Tip Off Club Mtg Report

[Taj79]

What are you guys so surprised at in what RM said? I remember thinking TL was a three or maybe a two when he came in and folks like broy were saying he's a point guard. After two years, I'd say he needs the ball in his hands to create but that does not make him a point guard. Others like the artiste-formely-known-as-Vee said DP was NOT a point guard but a shooting guard. Great --- a shooting guard who has demonstrated over time that he can't shoot. KL has done little to disappoint as far as I'm concerned but if some of the other discrepancies on this team were addressed, he'd be legendary. Equal level with Claggs and Hmark. Love the Luke --- but we can all agree he is out of position at the four. Fifth year of Bryce and it sounds like we are getting the same production we got out of the first year of Bryce --- which was a redshirt as we all know. I odn't think it takes too much investigation to know that we always seem to want for a four in this program and what does RM do the first meeting? Show up with his two designated fours. That's genius from a show-and-tell standpoint. Even Bill Parcells has said don't hold me accountable for the meal if I can't buy the groceries. RM is a genius, not a dummy. I fully expect him to have a parachute in this year. If he exceeds things --- GENIUS DITTO . TOLD YOU SO. If not, oh well, not his ingredients and look what's on the way.

This is a team that went to 20 wins last year. I am not sure it is good to expect to exceed that. So if its 16 or 17 wins, and that is a decline from last year, is it therefore an unsuccessful year? I watched a lineup with four guards not be able to get the ball across half court against GeeDub in last year's last game. Polk didn't want the ball, Brown didn't want the ball, Liddell looked uncomfortable doing what is needed to dribble-break a press and Lisch was exhausted. With Luke in there --- well, Luke may be a three but he's not a guard in the sense of handling the ball constantly. When you talk about the Spoon years, Claggs, H and Turner were all skilled with the ball. Hmark was adequate (like Luke) but I alwasy saw him more of a shooter than a ballhandler. And when all three were on the court you had to guard them straight up, thereby allowing interior room for Dobbs and the Admiral. With no real outside threat on the current team sans Lisch (why do you think other teams run at him and beat him up?) there is no need to man up and you can slough off and clog the middle. Why not? With our shooting it won't hurt you.

Brad's last two classes have left us what -- Knollmeyer and Maguire? It's going to take at least two years. And Brad recruited the current newcomers? With his ability to judge talent, well, call me more than a little worried. RM might run them off. If that happens, folks who have eschewed that practice and condemned others for doing it might have to either readjust or leave this fandom.

The good news is that college ball is not one dominated by big men. You can survice with a Jason Maxiell type as your tallest guy and center. The better news is that the A10 is a conference dominated by guard play even more so than others. And the really best news is that we have an able stable of guards, albeit not a complete one. With RM my glass is half-full. But being there does not mean there aren't issues to address. Seriously, we are coming off a 20-win year and attacking a new year with considerably less talent than we had last year. You can judge it no other way until you have some sort of results in that factually demonstrate just how AM, MR, BE, AK and, yes, even BH perform night in and night out. Until then, its all speculation and debate with neither a right answer nor a wrong one.

Going to Baltimore Orioles games next year just got better. Why? The sports authority and team just settled grievances and bought a new, $9 million JumboTron to replace the original model now some 15 years old. Why is that better? The team is so bad, you spend the whole time at the game watching the TV instead of the product on the field. It's all a matter of perspective. I don't think RM's perspective and outlook on this team is that far off. I mean, he is a basketball genius, isn't he?

[jimbofive]

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?

The only two comments I disagree on from your first post are that Tommie doesn't have handles and that Kevin isn't the answer by himself (partially). Granted, I grimaced, groaned, cursed, etc. when Tommie got picked clean at the end of that game last year, but he's got plenty of ball-handling skills for his size. He does however, seem to pick his spots somewhat erratically... and Kevin, while not the second coming, has shown himself to be a real floor general when he's not hurt. He's the only guy that I KNOW will protect the ball when the pressure's on. I really don't think anyone can ever say enough about these two.

And Luke is just a warrior who gets every ounce out of himself every game.

But yes, aside from those 3, everyone else is VERY unproven.

[cheeseman]

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

I am not sure anybody can go after Harrlleson since he is still official WI property so to speak. If they release him then he can sign next year with somebody otherwise he has to stay 2 years at JC before he can sign with another D1 school.

[cheeseman]

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?

The basic problems still exist that Brad had - no front court players to complement his guards. DP, TL and KL can the handle the point situation adequately between them. I know some don't like Polk because he can not shoot well enough but he is faster then most guards, and he does usually protect the ball fairly well. I think he plays well defensively unless he has to go against a kid that is 6'4" or bigger and we can always put TL or KL on that kid along with LM if necessary. The point is not my major concern it is the front court and as I said nothing has changed there and in fact it may be worse than last year with IV gone.

[billiken_roy]

I am not sure anybody can go after Harrlleson since he is still official WI property so to speak. If they release him then he can sign next year with somebody otherwise he has to stay 2 years at JC before he can sign with another D1 school.

nothing would keep a coach from recruiting him. even if he cant come until the following year. if the point is he is a worthy player, and soderberg missed on him, why are we hearing absolutely nothing about slu recruiting him? is majerus making the same mistake? i don t want to hear it was bad for soderberg to ignore him but ok for majerus to ignore him. if the kid was/is worthy we should be recruiting him now.

[Clock_Tower]

Completely disagree. I expected Husak to play 20 minutes a game this year. He creates huge matchup problems especially in league play. No one has a center that big. Husak isn't a total stiff. He can post up and score on offense and disrupt on defense. While I'll agree he has never been an impact player if he doesn't suit up he will be missed by the team.

Clagg's teams had 4 elite 3 point shooters. Guys all shooting over 36% with over 100 attempts. We don't have that. Also while we may have been small, Dobbs, Pederson, Campbell and Robinson all could post up. Robinson nearly average double figures his sr year. He wasn't sitting on the 3 point line to get those points. There is no one on this team who can post up and score in the middle, or even get to the line. Husak was our only hope for a post game, while it was slim it was all we had. Now we don't even have that.

I hope BH does, in fact, play 20 minutes a game. Agree to disagree, but I am not really considering the potential loss of BH's "20 minutes" as that much of a factor which would "kill the season." Last year we hoped that JJ would be a factor. Probably hoped he would have played 20 minutes a game because he was a Senior and we desperately needed the help. As per his prior history, JJ did not. What makes you think (other than your hope and our desparate need for him to) BH can play 20 minutes a game and be a factor?

As far as Clagg's teams, don't believe Dobbs, Pederson, Campbell and Robinson all played together at the same time. The year I am talking about, Dobbs had graduated and Pederson had not yet come to SLU. Our team was H, Claggs, Highmark, Campbell and Robinson with Turner off the bench. Agree with you - that team could really shoot it so I'm giving that team a large advantage shooting wise. With that said, KL and TL shot it pretty well last year even with KL's hand/finger problem. Remember, Claggs and Highmark played little their freshman year (that is until part of the team defected) and were undersized their sophomore year. KL and TL played their entire freshman year, were our best players as freshmen and had equally good, if not better, sophomore seasons than Claggs and Highmark. While different players, I'd probably take KL over Claggett. With respect to Highmark, the guy could shoot but he needed a screen (TL does not), could not play the point/good dribbler (TL can) and couldn't jump/rebound like TL can. I'd probably take TL over Highmark. If TL plays the point, then I'd probably H because he was really good at dribbling, passing and leading the team while keeping the opponents honest since he also could shoot. LM, though, is more of a 3 than a 4. Highmark played the 4 in a pinch and just couldn't do it. LM can but, of course, is not a real 4. While not as good of a shot from the outside, LM can shoot and I hope to have 3 healthy shooters this year. As far as the inside, I have not seen BE but would not be surprised if he performs as well as Campbell and maybe as well as Robinson. Same with AK and MR. In all, I don't think the comparison is all that far off. Again, we need guys to perform and to step-up.

Note: the above assumes nothing from BH. If we receive a decent contribution, this team has the ability to resemble Clagg's team.

[cheeseman]

What are you guys so surprised at in what RM said? I remember thinking TL was a three or maybe a two when he came in and folks like broy were saying he's a point guard. After two years, I'd say he needs the ball in his hands to create but that does not make him a point guard. Others like the artiste-formely-known-as-Vee said DP was NOT a point guard but a shooting guard. Great --- a shooting guard who has demonstrated over time that he can't shoot. KL has done little to disappoint as far as I'm concerned but if some of the other discrepancies on this team were addressed, he'd be legendary. Equal level with Claggs and Hmark. Love the Luke --- but we can all agree he is out of position at the four. Fifth year of Bryce and it sounds like we are getting the same production we got out of the first year of Bryce --- which was a redshirt as we all know. I odn't think it takes too much investigation to know that we always seem to want for a four in this program and what does RM do the first meeting? Show up with his two designated fours. That's genius from a show-and-tell standpoint. Even Bill Parcells has said don't hold me accountable for the meal if I can't buy the groceries. RM is a genius, not a dummy. I fully expect him to have a parachute in this year. If he exceeds things --- GENIUS DITTO . TOLD YOU SO. If not, oh well, not his ingredients and look what's on the way.

This is a team that went to 20 wins last year. I am not sure it is good to expect to exceed that. So if its 16 or 17 wins, and that is a decline from last year, is it therefore an unsuccessful year? I watched a lineup with four guards not be able to get the ball across half court against GeeDub in last year's last game. Polk didn't want the ball, Brown didn't want the ball, Liddell looked uncomfortable doing what is needed to dribble-break a press and Lisch was exhausted. With Luke in there --- well, Luke may be a three but he's not a guard in the sense of handling the ball constantly. When you talk about the Spoon years, Claggs, H and Turner were all skilled with the ball. Hmark was adequate (like Luke) but I alwasy saw him more of a shooter than a ballhandler. And when all three were on the court you had to guard them straight up, thereby allowing interior room for Dobbs and the Admiral. With no real outside threat on the current team sans Lisch (why do you think other teams run at him and beat him up?) there is no need to man up and you can slough off and clog the middle. Why not? With our shooting it won't hurt you.

Brad's last two classes have left us what -- Knollmeyer and Maguire? It's going to take at least two years. And Brad recruited the current newcomers? With his ability to judge talent, well, call me more than a little worried. RM might run them off. If that happens, folks who have eschewed that practice and condemned others for doing it might have to either readjust or leave this fandom.

The good news is that college ball is not one dominated by big men. You can survice with a Jason Maxiell type as your tallest guy and center. The better news is that the A10 is a conference dominated by guard play even more so than others. And the really best news is that we have an able stable of guards, albeit not a complete one. With RM my glass is half-full. But being there does not mean there aren't issues to address. Seriously, we are coming off a 20-win year and attacking a new year with considerably less talent than we had last year. You can judge it no other way until you have some sort of results in that factually demonstrate just how AM, MR, BE, AK and, yes, even BH perform night in and night out. Until then, its all speculation and debate with neither a right answer nor a wrong one.

Going to Baltimore Orioles games next year just got better. Why? The sports authority and team just settled grievances and bought a new, $9 million JumboTron to replace the original model now some 15 years old. Why is that better? The team is so bad, you spend the whole time at the game watching the TV instead of the product on the field. It's all a matter of perspective. I don't think RM's perspective and outlook on this team is that far off. I mean, he is a basketball genius, isn't he?

In all fairness to Brad - he did also sign MR and AM. RM only inked BE and he did that on a leap of faith only - his words not mine. Also, we really did not have a 20 win season - one of the wins was against a D2 school which the NCAA does not count. We really only one 19 games. The next important question is - Is the RPI of this year's schedule harder than last? Anybody have an opinion?

[moytoy12]

nothing would keep a coach from recruiting him. even if he cant come until the following year. if the point is he is a worthy player, and soderberg missed on him, why are we hearing absolutely nothing about slu recruiting him? is majerus making the same mistake? i don t want to hear it was bad for soderberg to ignore him but ok for majerus to ignore him. if the kid was/is worthy we should be recruiting him now.

My original point had nothing to do with RM's recruitment of JH. My point focused solely on 2007. RM couldn't land JH for 2007 because of the W.Ill. situation; RM's involvement is moot vis-a-vis my original point.

For 2008 and beyond, maybe RM doesn't go after JH because he can get better players. I have no clue what RM is doing (or not doing) re: JH. I understand the point you are trying to make, it's just misplaced when used in response to my original post.

[3star_recruit]

nothing would keep a coach from recruiting him. even if he cant come until the following year. if the point is he is a worthy player, and soderberg missed on him, why are we hearing absolutely nothing about slu recruiting him? is majerus making the same mistake? i don t want to hear it was bad for soderberg to ignore him but ok for majerus to ignore him. if the kid was/is worthy we should be recruiting him now.

As far as I can tell the question of Harrellson's eligibility out of high school was never resolved so neither coach is at fault.

[jjray]

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.

My bad then. We need the blue ink convention for satire to help some us slow on the uptake.

[Majerus Magic]

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 think we should have signed Harrellson. I was making light of Roy's constant reminding that he signed with Western Illinois so he must not be any good.

[Quality Is Job 1]

As far as Clagg's teams, don't believe Dobbs, Pederson, Campbell and Robinson all played together at the same time. The year I am talking about, Dobbs had graduated and Pederson had not yet come to SLU. Our team was H, Claggs, Highmark, Campbell and Robinson with Turner off the bench.

Actually, Pedersen and Dobbs graduated at the same time, so in 1993-94, when SLU was a 7 seed but lost to Joe Smith's Maryland squad in the first round of the NCAAs, those four did play together.

http://www.billikens.com/statistics/seasonstats/93-94.htm

[kwyjibo]

The next important question is - Is the RPI of this year's schedule harder than last? Anybody have an opinion?

This may deserve a separate thread but I have thought about this somewhat. All the usual caveats about scheduling being somewhat of crap shoot apply, but this is not a schedule made by a coach who was looking to get into the NCAA. I hinted at that earlier so I am glad Majerus said he was looking to make the schedule easier.

The actual records of the the teams we play is a huge variable but with NCA&T, Houston Baptist (although I am pretty sure that this game will NOT count in the RPI as the team is 1st year provisional D-1) and a lot of fair/middle teams from fair/weak conferences we probably will not have a great SOS non-conference. Of course, the schedule will not make a huge difference but will probably mean at least one more necessary victory than usual. BC and Pitt are right now predicted to be in the middle (that is, fair W-L records) of good conferences.

Now, the A-10 will likely be a bit better BUT it is not clear our share of the schedule will. We only play Xavier once. The teams we play twice may have decent records (Dayton, GW--we benefit from their cupcake scheduling when we play them twice, and UMass) but they might not. Xavier, St. Joe's and Rhode Island are getting the most preseason hype (and Fordham might make a run) so there are only so many wins to go around.

Obviously if SLU wins 22 or so regular season games the SOS will be good enough it's just there won't be any long looks if SLU goes 20-10.

[Parks 68]

The only two comments I disagree on from your first post are that Tommie doesn't have handles and that Kevin isn't the answer by himself (partially). Granted, I grimaced, groaned, cursed, etc. when Tommie got picked clean at the end of that game last year, but he's got plenty of ball-handling skills for his size. He does however, seem to pick his spots somewhat erratically... and Kevin, while not the second coming, has shown himself to be a real floor general when he's not hurt. He's the only guy that I KNOW will protect the ball when the pressure's on. I really don't think anyone can ever say enough about these two.

And Luke is just a warrior who gets every ounce out of himself every game.

But yes, aside from those 3, everyone else is VERY unproven.

On TL as a ball handler, there were two games last year where TL was given the job of bringing the ball up the court and got pressured at the 1/2 court line. They stripped him like a blind man. Of course Brad kept giving him the ball and he kept loosing it. KL is the ball handler and can protect it. His father has taught him to be a player with excellent basic skills on the game. The issue is that KL is not a point guard, but an outstanding shooting guard, always has been. TL is a very good three, it would be nice to see him be more consistent in his game. It's as if he plays when he feels like it and when he doesn't, just "Hangs out" on the court. You need consistent double digit production from him, not just one in awhile. If there truely is pro talent there, ya better start demonstrating it every game.

On the inside, Brad didn't do BH any favors for four years. IV was the focus and BH was only allowd to be his stand-in for a breather. When BH played later in the year, he was certainly productive. His stats reflect his playing time which didn't increase until the regionals. He did a good job at that time and made an impact on the team. If your sub goes in and scores points, grabs a couple of boards and doesn't screw up, then he did the job that was expected of him. Hopefully this year, RM will work with him and help develop his skills, endurance, and confidence on the floor. If any of that happens, you will have a presence in the middle that no other A10 school can easily counter. Give the new fours a shot at supporting the 5 and you might be surprised at the outcome.

Give the opposition threats inside and outside and let's see what happens.

[Quality Is Job 1]

TL is a very good three, it would be nice to see him be more consistent in his game. It's as if he plays when he feels like it and when he doesn't, just "Hangs out" on the court. You need consistent double digit production from him, not just one in awhile. If there truely is pro talent there, ya better start demonstrating it every game.

Huh? Liddell led the Bills in scoring as a sophomore with 15 points per game, and he once had a stretch of six consecutive games in which he scored 20 or more points. Sounds to me like much more than "double-digit production... just once in a while."

[cheeseman]

Huh? Liddell led the Bills in scoring as a sophomore with 15 points per game, and he once had a stretch of six consecutive games in which he scored 20 or more points. Sounds to me like much more than "double-digit production... just once in a while."

Thick excellent point - you kept me from pointing a similar stat out to 68 Parks. To point to one game where TL had problems is narrow thinking - even if you are a point you still need the rest of your team to help you out by getting open plus anybody can have an off game or run into a defense set up to make life difficult for you. I do agree that to only rely on TL as your point is not a good idea but I do believe between KL and TL and DP while life is not perfect at the point we can easily live with it. The lack of a front court and bench dept - God save us if TL or KL get seriously injured - are the major issues for this team and it was the same as last year so to expect this team to surpass last years record is expecting a lot. They might end up better who knows but to continue to drink the kool aid will only break your heart. As open and honest as RM has been about his team the two times I have heard him talk, I am of the mind that this could be a bit of a bumpy ride especially in the beginning.

[Parks 68]

Huh? Liddell led the Bills in scoring as a sophomore with 15 points per game, and he once had a stretch of six consecutive games in which he scored 20 or more points. Sounds to me like much more than "double-digit production... just once in a while."

Cheese and Thicks,

I 'll give you that TL scores points in every game but he does it as an individual, not a team player or leader. Given the chance KL scores the same points or more and doesn't have an above the rim game!. In fact his threes are more prolific than TL. Given that, neighter is a point. Between the two perhaps they make things happen but no true point skills where they make other players better/score because of their ability to read the floor and anticipate where/what is going to happen.

Several on the board seem to be down on BH. Granted he got limited playing time in the past but why? Brad was focused in IV has his main inside man and BH was simply there for short relief stints. I see BH as an unknown only because of Brad, not anything BH did negatively on the floor. During the playoffs, BH scored, blocked shots and grabbed boards when he was allowed to play.

BH certainly has an opportunity here. If he brings the form from last year's playoffs and can build his endurance and thus playing time, teams will have a hard time against him.

[billiken_roy]

Several on the board seem to be down on BH. Granted he got limited playing time in the past but why? Brad was focused in IV has his main inside man and BH was simply there for short relief stints. I see BH as an unknown only because of Brad, not anything BH did negatively on the floor. During the playoffs, BH scored, blocked shots and grabbed boards when he was allowed to play.

BH certainly has an opportunity here. If he brings the form from last year's playoffs and can build his endurance and thus playing time, teams will have a hard time against him.

parks, just curious if you had been at the billiken club meeting tuesday night and heard majerus talking about his virtual zero expectation of husak, how would you have countered him? unless majerus was just setting us/bryce up, husak isnt going to play. that isnt brad saying it. that is majerus. and considering this team is desparate for inside help and minutes, that is a huge statement.

[Parks 68]

parks, just curious if you had been at the billiken club meeting tuesday night and heard majerus talking about his virtual zero expectation of husak, how would you have countered him? unless majerus was just setting us/bryce up, husak isnt going to play. that isnt brad saying it. that is majerus. and considering this team is desparate for inside help and minutes, that is a huge statement.

Roy,

You seem to be pretty negative on the whole Billikens team and if I were to take your lead would give up on the Bills and not attend any games this season cause it is already lost! You see the glass as empty already.

No I wasn't at the club meeting and didn't hear RM. But you know something? Who has he got to fill up that five spot other than BH. If he is truly desparate for that inside help, BH will be in there scoring points and snagging boards. Who is gonna do that, the Bills savior TL? Somehow I don't think so.

So if Im RM and don't really know BH and his practice time has been limited due to an injury that he got practicing for my team over the Summer, do you really think that I cut him off at the knees? If that ends up being true then RM is a coach who will cut off his nose to spite his face. Not very smart.

Like I said before, right now absolutely all is speculation. Wait till the first couple of games and see how the hand plays out.

[Quality Is Job 1]

No I wasn't at the club meeting and didn't hear RM. But you know something? Who has he got to fill up that five spot other than BH. If he is truly desperate for that inside help, BH will be in there scoring points and snagging boards. Who is gonna do that, the Bills savior TL? Somehow I don't think so.

Apparently, Coach Majerus has plans of playing Barry Eberhardt at center.

[billiken_roy]

Roy,

You seem to be pretty negative on the whole Billikens team and if I were to take your lead would give up on the Bills and not attend any games this season cause it is already lost! You see the glass as empty already.

that's a laugh. i wasnt the one that on their first two posts on the board ripped into liddell and our guards. that was you. all i did on my most recent reply to your post was point out that majerus has already went on record stating that husak probably wont be much of a factor after you were posting how important husak is.

i believe the billikens will win as many games as last year mainly because i believe lisch and liddell are the two best guards in the league. the only reason i dont have more optimism is because we dont have a proven inside big. but i will say i am excited about barry eberhardt's self confidence.

[Parks 68]

Apparently, Coach Majerus has plans of playing Barry Eberhardt at center.

Thicks,

I hear what you are relaying from RM. My response to RM would be that no plan has ever survived first contact in combat!

[cheeseman]

Thicks,

I hear what you are relaying from RM. My response to RM would be that no plan has ever survived first contact in combat!

Lets look at this objectively: 1. You have basically the same team as last year except you are missing your proven 5 but you may have a new player who could play the 4 just fine but will be asked to play the 5. 2. We have a new coach - one who is known to be a great teacher and excellent floor coach - who is better than the one we had before. But, he is a new coach with a new system and research tells you that anytime you bring a new approach or style performance always goes down at first - in other words you always take a step backwards until the people/players are able to shed their old approaches and begin incorporating the new which simply takes time. 3. You have two senior players who played some last year in support roles who are hurt and are still basically in the pool working out - see the PD today. Anybody who thinks BH your back up center last year will be ready to go for the first game is in denial, he may play some but how much and at what quality who knows. He is still wearing the boot - might come off today the paper said. DB your guard who played good minutes from time to time is still in the pool and standing around waving his arms during non running drills - give him credit for working on his upper body - see article - as opposed to what BH may have done. Anybody who thinks he will be ready to give quality minutes by the start of the season is also kidding themselves. 4. Your bench depth is at best the same quality as last year but that is only a guess.

Can this team win 20 games - real games not 19 like last year with a D2 win in the column - who knows. The schedule might be a little weaker so that might help, the team might come together faster - always a possibility, BE might make the transition quickly from JC and to the 5 - but that is not what usually happens, DP may end up as the 1 which would allow TL to play the 3 and KL the 2 which is what some want. This is more likely to happen then any of the above. No one is down on the team - some are just trying to look at the situation objectively. After hearing RM twice talk about the team, you can not help but temper a little of your expectations and no I do not think he is only playing mind games - read his book he never played the mind games in it that I read.

[Quality Is Job 1]

Thicks,

I hear what you are relaying from RM. My response to RM would be that no plan has ever survived first contact in combat!

You must have some pretty potent testicles to presume to tell someone with Rick Majerus's credentials how to do his job!

[Parks 68]

You must have some pretty potent testicles to presume to tell someone with Rick Majerus's credentials how to do his job!

Thick,

Not telling RM how to do his job, am just leary when anyone says they have "THE PLAN" for an entire season and here's how it is going to be.

Let's see how the first couple of games go and who steps up to the plate.

I'm in RM court and am hoping for the best. My fondest hope is that he takes the talent that he has (like Brad had) and does something great with them.