First hand meeting with Roth

[3star_recruit]

"it boggles me that our fans are clamouring for what sounds like a one dimensional player."

I think some folks just are in love with the idea of getting an early commitment from an out of an area player. If Roth played at Edwardsville I don't think the interest would be nearly as strong. I am encouraged that he has big games against big time competition, both during the high school season and in AAU play.

[VTIME]

>David, you seem to be missing the point as well. Matt is a

>VERY good HS three point shooter, as were Deiner and Dustin.

>If he comes to SLU, I will be very happy for him and the

>team. We desperately need a bankable three point shooter in

>an RM system. There have been numerous times where judicious

>use of a three point specialist would have been a boon for

>us. Deiner also showed that depending on a three point

>specialist can have significant drawbacks.

>

>Matt does not have a good handle, does not have great foot

>speed, does not defend well, and does not fill the stats

>sheet with assists, steals, rebounds, or floor dives, and

>will need some significant upcoaching to change some of

>these attributes.

>

>There is a reason why Illinois has one five star, one four

>star, and then Matt at a two star shooting guard in the

>rankings for 2008. This probably is the weakest shooting

>guard class for Illinois in the last twenty five years, so

>it is not the year to claim recruiting supremacy and crow to

>other school forums that we stole the first team all state

>shooting guard in Illinois.

>

>Shumpert and Humphrey are head and shoulders above Matt, and

>any Illinois reporter who beats the drum incessantly that

>Matt is the best shooting guard, and third best high school

>senior in the state, is quite the homer. Right now Matt has

>a single skill that will translate well to mid DI in college

>- he can stroke the three. If fouled, he will make 85% of

>his free throws, but the lack of a serviceable handle makes

>his forays into the lane more exciting than Danny Brown

>going coast to turnover. This will limit his time on the

>floor late in games where we need icemen at the line.

>

>I would be much, much, much happier than I am if all I knew

>that he was first team all state Illinois, the third ranked

>SG in the senior class, had some hops, shot 85% from the

>line, and was a deadeye three point shooter. From what I do

>know, he will be a capable reserve, hopefully with a huge

>desire to improve.

You dont think Majerus knows what he's doing. Maybe he's not Deiner or Maguire. Maybe under Majerus, Maguire could have the kind of turnaround Matt Lawrence had at Missouri last year under Anderson. Did you think about that? Did you think about how Majerus might use Dustin. He might actually make Dustin feel comfortable taking shots and even give him the greenlight. Its easier to shoot when you arent looking over your shoulder. Matt Lawrence went from warming the bench to having his coach give him the greenlight in one offseason of showing the coach he can shoot.

[VTIME]

Majerus knows what he's doing and people were excited about Dustin from Edwardsville. I'm excited about what Majerus could get out of him.

[billiken_roy]

vtime, would you rather have roth or perry?

i would think a decision like that is possible as there is likely no doubt that mitchell and suggs are higher on the totem pole.

[VTIME]

Roth. Perry is the higher rated prospect and from St. Louis, but I cant see Roth doing anything but flourishing under Majerus. Most of Roth's shots arent anywhere close to the 3pt line and he shoots them with an effortless release. Perry is a slasher, who is athletic and a very good hustle player. He can handle the ball like a pg and is a very good passer, still a team could zone him up to limit his effectiveness. If he gets a jumpshot and adds weight, he's a definite high-major prospect. If he gets a jumpshot then yeah I would take him over Roth because I dont think many guys would be able to guard him, especially opposing pf's. If he could convince Majerus that he could play pg, I would take him over Mitchell.

[davidnark]

>it boggles me that our fans are clamouring for what sounds

>like a one dimensional player. i expect majerus to have us

>in on much more talented players than that. however, i

>trust majerus' vision or what is to come.

That one dimension is deadly outside shooting, the most important aspect of the game and something we haven't had much of in the last ten years. You certainly can't build a program around ten shooting specialists, but they are wonderful complimentary players. Would Jordan have won 6 championships withour Kerr, Paxson, and Armstrong?

[billiken_roy]

last i checked we dont have jordan.

second, do you think jordan wouldnt have won those titles if he had clyde drexler and magic johnson on his team instead of kerr and armstrong?

[Sheltiedave]

VTime, I am not doing anything to rip RM. I am noticing that Roth has the same rating as Kenny Leverette, which is two stars.

A dominant shooting guard who is ice from the field and was the best player on the court in every game a reporter watches, on the second ranked team in the state, should drive his team higher than a sectional championship game before losing.

High school players who can move outside their comfort zone and perform capably get three star ratings. Those who have a large skill set get four stars. Those who have a large skills set and are the best player on the court get five stars.

Roth's recruitment, to me, means that RM and staff are expecting to sign a three or four star PG next year, at the minimum. I expect they have Roth slotted as the designated shooter for his final two years, and they will be happy to see him filling the basket from 3 pt land even earlier. 75% of his shots came from 3 pt land in high school, according to the Washington stats guy.

[davidnark]

>last i checked we dont have jordan.

>

>second, do you think jordan wouldnt have won those titles if

>he had clyde drexler and magic johnson on his team instead

>of kerr and armstrong?

Did I suggest that we had Jordan? It is an analogy.

I don't care who is our head coach, we simply can't expect 3 or 4 Tommie Liddell or Scott Suggs every recruiting class. If we give away Sugg's or his equivalent's scholarshp to sign Ross, everyone should be upset. If, however, we used the fifth or sixth scholarship to sign a deadly sharpshooter who has had success against some the best competition in the Midwest, we should NOT be bitching and moaning and should be excited for the kid and the staff.

[VTIME]

Leverette is pretty good. Powerfully built is an understatement for the 6'3 pg from O'Fallon and he got his team to the state title game where he lost to maybe the best pg in the country Derrick Rose. I would love to have Leverette as a pg if Majerus doesnt land Mitchell.

[slufanskip]

I'm 100% with David on this one. A team is a group of parts that fit together to make a whole. We won't get a team of Lidell and Lisch's. Suggs is no where near a given as it seems we want to think. The Roth kid can shoot, there is no denying that. We have a great coach who obviously sees something he likes in him. Whether RM thinks he will be a 10-15 minute role player with a great 3 pt shot or whether he believes he will develop into a big time 2 guard who averages 15ppg who knows. Personally, I don't care how many stars Scout or Rivals give him, I would trust in what RM thinks instead. With the 2 bigs committed for 2008, we might be seeing a lot of zones. We will need someone to bring them out of it. Sounds to me like this kid is a very good fit.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H Waldman

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

[VTIME]

good points

[3star_recruit]

"A dominant shooting guard who is ice from the field and was the best player on the court in every game a reporter watches, on the second ranked team in the state, should drive his team higher than a sectional championship game before losing."

Sounds a lot like Bobby Frasor's upperclassman experience at Brother Rice.

[billiken_roy]

if we take that kid with the 5th scholarship fine. but dont get a commit from a fringe player like that with your second or third scholarship. this early in the summer we should be holding out for better.

if they didnt want a fantastic and strong athlete like femi john yet, it makes less sense to take a one dimensional shooter instead at this point.

[billiken_roy]

v, just for your information, leverette rarely played point guard for o'fallon last year. the mallot kid was the point guard for 80-90% of the game time.

that said, i am a big fan of leverette, just not as a point guard. he isnt a point guard. he is pretty much anthony mitchell but maybe a better shooter.

[VTIME]

I disagree. Malat is more of a shooter. Even before Malat transferred in he was like that. Leverette was more of a creator. He played a lot of positions for them. With his physical build its very hard for defenders to keep him out of the lane and he plays pg in AAU almost exclusively, for the Illinois Wolves I think.

[Sheltiedave]

Touche, 3 Star, but the Chicago sectionals contain a few more potholes than the Peoria lead sectional.

Roth created a bright light in a conference with IVC, Metamora, East Peoria, and other schools that have not sent many DI players out recently. The Mid Illini conference is not a stout state profile conference.

With the other Mitchell now on board, chasing Roth as a spot time, spot up shooter is dead on. As I intimated earlier(and Roy caught,) Roth is a great backfill, but not a solid first line catch at this point in time. If that changes as he matures, we become a solid NCAA team.

We have spent far too long being thin and counting on our first line players to become established contributors.