Tip Off Club Mtg Report

[ACE]

The lack of a proven point guard and center, plus a question mark at 4 (hopefully Eberhardt can fill that role) and overall lack of depth is simple to explain. It's all Obi's fault.

Majerus has his work cut out for him. But I think he will be creative and flexible enough to help overcome some of our glaring weaknesses. I can't wait to see how he tries to mix and match the lineup.

[3star_recruit]

Yeah, this thread has been a little depressing. Maybe Rick is just trying to take the complete opposite approach as Brad.

I think Rick's preseason coach-speak would mirror Brad's if he had the same center we had last year. But to paraphrase Pitino, Ian Vouyoukas isn't walking through that door.

[Slumn1]

I just talked to one of the guys and he said that BH is only able to participate in about half of the practice. That may be part of the reasoning for RM's comments toward BH. Hard to count on someone that hasn't learned the new system and yet and still can't go full speed.

[cheeseman]

I just talked to one of the guys and he said that BH is only able to participate in about half of the practice. That may be part of the reasoning for RM's comments toward BH. Hard to count on someone that hasn't learned the new system and yet and still can't go full speed.

I am sure that is exactly what RM is thinking but the point still remains that he is disappointed in BH and his progress. What keeps going through my mind is that RM was named HC in late April so BH had 5 months to hit the weights and show some progress. I know he had the foot injury but that did not prevent him from working on his upper body and apparently what happened was he did very little if anything. For those of you who think RM is playing with BH's head -you better prepare yourself for a possible very big let down.

[moytoy12]

I don't see how it is too far in left field to think that BH would have been a productive and important member of the team (meaning he played 20-25 minutes a game). Many folks on here have talked about the year-to-year progression that players make, why not BH? Of course, this thinking was prior to our knowledge of his injuries and his lack of endurance and strength. I guess i just assumed those things would grow (strength and endurance) over the summer.

RM is a legend, but i don't know what can be done with a team that has a front court of 3 total players, 2 of which have never seen real D-1 action and one which is undersized. Gulp. Is it too late for 2007 eligible juco transfers?

How good would Harrellson look in a Billiken uni...?

[Majerus Magic]

Harrellson wouldn't look good at all remember he signed with the a team that had an RPI of 1209385792

[Major Majerus]

What is the Tip Off Club and how do you become a member? Can anyone go to the meetings?

Jim

The Tip-off Club is the forerunner of the Billiken Club; if you join the BC, you will get email and snailmail reminders of meetings. Most of the time, they're at Humphrey's on the 2nd Tuesday of the month - this month was an exception. There is free (bar) food and happy hour priced drinks; soft drinks are free...but tip the girl or guy. Food starts at 5, speakers start at 6 - focus is on hoops, but the other teams get some exposure. Jan, who owns Humprey's, is a big Billiken booster, and very generous with her time and the use of her space. Make it a point to go in Nov and see for yourself.

[billiken_roy]

The Tip-off Club is the forerunner of the Billiken Club; if you join the BC, you will get email and snailmail reminders of meetings. Most of the time, they're at Humphrey's on the 2nd Tuesday of the month - this month was an exception. There is free (bar) food and happy hour priced drinks; soft drinks are free...but tip the girl or guy. Food starts at 5, speakers start at 6 - focus is on hoops, but the other teams get some exposure. Jan, who owns Humprey's, is a big Billiken booster, and very generous with her time and the use of her space. Make it a point to go in Nov and see for yourself.

billiken club meetings are worth the minimum membership by itself. anyone that is a true hardcore fan of the billikens should join and make the meetings a regular monthly happening.

think about it. we got majerus in a much more intimate setting than the mac did for just as long plus shimmy, and the players plus the update from koshe and mark on other dept happenings. all for being billiken club members.

[slufanskip]

billiken club meetings are worth the minimum membership by itself. anyone that is a true hardcore fan of the billikens should join and make the meetings a regular monthly happening.

think about it. we got majerus in a much more intimate setting than the mac did for just as long plus shimmy, and the players plus the update from koshe and mark on other dept happenings. all for being billiken club members.

I agree with Roy. I used to look forward to every meeting It is probably my only regret about coaching kids is that I have practice every Tuesday so I can rarely make the meetings. I appreciate all the good info everyone who does go shares.

[Cowboy]

billiken club meetings are worth the minimum membership by itself. anyone that is a true hardcore fan of the billikens should join and make the meetings a regular monthly happening.

think about it. we got majerus in a much more intimate setting than the mac did for just as long plus shimmy, and the players plus the update from koshe and mark on other dept happenings. all for being billiken club members.

roy or others - anything of interest from koshe or mark wright?

does anyone know if rick will have a radio show?

[slu72 fan]

roy or others - anything of interest from koshe or mark wright?

does anyone know if rick will have a radio show?

Both of them spoke very briefly, because RM went on for quite a while. Neither reported anything new, other than Koshay indicated that the local TV is not complete. They hope to announce something soon, but that's what they said last month.

My contacts at KFNS have told me a number of times that they are having a problem getting RM to agree to a post-game and/or weekly radio show. Regarding the weekly show, KFNS has offerred to have it at the Chase, where RM currently resides. As of last week, no agreement had been reached. My guess is that an Assistant Coach will talk to Rammer after the games, and they will come to some agreement about a weekly show with RM.

[Parks 68]

I don't see how it is too far in left field to think that BH would have been a productive and important member of the team (meaning he played 20-25 minutes a game). Many folks on here have talked about the year-to-year progression that players make, why not BH? Of course, this thinking was prior to our knowledge of his injuries and his lack of endurance and strength. I guess i just assumed those things would grow (strength and endurance) over the summer.

RM is a legend, but i don't know what can be done with a team that has a front court of 3 total players, 2 of which have never seen real D-1 action and one which is undersized. Gulp. Is it too late for 2007 eligible juco transfers?

How good would Harrellson look in a Billiken uni...?

If anyone thinks that the Bills can field a bunch of guards and be successful, that is wishful thinking. There is no true point guard in the lot. TL can't handle the ball worth spit and only produces when he feels like it. KL is a horse with excellent base skills and a good outside shooter but can't carry the whole guard group. Luke is good inside and does yoeman duty each and every game but is too small to be a dominate force. Bryce can certainly be a force inside as few teams have anyone who can match up with him. When he played at the end of last season, the minutes that Brad allowed him to play were productive. RM is supposed to be a big man coach, let's see if he can work with BH and utilize that height to the Bills advantage. You can teach a lot of basic skills but if the player doesn't have the physical attributes (like height) you can't bridge that gap.

DP can certainly handle the ball, but lacks size and doesn't have a reliable outside shot. If the team had a good point guard and a decent number 4 player at around 6-7, 6-8, they would be a definate contenter for NCAA.

I say, all the pre-season talk and $1.50 will buy you a bottle of brew. See how the team jells after the first couple of games and then speculate. Right now, everyone is bored, has a keyboard and is waiting for the show to start.

[gister]

The Tip-off Club is the forerunner of the Billiken Club; if you join the BC, you will get email and snailmail reminders of meetings. Most of the time, they're at Humphrey's on the 2nd Tuesday of the month - this month was an exception. There is free (bar) food and happy hour priced drinks; soft drinks are free...but tip the girl or guy. Food starts at 5, speakers start at 6 - focus is on hoops, but the other teams get some exposure. Jan, who owns Humprey's, is a big Billiken booster, and very generous with her time and the use of her space. Make it a point to go in Nov and see for yourself.

Minor correction: soft drinks are $1.50.

Also, Jan is on the board if directors for the Billiken Club.

[jjray]

Harrellson wouldn't look good at all remember he signed with the a team that had an RPI of 1209385792

I disagree with that position. Brad had mucho open scholarships. We had a glaring need for help up front. Harrellson was there for the taking and Brad turned his nose up at the kid. Harrellson put up a solid senior season and brings a big solid frame to the table. Hey, we're talking depth at 5. When you have it, no big deal. When you don't have it, you crave it. Kinda like something else. If all Harrellson did was 8 minutes per game and played hard at practice pushing the starters, it's well worth an open scholarship. Rick has a history of driving kids from the program so having Harrellson on board would not have hamstrung us for the future. All 13 roster kids cannot be 20 minute a night players.

[billiken_roy]

If anyone thinks that the Bills can field a bunch of guards and be successful, that is wishful thinking. There is no true point guard in the lot. TL can't handle the ball worth spit and only produces when he feels like it. KL is a horse with excellent base skills and a good outside shooter but can't carry the whole guard group. Luke is good inside and does yoeman duty each and every game but is too small to be a dominate force. Bryce can certainly be a force inside as few teams have anyone who can match up with him. When he played at the end of last season, the minutes that Brad allowed him to play were productive. RM is supposed to be a big man coach, let's see if he can work with BH and utilize that height to the Bills advantage. You can teach a lot of basic skills but if the player doesn't have the physical attributes (like height) you can't bridge that gap.

DP can certainly handle the ball, but lacks size and doesn't have a reliable outside shot. If the team had a good point guard and a decent number 4 player at around 6-7, 6-8, they would be a definate contenter for NCAA.

I say, all the pre-season talk and $1.50 will buy you a bottle of brew. See how the team jells after the first couple of games and then speculate. Right now, everyone is bored, has a keyboard and is waiting for the show to start.

welcome to the board. i look forward to your bitter wake up in the future.

[moytoy12]

I disagree with that position. Brad had mucho open scholarships. We had a glaring need for help up front. Harrellson was there for the taking and Brad turned his nose up at the kid. Harrellson put up a solid senior season and brings a big solid frame to the table. Hey, we're talking depth at 5. When you have it, no big deal. When you don't have it, you crave it. Kinda like something else. If all Harrellson did was 8 minutes per game and played hard at practice pushing the starters, it's well worth an open scholarship. Rick has a history of driving kids from the program so having Harrellson on board would not have hamstrung us for the future. All 13 roster kids cannot be 20 minute a night players.

I'm pretty sure that poster was being facetious based on prior board comments that insinuated that Harrellson wasn't worth the time since he signed with W. Ill.

[billiken_roy]

I disagree with that position. Brad had mucho open scholarships. We had a glaring need for help up front. Harrellson was there for the taking and Brad turned his nose up at the kid. Harrellson put up a solid senior season and brings a big solid frame to the table. Hey, we're talking depth at 5. When you have it, no big deal. When you don't have it, you crave it. Kinda like something else. If all Harrellson did was 8 minutes per game and played hard at practice pushing the starters, it's well worth an open scholarship. Rick has a history of driving kids from the program so having Harrellson on board would not have hamstrung us for the future. All 13 roster kids cannot be 20 minute a night players.

so obviously majerus has went after harrelson hard since taking over as head coach?

[moytoy12]

so obviously majerus has went after harrelson hard since taking over as head coach?

It's a little late for Harrellson to help this year which is what my original post was getting at.

[billiken_roy]

It's a little late for Harrellson to help this year which is what my original post was getting at.

moy, moot point. if harrelson is good enough and the argument is that soderberg messed up by not recruiting him, then one would think that majerus would be camping out at the swic gym to correct the miss asap. so again i pose, majerus is indeed pursuing harrelson hard or already has a harrelson verbal secured?

[ACE]

moy, moot point. if harrelson is good enough and the argument is that soderberg messed up by not recruiting him, then one would think that majerus would be camping out at the swic gym to correct the miss asap. so again i pose, majerus is indeed pursuing harrelson hard or already has a harrelson verbal secured?

If Majerus is not camped out recruiting Harrelson, it is likely that is because he is pursuing higher caliber players. Soderberg didn't demonstrate the ability to land quality players on a consistent basis. Majerus opens up so many more viable recruiting options than Soderberg ever did.

[NashvilleBilliken]

moy, moot point. if harrelson is good enough and the argument is that soderberg messed up by not recruiting him, then one would think that majerus would be camping out at the swic gym to correct the miss asap. so again i pose, majerus is indeed pursuing harrelson hard or already has a harrelson verbal secured?

I definitely think Brad dropped the ball on Harrelson. Given our complete lack of a 5 at this point, and knowing his relative lack of recruiting success, he should have gone after Harrelson. Based on reports from reliable sources and some video I've seen, I think Harrelson would have been a good recruit.

All that being said, I doubt Majerus is "camped out" at Harrelson's. For starters, he wouldn't be coming to SLU until the class of 2009. Who knows what we will need then. Especially if we are able to pull off Griffey and Anderson (how huge would that be?). I would be suprised if he brought 3 bigs in with that class. Plus we have a senior Knollmeyer and sophmore Thompson and Reed. Barring the "let's take the best player available" scenario, I would not necessarily be suprised if Rick didn't bring in another center until 2010.

[Parks 68]

welcome to the board. i look forward to your bitter wake up in the future.

Roy,

Thanks for the welcome. Have been a Bills fan for many years just not on this board.

Bitter wake-up? I have been thru the Brad erra and that was wake-up enough. I was/am not a Brad fan as he certainly fell short (IMHO) even given the talent he had.

The A10 is not a conference that has a bunch of powerhouse teams and certainly the Bills (with the right recruits) can be competitive. It would only take a couple of road wins to put them in the NIT circle and perhaps a first round NCAA. Look at the teams that made that level last year. They were't Duke, or NC status by any means.

If RM is worth his salt, he will take the hand that he was dealt and have a better year than last. He has some good solid players and given the right motivation, can produce some decent results. Surely such a 'Great Coach" can take the Bills to a +.500 season.

The place where the Bills need the most help is at Point Guard and in the 4 & 5. When IV was on the court with BH, they were a force to be reconned with. That is a hard match-up for any A10 team. With no real depth at the 4, there was not much help for LM.

Hopefully this year will see a continual increase in success. You gotta believe or else what's the point?

[brianstl]

I definitely think Brad dropped the ball on Harrelson. Given our complete lack of a 5 at this point, and knowing his relative lack of recruiting success, he should have gone after Harrelson. Based on reports from reliable sources and some video I've seen, I think Harrelson would have been a good recruit.

All that being said, I doubt Majerus is "camped out" at Harrelson's. For starters, he wouldn't be coming to SLU until the class of 2009. Who knows what we will need then. Especially if we are able to pull off Griffey and Anderson (how huge would that be?). I would be suprised if he brought 3 bigs in with that class. Plus we have a senior Knollmeyer and sophmore Thompson and Reed. Barring the "let's take the best player available" scenario, I would not necessarily be suprised if Rick didn't bring in another center until 2010.

Harrellson would not have been the answer at the five this year, he needs work still. Reed and Thompson are both better recruits than Harrellson. The Harrellson boat I think has sailed. We don't know when he will be able to trasfer out of SWIC. If it is not after this season there really will be no need for him on the roster.

[Major Majerus]

Minor correction: soft drinks are $1.50.

Also, Jan is on the board if directors for the Billiken Club.

My bad on the soft drinks; they used to be free. Since I'm a health nut, I never drink them; the beer's good, though. Not a place where you would ask for the wine list....

[Major Majerus]

I disagree with that position. Brad had mucho open scholarships. We had a glaring need for help up front. Harrellson was there for the taking and Brad turned his nose up at the kid. Harrellson put up a solid senior season and brings a big solid frame to the table. Hey, we're talking depth at 5. When you have it, no big deal. When you don't have it, you crave it. Kinda like something else. If all Harrellson did was 8 minutes per game and played hard at practice pushing the starters, it's well worth an open scholarship. Rick has a history of driving kids from the program so having Harrellson on board would not have hamstrung us for the future. All 13 roster kids cannot be 20 minute a night players.

Surely you're replying to a statement that was tongue in cheek...