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Why is it...................


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...so easy to know who Majerus is recruiting and bringing in for visits, but we never knew who Brad was really recruiting? I never heard about golf cart rides with recruits and multiple guys coming on a visit together. In less than a month (Majerus was officially introducted 4-30-07)he's had double digit recruits in for visits. He had a meet and greet with the local AAU coaches. Why is he making a job, specifically the recruiting aspect look so easy, when people constantly talked about what a disadvantage Brad had and how it wasnt his fault? Is it what Majerus is doing right or what Brad was doing wrong?

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You can't talk about specific recruits but other people can. Majerus is more noticeable than Brad and so if he is traveling around campus you notice. Furthermore, I think Majerus is playing up our strengths, get the recruits out of the 100 year old West Pine and onto the beautiful campus and see the new arena being built. That is the future so don't even let West Pine enter their mind. The increased media attention has helped to get the word out on visits as well. The staff is also interacting with the media more than it had in the past.

I got to agree what this guy has done in a month with all the visits and one signing is amazing. I am hoping he can work some magic and put together a good schedule for next year.

Anyone remember the link to that site where colleges advertised games?

Is Majerus friends with Matt Doherty? I need him to bring SLU down to DFW and play SMU so I can watch a game locally. I couldn't make it to Houston or College Station last year.

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I'm expecting a big year in 2008-2009, with the recruits joining Lisch and Liddell, but what should I be expecting next year. The team is basically the same, but you added Eberhart and a couple freshman. Will they make the tourney? Is the NIT likely? I really dont know what to expect next season.

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I'm thinking it's a function of Majerus's celebrity status. When you have the recruits initiating the contact and lining up to see you because of who you are it sure makes recruiting look easy. For all we know, Brad may have devoted an equal amount of effort towards recruiting. Brad however, lacking the same celebrity status, saw his efforts come up empty. Here's a contrast of how a recruit's mindset may be- "I can't wait to meet Majerus! If he don't call me I'm calling him!" as opposed to "that Sodersomething guy wants me to come in for a visit... I don't know know that I want to". No disrespect to Brad, but Majerus is in a league of his own. I believe that Brad could have devoted himself to recruiting 24/7 and never achieved Majerus-like results.

Whatever the difference is, I am thrilled to see it. Majerus has already surpassed my high expections.

It seems like ancient history now, but before the hire there were questions whether Majerus would be able to devote the energy required to recruiting. I guess this is one thing we happily no longer need concern ourselves with.

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sodereberg told us at billiken club meetings that they intended recruiting to be somewhat private/secret. i think majerus and moser and wanting the circus to play out. they want the buzz.

personally i prefer majerus way. let the world know what is going on or at least let them find out easily. the buzz created the last month has been unequaled in the billiken fandom as long as i have been following.

hopefully the slu CIA ways are over.

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You need the buzz and hype these days. If a player is offered and he thinks he is the only one the school is chasing he is holding all the cards. However, if a player is offered then another equal or better player comes in for a visit the next week that makes a decision more pressing. SLU doesn't need to be Fall Back U. when it comes to recruiting. It is all about selling the program and Majerus seems to be selling that vision of come with your boys, to your hometown team and win. That's the pitch to the local STL recruits the pitch to the boosters is, "I'm a Jesuit school guy, let's get good kids in here some that may need a chance in life and work hard to win some basketball games."

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More than anything else, a coach is selling himself. Majerus has a lot more history and proven results to sell than UB.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H Waldman

Official Sponser of the Stemmler and Ahearn could and would have helped club.

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Once you are big-time, things come easy, Majerus has that status, has a reputation, NCAA credibility, "X" and "O" "king" so everyone follows him, nobody followed Soderberg, even though he was a good guy.

Majerus is making up for lost time, is hungry, and has no real immediate family except Mom. Soderberg had a family and spent a lot of time watching his son instead of scouting for SLU.

Soderberg was an introvert, RM an extrovert, people like him.

Majerus is smart enough to work with local AAU community, etc, Soderberg was not. Fatal mistake.

Majerus has charisma, Soderberg does not.

THOSE are the reasons that everything appears to be clicking for RM.

Looking good... not there yet, but looking good.

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This can be summed up in five words:

HIS NAME IS RICK MAJERUS.

Comparing him and Soderberg is to compare delicious Washington apples with Shnucks Brand Oranges. Simply put, Soderberg was the absolute worst thing that has ever happened in the history of Saint Louis University -- we went backwards as a program and as a university. The marketing our school does (or even if such a department exists) is the redheaded stepchild of SLU. It was embarrassing to be a SLU student from 2002-2007. The Reign of Terror/BadRecruiting/Soderberg is over, and now we enter a Golden Age of Saint Louis Basketball.

Praise Allah.

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Romar got the Washington job as the 4th pick and because he was a graduate of the school. Not because he wowed them with his performace at SLU. Romar got us to the tourney with Spoon's recruits - his recruits did not ever pan out except for Brad with a NIT trip. Romar left the program in worse shape then when he came and Brad did improve things at first - the problem was another year of nonsigning of good players and Brad would have been in the same boat as Romar was when he left in regards to the program. RM has the big name, track record, and personality to be successful. Brad had none of that so it was probably never going to work out for him here. The one thing Brad did for SLU was show Biondi that he can not get to where he wants to be with the BB program on the cheap. Without a Brad type not succeeding here an RM type would never have been hired.

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I was at the Tip Off Club where Romar gushed about the players he started with, the one that got us to the NCAA. The Bills were definitely worse off when he left than when he arrived.

We keep dancing around the obvious. We are in great position now. Majerus is a great bball mind, personable, able to recruit well. We have to sit back and enjoy the ride while he is here.

Any changes he makes to the program, the facility, etc will be analyzed and digested. He is human, and should be examined like any other coach we have had. The honeymoon period is still present, and any negatives will have to wait til we see how things pan out.

While I loved Brad and sincerely hoped for his success, it didn't happen for whatever reason. Long term, RM will hopefully make us forget UB and Romar.

mhg

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