Jon Smith

[SShoe]

He's getting better and looking more comfortable with every game. He's certainly our most improved player from the start of the season. I think if he could develop a mid-range jumper, he has the opportunity to be a tremendous player.

[Bay Area Billiken]

He's getting better and looking more comfortable with every game. He's certainly our most improved player from the start of the season. I think if he could develop a mid-range jumper, he has the opportunity to be a tremendous player.

Agreed. Jon Smith has a tremendous upside. He has long arms and good quickness inside. He is also a very good shot blocker, giving SLU 2 shot blockers when he and Willie Reed are both in the game.

[Archy McNally]

Agreed. Jon Smith has a tremendous upside. He has long arms and good quickness inside. He is also a very good shot blocker, giving SLU 2 shot blockers when he and Willie Reed are both in the game.

He is going to be in the top 5 in minutes next year if he does not get hurt. He can finish, rebound, and play some defense. His upside is tremendous. He plays very well with Cody opposite him.

[billikenfan05]

He is going to be in the top 5 in minutes next year if he does not get hurt. He can finish, rebound, and play some defense. His upside is tremendous. He plays very well with Cody opposite him.

He needs to get better at putting the ball on the floor. He is already decent but he needs to improve as does willie.

[joe_davola]

Last year I thought part of Willie's upside was his quickness off the floor..but I think JS's is even better. As someone mentioned before, it seems like he has a nose for the rim. As Willie went on in his freshman year, he developed more of an offensive game outside of rebounds, and I'm thinking this is the next phase of JS's game that we will see improve. This guy has REALLY impressed me and how much better he has gotten. After the first few games, I wasn't as excited about him as much as I was the first few games last year with Willie, but now I'm as excited about JS's upside as I am of Willie's. Things are looking up.

[Quality Is Job 1]

He needs to get better at putting the ball on the floor. He is already decent but he needs to improve as does willie.

Both Reed and Smith need to recognize what the defense is giving them better. And just because you pass the ball out of the post doesn't mean you can get it back. And the guards need to improve on their determination to get the ball in there.

And the mid-range game must improve, especially against the zone. If layups and dunks are getting blocked because of congestion in the lane and threes aren't dropping, knocking down 12- to 17-foot jumpers can really do wonders.

[eastsidejoe]

willie's internal defense was horrible today. at least twice he let his man inside of him for an easy put back after a missed shot. he has to have the grit to battle inside for position and i don't see it yet. YES, he is a decent shot blocker but his defensive positioning under the basket needs some work.

[SLU_Nick]

willie's internal defense was horrible today. at least twice he let his man inside of him for an easy put back after a missed shot. he has to have the grit to battle inside for position and i don't see it yet. YES, he is a decent shot blocker but his defensive positioning under the basket needs some work.

Wish he could have hit his 2nd free throw at the end of regulation though...he might be my favorite player on the team...

[doowop]

He needs to get better at putting the ball on the floor. He is already decent but he needs to improve as does willie.

Everybody on the team needs to improve.

[kmbilliken]

He also seems to have made great strides defensively enabling us to play 3 bigs at a time.

[GoBills]

Smith is the best athlete on the team. His quickness off the floor is at an elite level. The coaching staff will have to pour a lot of effort into developing other aspects of his game, but he is probably fun for them to work with since the upside is so great. When I look ahead to next year's roster, the small forward is the biggest question, and hopefully young Mr. Smith is the answer.

[slu72]

Smith is the best athlete on the team. His quickness off the floor is at an elite level. The coaching staff will have to pour a lot of effort into developing other aspects of his game, but he is probably fun for them to work with since the upside is so great. When I look ahead to next year's roster, the small forward is the biggest question, and hopefully young Mr. Smith is the answer.

I just hope when he returns to Columbus for the summer, his buds don't convince him to transfer to OSU. I'd heard OSU was showing interest in him last spring thinking they'd missed out on a gem in the rough. Keep him in St. L over the summer, RM. Also, our guards better be shooting 500 3's a day in the offseason. Outside shooting is killing us, especially on the road. If we had any kind of outside game it would also open up the inside for us. I fear teams are going to start packing it in against us until we force them to come out and defend our guards. I'd say that's the biggest weakness in our game right now, we're getting good looks but can't knock 'em down.

[Cowboy]

I just hope when he returns to Columbus for the summer, his buds don't convince him to transfer to OSU. I'd heard OSU was showing interest in him last spring thinking they'd missed out on a gem in the rough. Keep him in St. L over the summer, RM. Also, our guards better be shooting 500 3's a day in the offseason. Outside shooting is killing us, especially on the road. If we had any kind of outside game it would also open up the inside for us. I fear teams are going to start packing it in against us until we force them to come out and defend our guards. I'd say that's the biggest weakness in our game right now, we're getting good looks but can't knock 'em down.

-i agree we get open shots and we are not making enough of them

[Billikan]

I just hope when he returns to Columbus for the summer, his buds don't convince him to transfer to OSU. I'd heard OSU was showing interest in him last spring thinking they'd missed out on a gem in the rough. Keep him in St. L over the summer, RM. Also, our guards better be shooting 500 3's a day in the offseason. Outside shooting is killing us, especially on the road. If we had any kind of outside game it would also open up the inside for us. I fear teams are going to start packing it in against us until we force them to come out and defend our guards. I'd say that's the biggest weakness in our game right now, we're getting good looks but can't knock 'em down.

Over the years you make this kind of post occasionally and it really irritates me. It is ridiculous to bring up that crap about transferring to OSU and it just starts stupid rumours. Why not just talk about how well he is developing under this coaching staff, etc.

[slu72]

Over the years you make this kind of post occasionally and it really irritates me. It is ridiculous to bring up that crap about transferring to OSU and it just starts stupid rumours. Why not just talk about how well he is developing under this coaching staff, etc.

NOt intended to start any rumors, Billikan, just don't want the bright lights of Buckeye land to sway him. Not aware I've made these kind of posts in the past but will apologize for the irritation it causes you. I think I've always said watch Jon Smith, my old buds up in Columbus told me when we got him he was a keeper and would be a good one for us.

[Billikan]

NOt intended to start any rumors, Billikan, just don't want the bright lights of Buckeye land to sway him. Not aware I've made these kind of posts in the past but will apologize for the irritation it causes you. I think I've always said watch Jon Smith, my old buds up in Columbus told me when we got him he was a keeper and would be a good one for us.

The great thing is that we were told that Jon would be a fine addition and was a great athlete and after only a few games some of the fans here sort of wrote him off--and now he is really coming on after spending some time with our coaching staff. I had high hopes for him when we recruited him because he seemed to bring a different type of athleticism than we have had before in our 3/4 men. Some of the idiots who visit this board would take your comments and run with them and I just hate to see a bunch of posts about the subject. Things are looking up and we all need to try to stay positive. Go Bills!

[Pistol]

He's good. For a freshman, this kid has shown us flashes of great things to come. I like his length, athleticism, and defensive game already. With a couple more years, he could be a dangerous offensive threat. I'd like to see what he can do in transition and from the wing more, and that will come with time. He might be the gem of this freshman class, and even if he's not, 4 years of a nice athlete and shot blocker is something SLU's program has been lacking for a while.

This is also serving as my pledge to not write off freshmen too soon. I saw him break out at BGSU, and he's been solid ever since. Once Reed decides to show up again, we have a fantastic shot-blocking tandem and a pair of players who can really throw it down.

[billiken_roy]

smith always had the athleticism to play at this level. he just lacked the basketball knowledge and maybe in particular, rickma's system.

maybe the legendary christmas break practices of rickma was exactly what smith needed to "catch up" to the rest of the team? maybe it was the addition of ellis and the flexibility bringing ellis to the floor gives the coaching staff to exploit smith's talents. maybe the schemes have been simplified not only for smith but for ellis.

regardless. there is no doubt that right now the billikens are looking good and john smith is playing a big part in that.

[Tonka]

smith always had the athleticism to play at this level. he just lacked the basketball knowledge and maybe in particular, rickma's system.

maybe the legendary christmas break practices of rickma was exactly what smith needed to "catch up" to the rest of the team? Maybe it was the addition of ellis and the flexibility bringing ellis to the floor gives the coaching staff to exploit smith's talents. maybe the schemes have been simplified not only for smith but for ellis.

regardless. there is no doubt that right now the billikens are looking good and john smith is playing a big part in that.

It's been said so many times on this board, but sometimes even I have to remind myself how young all of these guys are. Being that we are the youngest team in the nation, we should have an advantage that no other team in the nation has and that is the amount of playing time our guys will have together playing in actual games in the next 3-4 years.

Jon Smith is going to be a very good player for many reasons. Like the others on the team, he's going to get 4 years of good coaching mixed with 4 years of game time experience. With his athleticism and the skill set he has as a freshman, I expect great things out of him in the years to come.