Breaking news (6-12)

[Guest BillikenReport]

Here's a new basketball topic for everyone to talk about.

Just heard from a good source that Brett Thompson is transferrring.

[slufanskip]

Here's a new basketball topic for everyone to talk about.

Just heard from a good source that Brett Thompson is transferrring.

I hate to hear that, but if it's true, I wish him the best.

[Billiken Rich]

I hate to hear that, but if it's true, I wish him the best.

I wish him the best too. I'll be interested to hear Rick's, Roy's and Brett's and Brett's bro's take on this...........

Good Luck Brett, We hardly knew ye.........

[TreyT3]

All I have to say is that what coach did to him at the sports banquet in front of everyone was unacceptable. Everyone know that coach has called Brett fat, slow, and on occasion like at the Xavier game during the conference tourny, a f*cking *****. I dont think its right for a grown man to ridicule a 19 yr old boy for 15 min though in front of hundreds of people. He may have been joking but calling a kid fat and slow constantly, then doing it publicly for a laugh isnt right. Bretts not happy because of this. Its taken away his passion for the game and now he feels like he must move on somewhere else and prove to himself and everyone else that hes better than how hes been treated. I know negativity drives some kids to be better but to be constantly torn down by your coach, someone you look up to, with no positives in sight just kills a person.

[slufanskip]

All I have to say is that what coach did to him at the sports banquet in front of everyone was unacceptable. Everyone know that coach has called Brett fat, slow, and on occasion like at the Xavier game during the conference tourny, a f*cking *****. I dont think its right for a grown man to ridicule a 19 yr old boy for 15 min though in front of hundreds of people. He may have been joking but calling a kid fat and slow constantly, then doing it publicly for a laugh isnt right. Bretts not happy because of this. Its taken away his passion for the game and now he feels like he must move on somewhere else and prove to himself and everyone else that hes better than how hes been treated. I know negativity drives some kids to be better but to be constantly torn down by your coach, someone you look up to, with no positives in sight just kills a person.

I wasn't at the banquet, but if that happened, I don't blame him. At practice behind closed doors, or honest critiques to the press are one thing. However, public berating at the team banquet is another. It shouldn't take away Brett's passion though, RM has nothing to do with that. If he lost his passion due to someone calling him names, he didn't have much to begin with. Either way, I hope he finds what he wants and is successful.

[TheChosenOne]

All I have to say is that what coach did to him at the sports banquet in front of everyone was unacceptable. Everyone know that coach has called Brett fat, slow, and on occasion like at the Xavier game during the conference tourny, a f*cking *****. I dont think its right for a grown man to ridicule a 19 yr old boy for 15 min though in front of hundreds of people. He may have been joking but calling a kid fat and slow constantly, then doing it publicly for a laugh isnt right. Bretts not happy because of this. Its taken away his passion for the game and now he feels like he must move on somewhere else and prove to himself and everyone else that hes better than how hes been treated. I know negativity drives some kids to be better but to be constantly torn down by your coach, someone you look up to, with no positives in sight just kills a person.

I am not sure Majerus is in much of a position to be calling people fat and slow.

This is very unfortunate, but not surprising based on what I have heard about Majerus and how he treats his players and people in general. I was always impressed by the way Thompson seemed to be the teams biggest cheerleader when he was buried on the bench and certainly hope he finds another program where he can succeed.

Trey, has Brett given much thought to where he will be transferring to?

[TreyT3]

I am not sure Majerus is in much of a position to be calling people fat and slow.

This is very unfortunate, but not surprising based on what I have heard about Majerus and how he treats his players and people in general. I was always impressed by the way Thompson seemed to be the teams biggest cheerleader when he was buried on the bench and certainly hope he finds another program where he can succeed.

Trey, has Brett given much thought to where he will be transferring to?

its like this...with no positives to balance out the negatives anything starts to become unfun. Once its unfun it starts to feel like a job and you start to resent it. The resentment can kill anyone passion no matter how high. He busted his ass in practice and workouts and never complained and got dumped on constantly. What would you do...maybe its more like he lost his passion to play at SLU. I told him to go to a JUCO for a yr to not lose a yr of playing time...plus he wants to prove he can play. Some people are helping him look around to see if theres a good program that needs a skilled 7' lol. Hes hoping to have a decent yr stat wise and move on to another D1 school. Its a risk but its what he wants to do

[davidnark]

its like this...with no positives to balance out the negatives anything starts to become unfun. Once its unfun it starts to feel like a job and you start to resent it. The resentment can kill anyone passion no matter how high. He busted his ass in practice and workouts and never complained and got dumped on constantly. What would you do...maybe its more like he lost his passion to play at SLU. I told him to go to a JUCO for a yr to not lose a yr of playing time...plus he wants to prove he can play. Some people are helping him look around to see if theres a good program that needs a skilled 7' lol. Hes hoping to have a decent yr stat wise and move on to another D1 school. Its a risk but its what he wants to do

Good luck to Brett. He seemed like a good, hardworking kid and has a nice upside. While I am a fan of Majerus, I completely understand why a player may not want to put up with some of his stuff. I hope Brett lands somewhere good and has a great career. No player needs to put up with a coach taking away their passion for the game.

[bhayes520]

Well that sucks...good luck to you Brett.

Sorry to hear that he is so upset about whatever coach's comments were...but as someone else mentioned, I don't see how that takes away from your passion to play the game. If it takes away from your passion to be a Billiken, then whatever, get out of here and find somewhere else you are happy. However, once you are on the court trying to win a basketball game if you are thinking about how your coach said you are fat and slow, you don't have passion to begin with. After a particularly poor performance, my college coach suggested I find a different sport. Next time out I had my best performance of the season. I guess something like that gets in Brett's head negatively, rather than motivating him.

Everyone (including Brett) knows Majerus tells it like it is. I don't think anything he said about any of our players, other than perhaps consistently being unable to remember what year Paul Eckerle is in, was false. Maybe it wasn't what some would consider appropriate, but it was still true...

Anyway, sorry to see Brett go. It's not like we expected to get through this upcoming season unscathed anyway. Hopefully this is our only transfer.

[brianstl]

its like this...with no positives to balance out the negatives anything starts to become unfun. Once its unfun it starts to feel like a job and you start to resent it. The resentment can kill anyone passion no matter how high. He busted his ass in practice and workouts and never complained and got dumped on constantly. What would you do...maybe its more like he lost his passion to play at SLU. I told him to go to a JUCO for a yr to not lose a yr of playing time...plus he wants to prove he can play. Some people are helping him look around to see if theres a good program that needs a skilled 7' lol. Hes hoping to have a decent yr stat wise and move on to another D1 school. Its a risk but its what he wants to do

I wish Brett the best and I think he can be a very good player for someone.

With that said..........Trey playing basketball at SLU or any program that wants to be bigtime is basically a job. At SLU you are getting a $40,000+ year education free for playing basketball. Unless Bret starts looking at it like a job he will never be the player he has the ability to be. If he just wants to have a good time playing basketball he should look at a level different than DI.

[TheA_Bomb]

He seemed like a good kid and I thought he would eventually become a contributor. Too bad he won't.

On the other hand I don't wish him the best. I hope he transfers and makes no impact whatsoever. That way we've lost nothing. I am a SLU fan not a Brett Thompson fan and if he isn't on my team I don't give a damn about how well he plays. My devotion, cheer, well-wishes are reserved for players who go to SLU exclusively.

bye bye Brett.

Now onto what matters, anyone out there that we can recruit to replace a slow 7 footer with?

[STCBILLFAN]

He seemed like a good kid and I thought he would eventually become a contributor. Too bad he won't.

On the other hand I don't wish him the best. I hope he transfers and makes no impact whatsoever. That way we've lost nothing. I am a SLU fan not a Brett Thompson fan and if he isn't on my team I don't give a damn about how well he plays. My devotion, cheer, well-wishes are reserved for players who go to SLU exclusively.

bye bye Brett.

Now onto what matters, anyone out there that we can recruit to replace a slow 7 footer with?

A Bomb you and RM both have the social skills of a gnat. RM has frequently shown that he may be book smart but definitely not street smart in how to deal with people. He is rude and uncaring about how he may affect someone's feelings or those of that person's family and friends. He said things at the Banquet that if I were the parents of the player I would have been ready to punch his lights out. He may be a good coach but a public speaker he is not and he is definitely not a diplomat.

How dare you say you don't wish a young man the best for his future? You are as bad, if not worse than RM.

[Cowboy]

-i thought brett had nice potential, could see it in spurts, good luck to him wherever he lands, he will help some team i believe

-i was not at the banquet, but there is a time and place for most things, this seems like not one of the times or places

-good luck

[TheA_Bomb]

I dare because I don't care enough to wish him well in basketball for another team.

I hope his future turns out fine. However, on the basketball court, if this news is true, I hope he falls flat.

Bye Bye. Time to move on. Major sports is a dog eat dog world and if he can't hack it here then I don't want him at a competitor contributing. Like I said I am a SLU fan not a Brett fan. Bring on the next kid who wants a free education at SLU.

[GOSLU68]

I dare because I don't care enough to wish him well in basketball for another team.

I hope his future turns out fine. However, on the basketball court, if this news is true, I hope he falls flat.

Bye Bye. Time to move on. Major sports is a dog eat dog world and if he can't hack it here then I don't want him at a competitor contributing. Like I said I am a SLU fan not a Brett fan. Bring on the next kid who wants a free education at SLU.

the kid ccould control his space better than anyone else on the floor; he and Conklin could find each other. Willie is only good if he can slip someone; Willie can not control space the way we ulitmately need. Now we have a gaping need for a true 5. Sorry if this is true to see this kid go because with or without RM we and anyone else will wish they had his talent working for them in his Jr and Sr years.

[Majerus Magic]

Here's a new basketball topic for everyone to talk about.

Just heard from a good source that Brett Thompson is transferrring.

I guess that means Remuken won't be red shirting anymore. I didn't hear anything about this until today, I am very surprised. I'm just not sure where he will be able to go and not get ridiculed. If he wants to play high D1 ball, these coaches aren't saints.

[thetorch]

Remember folks we are dealing with teenagers here. Not the smartest bunch in the world. He got yelled at and is probably taking it far out of proportion. I would guess 20 years down the line he may regret this decision.

Can someone give us an exact quote as to what Majerus said at the banquet? If he said he was fat and slow, while that is an insult it was true.

Brett could have been a great performer for SLU. He needs someone to prod him into being better. He needs to be in much better shape and get tougher to be an impact D-1 player.

No D-1 coach is going to coddle him. If they do he won't get better.

Bottom line Brett puts up with Majerus' crap and becomes half the player Majerus thinks he can be and Brett ends up with a long career in the league. The chances of that happening now are slim and none. If Brett does make himself into a player I will give him all the credit in the world though.

Good luck in your future endeavors Brett.

Time for the Billikens to move on. More scholarships for Rick to fill in a loaded class.

[DeSmetBilliken]

Can someone give us an exact quote as to what Majerus said at the banquet? If he said he was fat and slow, while that is an insult it was true.

I can't give an exact quote since I don't remember the specifics, but essentially Majerus said that that if the team was going to be as good as it could be next year, Brett would need to lose some weight and get into better shape. Rick said that basically all returning players need to make the commitment and show the desire to make the necessary improvements to their own individual games.

[William Iken]

I can't give an exact quote since I don't remember the specifics, but essentially Majerus said that that if the team was going to be as good as it could be next year, Brett would need to lose some weight and get into better shape. Rick said that basically all returning players need to make the commitment and show the desire to make the necessary improvements to their own individual games.

I've been bored with the board and only periodically checking in lately, so I was excited to see the subject line "breaking news". Man, what a letdown!

Some quick comments:

1. I recall some mentioning RMs banquet comments at the time, but no one seriously suggested that they were so out of line that BT would consider transferring (again, as I recall). With this in mind, why are some posters all of a sudden outraged at the comments?

2. Brett knew the type of coach RM is before coming - no one can say RMs behavior was unexpected. If you're not ready for RM (and his motivational techniques), don't commit to play for him. [not that I was a b-ball player, but I would never have signed with a coach like RM. He's a winner, but his style just isn't for me...and any kid should know which styles fit their personality and which don't].

3. Throughout the season Trey would write-in every so often (usually in respnse to those saying he should/will transfer) saying there was no way Brett would considering transferring. Disappointed with the flip.

4. Major college sports are not meant to be fun - maybe sad, but certainly true. Fun was checked at the door when someone agreed to pay tuition, room and board. Most players hope to fun while doing their "job", but some don't. If "fun" is the priority, transfer to a weak D-1 school, DII or DIII. This isn't meant to be a putdown in the slightest, merely a dose of reality.

[MusicCityBilliken]

You know we get Brett's side of the story through Trey but this board does not have the coaching staff point view or a proxy. Anybody whose been a boss for a large contingent of staff for any length of time, been in that situation.

Also, anyone who played HS football, has been called much worse. I had a HS coach who constantly questioned everyones masculinity. When we got back in the locker room we had one player who could mimic the coach to a tee and we all laughed ourselves to tears over it. Not a big deal.

I wish Brett the best. I regret he's leaving and felt he had a boat load of potential and could have made a nice contribution.

Also, the temperament of most successful coaches (Pitino, Knight, Donavon, Alford, Roy Williams, Calhoun, etc..) is being a SOB.

[billiken_roy]

well so much for, "those werent rickma's players" excuse.

[slu72]

You know we get Brett's side of the story through Trey but this board does not have the coaching staff point view or a proxy. Anybody whose been a boss for a large contingent of staff for any length of time, been in that situation.

Also, anyone who played HS football, has been called much worse. I had a HS coach who constantly questioned everyones masculinity. When we got back in the locker room we had one player who could mimic the coach to a tee and we all laughed ourselves to tears over it. Not a big deal.

I wish Brett the best. I regret he's leaving and felt he had a boat load of potential and could have made a nice contribution.

Also, the temperament of most successful coaches (Pitino, Knight, Donavon, Alford, Roy Williams, Calhoun, etc..) is being a SOB.

Coaches at all levels are not generally what you'd describe as "nice guys." Remember Leo the Lip's famous one liner: "Nice guys finish last." BT should now sit back for awhile and evaluate what it is he wants from his basketball career. If it's just for the pure enjoyment of playing in a low stress environment than look to some small schools. If indeed he has a burning desire to play at the D1 level, then it sounds like he's going to need a real change of heart and mind. It makes sense that if RM felt he was overweight and lacking in muscle he would have told BT this prior to his showing up on campus last Sept. I don't know if he did the requisite work in the gym and changed his diet last summer to show RM he was really committed and knew what it would take to perform at this level. Not that you'd expect him to show up buffed to the max, but some change would be evident after a summer of hard work. I get the feeling that RM is tolerant of kids who share his desire, passion and commitment to winning games. He's not an easy guy to play for if you don't share in his desires, but no winning coach ever is. Good luck to BT in that he finds a place to play where he can be happy. Unfortunately, finding happiness in D1 hoops don't often go hand in hand unless you're winning a lot of games. As for the banquet story, I wonder if RM's comments aren't getting blown out of proportion. I can't recall anyone posting that RM "berated and belittled BT unmercifully. If he did, bad showing by the coach. Year end banquets aren't the place to be airing one's anger at a player's lack of development or character. But the real bottom line in this story is trying to get to the mountain top ain't easy and there'll be a lot of setbacks along the way.

[Guest BillikenReport]

well so much for, "those werent rickma's players" excuse.

Brett Thompson, from what I have heard, was very much interested in playing for Brad Soderberg at SLU.

Now this leaves Willie Reed and Femi John as the two remaining Billikens will ties to Soderberg and the previous coaching staff, who began the recruiting process for those two guys.

[drkelsey55]

well so much for, "those werent rickma's players" excuse.

I don't think anyone on this board is surprised by this response. In fact we all would have been disappointed if it hadn't been.

[jjray]

In addition to the banquet comments, I would imagine RM bluntly told Brett he'll be sitting on the bench unless he loses weight and becomes quicker. Given that backdrop, if you were Brett Thompson would you stick around? The question becomes whether Rick improves the team after running off Brett Thompson? I don't look forward to watching a Billiken center not named Thompson trying to guard Kenny Frease next season.