UMSL game observations

[kevinfootes]

The Kiel Bear can't be far behind.

The Kiel Bear was another classic. I didn't think you were old enough to remember the Kiel Bear!

[brianstl]

The Kiel Bear was another classic. I didn't think you were old enough to remember the Kiel Bear!

I was a young kid back in those days. Didn't they have a Merci' bottle water mascot for a year or two?

[slufanskip]

Guys, I'm not "hating" on him or attacking him. Nor am I suggesting he is not a DI quality player. I am only suggesting, albeit very early, that he will not be an upper level A10 guard.

This is the point of boards such as this: observation without character assassination.

Did you not say he was interchangeable with hundreds of D2 or D3 players?

[davidnark]

Mitchell could be solid this year, but he will have his major slumps.

Cassity is interchangeable with hundreds of DII and DIII guards. This is not a slight on him or any of them- they're good, just not A10 upper division guys.

Mitchell could be solid this year? Are you being serious? Last night he was well beyond solid; he was probably the best player on the court.

I am curious. How many DII and DIII guards were heavily recruited and offered full athletic scholarships by Michigan?

[panther]

Cassity is interchangeable with hundreds of DII and DIII guards. This is not a slight on him or any of them- they're good, just not A10 upper division guys.

I agree with the above poster. What D2 and D3 ball players were offered scholarships by Big 10 teams Michigan and Penn St. as well as MVC teams SIU and Evansville? I've been reading this board since Kyle signed and can't believe all the hate he is receiving based on the Border War all star game. All star games are just "Shoot-Holler-and-Foller" which doesn't fit into how Kyle plays the game. By the time he is an upperclassman he WILL be an upperechelon A10 ballplayer. What a steal SLU got.

[jimbofive]

Mitchell could be solid this year? Are you being serious? Last night he was well beyond solid; he was probably the best player on the court.

I am curious. How many DII and DIII guards were heavily recruited and offered full athletic scholarships by Michigan?

Nark, you're right on. I was cruising all these posts before I passed judgment on the underwhelming response to Mitchell's game. He got to the rim easily, finished, hit big open shots, and CONSTANTLY penetrated and dished to wide-open teammates who bricked shots. If Polk ever had a game like that, we would be out on the court with him up on our shoulders. The disparity was that evident. He is going to set up teammates, hit key shots, and blow by defenders for four years straight. Period. Anyone that says anything different, anything less, can kiss my @$$, right downtown and PRINT IT!

(I wouldn't play that video if you don't like cussing. A LOT. Basketballcountry, this probably won't be the in-flight movie on your chartered Billiken Batplane.)

[Quality Is Job 1]

It should be clear to everyone that Eberhardt and Eckerle are roll players....

It would be nice if they were, because it would be good for the team if they got on a roll; but, alas, they're just role players.

[kevinfootes]

I was a young kid back in those days. Didn't they have a Merci' bottle water mascot for a year or two?

You might be right. There was a time when it seemed like there were 4 or 5 mascots.

[GOSLU68]

Guys, I'm not "hating" on him or attacking him. Nor am I suggesting he is not a DI quality player. I am only suggesting, albeit very early, that he will not be an upper level A10 guard.

This is the point of boards such as this: observation without character assassination.

We saw different games. To me RM did not play BT more because he knows what he will get from him. I think BE was disappointing on offense. A 4 has to get nearer the rim in height and distance. Cassity was our second best player and did more than adequately at the point when KM was hurt. Cassity is very young for his class and needs to hit the weights. WR likewise; he was on the floor once and pushed out of position a few times. He is truly guick and has a talent you can't teach but instead of shutting down the middle he gave up as much as he put down.

In both of our first two games it is obvious Conklin and BT play better together than they do with other sets when they are split up. Hopefully, they will gain confidence in others. They 14 and 41 play like mirror images of their numbers.

Cotto did not have a good game but shooters need to get 10 tries a game and we really did not have enough time or have enough changes in score to

let him shine through. When KM got hurt twice TL did not let his game fall off as he did in the first game when KL went down.

[Quality Is Job 1]

mitchell is quick as lightning. however if you overplay him to his right, you can neutralize some of that speed. he has to learn to be just as explosive to his left. also he gets careless with the ball at times

I didn't see the game, but I did see highlights on the news; one of the few highlights they showed was Mitchell's drive for a layup, and he went left.

[Quality Is Job 1]

We are going to struggle this year and mightily. It's going to be a bitter blow to Liddell and Lisch the older, since they deserved better. None of the freshmen are close to being as good as they were at that point in their careers.

You're basing such a statement on the result of ONE game? It sounded like Kwamain Mitchell may very well have impact his freshman year along the same lines of the impact Liddell and Lisch had their freshman season. Time will tell. Yes, it was a puzzling result, but I wouldn't give up on the team just yet.

[kevinfootes]

You're basing such a statement on the result of ONE game? It sounded like Kwamain Mitchell may very well have impact his freshman year along the same lines of the impact Liddell and Lisch had their freshman season. Time will tell. Yes, it was a puzzling result, but I wouldn't give up on the team just yet.

I think it's safe to say that this year will have its ups and downs. IMO, Mitchell was the biggest "get" for RM with this recruiting class. There's nothing better than an on-court QB who can also put points on the board. The future is bright, but we're obviously not out of the woods.

[davidnark]

Yes, it was a puzzling result, but I wouldn't give up on the team just yet.

I don't even think the result was that puzzling. We were playing without our best offensive and defensive player and our senior leader. UMSL had a good game plan and was running around with great energy and nothing to lose. We struggled to hit open shots, and most of the freshmen looked scared to death. Despite all of this, we still won by 15. It wasn't pretty, but Majerus has never been a coach who ran a flashy system and had flashy scores.

When you see how scared and tentative guys like Cotto, Cassity, Thompson, and Conklin were last night, think of how nervous and scared you probably were during the important and daunting moments in your life. We all struggle with anxiety through our first real date, our first time driving a car, our first real job interview, our first important public presentation, etc. (And we don't have to do those things in front of over 7,000 people.) For most of us, after we do these things multiple times, we get comfortable and the resulting performance improves leaps and bounds. I still remember my first public presentation to an external audience nearly 10 years ago; I was so nervous that I went a million miles an hour, my voice cracked all the way through, and because of my fear and anxiety none of my personality or skill was visible to the audience. That was Ruben Cotto last night. The good news is that you only have that first time once. We all should have been cautious in getting too excited after Harris-Stowe, and we should be cautious about getting too excited after last night.

[kevinfootes]

I don't even think the result was that puzzling. We were playing without our best offensive and defensive player and our senior leader. UMSL had a good game plan and was running around with great energy and nothing to lose. We struggled to hit open shots, and most of the freshmen looked scared to death. Despite all of this, we still won by 15. It wasn't pretty, but Majerus has never been a coach who ran a flashy system and had flashy scores.

When you see how scared and tentative guys like Cotto, Cassity, Thompson, and Conklin were last night, think of how nervous and scared you probably were during the important and daunting moments in your life. We all struggle with anxiety through our first real date, our first time driving a car, our first real job interview, our first important public presentation, etc. (And we don't have to do those things in front of over 7,000 people.) For most of us, after we do these things multiple times, we get comfortable and the resulting performance improves leaps and bounds. I still remember my first public presentation to an external audience nearly 10 years ago; I was so nervous that I went a million miles an hour, my voice cracked all the way through, and because of my fear and anxiety none of my personality or skill was visible to the audience. That was Ruben Cotto last night. The good news is that you only have that first time once. We all should have been cautious in getting too excited after Harris-Stowe, and we should be cautious about getting too excited after last night.

I would agree for the most part. We are in the early stages of a rebuilding process. It will be great at times and really ugly at other times. Let's see how RM has this team playing in January. Once these guys have 10-12 games under their belts the freshman jitters shouldn't be an issue.

[redbirdfan]

I don't even think the result was that puzzling. We were playing without our best offensive and defensive player and our senior leader. UMSL had a good game plan and was running around with great energy and nothing to lose. We struggled to hit open shots, and most of the freshmen looked scared to death. Despite all of this, we still won by 15. It wasn't pretty, but Majerus has never been a coach who ran a flashy system and had flashy scores.

When you see how scared and tentative guys like Cotto, Cassity, Thompson, and Conklin were last night, think of how nervous and scared you probably were during the important and daunting moments in your life. We all struggle with anxiety through our first real date, our first time driving a car, our first real job interview, our first important public presentation, etc. (And we don't have to do those things in front of over 7,000 people.) For most of us, after we do these things multiple times, we get comfortable and the resulting performance improves leaps and bounds. I still remember my first public presentation to an external audience nearly 10 years ago; I was so nervous that I went a million miles an hour, my voice cracked all the way through, and because of my fear and anxiety none of my personality or skill was visible to the audience. That was Ruben Cotto last night. The good news is that you only have that first time once. We all should have been cautious in getting too excited after Harris-Stowe, and we should be cautious about getting too excited after last night.

nice post! I couldn't agree more!

[thetorch]

It was evident that the freshman were very very nervous even Mitchell.

Mitchell was the best player out there. He is going to be special.

Guy pronounced Kwamain at least 8 different ways last night. FIRE HIM!!!!!! He is a disgrace to our new building.

Reed has performed well on paper but he is a project. The bigs in our conference will rough him up.

Tommie could have been a great player but he lacks a killer instinct. I'm not waiting for him to be an all conference performer anymore. He is what he is. He gets by on his superior athleticism but there is no sense of urgency in his game. He needs to realize he is better than 99% of the players he will face on the court and start acting like it.

Eberhart had a solid game. I don't think he can replicate this performance in our league though. Hopefully Conklin will usurp his minutes by that time. Eberhart just doesn't have a grasp of rebounding fundamentals and his offense is enigmatic, he has inside outside skills, but really doesn't have the wherewithal to use them.

Cassity is a solid player. Not spectacular but he won't make mistakes either.

Cotto was very rough. It looked like he had never practiced with this team. I'm sure these are just nerves. He can be a star if he plays within Majerus' offense.

Eckerle is a walk on. He leaves it all on the floor. When one of the kids struggles he will be put in. He isn't very talented for this level and he has seemed to have lost his shot. If he is getting heavy minutes we are in trouble.

[billiken_roy]

He gets by on his superior athleticism but there is no sense of urgency in his game. He needs to realize he is better than 99% of the players he will face on the court and start acting like it.

I basically said the same thing to my son right after tommie passed up another open mid range shot after destroying his man on a crossover.

[Dungeon Yankee]

I didn't see the game, but I did see highlights on the news; one of the few highlights they showed was Mitchell's drive for a layup, and he went left.

that may be true. but from my vantage point, the defender was overplaying KM to KM's right. i thnk we will see more of that to try to neutralize his explosiveness.

[Guest BillikenReport]

I basically said the same thing to my son right after tommie passed up another open mid range shot after destroying his man on a crossover.

torch,

I agree with everything you posted. People have to remember that while the freshmen are very talented, they are still young and inexperienced.

Roy,

There are some people on this board, like you and I, who have watched Tommie for the last seven or so years (and some longer). He's as talented as anybody, but during that time he's hardly ever shown the desire to want to take over a game and dominate an opponent. There were some times in high school, but he hasn't shown that much at SLU.

If he wants to be considered one of the best players in the league and he wants to play professionally somewhere, he should go out and do it.

He can do it if he wants to.

[bonwich]

$70 million for a new arena and we have to stop the game in progress because either the shot clock is defective or the scoreboard operators aren't properly trained?

UMSL also got screwed on the jump-ball call near the end of the game. They should have been awarded possession -- the ball was still in the back court and there were 24 seconds on the shot clock.

(However, speaking of the shot clock -- I think that's the first time I can remember seeing a team go into a four corners since the shot-clock rule was implemented. .)

All in all, I think the game told us approximately nothing about what we should expect for the year. Kwamain showed flashes of brilliance and flashes of boneheadedness. Play reflected what I think most people would expect from a group of guys that has basically only been playing together for less than a month. The lack of Kevin on the floor threw off the psychology of the team as a whole.

The good news is that there's plenty of free street parking!

[MB73]

I don't even think the result was that puzzling. We were playing without our best offensive and defensive player and our senior leader. UMSL had a good game plan and was running around with great energy and nothing to lose. We struggled to hit open shots, and most of the freshmen looked scared to death. Despite all of this, we still won by 15. It wasn't pretty, but Majerus has never been a coach who ran a flashy system and had flashy scores.

When you see how scared and tentative guys like Cotto, Cassity, Thompson, and Conklin were last night, think of how nervous and scared you probably were during the important and daunting moments in your life. We all struggle with anxiety through our first real date, our first time driving a car, our first real job interview, our first important public presentation, etc. (And we don't have to do those things in front of over 7,000 people.) For most of us, after we do these things multiple times, we get comfortable and the resulting performance improves leaps and bounds. I still remember my first public presentation to an external audience nearly 10 years ago; I was so nervous that I went a million miles an hour, my voice cracked all the way through, and because of my fear and anxiety none of my personality or skill was visible to the audience. That was Ruben Cotto last night. The good news is that you only have that first time once. We all should have been cautious in getting too excited after Harris-Stowe, and we should be cautious about getting too excited after last night.

Disagree, they should not have been "scared", WTF, they were playing UMSL.

These are scholarshp Div 1 athletes. First time driving a car, first date?

AND board keeps dwelling on Mitchell-Cotto-Cassity.... the ISSUE is Thompson, Reed, and Conklin, the new bigs.

Bills have had decent guards in the past, will the new bigs change it for us? If not, same old Bills.

Yes, it is early, but against UMSL I was not pleased with Thompson-Reed-Conklin, hope they are better than they appeared.

[Malibubill]

Disagree, they should not have been "scared", WTF, they were playing UMSL.

These are scholarshp Div 1 athletes. First time driving a car, first date?

AND board keeps dwelling on Mitchell-Cotto-Cassity.... the ISSUE is Thompson, Reed, and Conklin, the new bigs.

Bills have had decent guards in the past, will the new bigs change it for us? If not, same old Bills.

Yes, it is early, but against UMSL I was not pleased with Thompson-Reed-Conklin, hope they are better than they appeared.

Disagree - maybe "scared" is not the best word, but he also said "nervous." I think that is the better word. They were not nervous about playing UMSL, they were nervous about playing their first division 1 basketball game (their dream finally coming true) in front of thousands of people in a hyped up atmosphere because of the opening of the new arena. To use an overused phrase these days, it was a "perfect storm" that made this 'first game' unlike almost any other in Billiken history. When was the last time SLU relied so heavily on four freshman on the court at the same time. For most teams, maybe one freshman starts/plays a significant role so that his play is not that important. He can lose himself in the more senior team. These freshman could not just role play their first game - particularly not with Kevin out. They knew going in that they had to step up and be an important part of the team if the team was going to win. If you don't think that is going to make one nervous about his first college game I would submit you don't know much about human nature. They were so excited and so nervous at the same time, they just couldn't control their emotions enough to play at their usual level. I agree they were no more afraid of UMSL than they were of Harris-Stowe, but UMSL was the first game that really counted, the first game in their collegiate career, the first game in the new arena. Too many firsts for them to handle well, but they handled them well enough to win. That is all that counts in first games. Now let's see if they can settle down and play better in their second game. Even though the opponent will be a much more formidable opponent, that will actually take quite a bit of pressure off the freshman. I think early on the freshman will play much better when they are underdogs than when they are favored because they won't have nearly as much pressure on them.

Let's see how they play Wednesday.