more than Luke and I was just curious why that is. I am a JJ fan, but I was just wondering why he is talked about more than Luke.<< Over his years at SLU, JJ has been discussed in the terms of wasted potential (protypical college PF body) so when he does something positive (as in the last game against Xavier), we are please with the small contributions he makes off the bench. Everyone recognizes Luke has sucked it up playing out of position at the 4 and held his own admirably. No knowledgeable poster on this board would ever dis Luke's contribution this year. Where would this team be without him? There have been 5-7 minute stretches here and there over the last 10 games where Luke has literally picked the team up and carried it. When we can't buy a bucket, Luke is the guy who answers the bell and finds a way to score. All that said, I wish we had a true PF and Luke was on the wing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 "He is also the teams top post defender, maybe besides Ian" Ignoring Ian, he is our ONLY post defender. I think Luke has done a great job this year and has far exceeded my expectations but the fact remains he is playing out of position and is asked to defend and block out against guys much bigger then him. Its not his fault, he should be playing the 3 spot with Kevin and Tommie as the 1 and 2. Imagine substituting Polk for a bruiser PF that cleans the glass. Luke is a natural 3 and would be even more successful if he was being played in his natural position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billikan Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I am not sure if I understand your post but if you are suggesting that Ian is not defending the post, and the basket, this year, I strongly disagree. He has blocked or altered countless shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Courtside is right, you fall victim to your own criticism. Your negativity about negativity is getting me down. Billikan, time to get off your pitty potty. "A lot of the posters on this board have been extremely negative about Luke and for some reason they are very reluctant to give him his due." The first half of this statement is more true than not, but the second part is just horse ######. I had questions about luke, but those were mainly with respect to his playing out of position. The "playing out of position" statement is just about the only thing close to negative that is said about luke. Most folks, including myself, have praised luke's game this year. "My guess is that some people will never accept Luke as a starter on a D1 team and that is a shame because he has proved that he not only belongs but he is a very significant contributor." Where are these posts from "some" people that say Luke will never be a starter on a D1 team? Honestly Billikan, you are entirely too hysterical. Read the board with a modicum of comprehension and you will see many posters praising luke. You will also see many posters saying "hey, i was off about luke." For all of your talk about comments on billikens.com affecting recruits, which is highly debatable, your misrepresentations do no justice to the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetorch Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I think Luke has been given a lot of credit. He has turned himself into a helluva ballplayer. I think posters are unhappy with the fact that we a play 6'5 wing player at the 4 more than they are critical of Luke's play. Really you can't criticize his play at all. He maxes out his effort and talent every night. He is just overmatched a lot of the time because he is out of position. He has a few deficiencies, the wacky way he shoots from the hip, the fact that he can't hit shots from 3 at the top of the key only from the corners. Still I think most, myself included, expected him to be an 8th or 9th man on a NCAA team and clearly he has become a better ballplayer than that. Next year is he the starting 4? Probably, we would have to get a really good player to remove him from his spot. Another thing as well, I think Luke has been helped by the lack of a 4 man, on the perimeter he is a step slow and his shot would be guarded alot more by perimeter players. As effective as he is at the 4, he wouldn't be as much if we had him playing the three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 As someone posted above he's the glue to this team. He's to be commended for working over the summer to build up his body, and I suspect he did this in anticipation of having to play the 4. When we were projecting starting lineups back in Aug and Sep, many of us stated he'd be the starting 3, because while not spectacular or possessing great athleticism, he just makes you better. Kind of a lunch pail Larry Bird type; hustle, selfless, savvy etc. Without him we'd be a 500 team. From the record over the last two seasons it's clear, we're better with him on the floor, even playing him out of position. Now, if UB can go out and recruit a legit 4 in the spring and AK develops to where he can take over for IV, or vice versa, we'll be that much better w/ LM at the 3 next year. In short, you gotta love the Luke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I was one who has never been all that thrilled with Luke having to play the 4 but I have said that he is playing well this year and deserves to keep playing. I also don't think that if we had a viable 4 that Luke would be taking Polk's minutes. Luke is not fast enough to play defense against the ones Polk does nor does Luke have the same ball handling skills as Polk. Truth is, Luke is playing the most because we don't have a 4. Cudos to him for taking advantage of the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SShoe Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 There's no doubt in my mind that if we had a legit 4, Luke would still be starting and playing 30 minutes per game. Luke wouldn't be guarding the guys that Polk does. Kevin would guard the point guard, Tommie would pick up the other guard and Luke would pick up the opposing wing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Billikan is the most negative person I have read on the board, bar none. With that behind us, EVERYONE on this board has been incredibly complementry to Luke and everything he has done. He's been the MVP so far of the season in my opinion. Sure, Tommie's #'s are nice, but where would we be without Luke?! He's undersized, and not all that athletic, but he's still a phenomenal hussle player and the type of basketball player anyone coach or team dreams of having. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SShoe Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 >Billikan is the most negative person I have read on the >board, bar none. > >With that behind us, EVERYONE on this board has been >incredibly complementry to Luke and everything he has done. >He's been the MVP so far of the season in my opinion. Sure, >Tommie's #'s are nice, but where would we be without Luke?! >He's undersized, and not all that athletic, but he's still a >phenomenal hussle player and the type of basketball player >anyone coach or team dreams of having. Where would we be without Tommie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorB Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 in a previous thread I called Luke the Poster Boy of the program. I think we should all be very proud of Luke's accomplishments, and this thread is only repeating my sentiments there. Someone called him the glue, like an old throwback type from a Bob Knight team. good comparison. Anthony was sort of the glue last year. By Poster Boy, I was stressing his heart. the guy plays with passion and has great heart. I wish every athlete had his passion and spirit for the game. Plus -- his ethical and intellectual demeanor, on campus, or just the warmth and friendliness he has when you talk to him. He is just a really good kid to have on a team. That is what I was meaning to stress, and it is not a slam on any other player. I have a few problems with the film Rudy, but that film does illustrate passion and heart (though at times it can become possibly delusional). I want both excellent heart and excellent athletic excellence. Ususally players have some of both. The Magics and the Birds of the world rose to greatness by combining both. But to tell the truth, pour moi, when in doubt, go with heart (i.e Hickory High over South Bend). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 "Another thing as well, I think Luke has been helped by the lack of a 4 man, on the perimeter he is a step slow and his shot would be guarded alot more by perimeter players. As effective as he is at the 4, he wouldn't be as much if we had him playing the three." I think you hit the nail on the head there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTIME Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Luke is a legit pf. He's averaging 10 and 6. If someone told you before the season started that you would have a starting pf averaging 10pts and 6 rebs, you would've been ecstatic. Guess what Luke is the starting pf and he's putting up those number and we are more than halfway through the season. The only thing thats not legitimate is his criticism. If Luke were out for the season and JJ were putting up these numbers, there would be only elation. Luke is playing the pf position as well as maybe anyone in the conference and being 6'5 shouldnt be held against him, especially by his own SLU fans. I'm pretty sure the all of SLU's opponents think he's legit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I'm amazed to say it but....good point Vtime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Many would criticize me for this and it's just an opinion but I'd rather have 4 years of LM than 4 years of Drejaj and I liked DRejaj. When I look at the big pictures though, I like Luke's fundamentals better than Drejaj's and also Luke's consistency. Drejaj was great to have for attitude on the team, fire the team up, and he was a slap you in the face defender. But, AD was very inconsistent. He'd have an Iowa game one night and the next night do nothing. I really did like Drejaj but Luke's fundamentals and consistency night in and night out make me choose him rather tha AD's wrecklessness at times. I know they are playing 2 different positions but since his name were brought up thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. Billikan is correct that some did say Luke should not be playing D1. In fact, I think only one person said that. More said that he should be a 6th man. I don't believe they were referring to the team as it is today. If I recall people were stating that Luke would make a great 6 man. That statement of course assumes you have 5 other players that can start above him which we do not. Luke would make a great 6th man on a team because he can spell several different players at different positions because he is versatile. Also, being fundamentally sound allows for a coach to rest a player and not worry the sub is going screw things up. Luke also comes through when you need him to and would be a great spark off the bench. All that being said, we don't have the luxury of him being a sixth man. He's a starter and gets his minutes and that has worked out well for our Billikens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SShoe Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 >Luke is a legit pf. He's averaging 10 and 6. If someone >told you before the season started that you would have a >starting pf averaging 10pts and 6 rebs, you would've been >ecstatic. Guess what Luke is the starting pf and he's >putting up those number and we are more than halfway through >the season. The only thing thats not legitimate is his >criticism. If Luke were out for the season and JJ were >putting up these numbers, there would be only elation. Luke >is playing the pf position as well as maybe anyone in the >conference and being 6'5 shouldnt be held against him, >especially by his own SLU fans. I'm pretty sure the all of >SLU's opponents think he's legit. The problem with Luke at the 4 isn't his stats, but what happens to our team's D because Luke plays the 4. He's forced to guard opposing 4s and is often overmatched on the defensive end. We then have to double down any time the ball's in on the low post and they kick out for open 3's. Luke's stats on the offensive end are very good and he's been our rock at times, but the problems of him playing out of position doesn't show up in the stat sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Took the words right out of my mouth. Good points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NashvilleBilliken Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I actually agree with you V...wow. Luke does get a bunch of credit on here, but it's always ends with some sort of a caveat. And while it's even hard for me to accept that we have a 6'5" PF, it's time to get over it. The guy held what most would consider the best PF in the country, B. Wright, to an abysmal 3 rebounds and 12 points. That stunned me. He may be giving up some height, but the kid can play...and play damn good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SShoe Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 >I actually agree with you V...wow. > >Luke does get a bunch of credit on here, but it's always >ends with some sort of a caveat. And while it's even hard >for me to accept that we have a 6'5" PF, it's time to get >over it. The guy held what most would consider the best PF >in the country, B. Wright, to an abysmal 3 rebounds and 12 >points. That stunned me. He may be giving up some height, >but the kid can play...and play damn good. The caveat isn't anything against Luke. Nobody on this board doubts Luke or his abilities. He is damn good. The problem people have is with Brad's inability to recruit a legit pf. Carolina was getting easy open looks from the 3 because we were constantly doubling Wright in the low post. I think people just assert this team and Luke would be much stronger with a true pf and Luke at the small forward spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I agree with both Vee and SShoe about Luke's #s and the impact of him playing out of position. I do however disagree about Luke taking Polk's minutes. Kevin could guard the man that Polk defends but then that takes one of our best guard defenders out of the game. We are better defensively with Kevin guarding their #2 and Polk guarding their pg. This leaves Tommie to guard their #3 thus making for a much better defensive situation. I also still think that we need Polk's ball handling skills on the floor - Tommie and Kevin need that 3rd person to help them by taking some pressure off when there is a press or a guard tandem that has speed. Luke can not do this. None of this is a knock on Luke - he will still get minutes just not as many as he gets now. The other point is Luke does not bring enough to the table with his outside shooting prowness to make up for unseating Polk. I agree with Tonka - all of this academic - Luke is our PF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p diddy Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 what luke has really figured out this year is while he may have matchup problems with bigger guys at his position while he is on defense, opposing PF's have a devil of a time trying to match up with him. what luke does extremely well is move without the basketball and shoot the mid-range jumper. he is now a serious offensive threat because he is really looking to score. did you see that fadeaway jumper from the baseline he hit over the 6'9" doellman while dribbling to his right. that shot was liddell-esque. at least three times this year, he has gone on second half scoring binges when the opposing team has made a run at us. as long as luke continues to pursue his offensive game, he neutralizes the size and strength he gives away on the other side of thecourt. plus, ian still draws a crowd and the man who usually cheats over to ian is luke's man and luke recognizes that and always moves to the open spot. he always seems to be in the right position on offense, defense and for key rebounds. on the radio, earl calls him "Luke the Drifter" because he always seems to be around the ball. bad boyz for life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NashvilleBilliken Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Right now, I think that is debatable (which i suppose is why we're here). In theory, your statements make perfect sense. But I don't know if that is necessarily the case in real life. Brad plays the pack defense (whether or not you agree with that is another topic). Part of that defense is clogging the lane and not giving up inside buckets. So does doubling on the post have more to do with Luke or Brad's strategy? Has Luke been "dominated" in the post this year? Or at least moreso than is expected by other power forwards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Again, courtside is correct. You post and run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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