aj_arete Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Now I'll excuse Billiken Roy, Thicks and a couple of others, but many of you were very harsh about Romar's tenure at SLU. Let's look at Romar's tenure at SLU, for one he gave SLU their ONLY CUSA Tournament win and had his teams overachieve every year. Now I don't mean to criticize Soderberg because I think he's done a great job, but let's not forget he has yet to outdo Romar's conference record of 9-7 during his last year at SLU. Romar's coaching skills have been greatly overrated. Now with the torrid finish and probable at large bid to the NCAA tourney, it looks like Romar might turn out to be special after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
former_d1 Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 We never had the talent to run his system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 He had enough talent to finish with a conference record that Brad has yet to surpass. Everyone agrees that Romar missed out on getting high quality talent, but let's also remember he's one heckuva game coach. He gave SLU a conference tourney title and some big wins against top talent despite being undermanned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trich Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 I am not a Romar hater. I liked him and would have preferred he did better than what his record was. Unfortunately, every year the performance of his teams deterioated and there were too many instances of where his teams did not seem to be ready to play. Georgia Tech and Marquette come to mind immediatedly. Maybe he would have turned SLU around but based on the trend his teams showed, I don't think so. I think his move to Washington was the best for all parties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 is a better fit on the West Coast. However, I wouldn't have been surprised if he turned things around at SLU. Remember he finally got the big-time recruit on the West Coast, Ryan Hollins. I think Reggie Bryant still comes to SLU because St. Louis' own Gary Buchanan was the one who delivered Bryant to SLU. I think Dwayne Polk still comes to SLU, and I for one, think Polk's style will be a better fit in Romar's offense rather than Brad's. Well, we'll never know, but I think Washington will be quite pleased with Romar... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mobile-iken Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 I happen to believe that Soderberg's 2 years, both 9-7 in CUSA, is quite impressive considering the empty cupboard that Romar left behind. You can spin it any way you want AJ...Romar's short tenure here did nothing but set this program in the wrong direction. Just because he had a nice finish to this season (What 4 or 5 games?) hardly means he is missed here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
former_d1 Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 I agree. Romar left the talent pool low. UB will surpass anything romar did while he was here. I love to say we won conference usa but unless you win the regular season, It just means you made a late run. Winning the regular season is harder to do and means more to me. I supported Romar while he was hear but I prefer UB and not because he is white (or anything stupid like that). Romar was never going to bring in the big west coast talent to come here. UB recruiting regional will work better in the long run. Basiclly, Ro pulled one out of the hat in Washington this weekend. Good luck to him. I will take Brad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 We will never know how much talent Coach Romar would have brought into SLU from the West Coast or elsewhere over time. Hollins was a start, but it ended there. I think in time he would have signed the better players in the Metro area (Polk, Lidell, maybe even a K. Grimes) and would have gone nationally for others. I'm happy for Romar's success at Washington, his win-lose record says he is a good coach. It will be interesting to see his record after 5-10 years at the same school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 A 9-7 record in a 6 bid league is much more impressive than a 9-7 record in a 3 bid league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 AJ forgets that while the Miracle in Memphis was a real nice accomplishment for our SLU Billikens, no one can honestly state that we would have definitely beat Cincy in the initial game if Kenyon Martin does not break his leg...remember Cincy with Martin had their way with us in the previous meetings during the season. I'm not a LoRo fan and think all Billiken fans are much better off with him out on the Left Coast. His team has had a nice run of late but they aren't rated and last RPI I checked had them at 96, not exactly what they need to fit themselves for Big Dance Shoes. I am 110% behind our current HC and I believe in time Brad will have us all Bills fans very proud of the results on the basketball court. IMHO his first two teams easily surpassed my expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetorch Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Besides the miracle in Memphis Romar did nothing for the program while at SLU. At best we ran in place, and without a guy like Soderberg working his tail off we would be much worse off thanks to Romar. The only good thing LoRo did here was bring in Brad and win that tourney. He was a good game coach but no better than the coach before or after him and his recruiting talents amounted to a lot of smoke and mirrors. I don't begrudge him his success but I am certainly happy that he is gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesycow Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 It's easy to say that "soderberg works his butt off" but the fact of the matter is this: Romar won a conference tourney. Romar's been to the dance. I agree that Soderberg is the better coach, but until he achieves any tangible success, it's not easy to claim that the program is much better off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 I didn't start this post to criticize Soderberg. I only want to point out how underrated of a coach Romar is. Let's remember the adversity Romar's been under at Washington. First, he had to deal with the recruiting shenanigans of Dollar. Then he had to deal with Gonzaga's regional prominence and had some questionable characters in his program, Day and Wrenn. To start off the season real poorly and then be able to knock off Arizona TWICE and beat Stanford is quite an accomplishment and a testament to his coaching ability. I'll defer to Schasz, who stated how difficult a situation Washington was and how it would be near impossible to turn it around. Well, it looks like Romar will make the NCAA's before Brad and his situation was much more difficult. Even with the poor RPI, it'll be difficult to deny the Huskies and have Arizona in the tourney too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p diddy Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 romar has been special the entire time. folks just didn't recognize. lorenzo romar bad boy for life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 let's remember Romar had to face Louisville, Cincy, Marquette and Charlotte twice. Brad faced many of the lower-tier teams in CUSA this year. Quite frankly, I think it's a wash with Romar facing the slightly tougher conference schedule. I think both coaches should be commended for leading their teams to over .500 records. Now you can continue to degrade Romar, but I think you need to be a little open-minded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 "Brad faced many of the lower-tier teams in CUSA this year." Romar faced even more in his 9-7 season. See? http://www.kenpom.com/rpisked.php?year=2002&a=71 Team RPI Depaul 192 (twice) East Carolina 172 (twice) So. Mississippi 203 UAB 154 Nobody's ripping Romar, I'm just stating the facts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 The thing I respect most about Romar is his character and loyalty to his staff and players. Quite frankly, I would have fired Cameron Dollar after he got caught at Washington, however Romar stood by and supported him. Then there was John Seyfert, who Brad urged Romar to drop because Brad felt Seyfert wasn't good enough for CUSA. While I happened to agree with Brad's assessment, I still respect Romar for not running the kid off and staying true to his commitment. It's easy to see why players work so hard and overacheive under Romar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebraska_Bob Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Have you ever watched Hollins? Would he had been our answer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 His length and shotblocking ability would make him a better matchup against CUSA forwards than Sloan is. But when it comes down to it, he's only averaging 6.4 and 4.3 rpg in 25 min a game in a 3 bid conference. So no, he wouldn't solve our inside problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 What is your source indicating that Coach Brad wanted Romar to "drop" John Seyfert? I have never heard that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 I remember a few people who were highly critical of Romar. Most of us were very upset when he announced he was leaving. I, for one, was really irritated, at the time, with the administration because just a few years earlier we had lost Charlie. The reality is, Romar considered St. Louis a stopping point on his career journey and I, now in retrospect, have no problem with him or with the administration; it's just part of the game. Soderberg, on the other hand, seems to have more of an interest in really building something at Saint Louis University, but he, like anyone, will also pursue the best opportunity for him and his family. Let's just hope that A) he's the right coach for SLU and that things develop in a manner to keep him here - so far so good. Another recollection about the supposed Romar debate: I never remember anyone complaining about Romar's coaching, although I'm sure some did. The main complaint I remember was his chasing highly touted recruits who didn't pan out and, as a result, missing out on available local or lower level recruits that would have really helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 when he was an assistant under Romar. Brad discussed having a frank conversation with Romar about Seyfert's ability to play at the CUSA level. Romar told Brad to be patient and see if John could progress. Then Brad talked about how much improvement John made after the Christmas break. Basically, his point was that he admired Romar's patience with his players and how he could see them improving. Now of course, I'm extrapolating because I don't have any inside sources, however I can read between the lines. I think John was urged to leave SLU, so he could get more playing time. I think it's similar to the circumstances leading to Schumacher leaving Mizzou under Quin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Once again the last RPI shows AZ with a 37 and UW with a 96. Of course this was before the Stanford upset so they will get a boost with that win. IMHO UW may have to win the PAC 10 Tourney same position as the Bills if they plan on doing any Dancing this year. While AZ probably is in, I, for one, would not be shocked if they have an early exit in the PAC 10 Tourney to see them passed over. They were a huge disappointment this season especially with their PAC 10 conference record. The state of WA is very similar to MO in that the recruiting gems each year can be few and far between. Many of the more successful PAC 10 teams tap into the So. Cal talent base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 AJ, Good to know you have all the great inside information on SLU...now what do you know about our recruitment of Master Lisch???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trich Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 One more comment to your remark about Romar leaving. I believe it was inevitable that he was going to leave, one way or the other. As you mentioned SLU was a stopover for him in his career. Also, as I indicated previously, my opinion was the teams performance level deterioated each year and also, the attendance was dropping every year, especially season ticket sales were declining. That would have eventually led to his departure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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