Open Gym Recap

[DoctorB]

I saw Willie and Rob Loe on campus yesterday right next to each other, talking -- I thought Loe looked about an inch shorter. Is it possible that Willie has added an inch or 2 this year?

[Billikan]

I don't think from the descriptions floated on here and by RM that Rob Loe is going to be a 4 or 5; I think Sophomore year he comes in about where Conklin did with no body fat and a fade away 3 pointer

much like the blond 6 foot 10 kid from Marquette 8-10 years ago-can't think of his name but some kids are just not going nose to nose in a sport they consider non contact.

I really would like to see a Chris Heinrich 5 that could run the floor and finish.

I think our collective memories are a little warped by time. Chris H was absolutely terrible until his senior year. He missed lay up after lay up his freshman year to the point that I was literally screaming in my seat, he made dumb fouls and was never an offensive threat. He could bang and set screens and clog the lane a bit but it was very late in his time at SLU that he really contributed. Mr. Loe will be dramatically better than Chris from the day he arrives. He will not be a hard headed banger but he has touch and skill. Of course, it will take him some time to acclimate himself to the type of game that is played here but I would hope that by the middle of the second semester he will be a regular contributor. It might not be until next year that he really shows his full potential but to pine about Chris H is ridiculous.

[jimbofive]

If his mom was as dumb as he was, I wouldn't believe a word she said.

wahahahaha

[kcbill]

I don't think from the descriptions floated on here and by RM that Rob Loe is going to be a 4 or 5; I think Sophomore year he comes in about where Conklin did with no body fat and a fade away 3 pointer

much like the blond 6 foot 10 kid from Marquette 8-10 years ago-can't think of his name but some kids are just not going nose to nose in a sport they consider non contact.

I really would like to see a Chris Heinrich 5 that could run the floor and finish.

I think the guy from Marquette was named Novak.

[slufanskip]

I wouldn't want them on the court at the same time all the time, but I think it would be fine for a couple minutes though here and there. I doubt offensively those 2 on the court at the same time are much worse if at all than Willie and Conklin. I haven't seen Loe yet so I can't comment on that. As far as the 5 guys I'd like to see play the majority of the minutes together would be:

KM, KC, CE, WR then the 5th guy we will see. I would love that person to be McCall but we would be playing pretty small. I would guess it will be Conklin, and hopefully a healthy Conklin at that.

I could see a couple of minutes here and there, but not much more than that. Cory cannot play facing the basket further than 3 feet out. You absolutely don't want it becoming a habit for him to put the ball on the floor from 10 feet and he can't shoot from there. Brian and Cory are completely different types of players.

I'd like to see WR, RL, CE, KC, and KM and I'd be estatic if MM could make KC a 6th man. If that were to happen we'd be a damn good team. Probably the best Bills team I've ever seen.

[willie]

I could see a couple of minutes here and there, but not much more than that. Cory cannot play facing the basket further than 3 feet out. You absolutely don't want it becoming a habit for him to put the ball on the floor from 10 feet and he can't shoot from there. Brian and Cory are completely different types of players.

I'd like to see WR, RL, CE, KC, and KM and I'd be estatic if MM could make KC a 6th man. If that were to happen we'd be a damn good team. Probably the best Bills team I've ever seen.

I don't think it will happen but if KC was pushed to a 6th man we would be a hell of a team. It might also be the perfect spot for him as he could come into the 1-2-or 3 spot.I'm not going to get carried away after 1 person saw an open gym, but I do believe this board has forgotten about MM.

[b.hayes]

Not me. I'm still jacked up about MIKE MCCALL.

Is it November 12th yet?

[slufan13]

I don't think it will happen but if KC was pushed to a 6th man we would be a hell of a team. It might also be the perfect spot for him as he could come into the 1-2-or 3 spot.I'm not going to get carried away after 1 person saw an open gym, but I do believe this board has forgotten about MM.

I agree. I think KC will be good enough to start but he may fit better off the bench because he will be able to fit so many positions. I think we'll see a lot of different line ups thrown around early in the year. Trial and error is really the only way to do it.

[BACKHANDtheRICAN]

Not me. I'm still jacked up about MIKE MCCALL.

Is it November 12th yet?

Hayes-

No, it is August 24th.

[Billikan]

I could see a couple of minutes here and there, but not much more than that. Cory cannot play facing the basket further than 3 feet out. You absolutely don't want it becoming a habit for him to put the ball on the floor from 10 feet and he can't shoot from there. Brian and Cory are completely different types of players.

I'd like to see WR, RL, CE, KC, and KM and I'd be estatic if MM could make KC a 6th man. If that were to happen we'd be a damn good team. Probably the best Bills team I've ever seen.

Cory can shoot from 15 feet and he probably has the best touch from that distance of Willie, Brian and Cory. Cory is also an ever improving defender and shot blocker. It would completely depend upon the matchups but there were times last year when I thought that Willie and Cory played well together. Now that Jon Smith is gone, Cory can be the weak side help defender and shot blocker that we hoped Jon would be. If Brian gets healthy and Loe can hit the weights we could have four pretty formidible inside guys and of course, Cody who is getting stronger every day and should be a real force outside and on the boards. Those five players will be the best combination of big men on one Billiken team in many decades. I am afraid they will not all reach their maximum potential until next year but it is really exciting to have such a wonderful mix of athletic and skilled big men. With our nice guard contingent, we could be really good in the second half of this year and we SHOULD be really good next year!

[slufanskip]

Cory can shoot from 15 feet and he probably has the best touch from that distance of Willie, Brian and Cory. Cory is also an ever improving defender and shot blocker. It would completely depend upon the matchups but there were times last year when I thought that Willie and Cory played well together. Now that Jon Smith is gone, Cory can be the weak side help defender and shot blocker that we hoped Jon would be. If Brian gets healthy and Loe can hit the weights we could have four pretty formidible inside guys and of course, Cody who is getting stronger every day and should be a real force outside and on the boards. Those five players will be the best combination of big men on one Billiken team in many decades. I am afraid they will not all reach their maximum potential until next year but it is really exciting to have such a wonderful mix of athletic and skilled big men. With our nice guard contingent, we could be really good in the second half of this year and we SHOULD be really good next year!

If he can, he's made the most improvement in an offseason of any player in NCAA history. I'll believe Cory playing facing the basket from 15 feet when I see it.

[billikendave]

I think our collective memories are a little warped by time. Chris H was absolutely terrible until his senior year. He missed lay up after lay up his freshman year to the point that I was literally screaming in my seat, he made dumb fouls and was never an offensive threat. He could bang and set screens and clog the lane a bit but it was very late in his time at SLU that he really contributed. Mr. Loe will be dramatically better than Chris from the day he arrives. He will not be a hard headed banger but he has touch and skill. Of course, it will take him some time to acclimate himself to the type of game that is played here but I would hope that by the middle of the second semester he will be a regular contributor. It might not be until next year that he really shows his full potential but to pine about Chris H is ridiculous.

Loved Chris! Could throw elbows better than anyone I remember and could never move his feet. Big man camp helped tremendously.

Loe should probably be an entirely different style player and shouldn't really be compared. Conklin and Heinrich are likely more similar styles -- banger on the block

[MB73]

Not me. I'm still jacked up about MIKE MCCALL.

Is it November 12th yet?

Agree, we all know our critical need for a 3 pt shooter at the 2 guard to get to the next level, and MM might be the most likely possibility. ALSO, watch for CS to find his shot with one yr under his belt.

[thetorch]

In hindsight we think of Hinrich as better than he actually was. Very very good defender, a solid rebounder and he was able to improve enough that he came in behind Baniak and was able to unseat him well before the end of their careers. He was a plodding pivot man, though he improved offensively he never created a go to move in the post. His lack of coordination and shot making skills made him largely an afterthought in the offense. I'd take all of our big men over him at this point.

Personally if Remuken or Kowall played with Willie I would let Willie roam. Remuken is a much better one on one defender than Willie in the post. For instance if we are playing Temple, let Remuken guard Allen and let Willie guard the 4 and man the weakside for double teams. Remuken blocks most of his shots straight up, Willie blocks his playing help when someone else gets beat by their man.

[This...is Steven Koren]

I hope the ceiling for RL is higher than "better than Chris Heinrich".

BTW - google search on Chris Heinrich...found this link to some recent stats of his from a league in Germany. Good for him.

http://www.eurobasket.com/player.asp?Cntry=ITA&PlayerID=31724

[BACKHANDtheRICAN]

I hope the ceiling for RL is higher than "better than Chris Heinrich".

BTW - google search on Chris Heinrich...found this link to some recent stats of his from a league in Germany. Good for him.

http://www.eurobasket.com/player.asp?Cntry=ITA&PlayerID=31724

My favorite Heinrich moment: Walking in to the Student Union and seeing Heinrich hunched over his laptop and "typing". Im sure his ppg avg in Germany is higher than his words per minute typing.

Mavis Beach WPM = 5 with 65% accuracy.

[BACKHANDtheRICAN]

I could see a couple of minutes here and there, but not much more than that. Cory cannot play facing the basket further than 3 feet out. You absolutely don't want it becoming a habit for him to put the ball on the floor from 10 feet and he can't shoot from there. Brian and Cory are completely different types of players.

I'd like to see WR, RL, CE, KC, and KM and I'd be estatic if MM could make KC a 6th man. If that were to happen we'd be a damn good team. Probably the best Bills team I've ever seen.

Skip-

Just do the math. ESPN scouting gave KC a score of a '40' and MM a score of an '88'. Therefore, MM is more than twice as good as KC. The answer is simple if you just do the math.

[For-DaLove]

Skip-

Just do the math. ESPN scouting gave KC a score of a '40' and MM a score of an '88'. Therefore, MM is more than twice as good as KC. The answer is simple if you just do the math.

Hahahaha. Awesome.

[This...is Steven Koren]

My favorite Heinrich moment: Walking in to the Student Union and seeing Heinrich hunched over his laptop and "typing". Im sure his ppg avg in Germany is higher than his words per minute typing.

Mavis Beach WPM = 5 with 65% accuracy.

Perhaps not my favorite (but most memorable Heinrich) moment - when he attempted to dunk vs. KU at Kemper Arena and was rejected by the rim. You just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry for him. That place was packed with KU fans and they rained down with laughter.

[SShoe]

My favorite Heinrich moment: Walking in to the Student Union and seeing Heinrich hunched over his laptop and "typing". Im sure his ppg avg in Germany is higher than his words per minute typing.

Mavis Beach WPM = 5 with 65% accuracy.

My favorite Heinrich moment is him approaching a group of us sitting in the quad and opening the conversation with, "Hey, you guys talking about girls?"

Real friendly guy though.

[Billsrmajic]

Cory can shoot from 15 feet and he probably has the best touch from that distance of Willie, Brian and Cory. Cory is also an ever improving defender and shot blocker. It would completely depend upon the matchups but there were times last year when I thought that Willie and Cory played well together. Now that Jon Smith is gone, Cory can be the weak side help defender and shot blocker that we hoped Jon would be. If Brian gets healthy and Loe can hit the weights we could have four pretty formidible inside guys and of course, Cody who is getting stronger every day and should be a real force outside and on the boards. Those five players will be the best combination of big men on one Billiken team in many decades. I am afraid they will not all reach their maximum potential until next year but it is really exciting to have such a wonderful mix of athletic and skilled big men. With our nice guard contingent, we could be really good in the second half of this year and we SHOULD be really good next year!

I call BS on this - we SHOULD be really good this year, and awesome next year - let's not lower expecations before the season has even started

[Billikan]

I call BS on this - we SHOULD be really good this year, and awesome next year - let's not lower expecations before the season has even started

Whether you like it or not we are still a young team with some frosh expected to play key roles in the rotation and the same is true for some of our second year players. Our most experienced players are juniors and if you look at the last 10 years or so, many of the teams who advanced in the big dance who were not top 10 teams were teams with a solid core of experienced seniors. We will not have that until next year. But we have talent and some experienced juniors and some very talented underclassmen so we should be a good team. In order to do something really special, our young players will have to play beyond their years. I drink the blue kool aid with the best of them but I also am a realist and there are a bunch of good teams in the A10 this year.

[Box and Won]

My favorite Heinrich moment: Walking in to the Student Union and seeing Heinrich hunched over his laptop and "typing". Im sure his ppg avg in Germany is higher than his words per minute typing.

Mavis Beach WPM = 5 with 65% accuracy.

[Clock_Tower]

Whether you like it or not we are still a young team with some frosh expected to play key roles in the rotation and the same is true for some of our second year players. Our most experienced players are juniors and if you look at the last 10 years or so, many of the teams who advanced in the big dance who were not top 10 teams were teams with a solid core of experienced seniors. We will not have that until next year. But we have talent and some experienced juniors and some very talented underclassmen so we should be a good team. In order to do something really special, our young players will have to play beyond their years. I drink the blue kool aid with the best of them but I also am a realist and there are a bunch of good teams in the A10 this year.

Normally, I would agree with you but let's face it, we are no longer such a young team and we cannot keep making excuses. Yes, we have no Seniors and yes our team will get even older and more experienced next year, and yes we expect the team to be better next year; however, we do have 4 Juniors who have all played important/significant minutes/been starters for 2 years now. No more excuses. Our Sophs such as CE was the "go to" guy for the 1/2 year he played last year. He now knows the college game, the speed, the physical play, etc. and he will start the season, in shape, and knowing what RM wants/expects. Soph CS started and played big/key minutes. CR got off the bench and played some as well. Most NCAA teams don't have Freshmen and Sophs starting and playing such minutes -- other than the exceptional/McDonald's All-American kids. Instead, most Frosh/Sophs ride the bench and develop in practice so that when given the chance in their JR and SR years, they step up. In contrast, our JRs and Sophs have ALOT more experience and playing time under their belts than most college JRs and Sophs. IMO, excuses are over. It's time to beat X no matter where they play -- Chaifetz or Cintas. Don't understand this Board's fear of winning road conference games. Sure, road games are tougher but good teams win their share of road games. If not, they are not a good team.

[slu72]

Agree totally, the inexperience factor is no longer an excuse. Look we've got a potential 1st team pg, a rumored to be potential NBA pick, one of the top 5 Aussie players, the top NZ player who was selected to that world HS allstar game, and a bunch of JR's and Sophs who've garnered serious minutes. We should no longer expect to be X's, Temple's, or anyone else's whipping boy this year. Not even Mighty Duke. Next year is this year. And 2011-12 season should be much better than this year.