First hand meeting with Roth

[slubaseball42]

Here is my connection: Roth's high school coach was my coach (different schools) and they were in the Illinois state baseball tournament this weekend. I went the game to see my old coach and he wanted me to meet Matt Roth because I attended SLU and he had visited and LOVED the school.

Matt seems like a great kid. Moser knew about him from his days at ISU and he immediately brought his name to Majerus. From all accounts he is a dead-eye ridiculously good shooter, and that will translate. He is probably 6'1" - 6'2", word is he will need to get quicker at this level, so maybe starting from day one is a stretch, but would definetly be a HUGE sign. He seems very mature (he told me he liked SLU because of it's international business program and MBA program).

His high school coach and his wife could not stop talking about what a quality kid he is. Sounds a lot of like Meyer and Lisch.

Keep workin' the recruiting trails Ricky! We like it!

[slu72]

we are getting our own version of Blake Ahern.

[HenryB]

Great info...thanks for the report!

[billiken_roy]

to be honest i would rather have another lisch or liddell. i am expecting a higher level of recruits from majerus than the next blake ahearn if that is what this kid is akin to. arent eckerle and maguire supposed to be that player? why more one dimensional players?

give me another lisch/liddell or a super fast point guard with some size, or an anthony bonner clone inside pf.

[NashvilleBilliken]

I agree with you. Would anybody on here trade Lisch for Ahearn? Doubtful. Why not get another Lisch? Perhaps, Roth is another Lisch...I don't pretend to know. But looking at a number of reports, they all say he's a dead eye shooter. Don't see a whole lot more than that. My hope for Majerus was that we wouldn't have to be looking for these "diamond in the rough" types. I've heard a few people say "he'd be a nice pickup for SLU". That's not what I'm looking for. I want them to say he'd be a nice pickup for Marquette, DePaul, Georgetown, N.D., etc. When the guys' only other offers are from the MVC, I don't get too impressed. Like Courtside always says, it's not about the rankings but what schools are recruiting him. Well, his list of schools isn't very impressive.

All that being said, I have to trust our coach. He has extended a scholarship to him on top of Brad's. He hasn't done that for Femi. I guess RM has a vision...I had just thought that entailed a higher pedigree of recruits. And if nothing more, perhaps it will FINALLY convince SLU72 to stop posting about Ahearn. That guy is obsessed with him.

[StLouBlue]

I think one of the main problems with Brad was that he was really inflexible on his defensive system and this caused him to overlook kids that wouldn't fit defensively. I think this might have been a cause for us not having quality role players and/or a deep enough bench these last few seasons. Since Majerus is not afraid to go after scorers and shooters who might not be as much athletes, this probably means more zones and other type defenses than the 90+% man to man. Building a roster goes beyond the top 4/5 players getting the majority of minutes, it means recruiting quality role players getting 10 minutes a game their first 2 years and developing beyond that as upperclassmen. I expect Majerus to recruit and land star players like Lisch and Liddell as well as having a quality bench. I expect Majerus knows the type of players he needs for his system and if getting shooters like Eckerle & Roth are part of that great.

[slufanskip]

my thoughts exactly. I remember hearing that even at Utah, RM didn't have top recruiting classes. What he did best was evaluate talent and know how to fit the peices together along with excellent game planning.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H Waldman

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

[Sheltiedave]

RM also got quality big men who knew how to "D" up, and his squads went 7 or 8 deep with quality. Some people forget that.

As far as Matt goes, he is a great shooter at the high school level. I have a problem with people beating a continuous drum over how good Matt is- he is not a star, not an all stater, not the best player in central Illinois, and DEFINITELY not a freshman starter at SLU. As Polk proved last year, a solid body-up defensive effort against a superlative 3 pt set shooter will result in a very poor offensive output - and Ahearn was a smarter senior and a better shooter than Matt will be.

I have seen Matt off and on in competitive events for over a decade, so beyond his parents and a few juvenile coaches in Washington, I probably am better qualified than anyone here to throw predictions out.

The one thing I have learned is there are more people "right" about their predictions from watching a couple video clips than others. Forums are good for laughs when kool aid is imbibed.

[VTIME]

>RM also got quality big men who knew how to "D" up, and his

>squads went 7 or 8 deep with quality. Some people forget

>that.

>

>As far as Matt goes, he is a great shooter at the high

>school level. I have a problem with people beating a

>continuous drum over how good Matt is- he is not a star, not

>an all stater, not the best player in central Illinois, and

>DEFINITELY not a freshman starter at SLU. As Polk proved

>last year, a solid body-up defensive effort against a

>superlative 3 pt set shooter will result in a very poor

>offensive output - and Ahearn was a smarter senior and a

>better shooter than Matt will be.

>

>I have seen Matt off and on in competitive events for over a

>decade, so beyond his parents and a few juvenile coaches in

>Washington, I probably am better qualified than anyone here

>to throw predictions out.

>

>The one thing I have learned is there are more people

>"right" about their predictions from watching a couple video

>clips than others. Forums are good for laughs when kool aid

>is imbibed.

If you've seen Matt so much and know so much why do you state in the same post that he was not all-state when he was 1st team All-State this past season. What are you talking about? He almost broke the state 3 pt record. He's hit at least 100 3's in two of his 3 seasons including 143 last season en route to 21.1 ppg average. He is a star. He is an all-stater. In the other thread it was mentioned at least a couple times that people thought he was the best they have ever seen at this level. If he wanted to play on a weaker AAU team and not arguably the top AAU team in the country, he could and put up big numbers and get more exposure, but he's a winner and wants to win, even if it means being a good chearleader from the bench.

http://www.hoinews.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=22997

[HenryB]

What are you drinking??? Don't let the facts get in the way of your opinion. Saying he is not an all stater takes away any of the dubious credibility you had in the first place. All the kid does is fill it up. If RM is excited about him that is more than good enough for me.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...ketball-utility

[slu72]

Nashville, I am not obsessed with BA. That was tongue in cheek. Henry B's post is pretty convincing that this kid has some cred. 1st team all state and the only junior? Rose is on that squad and he's one of the top gets in this year's class. First team Illinois ain't too shabby in my book.

[Sheltiedave]

Henry, I take it you are not from Illinois, and don't have an understanding of much of the political manipulations involved in "all star" selections. I have stated on multiple occasions that Matt is a very good three point shooter. Regardless of whether he made first team all state, it is not because he is a better shooting guard than either of the second or third team selection. In my Illinois all state list for last year, I have Matt slotted at 7th team at best.

He filled up the bucket during his high school career because he was the one decent DI talent on his team in a weak conference in a weak midstate basketball era. He was the first, second, and third options on Washington's team. You put him up against Josh Edmunds, McCamey, Evans, Liggins(which I saw,)and ten other DI guard talents in Illinois last year, and Washington would go down. He got 1st team all state strictly because the vote from the Chicago area was splintered, while the midstate/downstate was solidly Roth. According to the voting, Roth is a better SG than the 4 star Ohio State signed. Matt doesn't start, or see significant minutes, on his AAU team, and yet you think he is the best SG in Illinois because a poll tagged him as such? Yep, I'm stupid, and have zero credibility.

I am not slamming RM, but people need to see the difference in talent and abilities of a Blake Ahearn vs. SIU's Tatum. One is an outstanding shooter who can learn how to not be a defensive liability by his 3rd/4th year vs. a ball of fire defender who sets the plate at both ends. We might have the former in two or three years.

[tiger72]

I agree on Matt Roth. He is a solid player, and is a role player. I dont think he is better than Jamal Tatum or Blake Ahearn in any way shape or form. You're talking about kids that were 1st MVC and one that will get looks in the NBA. I think Roth would be a good get, but Scott Suggs and Jon Bradenburg didnt make all state and they are much better players. SLU needs to get guys that would be 1st team in the MVC to compete in the Atlantic 10. I think Roth would be a great fit for RM and hopes he becomes a billiken.

[davidnark]

>You put him up against Josh Edmunds, McCamey, Evans,

>Liggins(which I saw,)and ten other DI guard talents in

>Illinois last year, and Washington would go down.

This reporter disagrees with your statement:

Hoop, Hoop, Hooray! HS Hoops Update

HOI-19 High School Weblog

By Jim Mattson

Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 8:05 PM

Matt Roth is an All-Stater

Just about every day, some one asks me if Matt Roth is a big time college prospect. Just about every day, I say "Yes." Then, I ask the questioneer to attend any Washington game and tell me who's the best player in that game. In every game so far this year, Matt Roth has been the best player on the floor. Let's examine that statement. So far, Matt Roth and Washington played Chicago Washington and the so-called top Jr. player in the state, DeAndre Liggins--Roth outplayed Liggins. Then Washington played a Missouri school KC Winnetonka and their Iowa recruit, Jarryd Cole--Roth outplayed Cole. Then Washington played an Arkansas school Har-Ber and their Arkansas recruit Nate Rakestraw- Roth outplayed Rakestraw. Then Washington played Geneseo and their Jr. star Tyler Storm who has a DePaul scholarship offer- Roth outplayed Storm. Tuesday night, Roth poured in a career-high 29 points at Metamora! Every game, Roth is playing like an all-stater. Yes, you can argue about his athleticism and can he play defense at a big-time college level. That's debateable. What's not debateable is that Roth's remarkable shooting range--the best I've ever seen--and his basketball smarts will make him a very good college player- I have no doubt!

http://www.hoinews.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=22997

[HenryB]

Words have meaning. Don't say someone is not an all stater when they are - you make yourself look very foolish when you do that. If you don't agree with that, that is your prerogative, but don't make up things that are factually indisputable. PLease, pray tell, show me where I ever said he was the best shooter in Illinois - I never said that but, then again, don't let the facts get in the way of your argument. Here is what I do believe - the ability to shoot the basketball should never be underestimated. Everyone is so enamored by "athletic abiity", dunking, etc. Bottom line, you still have to put the ball in the hole. Roth has proven he can do that about as well as anyone in the state of Illinois. Will that translate to college? Only time will tell - but clearly this kid can shoot. You don't think playing alongside Tommy and Kevin he wouldn't get a lot of open looks? Finally, not to disparage your opinion, but I place much more stock In RM's opinion of Roth than yours. I also get weary of this stereotyping - just because a kid is white and has made a lot of 3 pointers, that doesn't make him Blake Ahearn. Finally, spare the condescending attitude toward others - you have no idea as to where I live or what I know about all star selections, so stop supposing that you do.

[billiken_roy]

henry, i am not saying i put roth in this category or not, but the likes of drew diener and dustin maguire were reputed to be "this kid can shoot" high school players as well.

i think sheltie's point of comparing the likes of tatum and ahearn was a good one. i truly dont want ahearn's but if we are talking strictly on court basketball players (off court is a another issue) i'd take the likes of tatum any day over an ahearn.

if you had to categorize, is roth an ahearn or a tatum?

second, again, i thought majerus was going to find better all around players? i say let majerus do his job and let's see what november brings us.

[Major Majerus]

D1 hoops - the greatest show on earth.

Whoa...Drew could shoot the ball; maybe it took him awhile, but not all pure shooters have a quick release. I'd like to watch Ahearn, Drew, and DM play horse from the nba line.

[ACE]

Roy, you seem to lump every "shooter" into the same category. They're not all the same. If this kid is a player like Colin Falls or Blake Ahearn, you take him. If he is Dustin Maguire or Drew Deiner, you don't. I haven't seen the kid play, but he sounds a little more like he's in the Falls/Ahearn category.

[davidnark]

>henry, i am not saying i put roth in this category or not,

>but the likes of drew diener and dustin maguire were reputed

>to be "this kid can shoot" high school players as well.

Deiner took three seconds to release the ball and got about two inches off the ground on his shot. This kid's shot and release looks a lot more like the little white sharpshooter at Florida a few years back. Who knows what Maguire can do when put in a position to succeed.

[NashvilleBilliken]

Not that I necessarily disagree with you, but I think it's unfair to throw out much of a judgement on McGuire. THe guy was supposed to be a stud from downtown...similiar to what we here about Roth. They are about the same size. Brad played a short bench, and we barely got to see what McGuire could do. His shooting percentage was weak, but when you barely play, it's not like he had a bunch of confidence. I'm still holding out hope that DM can be the zone buster we've been looking for.

[ACE]

>Not that I necessarily disagree with you, but I think it's

>unfair to throw out much of a judgement on McGuire. THe guy

>was supposed to be a stud from downtown...similiar to what

>we here about Roth. They are about the same size. Brad

>played a short bench, and we barely got to see what McGuire

>could do. His shooting percentage was weak, but when you

>barely play, it's not like he had a bunch of confidence. I'm

>still holding out hope that DM can be the zone buster we've

>been looking for.

I'm certainly rooting for DM and hope he develops into a nice player, but Falls and Ahearn were both better as freshmen.

[slufanskip]

You are probably thinking of Teddy Dupay. That kid could shoot. I think this is a kid we need. My argument was the statement that this kid WILL be a starter as a freshman. If he is ... like I said before, I'll be either estatic about how good he is, or dissapointed in the rest of our guards, especially Marcus R.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H Waldman

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

[HenryB]

Roy, I think RM is looking for better all around players - I believe he considers Roth a high level in as much he can fulfill the role he has in mind at a high level. I have seen Roth a couple of times and in my opinion he is a notch above DM and Ahearn, He clearly does not bring the quickness or defensive presence to the table that Tatum does. I think sometimes the term role player has an underserved negative connotation. I don't think Roth has the athleticism of TL or KL. but he plays with a great deal of intensity and his shooting ability clearly makes him a difference maker.

[Sheltiedave]

Jim Mattson

Sports Director

[email protected]

School: University of Illinois

Hometown: Morton, Illinois

Jim Mattson is the HOI 19 Sports Director.

Jim has covered Heart of Illinois sports over a span of three decades. He began as an intern at the station in 1985 and has been on the air at HOI 19 since 1989.

Jim is known for a number of exclusive features including “The Heartstopper of the Night,†“The Jim Dandy Award†and “The HOI Athlete of the Week.†His sportscast is also known as the best source of high school sports highlights and coverage.

Jim grew up in Morton, Illinois. He is a graduate of Morton High School and the University of Illinois.

Jim is the proud father of two beautiful little girls. His hobbies include golfing, reading and movies.

HOI 19 Sports covers athletics at 72 high schools a year. Jim’s goal is to personally see a game at each school every year.

David, Jim is what I would call a "homer." There is a very large ulterior motive for him to label Matt as a major DI prospect - his station will get more viewers on the sports coverage. Matt currently is "major" in the same sense that the Morton station is "major" in Peoria, let alone Illinois.

If you want to compare a real first team all stater shooting guard who is/was a REAL "major DI prospect," look to Scheyer, who was being chased by Illinois and Duke. I'm glad Matt and SLU seem to be hitting it off well, but do realize that first team Illinois all state this year at SG is not the same significance as the last five, ten, or fifteen years ago.

Don't let a RM-induced myopia cast the illusion that Roth will proved a third of his high school production onto the court at SLU any year. Anyone who uses Mattson as a basketball guru also thinks Bernie knows more about a triangle and two than anything football.

[STLfan]

Thread titled "Could Matt Roth be a Billikin"

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=169#S=169&F...05404&P=1&STM=0