Dear Mr. Soderberg:

[Taj79]

You are not building a good case for yourself by saying such things as:

"It's kind of foggy to me exactly what happened,'' Soderberg said. "Our priorities going into tonight were to be sound with the basketball, which we weren't, and to do a good job on the defensive glass, which we didn't."

Foggy? Foggy? I don't know if Timmerman has it out for Brad, not that I have any proof or concerns either, but is anybody talking to this doofus and telling him what NOT to say? Nothing instills confidence more in a leader, any leader, then him saying I don't know what's happening. Yeah, this is a guy I want to rally around behind. Sometimes you have to engage in damage control. As the coach, you have to take the blame. How many times do you hear an Andy Reid say "I didn't prepare the guys well enough." Lots of times you hear about coaches calling guys out in the press, right? This is one of those times. I can understand with professionals (although I think I'd avoid even that) but these are kids.

Another interesting tidbit:

"If one possession could describe the collapse, it was SLU's last, when Polk faced a double-team bringing the ball upcourt. He got near midcourt and then kept going backward and backward and backward in the face of defensive pressure, until he was almost back to the end line where the play began. And with no one to get the ball to, he got a 10-second call. SLU didn't get a shot off in the final three minutes of the half."

I used to (and still do) bemoan the old Rich Grawer offense of working the shot clock down to two seconds and then having someone, anyone but usually not the shooting-inclined, stuck with the ball hoisting up an 18-footer (not even a trey). Sounds like here our offense isn't even designed to get that. I can sort of see what happened here ... end of the half, playing essentially four kids with another banged up .... too tired to create space for the teammate to have a passing option. This team is rapidly getting cooked. The amount of playing time, coupled with a key injury, and a less-than-motivated Greek, is all combining to flush this one much someone pointed out we did last season. Nowhere is that toll more noticable than on the road and in conference.

The trending continues to hold. Three out of four trends held water last night as only Richmond winning at home against Duquesne busted things but that isn't a big a bust as is possible. X's win at GeeDub was more unexpected. St. Joe's, Rhode Island and even La Salle trended out and won at home.

It is funny to watch this board trend down as well. We lose, and the negatives are amazing. Most will probably hold their breath as La Salle comes to town but we should maintain the trend and win. Should also do the same at home agaisnt Dayton but they beat us last year at home so who knows. If that happens, the negativity will subside but intensify once again after the (expected) UMass loss. What really scares me in busting trends is the fragile psyche of this team .... I can realistically see the clueless leader doing something that steers the ship into iceberg losses with La Salle, Dayton and Richmond ... maybe not all three but you never know. That's the trend buster that scares me.

[Canadian]

Good post Taj.

This is at least the 3rd time Brad Soderberg has said "I have no idea what's going on out there." That is completely unacceptable!!!!! You are the leader of this team and you have no idea what's going on?!!? He really, really needs to get fired ASAP. I say do it mid-season and possibly spark a rally in the Conference Tourny.

I have never heard such speak out of a D-1 coach. What Brad needs to do is rip his team in the locker room and publically ala Bobby Knight, sprinkled in with a little Colorado football coach tirade.

Fire Brad now, and maybe we make a run at the Conference tourny. He is completely listless, inspires noone, clearly doesn't have a clue as how to fix a broken team as he so blatently stated, and, to beat a dead horse, has no recruits.

A multi-faced failure, after 5 years of NOTHING, you have got to go Brad, you have got to go.

[Billikenexpress]

He's just an average coach with average talent, at best. You can't get silk from a sow's ear.

[slu72]

Ain't happening,

[Bay Area Billiken]

If SLU wins out at home and loses the 2 on the road, SLU will be 18-12 (17-12 v. D-1), 8-8 going into the A-10 Tournament.

Frankly, even with the high expectations, SLU would be just about where I thought SLU would be. Obviously, I had SLU winning at the Bonnies and beating Duquesne. But I had SLU losing at St. Joe's and probably losing at home to GW. SLU is probably 1 game behind where it objectively should be.

I agree that the Coach needs to stop these comments. He doesn't need to treat the post-game interviews like some type of personal confession. The comments are doing him and the team no good.

SLU cannot slip up at home against 2 schools that might not make the A-10 Tournament in LaSalle and Richmond. And SLU must find a way to beat Dayton this year. SLU should be able to beat Dayton, at least in St. Louis.

[slu72]

If this team thinks they practiced hard last week, they ain't seen nothing yet. This season is not over, we have the talent, and it's my job to get it done. Foggy? What the hell's foggy mean? Can you imagine going into your boss, Boss: Well, we lost the Higby account. Why?" You: "Gee, I'm not really sure, Chief...it's all kind of foggy to me." Boss: "Is it to foggy to see the exit sign?"

[SLUDrew]

17-12 and 8-8 in the 10th ranked conference in the country. If you say this isn't acceptable, why should we expect a better outcome next year, or the year after?

[slu72]

We don't see Bernies comments, Drew.

[Larry the Legend]

is SLU right where you thought they would be based upon years and years of average team play with average results? I think it is safe to say that SLU should have had a much better record simply due to the fact of their weak conference and the number of returning starters.

[jp18]

Coaches saying stuff like this after a game is not out of the ordinary. I appreciate his candor more than Quinn's bull down at Mizzou that last few seasons. Would you rather have him keep blowing smoke up all our you know what like that? I wouldn't. And Bruce Weber was saying very similar stuff to Brad earlier this season when the Illini were in a funk. I'm not getting bent out of shape over his comments.

I more upset at the players than the coach. I think they need to be held accountable as much as Brad. All the turnovers are a joke for this team - unacceptable. There is plenty of blame to go around for this team right now - it isn't all Brad's fault.

[Bay Area Billiken]

I didn't say 17-12, 8-8 is acceptable. In this season, it is not.

It is about what I expected. I've followed SLU hoops since the 1970's and am a survivor of the Ekker Era. You have to understand. While it seemingly should be better, it also could be much worse, much, much worse. 17-12, 8-8 under Ron Ekker would have been cause for celebration amongst the then few, the proud. SLU never approached that then.

As previously stated, I am not a member of the Kool-Aid Club. Nor am I ready to join the ABC's. Perhaps there is a third, centrist party, the Disappointed Dilemma Group. That's where I'm at right now. And you know about the horns of a dilemma. Which way should we go? I don't know right now. It isn't as crystal clear as it was, say in 1982, when it was painfully obvious.

Does the current coach have solid inroads into that Class of '08?

What are the real chances of the current coach signing solid recruits from that class? Does the presence of the current coach's son in that class enhance SLU's chances of recruiting success there? If the current coach is gone, there goes the son's influence, if he has any.

[Bay Area Billiken]

I think that is right based on history. I had higher hopes this year too. But when I sat down and looked at the schedule, those years and years of history colored my thoughts in realistically trying to predict.

SLU has always had trouble playing on the road. You can go back to losing on the road to terrible teams like Oklahoma City of the old MCC.

And then SLU pleasantly shocked me by going out and winning on ESPN2 at St. Joseph's, of all places. That showed that this team should be better than 15-10, 5-6. This team should not have lost at St. Bonaventure. And this team certainly should not have lost at home to Duquesne.

So, my point is that the record is about what I expected, maybe 1 game worse. But I am still disappointed, as I was hoping for an NCAA bid this year.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Bruce Weber has taken some heat too. His recruiting is an issue at the big U of I. He made that NCAA Championship Game appearance with Bill Self's players.

Re Coach Soderberg's comments, aren't some things better left unsaid?

[cheeseman]

Brad's comments are not uncommon for coaches to say. When he says he does not know why the team keeps playing inconsistently that is the truth. He is not saying that he does not know what they are doing wrong just that he can not explain why they keep doing it. Clearly, this team does not have the maturity to be successful - we need some impact players next year who know how to win.

[jp18]

Well said cheeseman.

[Billikan]

You are right on both points. In the last few weeks I have seen comments from a number of coaches from Webber to Tubby Smith to the coach at Wichita and many more where the coach says he cannot understand and does not know how to fix the problems with inconsitant play and focus and intensity. Unfortunately, Brad seems to wear his emotions on his sleeve and he makes comments that are better kept among the coaches in the locker room.

As to the team, I would suggest that a very good ccollege player needs skill, ability, a good basketball IQ and a high level of intensity and toughness. Ian has somehow lost his intensity and toughness. On the road, the team as a whole seems not to be as intense or as tough as it needs to be. Also, I have been a big supporter of Dwayne and I admire him as a young man but we need a tougher, better shooting point guard who is stronger. Also,I would take right now a Kelvin Henderson style big man from the JUCO ranks-- a guy who is tough as nails and does not ever lose his intensity.

I am starting to believe that Brad is a lot like Rich Grawer in that he needs players who are highly personally motivated like he is in order to succeed. He needs to recruit more players with intense competitive fire like Luke, Kevin, and Tommie. Players who are more like him and that he can mold into a team that will play like he would play. That is why he liked Dreja so much and Chris Sloan. I am no expert on the players in the area and in the juco ranks who have that take no prisoners intensity but if they have the overall ability to play D1 ball then I say let's go to war with those guys.

[flyphan]

PLEASE DON'T FIRE BRAD SODERBERG

I WANT TO KEEP SEEING DAYTON KICK SLU's ASS EVERY YEAR

[moytoy12]

Hey, Oklahoma City is an NAIA powerhouse.

[Bay Area Billiken]

I also think they are similar.

However, the Grawer/Lee Winfield tandem were better recruiters. At least the evidence supports that overall.

[moytoy12]

Do you (or anyone else on the board) get to see Brad at practice interact with the players? The reason i ask is that it has been suggested on this board (by whom i forget) that Brad can be kind of tough (not in a productive way) at practice or behind closed doors.

I don't know if that is true or not and i'm not saying it is true or not. I'm asking if you would have any indications if it were true?

If there was some truth to the fact that Brad has a personality behind closed doors that turns his players off, then maybe that would explain some of there mental errors and lapses.

however, this does not excuse the players' performance. I listened until mid-2nd half and heard of the many mental errors that were seemingly committed, and the same has been done all season. While i question whether UB is the man for the job, the players have a lot of culpability for the results to date this season as well.

[Larry the Legend]

No vocal players right now

No spark off the bench

No consistent PG

Too many turnovers

= inconsistent and average play. It's as simple as that.

SLU has no one that is willing to send a vocal message to the other team. No one that makes a hussle play and then insights the crowd with a little fist pump. We see that a little bit with KL and DP, but not on a consistent basis. Who really is the team leader???

Should be the Seniors, right????

[lefty]

Thanks for the laugh.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Correct. OCU used to be a MCC bottom feeder in NCAA D-1 before going into the NAIA. OCU used to be coached by Abe Lemons.

The Billikens of the early Rich Grawer years actually went 4-2 v. OCU, but both losses were on the road. OCU was so bad then that Coach Grawer's first SLU team (5-23)actually beat OCU at the old Kiel.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Tommie Liddell did that against GW after that monster putback dunk.

But you are right. Liddell and Kevin Lisch are both Sophs, not Seniors.

I also think SLU needs a ball handling point guard to take the pressure off Liddell. Ordinarily, Lisch would be a big help with ballhandling, but his left hand has been mummified. Was he bandaged that much last night? Injuries are a part of the game. But there is no question that Lisch's injuries have taken their toll this year.

[WhiteHall_Billiken]

>Brad can be kind of tough (not in a productive way) at

>practice or behind closed doors.

>

>>

>

I think there's a certain coach at Texas Tech who wins and has been known to be kind of tough.