slufanskip Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Washington first offered the job to Snyder (from the wealthy suburb of Mercer Island), he toyed with it but turned them down. Then they went to Dan Monson, then at Minnesota and seemingly on the rise there; he took the job, then the next morning back out. Then, among others, they called Romar. They originally didn't think he wanted to leave and only contacted him because he had played there (but never coached there). The rest is history. He still must have had some thought of leaving before he was "deep" in talks, which is the statement that was made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinfootes Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 The catholic schools in St. Louis are primarily elitist academies that aren't as good in basketball as they think they are...very different from the catholic school Brad attended and his dad coached at in Stevens Point Wisconsin. When you ask someone that grew up in St. Louis "where they went to high school" you are not looking to find out what color letter jacket they have in their closet. You're just jealous because you're inferior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinfootes Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I hate the what high school did you attend question, the elitism that comes with it, and how it makes many outsiders feel unwelcomed. That said, we have some very good catholic high schools with good basketball coaches not that far away from where Brad lived. It was Brad's right to send his kid where he wanted to, but I can understand some having a problem with the decision. When you are being paid a large amount of money from a catholic educational institution, it doesn't look all that great when you don't think the high school ones in town are good enough for your son. It was little stuff like this that started to add up with Brad. He choice to live out in the far suburbs wasn't exactly him giving a ringing endorsement to SLU's campus location or the city itself. I've thought about this over the past few days. If I'm not mistaken, Brad moved to St. Chuck when he came here as an assistant. It's possible that he went there because that's what he thought he could best afford at the time. When he later got promoted and received the $300K (or whatever it was), he might not have felt like moving again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinfootes Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 You all are barking up the wrong tree. Brad Soderberg's religion, residence, and choice of where to send his kids to school had nothing to do with his lack of success and firing. Very succinctly, it comes down to this: 5 yrs of 0 NCAA Tournament appearances + $80,000,000 new arena opening in a year = no BS I wish we still had Lorenzo Romar, and if Washington had made better decisions a decade ago, he'd still be here, but we don't. I also believe Soderberg would have SLU's program as a respectable program, at least, if the administration were patient, but they (ahem, Biondi and perhaps some other influential donors/boosters) weren't. I feel bad for Brad. Now we're hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with Rick Majerus and are having to pay the piper a bit. As I've stated on here before, there has been a great deal of revisionist history regarding Romar's time at SLU. He had a nice run in the conference tourney and got through to the big dance, but the team seemed to slip under his watch. He came in second place on so many recruits that I can't even count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 As I've stated on here before, there has been a great deal of revisionist history regarding Romar's time at SLU. He had a nice run in the conference tourney and got through to the big dance, but the team seemed to slip under his watch. He came in second place on so many recruits that I can't even count.I'm not revising history. I'm not saying that I thought the Romar era was great; rather, I think that he would have established a good program here, and I think that he would have gotten the Bills to at least one NCAA Tournament via at-large berth by now. He also might (yes, might) have been able to attract a higher level of recruit than even Majerus has. Every coach finishes second (or worse) on some coveted recruits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 You all are barking up the wrong tree. Brad Soderberg's religion, residence, and choice of where to send his kids to school had nothing to do with his lack of success and firing. Very succinctly, it comes down to this: 5 yrs of 0 NCAA Tournament appearances + $80,000,000 new arena opening in a year = no BS I wish we still had Lorenzo Romar, and if Washington had made better decisions a decade ago, he'd still be here, but we don't. I also believe Soderberg would have SLU's program as a respectable program, at least, if the administration were patient, but they (ahem, Biondi and perhaps some other influential donors/boosters) weren't. I feel bad for Brad. Now we're hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with Rick Majerus and are having to pay the piper a bit. Thicks what i think it showed on Brad's part was the bad decision making and the inability to see the big picture. I think this ended up translating to his performance in other parts of his job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Thicks what i think it showed on Brad's part was the bad decision making and the inability to see the big picture. I think this ended up translating to his performance in other parts of his job.I guess I'll agree to disagree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Thicks what i think it showed on Brad's part was the bad decision making and the inability to see the big picture. I think this ended up translating to his performance in other parts of his job. When did where Kramer went to school become a bad decision? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 When did where Kramer went to school become a bad decision?I think when you are being paid a very nice some by a catholic educational institution and then you chose not to send your child to a catholic institution it is a bad decision. I think when you are trying to recruit players to play and live at an innercity school and then you decide to live almost as far away from that place as possible it is a bad decision. It shows a lack of faith in both catholic education and the area where you are trying to get kids to live. Things like this can begin to add up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 When Brad was recruiting kids he was a salesman. He decisions on both where to live and where to send Kramer to school show a lack of faith in what he was trying to sell to kids. Catholic education wasn't important enough for his own son in high school. Living anywhere close to the school didn't seem like a good idea for Brad and his family. I am not buying what that salesman is trying to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 do you really think tommie liddell or dwayne polk cared whether the soderberg's lived in the central west end and sent kramer to desmet? brian, you are way out there on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 do you really think tommie liddell or dwayne polk cared whether the soderberg's lived in the central west end and sent kramer to desmet? brian, you are way out there on this one. Tommie, Dwayne, and Kevin were local kids and had different different outlook on the area than somebody from outside St. Louis. Tommie and Dwayne decided to go to SLU while Kramer was attending a catholic school. Would you buy something from somebody that he doesn't think is good enough or important enough for his own family? If I was an opposing coach recruiting the same kid as Brad..........I would probably bring it up. Brad didn't have a lot to sell during his time at SLU. A couple of the things he could have sold (big city living and a Catholic education), were not important enough or good enough for his own family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NashvilleBilliken Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Tommie, Dwayne, and Kevin were local kids and had different different outlook on the area than somebody from outside St. Louis. Tommie and Dwayne decided to go to SLU while Kramer was attending a catholic school. Would you buy something from somebody that he doesn't think is good enough or important enough for his own family? If I was an opposing coach recruiting the same kid as Brad..........I would probably bring it up. Brad didn't have a lot to sell during his time at SLU. A couple of the things he could have sold (big city living and a Catholic education), were not important enough or good enough for his own family. I can kinda see what you're saying regarding the living situation. Since SLU is an urban campus, I could see where it would help to be part of the community and live in the city. It would help your perception among the city schools. But I disagree on sending his kids to a catholic school. I don't think Brad was going out of his way to recruit Catholics and don't think anybody would really care. It may even work in his favor as it may make a non-catholic feel a little more at home knowing religion isn't a huge part of the experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I can kinda see what you're saying regarding the living situation. Since SLU is an urban campus, I could see where it would help to be part of the community and live in the city. It would help your perception among the city schools. But I disagree on sending his kids to a catholic school. I don't think Brad was going out of his way to recruit Catholics and don't think anybody would really care. It may even work in his favor as it may make a non-catholic feel a little more at home knowing religion isn't a huge part of the experience. I see this on a much more utilitarian level than you guys: Brad spent 90 minutes, give or take, in the car each day. Each hour is so precious for someone as busy as a DI coach, especially one with 3 kids. I love to see Majerus living so close to campus and I know he's a man who doesn't like to waste time on things like commuting. If Brad lived closer to campus, he might have had more flexibility in his scheduling and the ability to use his time more effectively. It may also have meant sending his kids to private Catholic schools because of the poor quality of city schools, so he could have also proven his devotion to Catholicism if it makes people happy. I was more concerned about the time wasted, though- but like I said much earlier in this post- to someone like Brad who is not from the area, I see how a real estate agent pushes St. Chuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 I see this on a much more utilitarian level than you guys: Brad spent 90 minutes, give or take, in the car each day. Each hour is so precious for someone as busy as a DI coach, especially one with 3 kids. I love to see Majerus living so close to campus and I know he's a man who doesn't like to waste time on things like commuting. If Brad lived closer to campus, he might have had more flexibility in his scheduling and the ability to use his time more effectively. It may also have meant sending his kids to private Catholic schools because of the poor quality of city schools, so he could have also proven his devotion to Catholicism if it makes people happy. I was more concerned about the time wasted, though- but like I said much earlier in this post- to someone like Brad who is not from the area, I see how a real estate agent pushes St. Chuck. i would bet the days of soderberg coming in late or leaving early were few and far between. i cant believe this is a discussion topic. our former coach decision to live in the suburbs and send his kids to the close public school instead of comuting his kids to a catholic high school. it is even more incredible that it is believed it contributed to his lack of recruiting success the last couple of years at slu. of course it didnt bother drejaj, or ian, or izak or tom frericks that he made these two family decisions. i would be shocked an opposing coach used this in winning a recruiting battle. but if any of you have definite proof that was the case, please throw it out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthyearsenior Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I think Brad should have lived in St. Chuck and sent his kid to Vashon. He could have crashed at Kramers apartment when he worked late. Floyd probably had a better shoe deal, so he could have Kramer steal shoes for the boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthyearsenior Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 We have a 4 page thread on an ex-coach not living near our school or sending his kid to a private catholic school when the owner of our message board doesn't go to SLU or have season tickets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 i would bet the days of soderberg coming in late or leaving early were few and far between. i cant believe this is a discussion topic. our former coach decision to live in the suburbs and send his kids to the close public school instead of comuting his kids to a catholic high school. it is even more incredible that it is believed it contributed to his lack of recruiting success the last couple of years at slu. of course it didnt bother drejaj, or ian, or izak or tom frericks that he made these two family decisions. i would be shocked an opposing coach used this in winning a recruiting battle. but if any of you have definite proof that was the case, please throw it out there. So you don't think the fact he wasn't buying what he was trying to sell possibly could of hurt his success rate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 We have a 4 page thread on an ex-coach not living near our school or sending his kid to a private catholic school when the owner of our message board doesn't go to SLU or have season tickets.At first I thought this was Metz, but now I am pretty sure who this is. Gettting stoned this morning? Have any bets placed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 i would bet the days of soderberg coming in late or leaving early were few and far between. i cant believe this is a discussion topic. our former coach decision to live in the suburbs and send his kids to the close public school instead of comuting his kids to a catholic high school. it is even more incredible that it is believed it contributed to his lack of recruiting success the last couple of years at slu. of course it didnt bother drejaj, or ian, or izak or tom frericks that he made these two family decisions. i would be shocked an opposing coach used this in winning a recruiting battle. but if any of you have definite proof that was the case, please throw it out there. That misses the point- no matter how late he stayed or early he came in (and I know he worked long hours), he still spent an hour and a half in the car. It doesn't matter to me if his kids go to Catholic schools or not, but an extra hour and a half a day makes a huge difference in any job. It also doesn't make him look better or worse to recruits- I can guarantee it doesn't matter to them and probably never came up in the recruiting process. That time is his to use as he sees fit, and all I'm saying is I can think of ways that is more useful than driving to a DI coach and father of three, that's all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 So you don't think the fact he wasn't buying what he was trying to sell possibly could of hurt his success rate? he was going to bring kramer to slu. so not sure what you are talking about. his job was to sell saint louis university, not desmet or sluh. and i cant imagine for a second that being an advantage for an opposing coach with a potential recruit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthyearsenior Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 he was going to bring kramer to slu. so not sure what you are talking about. his job was to sell saint louis university, not desmet or sluh. and i cant imagine for a second that being an advantage for an opposing coach with a potential recruit. Was it his job to sell St. Mary's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 he was going to bring kramer to slu. so not sure what you are talking about. his job was to sell saint louis university, not desmet or sluh. and i cant imagine for a second that being an advantage for an opposing coach with a potential recruit. What was Brad selling when he was selling SLU? He couldn't sell the Catholic education, because he proved that didn't matter to his family. He couldn't sell the city. It is hard to do that when it is not good enough for you. He couldn't sell a history of winning basketball. He couldn't sell outstanding facilities. He couldn't sell an exciting brand of basketball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 he was going to bring kramer to slu. so not sure what you are talking about. his job was to sell saint louis university, not desmet or sluh. and i cant imagine for a second that being an advantage for an opposing coach with a potential recruit. Roy, agreed. This is just a silly thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 What was Brad selling when he was selling SLU? He couldn't sell the Catholic education, because he proved that didn't matter to his family. He couldn't sell the city. It is hard to do that when it is not good enough for you. He couldn't sell a history of winning basketball. He couldn't sell outstanding facilities. He couldn't sell an exciting brand of basketball. His success or failure had nothing to do with where he lived, where he sent his kids to school, or any of the nonsense that has been floating around on this thread. Using your logic then any big state university college coach who sends his kids a private school will not be able to sell recruits on coming to State U. As I said, just plain silly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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