The enigma that is Barry Eberhardt

[SLUDrew]

Is anyone else as confounded by the play of BE as I am? The way I look at it, yesterday's game was a perfect microcosm of how his season has gone. He displayed what he can do on offense but taking his man baseline and ending with a reverse lay-up and had a highlight reel follow-up on a missed shot. He has also shown this year that he can step out and hit threes when the shot is there. If you see just these moments you would think that FINALLY SLU has gotten the athletic 4 that has eluded this program for years.

However, BE can also completely disappear for long stretches. With his athletic ability he should get more boards than he does and, in my opinion, should be a tougher defender. He doesn't seem to have that killer instinct on defense.

Stictly based on talent, he should be the third best player on the team, and may be the number one key to how far the Bills go next year.

[Guest BillikenReport]

Which is why Majerus has said publicly that Eberhardt needs to lose some weight if he wants to play next year.

Imagine how sweet those up-and-under reverse layups will be with a lighter, more athletic Barry.

On a serious note, I think Barry would be a lot more effective if SLU could play him along with a true post player. When Barry is in there, he's usually THE post guy. If they could play him with Bryce, or with whoever the center is next year, I'm guessing he'd be more effective as a face-up power forward who can shoot and pass (and also defend guys closer to his size).

[kmbilliken]

Which is why Majerus has said publicly that Eberhardt needs to lose some weight if he wants to play next year.

Imagine how sweet those up-and-under reverse layups will be with a lighter, more athletic Barry.

On a serious note, I think Barry would be a lot more effective if SLU could play him along with a true post player. When Barry is in there, he's usually THE post guy. If they could play him with Bryce, or with whoever the center is next year, I'm guessing he'd be more effective as a face-up power forward who can shoot and pass (and also defend guys closer to his size).

I agree he would be a better player if he could play 4 instead of 5. I think he will be a much better player next yeat when he will be strictly a 4. JUCOs seem to improve a lot their second year.

[Clock_Tower]

Agree with all of the above comments. JUCOs do take at least 1/2 a season to figure out the college game. Not really an enigma to me. How much should we be relying upon a JUCO from the spring signing period. I think he's done a great job so far. Is he Lebron James or Anthony Bonner, of course not. Does he need more consistency, etc., of course. But ask yourself where this team would be without him. Scary.

Again, the problem is not so much as to who is on this team but who is not on this team. Brad struck out year after year in getting us talent - namely a 4. If only he had some guys (even someone) to complement IV last year? (BTW, IV and BE would have been great together.) That missing recruit (such as a Randall Faulker) would have gotten us over the hump and into the NCAA tourney last year. This year, that missing recruit would be challenging BE with playing time so that KL and TL would have been given a chance this year. Also, that recruit's back-up would then be on the roster next year so that they could shoulder some of the load next year instead of placing it all upon the backs of our new recruits.

Not all that complex. Sign 2 to 3 good players each year and you will win many basketball games. Sign 2 to 3 good players every 4 years and you will struggle as we have over the past 30 years.

[dewey33]

Agree with all of the above comments. JUCOs do take at least 1/2 a season to figure out the college game. Not really an enigma to me. How much should we be relying upon a JUCO from the spring signing period. I think he's done a great job so far. Is he Lebron James or Anthony Bonner, of course not. Does he need more consistency, etc., of course. But ask yourself where this team would be without him. Scary.

Again, the problem is not so much as to who is on this team but who is not on this team. Brad struck out year after year in getting us talent - namely a 4. If only he had some guys (even someone) to complement IV last year? (BTW, IV and BE would have been great together.) That missing recruit (such as a Randall Faulker) would have gotten us over the hump and into the NCAA tourney last year. This year, that missing recruit would be challenging BE with playing time so that KL and TL would have been given a chance this year. Also, that recruit's back-up would then be on the roster next year so that they could shoulder some of the load next year instead of placing it all upon the backs of our new recruits.

Not all that complex. Sign 2 to 3 good players each year and you will win many basketball games. Sign 2 to 3 good players every 4 years and you will struggle as we have over the past 30 years.

Sodie rolled the dice on the 4 and came up craps....

Horace & Obi are having pretty marginal juco seasons for Blinn and Angelina JC's

http://www.tsrnsports.com/Basketball-2008/...9;s%20Stats.pdf

However, rumor has it that Horace resigned with Houston.....

[lucky bob]

However, rumor has it that Horace resigned with Houston.....

Cut and Paste from Houston's Website:

Dixon is a 6-8 forward at Angelina College after playing three games as a freshman at Saint Louis in 2006-07. He went to Saint Louis after averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds and helping lead Fork Union Military Academy to a 23-9 record.

"Horace is a great athlete who loves to play defense and run the floor," Penders said. "He can play both the five and four positions, and has gained 40 pounds of muscle since he was in high school.

"He is an upbeat young man who really gets after it on both offense and defense. We targeted him this summer, and I am thrilled he will be a Cougar. He also has been an excellent student at both Saint Louis and Angelina."

Um, coach you know he failed out of St. Louis, right?

[Taj79]

If such a marginal guy like Horace succeeds leaving SLU and going to Houston --- or anywhere for that matter --- I'd be stunned. Reading what Penders has to say is like reading what the FRUBS said when Dixon came here. I wish him well and hold no ill will but the cahnces of someone leaving here and going somewhere to do well are far and few between, almost remote.

About the only two or three I can think of are Ford, Winfield and maybe Jason Edwin. There might be more but if there are I can't think of who that would be. Oh yeah, the biggest of all, Ricky Frazier. But most seem like Cranford, Adkins, Pulley, Melvin Robinson, Vincnet Smith, and some others that don't amount to much.

[billiken_roy]

clock, fyi, randall falker committed to siu while romar was still the coach at slu.

[Taj79]

Clock ---- the FRUBs struck out big time all over the place. The following are the recruits that were signed and/or announced over the FRUBS regime:

On April 3, 2002, the Billikens opened up their search for a successor to Romar. Nine days later, Soderberg is hired. This after spending one year on Romar’s staff. So let’s assume he was already recruiting who came on board that year. That Spring (shortly after getting the job), for the first FRUBS year, Soderberg signed Anthony Drejaj, Izik Ohanon, Justin Johnson and Reggie Bryant. This after a fall signing period that saw Ryan Hollins and Nick Kern sign with the Bills (neither, of course, ever played a game).

In the fall 2002 signing period, FRUBS inks Brandon Morris and Darren Clarke. In the Spring, FRUBS inks Frericks, Husak and Vouyoukas.

The fall 2003, brings in Polk, Meyer and Liddell, although Liddell will have grade problems and go to prep school. Morris fails to achieve eligibility(enrolling instead at Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Husak redshirts and Bryant is injured and forced to miss first three games. Soderberg gives a scholarship to Philip Hunt. In the spring, FRUBS inks Vas’shun Newborne and Antwan Alexander (Alexander is another who sees no time with the Bills).

In fall 2004, Danny Brown signs in August for the upcoming year and Kevin Lisch signs national letter of intent while Tommie Liddell resigns after a year at prep school. Justin Johnson is suspended for two months through November and Frericks goes out for the year in Janaury due to concussions. Clarke announces transfer to UTEP and spring signing brings Obi Ikeakor into fold.

In the fall of 2005, Soderberg inks Dustin Maguire as his only early signing. Ands in the spring, Soderberg inks Knollmeyer and Dixon.

In fall 2006, Soderberg signs no one. In the spring, he signs Anthony Mitchell and Marcus Relaphorde on April 11 but is fired on April 17. Rick Majerus is named head coach on April 30 and Majerus signs Barry Eberhardt on May 2. On November 14 Majerus signs Brian Conklin, Femi John, Kwamain Mitchell, Brett Thompson and Willie Reed.

So if I were grading I'd go this way by years: Drejaj is a C; Ohanaon a C and Bryant a B. Johnson is an F as are Hollins and Kern. Morris, Clarke and Frericks are all F's. Huask is a D. Vouyoukas is an A. Polk, Hunt, Newbourne and Alexander are all F's while Meyer and Liddell are A's. Brown is a C maybe and improving as this is written and while Lisch gets the last A and the rest (Maguire, Dixon, Ikeakor, Mitchell, Knollmeyer and Relaphorde) are all F's with final grades still pending on the last three. But I think they have to be counted for purposes here today.

So, if you did these grades ala a GPA, the FRUBS measures up to a 1.013 GPA. If I take out the "incomplete" grades, the GPA "jumps" to a whopping 1.192. Sixteen out of the 25 players on this list, or 64%, were relative failures.

Now I don't know that the five kids already signed by Majerus will amount to much. Given what is rated above, average players (counting a "C" as an average grade) woul; be above what we have had to live through the last five or so years. I really do believe that under FRUBS, all we were doing int he Spring was filling roster spots. Hopefully all those kids took advanatge of a $30K per year education and did something with it.

Evenif Faulkner did commit to SIU when Romar was here, it had to also be the one year Soderberg was here so he had to be involved.

[ACE]

Agree with all of the above comments. JUCOs do take at least 1/2 a season to figure out the college game. Not really an enigma to me. How much should we be relying upon a JUCO from the spring signing period. I think he's done a great job so far. Is he Lebron James or Anthony Bonner, of course not. Does he need more consistency, etc., of course. But ask yourself where this team would be without him. Scary.

Again, the problem is not so much as to who is on this team but who is not on this team. Brad struck out year after year in getting us talent - namely a 4. If only he had some guys (even someone) to complement IV last year? (BTW, IV and BE would have been great together.) That missing recruit (such as a Randall Faulker) would have gotten us over the hump and into the NCAA tourney last year. This year, that missing recruit would be challenging BE with playing time so that KL and TL would have been given a chance this year. Also, that recruit's back-up would then be on the roster next year so that they could shoulder some of the load next year instead of placing it all upon the backs of our new recruits.

Not all that complex. Sign 2 to 3 good players each year and you will win many basketball games. Sign 2 to 3 good players every 4 years and you will struggle as we have over the past 30 years.

Excellent post. I think we are entering a new era where there will be real comptetition or playing time. Not only has missing a 4 been a big issue, so has point guard. DP should have been recruited over or at least been offered serious competition during his career. Instead, he was pretty much handed a starting job. The previous regime could not even replace Drejaj. I never understood that. Agreed that BE should be much better next year as a 4. I think he's done an admirable job in a tough situation with our "bigs" being outmanned almost every game. Without BE, we have a frontline of BH and AK. Scary is right.

[NashvilleBilliken]

Clock ---- the FRUBs struck out big time all over the place. The following are the recruits that were signed and/or announced over the FRUBS regime:

On April 3, 2002, the Billikens opened up their search for a successor to Romar. Nine days later, Soderberg is hired. This after spending one year on Romar’s staff. So let’s assume he was already recruiting who came on board that year. That Spring (shortly after getting the job), for the first FRUBS year, Soderberg signed Anthony Drejaj, Izik Ohanon, Justin Johnson and Reggie Bryant. This after a fall signing period that saw Ryan Hollins and Nick Kern sign with the Bills (neither, of course, ever played a game).

In the fall 2002 signing period, FRUBS inks Brandon Morris and Darren Clarke. In the Spring, FRUBS inks Frericks, Husak and Vouyoukas.

The fall 2003, brings in Polk, Meyer and Liddell, although Liddell will have grade problems and go to prep school. Morris fails to achieve eligibility(enrolling instead at Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Husak redshirts and Bryant is injured and forced to miss first three games. Soderberg gives a scholarship to Philip Hunt. In the spring, FRUBS inks Vas’shun Newborne and Antwan Alexander (Alexander is another who sees no time with the Bills).

In fall 2004, Danny Brown signs in August for the upcoming year and Kevin Lisch signs national letter of intent while Tommie Liddell resigns after a year at prep school. Justin Johnson is suspended for two months through November and Frericks goes out for the year in Janaury due to concussions. Clarke announces transfer to UTEP and spring signing brings Obi Ikeakor into fold.

In the fall of 2005, Soderberg inks Dustin Maguire as his only early signing. Ands in the spring, Soderberg inks Knollmeyer and Dixon.

In fall 2006, Soderberg signs no one. In the spring, he signs Anthony Mitchell and Marcus Relaphorde on April 11 but is fired on April 17. Rick Majerus is named head coach on April 30 and Majerus signs Barry Eberhardt on May 2. On November 14 Majerus signs Brian Conklin, Femi John, Kwamain Mitchell, Brett Thompson and Willie Reed.

So if I were grading I'd go this way by years: Drejaj is a C; Ohanaon a C and Bryant a B. Johnson is an F as are Hollins and Kern. Morris, Clarke and Frericks are all F's. Huask is a D. Vouyoukas is an A. Polk, Hunt, Newbourne and Alexander are all F's while Meyer and Liddell are A's. Brown is a C maybe and improving as this is written and while Lisch gets the last A and the rest (Maguire, Dixon, Ikeakor, Mitchell, Knollmeyer and Relaphorde) are all F's with final grades still pending on the last three. But I think they have to be counted for purposes here today.

So, if you did these grades ala a GPA, the FRUBS measures up to a 1.013 GPA. If I take out the "incomplete" grades, the GPA "jumps" to a whopping 1.192. Sixteen out of the 25 players on this list, or 64%, were relative failures.

Now I don't know that the five kids already signed by Majerus will amount to much. Given what is rated above, average players (counting a "C" as an average grade) woul; be above what we have had to live through the last five or so years. I really do believe that under FRUBS, all we were doing int he Spring was filling roster spots. Hopefully all those kids took advanatge of a $30K per year education and did something with it.

Evenif Faulkner did commit to SIU when Romar was here, it had to also be the one year Soderberg was here so he had to be involved.

You're nuts, Taj. An F for Frericks?! What is you're grading scale? After some of the heroics he pulled at SLU, I'm suprised anybody can view Tom as a bust. I give him a C...maybe even a B. Why is Husak better than Frericks?

I also disagree that polk is an F. I don't know how a 2 (or 3 now?) year starter can be an F. He has trouble shooting the ball, but I would at least give him a D. Probably more like a C-.

[slu72]

You're nuts, Taj. An F for Frericks?! What is you're grading scale? After some of the heroics he pulled at SLU, I'm suprised anybody can view Tom as a bust. I give him a C...maybe even a B. Why is Husak better than Frericks?

I also disagree that polk is an F. I don't know how a 2 (or 3 now?) year starter can be an F. He has trouble shooting the ball, but I would at least give him a D. Probably more like a C-.

My changes would be: Frericks, c-, Bryant C+ (his last year was a bust), TL and KL B+'s. Give DP a c-. Overall probably come out with the same average. And I think you left out OBI, major F. In any event bottom line; under UB he bought in maybe 4-5 guys that could have got playing time at a top 75 school. It's why he was canned. Even though with RM's incoming class I still don't see that quick slashing athletic buffed up PF we all thirst for. Why can't we get a Weathers or Dunston type to come to SLU?

[billiken_roy]

Excellent post. I think we are entering a new era where there will be real comptetition or playing time. Not only has missing a 4 been a big issue, so has point guard. DP should have been recruited over or at least been offered serious competition during his career. Instead, he was pretty much handed a starting job. The previous regime could not even replace Drejaj. I never understood that. Agreed that BE should be much better next year as a 4. I think he's done an admirable job in a tough situation with our "bigs" being outmanned almost every game. Without BE, we have a frontline of BH and AK. Scary is right.

polk was "recruited over". liddell was recruited to be the billiken point guard.

[billiken_roy]

why do we care? aint gonna help us going forward talking about an coachship that is long gone. if soderberg or romar were still the coach, yes, then by all means it is viable discussion. but now it is just worthless coulda woulda shoulda.

i'd rather discuss what is going on now and future recruiting.

[brianstl]

Clock ---- the FRUBs struck out big time all over the place. The following are the recruits that were signed and/or announced over the FRUBS regime:

On April 3, 2002, the Billikens opened up their search for a successor to Romar. Nine days later, Soderberg is hired. This after spending one year on Romar’s staff. So let’s assume he was already recruiting who came on board that year. That Spring (shortly after getting the job), for the first FRUBS year, Soderberg signed Anthony Drejaj, Izik Ohanon, Justin Johnson and Reggie Bryant. This after a fall signing period that saw Ryan Hollins and Nick Kern sign with the Bills (neither, of course, ever played a game).

In the fall 2002 signing period, FRUBS inks Brandon Morris and Darren Clarke. In the Spring, FRUBS inks Frericks, Husak and Vouyoukas.

The fall 2003, brings in Polk, Meyer and Liddell, although Liddell will have grade problems and go to prep school. Morris fails to achieve eligibility(enrolling instead at Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Husak redshirts and Bryant is injured and forced to miss first three games. Soderberg gives a scholarship to Philip Hunt. In the spring, FRUBS inks Vas’shun Newborne and Antwan Alexander (Alexander is another who sees no time with the Bills).

In fall 2004, Danny Brown signs in August for the upcoming year and Kevin Lisch signs national letter of intent while Tommie Liddell resigns after a year at prep school. Justin Johnson is suspended for two months through November and Frericks goes out for the year in Janaury due to concussions. Clarke announces transfer to UTEP and spring signing brings Obi Ikeakor into fold.

In the fall of 2005, Soderberg inks Dustin Maguire as his only early signing. Ands in the spring, Soderberg inks Knollmeyer and Dixon.

In fall 2006, Soderberg signs no one. In the spring, he signs Anthony Mitchell and Marcus Relaphorde on April 11 but is fired on April 17. Rick Majerus is named head coach on April 30 and Majerus signs Barry Eberhardt on May 2. On November 14 Majerus signs Brian Conklin, Femi John, Kwamain Mitchell, Brett Thompson and Willie Reed.

So if I were grading I'd go this way by years: Drejaj is a C; Ohanaon a C and Bryant a B. Johnson is an F as are Hollins and Kern. Morris, Clarke and Frericks are all F's. Huask is a D. Vouyoukas is an A. Polk, Hunt, Newbourne and Alexander are all F's while Meyer and Liddell are A's. Brown is a C maybe and improving as this is written and while Lisch gets the last A and the rest (Maguire, Dixon, Ikeakor, Mitchell, Knollmeyer and Relaphorde) are all F's with final grades still pending on the last three. But I think they have to be counted for purposes here today.

So, if you did these grades ala a GPA, the FRUBS measures up to a 1.013 GPA. If I take out the "incomplete" grades, the GPA "jumps" to a whopping 1.192. Sixteen out of the 25 players on this list, or 64%, were relative failures.

Now I don't know that the five kids already signed by Majerus will amount to much. Given what is rated above, average players (counting a "C" as an average grade) woul; be above what we have had to live through the last five or so years. I really do believe that under FRUBS, all we were doing int he Spring was filling roster spots. Hopefully all those kids took advanatge of a $30K per year education and did something with it.

Evenif Faulkner did commit to SIU when Romar was here, it had to also be the one year Soderberg was here so he had to be involved.

First of all, who cares?

Brad is gone and people that were on both sides need to realize this.

I also have a hard time with someone that wants tho give two guys that were getting paid overseas to play ball (Drejaj and Ohanan) C's.

How in the hell do you give Frericks an F (WTF)?

How in the hell do you give a three year starter (Polk) an F?

How do you give Brad an F for two guys that he didn't recruit?

Brad's recruiting problems didn't start right away. They really started after he signed Tommie and Kevin. He was doing a decent enough job until after he signed TL and KL. That is when the wheels fell off the bus.

[Box and Won]

I'd take Izik back in a heartbeat.

[ACE]

polk was "recruited over". liddell was recruited to be the billiken point guard.

Then thinking Tommie was a point guard was a mistake. He doesn't handle the ball well enough. Tommie is a 3.

[NashvilleBilliken]

Then thinking Tommie was a point guard was a mistake. He doesn't handle the ball well enough. Tommie is a 3.

Hindsight is 20/20, ain't it? Liddell was recruited to play the point due to his superb court vision. I agree that it has turned out Tommie is better suited at the 3 due to his lack of ball handling development. But Tommie as a point guard coming out of high school was not some crazy idea. I would love to have a 6'4 point guard.

[ACE]

Hindsight is 20/20, ain't it? Liddell was recruited to play the point due to his superb court vision. I agree that it has turned out Tommie is better suited at the 3 due to his lack of ball handling development. But Tommie as a point guard coming out of high school was not some crazy idea. I would love to have a 6'4 point guard.

The key is to get a coach who has good foresight and doesn't need hindsight. The first couple of times I saw Tommie play the point, I thought he looked awkward. While he is an excellent passer, he's just not tight enough handling the ball.

[ACE]

why do we care? aint gonna help us going forward talking about an coachship that is long gone. if soderberg or romar were still the coach, yes, then by all means it is viable discussion. but now it is just worthless coulda woulda shoulda.

i'd rather discuss what is going on now and future recruiting.

If you don't want to talk about it, then nobody is making you. If others want to talk about it, then let them talk about it. The topic is still pertinent to how our current roster was assembled.

[Taj79]

Look I don't want to open a can of biblical on anyone (Wow! I personally can't get any more hypocritical than that! Sometimes I out-do myself.) but so shall ye reap as ye sow. To understand why we are at where we are at today, one has to look at the past. Clock changed the tone in bringing to light the facts about recruiting. But he focused solely on a 4 and that's not the only thing missing in this program.

I stand by every grade I have given but might revise some DOWN. None will go up. But isn't this the very thing discussion boards exist for --- namely subjective and objective debate? Its like the other thread that asked about the greatest Billikens over the last 25 years. My opinion on that would be that jsut to be considered, you need two years in the program as a JUCO, four years otherwise. Meaning to me Hughes is out on his ass. Seems to me you want to fill in the blank behind "College:" you need a degree from that school. Can Bobby Brannen fill in "Cincinnati" behind that line in his application? If you or I applied for a job and we said we 'graduated' from college (which I think that line implies), I think having the degree might be a prerequisite. Didn't we see that in George o'Leary at Notre Dame.

Frericks didn't finish his career and someone wants to give him a C or a B. Polk's F in my book shows just how weak the rest of this roster is. I am one who always says we lack talent. To me, B is borderline Billiken Hall of Fame. Husak is above Frericks inmy book because he got a year in. Taking Ohanon back now is an opinion solely relfected by the state of the current roster. Isn't that what I was discussing and how we got here?

[bonwich]

The Billiken world now is an entirely different place.

I've always contended that Brad in no way should have shouldered all the blame for the bad recruiting. He brought Kevin and Tommie in with the promise of playing in a new arena, and that new arena then got delayed for several years. Wanna bet that came up in some of the competitive presentations from other coaches? (As did the perpetual talk-big-spend-tiny SLU habits Ante Majerus [Dei Gloriam])?

Brad was Brad, working under major handicaps. Majerus is not only Majerus -- he gets to be Majerus with very few of those same handicaps. I just can't see any viable means of comparison.

[ACE]

The Billiken world now is an entirely different place.

I've always contended that Brad in no way should have shouldered all the blame for the bad recruiting. He brought Kevin and Tommie in with the promise of playing in a new arena, and that new arena then got delayed for several years. Wanna bet that came up in some of the competitive presentations from other coaches? (As did the perpetual talk-big-spend-tiny SLU habits Ante Majerus [Dei Gloriam])?

Brad was Brad, working under major handicaps. Majerus is not only Majerus -- he gets to be Majerus with very few of those same handicaps. I just can't see any viable means of comparison.

For me, the comparison is not so much between Brad and Majerus, it's more between Brad and Missouri State, SIU, Creigthon, etc. Those are just a few of the schools in the region who don't play in a glamor conference who were able to gain ground during the Sodie era, while we either slowly got worse or at least remained stagnant.

[billiken_roy]

Then thinking Tommie was a point guard was a mistake. He doesn't handle the ball well enough. Tommie is a 3.

i dont know this from any credible source (maybe jalejarr can comment), but i am guessing that if soderberg doesnt recruit tommie as a point guard there is a chance tommie looks elsewhere. i think the thought of getting to play point intrigued tommie.

[kshoe]

polk was "recruited over". liddell was recruited to be the billiken point guard.

That seems like revisionist history. Tommie and Polk were originally in the same class. I don't remember a single comment at the time that we had recruited 2 pgs and they would battle it out for playing time.