Official Exhibition Thread, SLU-HSSU, 11-5-08

[BIG BILL FAN]

omg! rickma has hit the frickin jackpot. that has to be the deepest quality freshmen class in history of slu. they are ALL potential players. not a miss in the group if you ask me.

cassity, mitchell and cotto are nails.

reed is the surprise of the class.

conklin and thompson are extremely solid.

my sources say kevin fell on his tailbone and was going to have x-rays. be fearful.

my sources say eberhardt broke a team rule but would only sit tonite.

wow. this is exciting. i am beyond speechless it was that good.

btw, arena is spectacular. i can only imagine how loud that place will get full.

agree completely, I can't believe there was ever talk of red shirting Willie Reed, this guy has star potential...i was also very impressed with cassity, he has a real ability to get to the basket.

[STL Hoops Insider]

First of all, I hope Lisch is okay. The fall didnt look that bad, but then when he didnt get up I thought he might have hit his head and then when he went to the locker room, I became concerned. I didnt see him come out for the 2nd half either. I'm not really disappointed. Deep down this is what I expected all along. Harris-Stowe started 3 freshman #13, #25, and #34 and only played 3 players #32, #25, and #24 who were not freshman. I did think the defense by Harris-Stowe was really good in the first half, they just were overmatched on the boards and Reed really killed them with putbacks, and the 2nd half they were just too tired and SLU was just too good. I really like what I saw from Reed and Cassity. Nobody else really impressed me. I knew Cotto could shoot. What did alarm me in the first half was that Harris-Stowe was able to get point blank shots at the rim. They blew a ton of them, but they got right there. That needs to get shored up in a hurry. Reed did a better job in the 2nd half, but that really shouldn't be happening. I like Cassity as the backup pg. I think both of these teams had a bright future. For a team full of freshman, what did you guys think of Harris-Stowe?

[AlumniFan]

For the last few years including this year, I have been generally pessimistic, but after tonight's game, I feel better. I was told that I would be impressed, but was highly skeptical with 7 freshmen. I was amazed at what I saw versus expectations. First, though, I heard Kevin will be fine. Supposedly wanted to try to play in the second half, but was told no way.

Reed, Cassity, and Mitchell were very good. Reed was the star. Not sure if that was purely a relative talent thing or if he really has that much potential, but tonight, it was a bit like the Willie Reed show. The best thing is---HE WANTS THE BALL. Finally someone who WANTS the ball all the time. He may still redshirt because he is SKINNY. I am fairly confident that at nearly a foot shorter, I weigh more than him and it is not because I am fat.

Cassity struck me as an upperclassman with poise and maturity. I think he is going to be a strong and consistent leader on this team. I can see why Rick likes him.

Mitchell is an aggressive, heads up player. He will do great things for the Bills and he likes to score.

Overall, a great night.

One question - my seats are in 114. When I picked them out I could have sworn that they were across from the Billiken bench, but tonight it turns out they are right behind it. Did they switch sides for the benches or are all those years of bashing my head against offensive lineman finally starting to take effect....?

[GOSLU68]

Just got home--a few observations:

The building is even better than I thought it would be. The whole atmosphere is fantastic and it has the feel of being very close to the court even when you are ten rows away. Nothing but high marks there.

Kevin went down extremely hard on his back and it looked like he slammed his head on the floor. The guy hit him while he was in the air like a defensive back hitting a receiver and he flew down. Very questionable and dangerous play. I pray that he is ok but he did not return to the court and I heard nothing about his progress. He needed two guys to hold him up to get off the court to the locker room.

Overall, the freshmen were

speedy, ball hawks, played well together, took shots when they had them

One pass to the face of BT and one low to Reed being exceptions; TL seemed to go off his game in reaction to KL leaving hurt-very late in the game he

seemed to gain some focus. Harris Stowe doubled him and hacked him alot.

BE was street clothes sitting on sideline. BT had good defensive skills and footwork but let a shorter speedy opponent get by him for an easy lay up. He

does seem to take along time to get down the floor but he and Conlkin controlled their space and the boards. WR was just great has strong arms but built like a rop and seasoned Bigs will push him around unles his speed and athleticism let him work around them.

Cassity looked confident. PE looked slow compared to these new freshmen but he was wearing a black brace under his jersey,

It will be exciting to see if we do well against UNSL

[GOSLU68]

Just got home--a few observations:

Food servie was both juvenile and institutional; hot dogs looked like they would be ready by end of game but at least they are grilling them instead of bringing them up from the dungeion already wrapped like at the ED Jones dome which still had the worst food at a public arena

Overall, the freshmen were

[AlumniFan]

For a team full of freshman, what did you guys think of Harris-Stowe?

I thought HS played very well in the 1st half. I think that HS will do well against similar competition, although they clearly lacked size. However, what they lacked in size they made up for in hustle.

I had no idea Rich Fanning was the head coach! How long has he been the coach?

[STL Hoops Insider]

I thought HS played very well in the 1st half. I think that HS will do well against similar competition, although they clearly lacked size. However, what they lacked in size they made up for in hustle.

I had no idea Rich Fanning was the head coach! How long has he been the coach?

He's been the coach since the 2004-2005 season. I dont think they lack size. They started 6'6, 6'5, and 6'6 across the frontline. I think they lack a go-to scorer. With the defense they played in the 1st half I think they will beat a lot of teams. They hung tough in the 1st half. If they play that way against other NAIA teams they will cause a lot of problems. SLU's freshman were equally impressive. SLU was just too big and too good. I liked Cotto and Mitchell's chemistry. I liked the hustle too. I think they did outhustle Harris-Stowe at some points, but it also could've been that they were tired. They kept it close as long as they could, but SLU could just throw it down low when they wanted and score. Thanks for the comments.

[jimbofive]

He's been the coach since the 2004-2005 season. I dont think they lack size. They started 6'6, 6'5, and 6'6 across the frontline. I think they lack a go-to scorer. With the defense they played in the 1st half I think they will beat a lot of teams. They hung tough in the 1st half. If they play that way against other NAIA teams they will cause a lot of problems. SLU's freshman were equally impressive. SLU was just too big and too good. I liked Cotto and Mitchell's chemistry. I liked the hustle too. I think they did outhustle Harris-Stowe at some points, but it also could've been that they were tired. They kept it close as long as they could, but SLU could just throw it down low when they wanted and score. Thanks for the comments.

What was with that one idiot going 6-21 from the field and jacking up like a dozen threes? Were they good shots or was he just an idiot? That is a decent front line for NAIA.

[bhayes520]

Left at half, here's what I saw...

KM - Very calm, looked like an upperclassmen, certainly not a freshman being asked to start at PG. Very excited.

KL - Ouch. Bruised rear-end aside, he had to have smacked his head by the look on his face while he was laying on the ground. I'm surprised he's not concussed. Didn't look like a dirty play by HS though, just basketball. Rough fall, but sounds like he'll be alright.

TL3 - On offense seemed completely disinterested in taking any shots, only trying to work the freshmen in. Played solid defense. Ready to see what he can do with them in a real game.

BC - He's a hustler and a banger.

BT - I hope he learns a lot this year, because if he does, he can be a great player in the future. A lot of upside, but a lot of work to be done.

BE - Enjoyed dancing with the cheerleaders for most of the game.

RC - Just shoot, Ruben. Looks like he'll have good dribble penetration, and the smooth jumper we expected. Not the best passer on the team.

WR - Exactly what I was hoping to see. I really didn't want to see him redshirted. He's gonna have a rough go against the meatier bigs we play, but he's tall and athletic enough to get around that. If he can put on some major pounds in the next 18 months, he could be the most dominant player I've seen at SLU.

KC - Looked really good, needs to get rid of the curls.

PE - Glad to see him diving on the ground after loose balls. Hope that means the back is alright.

[STL Hoops Insider]

What was with that one idiot going 6-21 from the field and jacking up like a dozen threes? Were they good shots or was he just an idiot? That is a decent front line for NAIA.

Not good shots. He's gotta pass the ball. If he's not making shots he really hurts them. He needs to only shoot when he's open. If he's gonna play like that you can start #24 Theo Boykins and bring him off the bench for instant offense. He was all-conference last year but he had a better supporting cast and deferred to the seniors more often as they played inside out.

[billikenfan05]

I think they should change our nickname for this year to the SLU Baby Billikens! All of the freshman looked incredibly young but played great. The only one on the team who doesn't look like he stopped using his baby bottle a year ago is Kwamain and he looks like hes 34! I can't wait for next fridays game!

[STL Hoops Insider]

I think they should change our nickname for this year to the SLU Baby Billikens! All of the freshman looked incredibly young but played great. The only one on the team who doesn't look like he stopped using his baby bottle a year ago is Kwamain and he looks like hes 34! I can't wait for next fridays game!

I could see them starting 5 sophomores next year. You could go out on a limb and say its a certainty. Same thing for my Hornets. None of the freshman on other side looked scared or panicked. I liked the poise. Majerus did an excellent job using his timeouts too. He cant be happy with the interior diefense though.

[NashvilleBilliken]

Wow...i'm really pumped now. Go Billikens!

[OC]

Hollins and Haley are nice freshman. Stowe gave minutes to a few guys that McKendree and Columbia (conference foes) wouldn't make eye contact with.

Boykin looks solid, and the Texas DI kid is athletic...but H-S sure didn't finish last night.

But seriously, McKendree brings a starter from Three Rivers off it's bench, and Stowe brings...

SLU:

I think every single one of those guys has a game to speak of. No one is limited to a "role player" status (long term). I don't want to pile on the guys who were asked to leave, but we indeed upgraded the roster.

Cotto, Kwamain and Cassity excited me the most--these 3 ooze confidence. Reed is ahead of where I perceived him to be.

Tommie was frankly not very impactful last night. I don't mind that he didn't score 30pts, I just wanted to see H-S have fits trying to guard him. Not the case.

[STL Hoops Insider]

Hollins and Haley are nice freshman. Stowe gave minutes to a few guys that McKendree and Columbia (conference foes) wouldn't make eye contact with.

Boykin looks solid, and the Texas DI kid is athletic...but H-S sure didn't finish last night.

But seriously, McKendree brings a starter from Three Rivers off it's bench, and Stowe brings...

SLU:

I think every single one of those guys has a game to speak of. No one is limited to a "role player" status (long term). I don't want to pile on the guys who were asked to leave, but we indeed upgraded the roster.

Cotto, Kwamain and Cassity excited me the most--these 3 ooze confidence. Reed is ahead of where I perceived him to be.

Tommie was frankly not very impactful last night. I don't mind that he didn't score 30pts, I just wanted to see H-S have fits trying to guard him. Not the case.

Good analysis. Conklin really didn't impress me. I think he got away with some hooking last night and he failed to just go up and over smaller defenders. He played well below the rim. Thompson I think has bulked up too much and looked slow. I think Willie Reed should get the bulk of the center minutes and hopefully he doesnt go for too many pump fakes and get in foul trouble and I want Eberhart at pf. I saw the Billiken plays small a lot too. The guards all looked promising. Cassity will play a lot. What did you like about Hollins? And yeah, McKendree is a great program. Sean Rakers wont even start for them this year and he's a beast. And you're right, they didnt finish last night and I dont know why, Reed was the only player who was a threat to block shots on the interior. They were either nervous or tired. They missed point blank shots. Another reason why Reed needs to be in the game. Conklin and Thompson were not jumping for rebounds. Reed was active tipping the ball in. This team needs to play fast. There is not much of a low post presence if at all. Everybody needs to work on establishing position down low. Reed was able to get away with bad position because he's quick and you cant bother his hook shot because of his length. The others will struggle.

[Archy McNally]

Good analysis. Conklin really didn't impress me. I think he got away with some hooking last night and he failed to just go up and over smaller defenders. He played well below the rim. Thompson I think has bulked up too much and looked slow. I think Willie Reed should get the bulk of the center minutes and hopefully he doesnt go for too many pump fakes and get in foul trouble and I want Eberhart at pf. I saw the Billiken plays small a lot too. The guards all looked promising. Cassity will play a lot. What did you like about Hollins? And yeah, McKendree is a great program. Sean Rakers wont even start for them this year and he's a beast. And you're right, they didnt finish last night and I dont know why, Reed was the only player who was a threat to block shots on the interior. They were either nervous or tired. They missed point blank shots. Another reason why Reed needs to be in the game. Conklin and Thompson were not jumping for rebounds. Reed was active tipping the ball in. This team needs to play fast. There is not much of a low post presence if at all. Everybody needs to work on establishing position down low. Reed was able to get away with bad position because he's quick and you cant bother his hook shot because of his length. The others will struggle.

That is funny, because I came away thinking that Conklin is the only one being the sure starter and the type of player we have missed. He played the best defense among the big guys, had the best floor game of the big guys, rebound, and scored. I think he is pretty darn thick for a freshman. I am hoping for a Matt Shaw like freshman yr from him. WR was the one that I am most excited and another type of player we need bad but he needs a little more mustle and a little more experience to get his "D" up to speed. I think BT could use the redshirt more than anyone (just like we should have redshirted Ian V). Yes he has talent, but I think he will get eaten up right now. I thought KC did some impressive things with the ball, was able to penetrate and find the open man out of it. His "D" is good too. I like the fact that he is taller than the other guys and it gives him some advantages on both sides of the court. He also has a good shot. All the freshmen looked good.

This was still Harris Stowe. In the first half every score was coming inside against a far inferior opponent and we showed a lack of being able to hit the outside shot. This give RC and maybe KC an advantage among the 1st yrs for playing time. We also let the other team get to the basket a lot. TL's play worried me on both ends of the floor. Just looked disinterested and if I was the coach I would have been irate. Don't tell me this is just because it was Harris Stowe because KL was playing like it was Duke before he got hurt. Please, no Allen Iversons.

[Guest BillikenReport]

TL's play worried me on both ends of the floor. Just looked disinterested and if I was the coach I would have been irate. Don't tell me this is just because it was Harris Stowe because KL was playing like it was Duke before he got hurt. Please, no Allen Iversons.

That's been the knock on Liddell for as long as I can remember.

When he wants to, he can be one of the best players in the Atlantic 10.

But there are plenty of times he seems disinterested and turns himself into a non-factor.

It's a shame, because if he ever figured that out and did something about it he could have made some decent money playing professionally overseas or even had a chance to play in the NBA. Some guys just never get it.

[NH]

That's been the knock on Liddell for as long as I can remember.

When he wants to, he can be one of the best players in the Atlantic 10.

But there are plenty of times he seems disinterested and turns himself into a non-factor.

It's a shame, because if he ever figured that out and did something about it he could have made some decent money playing professionally overseas or even had a chance to play in the NBA. Some guys just never get it.

He deemed interested to me. juts not interested in scoring. He was playing a good all-around game

[STL Hoops Insider]

That is funny, because I came away thinking that Conklin is the only one being the sure starter and the type of player we have missed. He played the best defense among the big guys, had the best floor game of the big guys, rebound, and scored. I think he is pretty darn thick for a freshman. I am hoping for a Matt Shaw like freshman yr from him. WR was the one that I am most excited and another type of player we need bad but he needs a little more mustle and a little more experience to get his "D" up to speed. I think BT could use the redshirt more than anyone (just like we should have redshirted Ian V). Yes he has talent, but I think he will get eaten up right now. I thought KC did some impressive things with the ball, was able to penetrate and find the open man out of it. His "D" is good too. I like the fact that he is taller than the other guys and it gives him some advantages on both sides of the court. He also has a good shot. All the freshmen looked good.

This was still Harris Stowe. In the first half every score was coming inside against a far inferior opponent and we showed a lack of being able to hit the outside shot. This give RC and maybe KC an advantage among the 1st yrs for playing time. We also let the other team get to the basket a lot. TL's play worried me on both ends of the floor. Just looked disinterested and if I was the coach I would have been irate. Don't tell me this is just because it was Harris Stowe because KL was playing like it was Duke before he got hurt. Please, no Allen Iversons.

We will have to disagree on Conklin. A couple of times he let a lanky kid at least 30 pounds lighter ride him away from the basket and he missed some point blank layups too. Conklin did show a good FT stroke. I see potential, but he's gotta get a little nastier than that. Reed was way more impressive. Another thing about Reed was that he was decisive with the ball. No indecision. It was really great to see this. I think he's really gonna be a star. I knew what he was capable, but his maturity was really impressive. Cassity can really play. He is one of the few players on the team who can create his own shot, get to the basket and he's a good open shooter. And he showed what I've been saying all along, which is that he's a pg. A pg that can score, but a pg nonetheless. I think he can definitely play some sg though with that kind of shooting ability. That was my question mark with him. I didnt know if he was going to make shots. I knew he could get in the lane and create for others. THE INTERIOR DEFENSE NEEDS WORK. Harris-Stowe should not be able to get to the rim that easy. They did it the whole first half. The 2nd half was better defense, Reed blocked some shots, but other than that I dont know if it was an actual adjustment or the talent on the depth chart wearing out the opposition.

[billiken_roy]

Good analysis. Conklin really didn't impress me. I think he got away with some hooking last night and he failed to just go up and over smaller defenders. He played well below the rim. Thompson I think has bulked up too much and looked slow. I think Willie Reed should get the bulk of the center minutes and hopefully he doesnt go for too many pump fakes and get in foul trouble and I want Eberhart at pf. I saw the Billiken plays small a lot too. The guards all looked promising. Cassity will play a lot. What did you like about Hollins? And yeah, McKendree is a great program. Sean Rakers wont even start for them this year and he's a beast. And you're right, they didnt finish last night and I dont know why, Reed was the only player who was a threat to block shots on the interior. They were either nervous or tired. They missed point blank shots. Another reason why Reed needs to be in the game. Conklin and Thompson were not jumping for rebounds. Reed was active tipping the ball in. This team needs to play fast. There is not much of a low post presence if at all. Everybody needs to work on establishing position down low. Reed was able to get away with bad position because he's quick and you cant bother his hook shot because of his length. The others will struggle.

stlhi. i also disagree with your take on conklin. the guy was fundamentally without the ball about as solid as any freshmen inside player i have ever seen at slu. blockouts, timing, picks, pass outs, he was very good imo.

i liked thompson a lot. his shot is extremely smooth for a big. and he isnt afraid to call for the ball and then put it up. personally i expect he will really turn into a nice player.

as excited as i am about reed (just has upside galore with his athleticism) reed was the fundamentally worst billiken on the floor. his defense was actually atrocious and he gave up way too many easy drive baskets to much lesser players. watch how often he is standing flat footed and straight legged on defense. that alone negates all that pure god given athleticism. a craft a-10 veteran will have him for lunch. luckily he wont see that for a couple of months, however he will have a few road games where i bet he grows up pretty quickly with the lessons he is going to get handed.

cassity was the same player i saw last spring for his high school team. just makes the rest of the team better because he just does stuff right. probably only lisch and conklin are his fundamental equals. watching him without the ball was a lot of fun. he is a smart kid. he has to play.

cotto, is just a cold blooded scorer. you could see it in his face he was going to score. i wish he would play harder consistently on defense, but i am betting rickma will convince him that it is in his best interests to raise that level of intensity. there is way too much talent on this team for any of the guards to take plays off. if ruben wants to play, i am betting he better take defense more serious. as stlhi said, harris stowe got way too many easy looks. that isnt all ruben's fault but he did let his player get a lot of those looks.

mitchell is indeed a star in the making. very good court vision, outstanding speed and quickness. has an extremely fast release. he reminds me of the uab guards a few years back.

femi john has probably the best body on the team. and he converted enough of his midrange opportunities to show he can score some as well. his shot needs work. but obviously has potential to get a lot better.

obviously with freshmen there will be a lot of disappointments, but in the same breath, there is enough of the right components here that one has to wonder how good they can be very quickly as well. last night wasnt much of a test. i am sorry stlhi, but your stowe boys are just not good. they looked like a bad pickup game imo. and i truly believe they wouldnt win the southwestern conference as at least edwardville would beat them.

i am not expecting much of a test vs umsl either. so we really wont know what we might have until kent state comes to town. still i will say this is exciting.

last, man the arena is nice.

[Taj79]

Overall, sounds like a wonderful opening night, with the usual minor and expected reservations. What I like most of all is that five or six guys scored in double digits and all of you seem to have mostly glowing comments on the BilliKids. Seems like each one of them has some sort of upside and one poster even said none of them are "role" players. That's sounds like a recruiting class done by a guy who might know a little about evaluating talent.

Sadly, I am old enough to remember and have been there for the "real" Andre Craig. He was another (7-footer) who never seemed to consistently deliver on what seemed like great potential. With him and Al-Mateen, we had two seven-footers on the roster. I still remember screaming "Twin Towers" at Grawer when we were playing Larry Brown's Kansas team at the old Kiel. Never playedb oth at the same time. I'd loved to know if this Andre is the son of that Andre. Kind of a nice flow in the program.

The numbers from Reed totally surprised me, but it was NAIA. Sure, he will get pushed around by the meatier bigs in Divison 1 but again, I don't think "meatier bigs" describes the overall level of frontline player in the A10. A guy built like GeeDub's Diggs seems more the norm than tons of guys built like a Dunston or a Freeman. I think he'll be fine. I like to think that speed, quickness and anticipation might help him overcome whatever weight issues he might fall short on. Again, we will see. I like also what the initial returns have to say on the court savvy of guys like Cassity, Conklin and Mitchell. I like the term savvy and talks about intense defense. They will need it.

Timmerman had attendance at about 6500 with what he called 125 or so students. I think if nothing esle, a buzz has been set. Six players in double figures, with five being freshmen and a 40 point win (okay, NAIA) with arguably your best player putting in two minutes. I can see why in my conversations with Kevin, he always expressed how excited he was and he always mentioned "the freshmen." The Phoenix rises. Again, RM seems to know what he's doing. In Rick I trust.

[STL Hoops Insider]

stlhi. i also disagree with your take on conklin. the guy was fundamentally without the ball about as solid as any freshmen inside player i have ever seen at slu. blockouts, timing, picks, pass outs, he was very good imo.

i liked thompson a lot. his shot is extremely smooth for a big. and he isnt afraid to call for the ball and then put it up. personally i expect he will really turn into a nice player.

as excited as i am about reed (just has upside galore with his athleticism) reed was the fundamentally worst billiken on the floor. his defense was actually atrocious and he gave up way too many easy drive baskets to much lesser players. watch how often he is standing flat footed and straight legged on defense. that alone negates all that pure god given athleticism. a craft a-10 veteran will have him for lunch. luckily he wont see that for a couple of months, however he will have a few road games where i bet he grows up pretty quickly with the lessons he is going to get handed.

cassity was the same player i saw last spring for his high school team. just makes the rest of the team better because he just does stuff right. probably only lisch and conklin are his fundamental equals. watching him without the ball was a lot of fun. he is a smart kid. he has to play.

cotto, is just a cold blooded scorer. you could see it in his face he was going to score. i wish he would play harder consistently on defense, but i am betting rickma will convince him that it is in his best interests to raise that level of intensity. there is way too much talent on this team for any of the guards to take plays off. if ruben wants to play, i am betting he better take defense more serious. as stlhi said, harris stowe got way too many easy looks. that isnt all ruben's fault but he did let his player get a lot of those looks.

mitchell is indeed a star in the making. very good court vision, outstanding speed and quickness. has an extremely fast release. he reminds me of the uab guards a few years back.

femi john has probably the best body on the team. and he converted enough of his midrange opportunities to show he can score some as well. his shot needs work. but obviously has potential to get a lot better.

obviously with freshmen there will be a lot of disappointments, but in the same breath, there is enough of the right components here that one has to wonder how good they can be very quickly as well. last night wasnt much of a test. i am sorry stlhi, but your stowe boys are just not good. they looked like a bad pickup game imo. and i truly believe they wouldnt win the southwestern conference as at least edwardville would beat them.

i am not expecting much of a test vs umsl either. so we really wont know what we might have until kent state comes to town. still i will say this is exciting.

last, man the arena is nice.

You dont think they played really good defense in the first half and were just overmatched. They made a lot of good moves and got to the basket against more talented players and better athletes and just missed. Those are buckets against NAIA teams for sure. If they play that kind of defense on SLU, what do you think it will do to an NAIA team? They kept it scoreless for like the 1st 5 minutes and they even lead briefly. They didnt start getting dominated until SLU went to the bench and they really couldnt sub because of the dropoff in talent. They played all freshman and 3 seniors. They will be very good this year. How well would you expect a a NAIA freshman to play in his first ever college game when he has to go up against a D1 team. I was definitely pleased with the effort. I saw lots of promising things. They would beat Edwardsville by 50+.

[bluecrewprez]

I was pumped to see everything come together last night...the arena, the new team, THE BAND LETTING LOOSE IN THEIR NEW HOME (sounded nice and loud in the nose-bleeds). My seats have a guard rail directly in front of them, so my view was a little bit obstructed, but I see a lot of potential in these new kids. They definitely are freshmen. I had a problem with Cotto posing after every 3 he would make, so I'm sure he'll get something for that from coach today. They would make some rookie mistakes, like not bringing the ball down strong on the rebound, and some of the big men didn't have completely control over their limbs (the refs definitely let a lot of things slide), but overall I am extremely optimistic about this new team. I think Reed is definitely going to be something to watch...especially if they do end up red-shirting him. Imagine what he could be with one year of straight practice before being unleashed. I understand we're going to need a year or two to grow, and I'll be patient, but once we get going, we're going to be a force!

Also, of course I have to comment on the student section. I was very excited about what I saw...I couple of really excited freshmen, and the new President, Ben, wearing the horns proudly That kid is amazing, by the way...you know he's passionate when for Halloween he goes as a Blue Crew member in full face-paint!!

Very excited about this year!! GO BILLIKENS!!!!!!!

[3star_recruit]

Two questions:

1. Why is Majerus entertaining the idea of redshirting Reed?

2. This layup line stuff isn't going to be available against a decent D-1 opponent. Can we wait until the 2010 class to land a deadeye shooter with size?

[Box and Won]

HS just didn't seem to have any answer for Reed, kind of like us against Curtis Withers back in the day. He looked great, but I'm not going to get too excited based on his performance last night.

Conklin and Mitchell stood out to me - I thought Mitchell appeared to be the most "game ready" of the freshmen. Cassity was a really nice surprise. I'm excited about all these kids.

Lots of no-shows among the high-rollers - lots of the primo seats were empty.

Decent turn-out among the students, considering it was an exhibition game. We better get a lot more for the UMSL game. A group of students was flying a Puerto Rican flag for Cotto!

Stopped in the Billiken Shop - it was really crowded. Nice to see so many people buying Billiken gear. Many of our fans could stand to update their gear - lots of people still wearing sweatshirts from the Grawer days. They actually had some Nike stuff, which was good to see.