Billiken Rich Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Fact 1: We are not a great team this year due to lack of a point guard and lack of an inside scoring threat. Fault goes to Brad Fact 2: Most of us thought that one of the best basketball minds alive could overcome fact number one. We were wrong. Fault goes to Brad Fact 3: No one expected Tommie and Kevin the be completely stymied by Rick's system and the missing Ian. Fault goes mostly to Brad for not recruiting a decent replacement or a power forward worthy of the name. Fact 4: Rick has recruited in one year nearly as much talent as Brad did during his tenure here. Fact 5: Everyone is (or should be) sick at heart to think that Kevin and Tommie will only get to play one year with a great recruiting class. Fault goes to Brad. In my opinion this year has been a dissappointment to this point and the fault goes to Brad. I thought we treated him shabbily but he didn't get the job done. Maybe he didn't have the resourses or support that Rick does but that is a moot point. He didn't possess the gravitas to demend them. If Rick's heart holds up the sky is the limit.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoophead Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Fact 1: We are not a great team this year due to lack of a point guard and lack of an inside scoring threat. Fault goes to Brad Fact 2: Most of us thought that one of the best basketball minds alive could overcome fact number one. We were wrong. Fault goes to Brad Fact 3: No one expected Tommie and Kevin the be completely stymied by Rick's system and the missing Ian. Fault goes mostly to Brad for not recruiting a decent replacement or a power forward worthy of the name. Fact 4: Rick has recruited in one year nearly as much talent as Brad did during his tenure here. Fact 5: Everyone is (or should be) sick at heart to think that Kevin and Tommie will only get to play one year with a great recruiting class. Fault goes to Brad. In my opinion this year has been a dissappointment to this point and the fault goes to Brad. I thought we treated him shabbily but he didn't get the job done. Maybe he didn't have the resourses or support that Rick does but that is a moot point. He didn't possess the gravitas to demend them. If Rick's heart holds up the sky is the limit.......... Amen, my brother. Good to see someone talking some truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Amen, my brother. Good to see someone talking some truth. I'd just as soon you not agree with me. It's like having the commie's helping you defeat Hitler........... In any case, we do agree....just this once...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NashvilleBilliken Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Fact 1: We are not a great team this year due to lack of a point guard and lack of an inside scoring threat. Fault goes to Brad Fact 2: Most of us thought that one of the best basketball minds alive could overcome fact number one. We were wrong. Fault goes to Brad Fact 3: No one expected Tommie and Kevin the be completely stymied by Rick's system and the missing Ian. Fault goes mostly to Brad for not recruiting a decent replacement or a power forward worthy of the name. Fact 4: Rick has recruited in one year nearly as much talent as Brad did during his tenure here. Fact 5: Everyone is (or should be) sick at heart to think that Kevin and Tommie will only get to play one year with a great recruiting class. Fault goes to Brad. In my opinion this year has been a dissappointment to this point and the fault goes to Brad. I thought we treated him shabbily but he didn't get the job done. Maybe he didn't have the resourses or support that Rick does but that is a moot point. He didn't possess the gravitas to demend them. If Rick's heart holds up the sky is the limit.......... I disagree with point two. I don't feel playing an offense designed for jumpshooters, when we have no jumpshooters, is the best approach to winning this season. If it's the best approach for the future of SLU basketball remains to be seen, but I do think Rick could have a better record at this point if things were done differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Fact 1: We are not a great team this year due to lack of a point guard and lack of an inside scoring threat. Fault goes to Brad Fact 2: Most of us thought that one of the best basketball minds alive could overcome fact number one. We were wrong. Fault goes to Brad Fact 3: No one expected Tommie and Kevin the be completely stymied by Rick's system and the missing Ian. Fault goes mostly to Brad for not recruiting a decent replacement or a power forward worthy of the name. Fact 4: Rick has recruited in one year nearly as much talent as Brad did during his tenure here. Fact 5: Everyone is (or should be) sick at heart to think that Kevin and Tommie will only get to play one year with a great recruiting class. Fault goes to Brad. In my opinion this year has been a dissappointment to this point and the fault goes to Brad. I thought we treated him shabbily but he didn't get the job done. Maybe he didn't have the resourses or support that Rick does but that is a moot point. He didn't possess the gravitas to demend them. If Rick's heart holds up the sky is the limit.......... Great post Rich. Your best one ever! You summarized many of the criticisms of us ABC'ers very well regarding recruiting failures. I do feel bad that Sodie let down KL and TL and didn't surround them with better talent. I'm not sure Sodie was treated "shabbily"... the timing of his dismissal certainly caught everyone off guard, but he was well-compensated to work in a job that a lot of guys in the coaching profession would have loved to have had the opportunity. He got a shot that many assistants never get, but he just couldn't quite get over the hump and it didn't look like there was light at the end of the tunnel. He strikes me as a good guy and I certainly wanted him to do well, but I don't feel too sorry for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 I disagree with point two. I don't feel playing an offense designed for jumpshooters, when we have no jumpshooters, is the best approach to winning this season. If it's the best approach for the future of SLU basketball remains to be seen, but I do think Rick could have a better record at this point if things were done differently. I have come to believe that any offense that Brad could have devised would've been just as ineffective against a team like GW. Whether our offense was designed for jumpshooters as you say, or to pound it inside, or to drive and dish, we have no one to pound it too, and no one who can shoot effectively off of a screen and given the former Tommie has no lane to drive. I no longer believe that our record would be better under Brad this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Great post Rich. Your best one ever! You summarized many of the criticisms of us ABC'ers very well regarding recruiting failures. I do feel bad that Sodie let down KL and TL and didn't surround them with better talent. I'm not sure Sodie was treated "shabbily"... the timing of his dismissal certainly caught everyone off guard, but he was well-compensated to work in a job that a lot of guys in the coaching profession would have loved to have had the opportunity. He got a shot that many assistants never get, but he just couldn't quite get over the hump and it didn't look like there was light at the end of the tunnel. He strikes me as a good guy and I certainly wanted him to do well, but I don't feel too sorry for him. Would agree totally. I hope UB lands on his feet somewhere. The lack of a class after TL and KL, and no one to complement them in their class, read a big, is killing this team. Hell, I look at the College of Charleston, and they have at least five guys who would have been great complements to TL and KL. We all feel bad for these two, and LM as well, that they may be one of the best guard combo's we've ever had, yet may never sniff a dance invite. They might be uncomfortable with RM right now, but if they've got a gripe take it to St. Charles. Good post Rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dewey33 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I have come to believe that any offense that Brad could have devised would've been just as ineffective against a team like GW. Whether our offense was designed for jumpshooters as you say, or to pound it inside, or to drive and dish, we have no one to pound it too, and no one who can shoot effectively off of a screen and given the former Tommie has no lane to drive. I no longer believe that our record would be better under Brad this year. Keep in mind that the product that RM is selling was much better than Brad could sell..... EVERY recruit that Brad brought in up to this point was brought in with the reality of spending every day in the disgusting hole that is West Pine gym......a substandard facility (by even high school standards) that was unfixable without a significant financial commitment. Brad also said regularly that more help was needed in the academic support and strength areas. He also touted the significance of taking charter flights. Then along came Richard Chaifetz...... EVERY recruit that Rick brings in will NEVER play in West Pine Gym, they will also have a state of the art new facility to call home. They also have a dedicated strength coach and academic support. They also regularly take charter flights. I agree that Rick's resume and experience is better....but don't blame the recruiting changes sloely on the Head Coach, there were other factors involved. If you don't agree that those things matter to recruits.....ask Griffster.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Fact 1: We are not a great team this year due to lack of a point guard and lack of an inside scoring threat. Fault goes to Brad Fact 2: Most of us thought that one of the best basketball minds alive could overcome fact number one. We were wrong. Fault goes to Brad Fact 3: No one expected Tommie and Kevin the be completely stymied by Rick's system and the missing Ian. Fault goes mostly to Brad for not recruiting a decent replacement or a power forward worthy of the name. Fact 4: Rick has recruited in one year nearly as much talent as Brad did during his tenure here. Fact 5: Everyone is (or should be) sick at heart to think that Kevin and Tommie will only get to play one year with a great recruiting class. Fault goes to Brad. In my opinion this year has been a dissappointment to this point and the fault goes to Brad. I thought we treated him shabbily but he didn't get the job done. Maybe he didn't have the resourses or support that Rick does but that is a moot point. He didn't possess the gravitas to demend them. If Rick's heart holds up the sky is the limit.......... Well said Rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basketbill Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Great post Rich. Your best one ever! You summarized many of the criticisms of us ABC'ers very well regarding recruiting failures. I do feel bad that Sodie let down KL and TL and didn't surround them with better talent. I'm not sure Sodie was treated "shabbily"... the timing of his dismissal certainly caught everyone off guard, but he was well-compensated to work in a job that a lot of guys in the coaching profession would have loved to have had the opportunity. He got a shot that many assistants never get, but he just couldn't quite get over the hump and it didn't look like there was light at the end of the tunnel. He strikes me as a good guy and I certainly wanted him to do well, but I don't feel too sorry for him. I disagree this was not his best post ever, but could have been had he recruited a better thesauraus, and comical writer to make so! But seriously I agree with these points and only hope that having one year under their belt with this system and practice time and, favorable scheduling to allow weaving in the new players next year, Tommie and Kevin make it to the post season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Keep in mind that the product that RM is selling was much better than Brad could sell..... EVERY recruit that Brad brought in up to this point was brought in with the reality of spending every day in the disgusting hole that is West Pine gym......a substandard facility (by even high school standards) that was unfixable without a significant financial commitment. Brad also said regularly that more help was needed in the academic support and strength areas. He also touted the significance of taking charter flights. Then along came Richard Chaifetz...... EVERY recruit that Rick brings in will NEVER play in West Pine Gym, they will also have a state of the art new facility to call home. They also have a dedicated strength coach and academic support. They also regularly take charter flights. I agree that Rick's resume and experience is better....but don't blame the recruiting changes sloely on the Head Coach, there were other factors involved. If you don't agree that those things matter to recruits.....ask Griffster.... I know West Pine is a dump and a recruit like Griffey is going to see pristine, first rate facilites in his travels. The problem is that Brad's recruiting was worse than Spoon's for Christ's sake! There are many schools that play in dumps and are able to recruit complete teams. Look at our own conference........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Keep in mind that the product that RM is selling was much better than Brad could sell..... EVERY recruit that Brad brought in up to this point was brought in with the reality of spending every day in the disgusting hole that is West Pine gym......a substandard facility (by even high school standards) that was unfixable without a significant financial commitment. Brad also said regularly that more help was needed in the academic support and strength areas. He also touted the significance of taking charter flights. Then along came Richard Chaifetz...... EVERY recruit that Rick brings in will NEVER play in West Pine Gym, they will also have a state of the art new facility to call home. They also have a dedicated strength coach and academic support. They also regularly take charter flights. I agree that Rick's resume and experience is better....but don't blame the recruiting changes sloely on the Head Coach, there were other factors involved. If you don't agree that those things matter to recruits.....ask Griffster.... BS would have had the new building helping him out, but I highly doubt that he would have ever been able to get the other changes made. Chaifetz is responsible for some of the changes. A longtime donor who has been around for years is picking up a big chunk of Majerus's salary and the expenses associated with the changes you mentioned. Brad was never able to get him to open up his wallet like that in his tenure. I don't think any of the other changes would have happened with Brad here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 I disagree this was not his best post ever, but could have been had he recruited a better thesauraus, and comical writer to make so! What the heck is that supposed to mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dewey33 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I know West Pine is a dump and a recruit like Griffey is going to see pristine, first rate facilites in his travels. The problem is that Brad's recruiting was worse than Spoon's for Christ's sake! There are many schools that play in dumps and are able to recruit complete teams. Look at our own conference........ I agree that RM is better equipped to take us to the next level, but comparing Rick's recruiting to Brads is like comparing apples to oranges. The "kids want to play up-tempo" argument doesn't work. Name one school that practices and/or plays in a dump that is good.....the only one I can think of is St. Joe's, but they are making big facility changes, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Keep in mind that the product that RM is selling was much better than Brad could sell..... EVERY recruit that Brad brought in up to this point was brought in with the reality of spending every day in the disgusting hole that is West Pine gym......a substandard facility (by even high school standards) that was unfixable without a significant financial commitment. Brad also said regularly that more help was needed in the academic support and strength areas. He also touted the significance of taking charter flights. Then along came Richard Chaifetz...... EVERY recruit that Rick brings in will NEVER play in West Pine Gym, they will also have a state of the art new facility to call home. They also have a dedicated strength coach and academic support. They also regularly take charter flights. I agree that Rick's resume and experience is better....but don't blame the recruiting changes sloely on the Head Coach, there were other factors involved. If you don't agree that those things matter to recruits.....ask Griffster.... As someone said, UB did not bring the gravitas to the table to get some of these things fixed, ie increased budget for tutors, etc. Largely because he didn't win enough. And there wasn't anything he was gonna' do about WP gym after the arena approval. These are convenient excuses. UB missed out on guys that may have kept him here. Stemler? Seven evaluation visits? Whose that knocking on my door? Oh, Mr. Sampson of the Indiana Hoosiers?! Where do I sign? Harrelson wanted to come to SLU but was told to wait until Spring. Why? Because we had a surplus of 6'9" athletic guys ahead of him, or he thought maybe Beasely would come here? Not to mention our most famous non recruit, "one of the best 3 pt shooters in the country who will remain nameless", who was deemed not talented enough 5 years ago when Brad was named HC. There are coaches out there who recruited better players under much more difficult circumstances than UB faced here. And the class following TL and KL would have played two years at The Shay, last year's fall class three. Oh, I almost forgot, we had no recruits last fall. UB screwed his own pooch. Enough said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 I agree that RM is better equipped to take us to the next level, but comparing Rick's recruiting to Brads is like comparing apples to oranges. The "kids want to play up-tempo" argument doesn't work. Name one school that practices and/or plays in a dump that is good.....the only one I can think of is St. Joe's, but they are making big facility changes, too. Every A10 team east of Ohio pretty much has zero fan support, plays in a highschool sized gym, and probably has a more complete team than we do as well. West pine has always sucked. Scottrade has been a fricking palace that few teams can compete with. As a sales person, I know it's easy to make excuses for not getting the job done. I know it isn't a career for everyone. Unfortunately, it wasn't for Brad, at least at this level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dewey33 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Every A10 team east of Ohio pretty much has zero fan support, plays in a highschool sized gym, and probably has a more complete team than we do as well. West pine has always sucked. Scottrade has been a fricking palace that few teams can compete with. As a sales person, I know it's easy to make excuses for not getting the job done. I know it isn't a career for everyone. Unfortunately, it wasn't for Brad, at least at this level. I don't know if you have been to any other A-10 schools.... Xavier, Dayton, UMass, Rhode Island, Temple, Charlotte and Richmond all have nice newer arenas.... St. Joe's, Fordham, Duquesne and GW have gyms that are decent practice facilities, play on-campus , and have become tough home courts with just a couple thousand fans. LaSalle and St. Bona are dumps, but they stink too. As far as Stemler goes, we aren't the only school that is losing guys to Sampson at the last minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I disagree with point two. I don't feel playing an offense designed for jumpshooters, when we have no jumpshooters, is the best approach to winning this season. If it's the best approach for the future of SLU basketball remains to be seen, but I do think Rick could have a better record at this point if things were done differently. So does Rick, he said as much at the beginning of the year. Next year we will have TL, KL, BE, PE, and any of the Freshman and Sophs that stay all knowledgeable and with a fairly good grip on his system. Had he disregarded his system and played this year soley to match the strengths of our current roster, he himself said we might win a few more games, but realistically who thinks we would have made the NCAA tourney? Who thinks we were at least a lock (not a chance) for the NIT? The fact is we might have made the NIT, might have ... but we would have sacrificed 3 of our starters understanding the system. We would have been starting over next year with every player having no clue of the offense we run. As it is we will have 3 Sr leaders who will all probably start and have a good understanding of the system. That's a huge advantage. To have scrapped his long term approach for a shot at the NIT imo seems like a bad idea. Lets call last years talent and this years talent about even ... some say we are worse due to Ian's inside presence and the opposing defenses focusing on him not just the loss of his 12ppg and 8rpg. Others say we are better as we've added BE and Ian had an off year, either way the difference is probably slim. So with basically the same level of talent against a much, much better A10, who would honestly expect RM to take a team that didn't even make the NIT last year to the NCAA tourney. If the quality of the A10 was the same, it would still be tough, but it isn't, it's a far superior league this year. So yes, we've sacrificed a few wins and a shot at the NIT for the long term growth of the program. Seems like a good idea to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 I don't know if you have been to any other A-10 schools.... Xavier, Dayton, UMass, Rhode Island, Temple, Charlotte and Richmond all have nice newer arenas.... St. Joe's, Fordham, Duquesne and GW have gyms that are decent practice facilities, play on-campus , and have become tough home courts with just a couple thousand fans. LaSalle and St. Bona are dumps, but they stink too. As far as Stemler goes, we aren't the only school that is losing guys to Sampson at the last minute. So you've been to every A10 school? Thanks for the eyewitness assesment . Obviously I was exaggerating. Use St. Joes as an example (albeit not a perfect one given Martelli's stability due to love of the school.) Why would a great player choose Phil over one of theose gleaming new arenas you mentioned? Phil's got a great story to sell and strangely enough, must have some charisma hidden in there somewhere....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Every A10 team east of Ohio pretty much has zero fan support, plays in a highschool sized gym, and probably has a more complete team than we do as well. West pine has always sucked. Scottrade has been a fricking palace that few teams can compete with. As a sales person, I know it's easy to make excuses for not getting the job done. I know it isn't a career for everyone. Unfortunately, it wasn't for Brad, at least at this level. Even Duquesne brought in a much better recruiting class than us last year. In fact most teams in our league did, with comparable or worse facilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG BILL FAN Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I disagree with point two. I don't feel playing an offense designed for jumpshooters, when we have no jumpshooters, is the best approach to winning this season. If it's the best approach for the future of SLU basketball remains to be seen, but I do think Rick could have a better record at this point if things were done differently. Out of curiosity, what offense would you run with this group? I don't know of any that would be effctive with our lack of inside scoring, a lack of depth, lack of team quickness, and only 2 outside threats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Out of curiosity, what offense would you run with this group? I don't know of any that would be effctive with our lack of inside scoring, a lack of depth, lack of team quickness, and only 2 outside threats. And little chance of getting a rebound...... I honestly thought Rick could come up with something, though I was wary enough not to lay in any preseason projections, much less one of 20 plus wins......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Last year, Ian gave us a semblance of an inside-outside game. Even then, the offense wasn't always the best. This year, we just have an outside game. In order for this to really work, we would need tremendous point guard play, multiple outside shooting threats and depth. That's what we had with the group of Waldman, Claggett, Highmark, Turner and Macauley. Throw in a couple of undersized but effective frontcourt players like Dobbs and Robinson, and then you have something. Eberhardt is not Dobbs and we don't have anybody on the roster like Robinson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Even Duquesne brought in a much better recruiting class than us last year. In fact most teams in our league did, with comparable or worse facilities.And Duquense wasn't even selling a mediocre past, they were selling a "we've been in the toilet so long the urninal would look like heaven" past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Jack Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Fact 1: We are not a great team this year due to lack of a point guard and lack of an inside scoring threat. Fault goes to Brad Fact 2: Most of us thought that one of the best basketball minds alive could overcome fact number one. We were wrong. Fault goes to Brad Fact 3: No one expected Tommie and Kevin the be completely stymied by Rick's system and the missing Ian. Fault goes mostly to Brad for not recruiting a decent replacement or a power forward worthy of the name. Fact 4: Rick has recruited in one year nearly as much talent as Brad did during his tenure here. Fact 5: Everyone is (or should be) sick at heart to think that Kevin and Tommie will only get to play one year with a great recruiting class. Fault goes to Brad. In my opinion this year has been a dissappointment to this point and the fault goes to Brad. I thought we treated him shabbily but he didn't get the job done. Maybe he didn't have the resourses or support that Rick does but that is a moot point. He didn't possess the gravitas to demend them. If Rick's heart holds up the sky is the limit.......... This post is absolutely hilarious. Where to start. First of all do you know the difference between a fact and an opinion? An opinion is something like "everything wrong with the Bills this year is Soderberg's fault". A fact is "Soderberg is not the coach of the Bills this year Rick Majerus is". See the difference?? I especially like "Fact" #3 that "most of us thought that one of the best basketball minds alive could have overcome fact number 1. We were wrong. FAULT GOES TO BRAD!! LMAO. We thought they would be better this year and we were wrong and that's Brad's fault! Here are some real facts for you that undermine your "facts": -Tommy Liddell averaged 15 pts and 7 rbs last year playing for Coach Soderberg. This year he is averaging 11 pts and 3 rbs -Kevin Lisch averaged 15 pts and 3.5 assts last year playing for Coach Soderberg. This year he is averaging 13 pts and 3 asts -Dwayne Polk averaged 5 pts last year playing for Coach Soderberg. This year he is averaging 3 pts -Last year under Coach Soderberg the Bills ended with an RPI of 74. This year under Coach Majerus their RPI is 143. -In games that Ian played less than 30 minutes last year the Bills were 11-4. In games he played more than 30 minutes they were 7-8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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