ACE Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Overall, this team is probably about what I thought they'd be. Unfortunately, I'm suddenly very worried about next year, which I originally thought would be a breakthrough season. We need three things next year, but unfortunately only have one scholarship left because of this stupid 8/5, 9/4 or whatever the hell rule that is. 1) No question we need a power forward. An athletic one who can jump and won't get pushed around. I'm not sure we can land a player like this who can make an impact next year. No more guys who are going to need time to develop. We have enough of them. 2) Here's where I'm getting really worried. The more I think about it, this Brandon Morris thing is going to kill us. I like Drejaj as a combo guy coming off the bench, but IMO he's not a true starting point guard. Polk will only be a freshman. It's asking a lot to count on him to run the show. The double whammy is that not only don't we get Morris for next year, which would've taken a lot of pressure off Polk, but didn't his departure also screw us with this damn 8/5 thing? Correct me if I'm wrong about that? 3) It's painfully obvious we need a second athletic scoring option to take pressure off Reggie. I don't think IO is the guy. I thought Liddell would be this guy. If he doesn't qualify, we're screwed. We have three needs and only one scholarship left for next year. Damn, I'm getting pi$$ed. It's tough being a Billiken fan. Please, somebody convince me I'm full of sh!t on this and cheer me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Box and Won Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 To quote my old boss, "Jesuit school graduates are all full of sh!t." So, I guess we all have that going for us. Unfortunately, I agree with everything you've said in your post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Sorry, we will struggle until we get away from all these 6'8 high jumpers and into the A-10. That's just reality. If we go anywhere next year, it will be because the young guns are better than advertised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mobile-iken Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Need some cheering up? Look at DePaul this year...How many years have they been down and out? Quite a few and they have a chance at the regular season CUSA title. Our day will come! One of these days ACE, I can't tell you when, but the day will come when it will be "Easy to be a Billiken fan". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLUDrew Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 If Drejaj winds up seeing a lot of time at the pint next year, which I suspect he will, I think he will do fine. He's a little more "flashy" than Fisher which has gotten him into trouble. However, I think he is the best distributor of the ball on the team when it comes to driving and dishing. Coach will need to get him more under control when he has the ball, but I have confidence that Drejaj could be a very adequate point guard. On all other points I agree with you. I have no idea, outside of Frericks, where the rebounds will come from next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 >Need some cheering up? Look at DePaul this year...How many >years have they been down and out? Quite a few and they >have a chance at the regular season CUSA title. > >Our day will come! One of these days ACE, I can't tell you >when, but the day will come when it will be "Easy to be a >Billiken fan". DuhPaul isn't a good analogy as the difference with DuhPaul the past few years as compared to this year is that DuhPaul has been recruiting stud athletes for years, they just had a coach who couldn't coach his way out of a paper bag and now they have somone with a clue. 3 Star makes a good point about the athleticism of CUSA players. Watch a Big Ten game then watch a CUSA game, SLU and Marquette would be near the top of the Big Ten because their players (more fundamental, less athletic) fit in better there while CUSA teams, for the most part, are more athletic and run more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mobile-iken Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 My analogy had nothing to do with who their coach was or is...It dealt with the fact they have been down and out for quite some time and now they are back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted February 12, 2004 Author Share Posted February 12, 2004 I'd be thrilled if we could find another Jamal Johnson or even a Justin Tatum type. I'm not sure we can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Oh you can find them - the problem is they won't be able to gain admission to SLU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 a recurring opinion on the board is that getting to the A-10 will improve recruiting by opening the east coast to us. Why would that be the case ? Unless the Charter TV deal is trashed,kids from the east won't be seen at home often enough. What is the A-10 TV deal ? I don't see them much on TV . I think this boost in recruiting is just wishful thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 It will open up recruiting back east more than what is currently available to us. Will it mean that all of a sudden the gates are open for us to get anybody - no - but if a kid is looking to play away from home and still wants to be seen a few times and come home for a game or two a year then we are now an option where as before we aren't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 We will also be playing games there ... which may be on TV locally. What is the A-10's package? Don't they have something with ESPN Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Any recruiting edge we can get will be helpful. Most of the prep schools are on the east coast so a lot of big men who don't make the grade after four years of high school end up there. Instead of settling for Duquesne or LaSalle, maybe they will start to give the Billikens a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 nm=no message Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 with Lasalle and Duchense for players ? No offense but those are pretty low tier players. Excuse me if that was sarcasm and I missed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Box and Won Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 It seems like there is an A10 "game of the week" on ESPN every Saturday morning at 11. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 ace said, "I like Drejaj as a combo guy coming off the bench, but IMO he's not a true starting point guard." the two best passes of the game last nite came from anthony drejaj. and when we needed big baskets last nite they came from drejaj. the kid has huge guts and is a playmaker. i totally think drejaj can be our playmaker. i am not in the least worried about our guards even if tommie liddell never sets foot on campus. (if he does it is icing on the cake big time though!) the sore need is inside players because i do not see ian and bryce being significant contributors next year yet. right now we are pinning our hopes on justin johnson and a player yet to be named. NOW THAT IS SCARY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 as an example, look at the number of times the billikens will be on the philly, or d.c. version of charter. now you have a young man in philly that is dyng to get out of the city. he sees the billikens on tv and hears about the great job brad soderberg is doing blah blah blah. he thinks, hmmmm, i can get away, good coach, still not in a cow town, and i get to come home a few times a year. st louis sounds good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 unless that guard is the equal of the second scholarship player that wont be coming, i am with david. we need size. that said, i dont want anymore 2-3 year projects. two on the roster still in the developmental stages is enough at one time. so i guess my vote is for one power forward and the second would be the best athlete available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 Lasalle's power forward is better than any frontline player we have. Heck he's probably better than any frontline player UAB has, and those guys abused us. There's a lot of quality big men on the east coast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 If AD is going to be our point guard ... he had better become much more consistent and smarter with the ball quickly. He has his strengths ... but he has a lot of work to do to be a quality point at this level. He has played the 4th most minutes this year and has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.25 to 1. He is shooting 33% from the 3 and 39% overall. Those our very poor numbers. If DP is half of the pg I have heard he will be starting very quickly in the year. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 go back and look at the numbers in their sophomore years of fisher, jamal walker, carlos mccauley, etc. there is typically a "growing up" period for all players. drejaj is a better player as a sophomore than what jamal walker was imo. his role will be redefined and he will take it and run with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted February 13, 2004 Share Posted February 13, 2004 ROy ... you may be right ... but I will be surprised ... we just disagree on the talent of AD. His extreme inconsistency ... and yes I do mean extreme ... realy wories me. I don't think he will ever be more than a borderline average player. Of course I hope you are right and I am wrong. I value your opinion Roy ... but sometimes I think you love the Bills so much ... that any time we have a player who hustles and gives his all ... you overestimate his talent. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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