MCMelton Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Read and discuss. If anyone has other preview stories on A-10 teams, post them here. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1390727-st-louis-university-2012-13-basketball-season-preview Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgstl Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 my favorite line...(evans) "could easily average 13 points and 10 rebounds per game". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgstl Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 good read tho, I just really hope our teams shooting % from +10 feet improves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SShoe Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 In terms of broad improvements, my first hope is that we're a better free throw shooting team than last year. This could be tough since Conk was very good from the line, but DE, JJ, and KM all have plenty of room to improve and are players that could make a living at the line. I also hope we're a better overall rebounding team, which I think is a realistic goal. Brian wasn't all that great a rebounder and I'm hoping for major improvement from Rob. I also think DE is going to clean up every night. Lastly, I hope our 3 pt % bumps upward. I also think there is a good chance of this, as I think all of our guards will improve their percentages, particularly McCall, who I think is a better shooter than his 35% figure last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 JJ was the team leader in FG %age? He must have had a lot of layups. Also, 05, quit grabbing your junk in pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenfan05 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 JJ was the team leader in FG %age? He must have had a lot of layups. Also, 05, quit grabbing your junk in pictures. Whoops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Dragging up the old argument, eh moy? I guess if we need a two to tie or win, you'd isolate the jumper for JJ over KM, MM, CE and DE, right? I might isolate for a clear out drive for JJ but he'll have to improve that FT% there. ALTHOUGH .... down the stretch last year, he was pretty much money at the line as I recall so he is better there. Her's hoping his "Conklin summer" was devoted to jumpers inside the arc and continued improvement from the stationary 15-foot mark. If so, he's HOF material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Dragging up the old argument, eh moy? I guess if we need a two to tie or win, you'd isolate the jumper for JJ over KM, MM, CE and DE, right? I might isolate for a clear out drive for JJ but he'll have to improve that FT% there. ALTHOUGH .... down the stretch last year, he was pretty much money at the line as I recall so he is better there. Her's hoping his "Conklin summer" was devoted to jumpers inside the arc and continued improvement from the stationary 15-foot mark. If so, he's HOF material. You're changing the argument. The debate was never who'd we have take a last minute jumper, it was whether JJ was a decent shooter. He is. The stats back it up. Every attempt you have made to support your factually inaccurate statements have failed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbizzle09 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 You're changing the argument. The debate was never who'd we have take a last minute jumper, it was whether JJ was a decent shooter. He is. The stats back it up. Every attempt you have made to support your factually inaccurate statements have failed. Here we go again, for the 397th time, right moy? Anyway, I agree with you, 05 needs to stop grabbing his junk in front of the camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCMelton Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 JJ was the team leader in FG %age? He must have had a lot of layups. Also, 05, quit grabbing your junk in pictures. I believe I qualified it among returning players who averaged more than 10 minutes per game. But yes, Jett did lead in FG%. Conklin had a higher %, but he's obvioulsy gone. Remekun led the team in FG% but he only played 9 mins per game last year, so I don't think that carries the same weight as Conklin's or even Jett's percentages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I believe I qualified it among returning players who averaged more than 10 minutes per game. But yes, Jett did lead in FG%. Conklin had a higher %, but he's obvioulsy gone. Remekun led the team in FG% but he only played 9 mins per game last year, so I don't think that carries the same weight as Conklin's or even Jett's percentages. Thanks, MC. Appreciate the follow up. By way of background, there has been a running debate by a few of us here on whether JJ is a decent shooter or not. I think he is and the stats back it up. Others say he isn't and generally gets his made FGs from layups/dunks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCMelton Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 In terms of broad improvements, my first hope is that we're a better free throw shooting team than last year. This could be tough since Conk was very good from the line, but DE, JJ, and KM all have plenty of room to improve and are players that could make a living at the line. I also hope we're a better overall rebounding team, which I think is a realistic goal. Brian wasn't all that great a rebounder and I'm hoping for major improvement from Rob. I also think DE is going to clean up every night. Lastly, I hope our 3 pt % bumps upward. I also think there is a good chance of this, as I think all of our guards will improve their percentages, particularly McCall, who I think is a better shooter than his 35% figure last season. The free-throw "problem" has always puzzled me, especially from last year. It does seem that SLU is a mediocre foul-shooting team. It does seem that the team leaves a lot of points at the foul line on missed shots. But the stats don't really back it up. SLU finished 5th in the conference last year in FT -- 72%. Had they made one more free throw over the course of the entire season, they'd have been 4th in the A-10. They were a little worse in only conference games, finishing 7th in the A-10. But that's still above average for the conference. For what it's worth, opponents shot worse than SLU did at the foul line. It's definitely an area that needs improvement, especially with the team's two best foul shooters (Conklin and Cassity) gone. But I don't think it's this big black eye that will kill the team's chances of competing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCMelton Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 Thanks, MC. Appreciate the follow up. By way of background, there has been a running debate by a few of us here on whether JJ is a decent shooter or not. I think he is and the stats back it up. Others say he isn't and generally gets his made FGs from layups/dunks. No problem. I'd agree with you that the stats say Jordair is a decent shooter. His overall shooting percentage was .467, which as I detailed above is the highest for all returning players, and the highest for all starters. I think a better indicator is if you look at just his shooting percentages on 2-pointers. It's slightly better, at 48.7%. For comparison's sake, St. Joseph's led the A-10 in shooting last season, with 47%. So Jett is as good, if not better, than the best shooting team in the conference. I think there's an eye test factor that Jett struggles with. He doesn't look like a shooter. He doesn't have the smoothness or fluidity that we expect pure shooters to have. But shooting is not his game. He's a hard-edged, get to the basket, hustle, make something happen type of player. The free throws and 3-pointers poison the opinion of many others. Is Jett a pure shooter? No. But is he a good at making baskets with the ball? Hell yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 For the record MCMelton, there are very few that offer that JJ is not a decent shooter --- I believe I have the market cornered on that belief. Unfortunately, a field goal attempt is an attempt whether it is taken from 18 feet, or one foot. And I think most would agree that it is easier to make them from a foot as opposed to the 18-foot mark. You yourself said JJ is not a pure shooter. Not really an argument here. And I will agree that he is extremely good making baskets with the ball in his hands. But back out the layups and dunks, then we'll talk true FG "shooting" percentages. On the flip side, CE goes the other way. I'd also like to know what his layups and dunks were and in turn back them out. My argument would be to deduct the layups and dunks out of a FG% to determine a true value. You can't tell me Shaquille O'Neal was a great shooter---- and yet he had a career 58.2% shooting percentage. Add to that a 4.5% shooting percentage from three point land and factor in a career 52.7% from the free throw line. How does that happen? Dunks. I understand they changed the free throw shots to a stationary stance,moving only after the ball hit the rim because Wilt Chamberlain would get a running start, leave the floor at the foul line, and swoop in for a dunk free throw (this might be an urban legend). Wilt's career FG% was 54%; at the line a paltry 51.1%. And moy, the argument is not who would you clear a final shot for, I'll give you that. But if the option is your best FG shooter or someone else, why would you not go to your go-to guy? To me,JJ is a "drive and finish at the basket" kind of player not a jump shooter. An extremely valuable and key performer on this team. Just not like what our other guards have provided over time. Maybe my opinion changes this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
For-DaLove Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Haven't posted much lately....but let it be known that I'm predicting a huge year from DE. Huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 My argument would be to deduct the layups and dunks out of a FG% to determine a true value. You can't tell me Shaquille O'Neal was a great shooter---- and yet he had a career 58.2% shooting percentage. Add to that a 4.5% shooting percentage from three point land and factor in a career 52.7% from the free throw line. How does that happen? Dunks. I understand they changed the free throw shots to a stationary stance,moving only after the ball hit the rim because Wilt Chamberlain would get a running start, leave the floor at the foul line, and swoop in for a dunk free throw (this might be an urban legend). Wilt's career FG% was 54%; at the line a paltry 51.1%. Bizzle and I have provided the stats with layups and dunks backed out. And the stats showed he was still a decent shooter from two point land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Haven't posted much lately....but let it be known that I'm predicting a huge year from DE. Huge. I'm predicting the same for CR. He loses the shirt and unleashes hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCMelton Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 For the record MCMelton, there are very few that offer that JJ is not a decent shooter --- I believe I have the market cornered on that belief. Unfortunately, a field goal attempt is an attempt whether it is taken from 18 feet, or one foot. And I think most would agree that it is easier to make them from a foot as opposed to the 18-foot mark. You yourself said JJ is not a pure shooter. Not really an argument here. And I will agree that he is extremely good making baskets with the ball in his hands. But back out the layups and dunks, then we'll talk true FG "shooting" percentages. On the flip side, CE goes the other way. I'd also like to know what his layups and dunks were and in turn back them out. My argument would be to deduct the layups and dunks out of a FG% to determine a true value. You can't tell me Shaquille O'Neal was a great shooter---- and yet he had a career 58.2% shooting percentage. Add to that a 4.5% shooting percentage from three point land and factor in a career 52.7% from the free throw line. How does that happen? Dunks. I understand they changed the free throw shots to a stationary stance,moving only after the ball hit the rim because Wilt Chamberlain would get a running start, leave the floor at the foul line, and swoop in for a dunk free throw (this might be an urban legend). Wilt's career FG% was 54%; at the line a paltry 51.1%. And moy, the argument is not who would you clear a final shot for, I'll give you that. But if the option is your best FG shooter or someone else, why would you not go to your go-to guy? To me,JJ is a "drive and finish at the basket" kind of player not a jump shooter. An extremely valuable and key performer on this team. Just not like what our other guards have provided over time. Maybe my opinion changes this year. For the record, I can't ever remember Jordair dunking the ball! I'm sure I'm wrong. But yes, you would need to remove layups from the equation in determining a shooter's overall accuracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB73 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I'm predicting the same for CR. He loses the shirt and unleashes hell. CR? Think so? I anxiously await. My perception of JJ is that he is an athletic, well rounded player, top notch "D", can rebound, carry the ball, take the ball to the hoop, make things happen, but not a real "shooter" for 3 pt jump shots or say 12-15 ft land, and FT's. If some stats suggest otherwise, I am surprised. I think a few OCD posters took out the layups and dunks and showed that his jump shooting % was OK, though, right? (which of you guys bet me $ 20 that MU football would go 5-3 in the SEC? I can't remember, it was one of you that was always wrong about everything, but there are several of you in the same little "club"...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Think so? I'll anxiously await for that to happen. (which of you guys bet me $ 20 that MU football would go 5-3 in the SEC? I can't remember, it was one of you that was always wrong about everything, but there are several of you in the same little "club"...) I expect CR to have a good year for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbizzle09 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 CR? Think so? I anxiously await. My perception of JJ is that he is an athletic, well rounded player, top notch "D", can rebound, carry the ball, take the ball to the hoop, make things happen, but not a real "shooter" for 3 pts jump shots or say 12-15 ft land, and FT's. If some stats suggest otherwise, I am surprised. I think a few OCD posters took out the layups and dunks and showed that his jump shooting % was OK, though, right? (which of you guys bet me $ 20 that MU football would go 5-3 in the SEC? I can't remember, it was one of you that was always wrong about everything, but there are several of you in the same little "club"...) It was brianstl that you bet. If they go 4-4 in conference, it will be a push. 5-3 he wins (which is already gone) and 3-5 or worse you win. They face Florida on the road today, then Tennessee and finish off against A&M. Pretty likely that you will pick up $20 after today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB73 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I expect CR to have a good year for us. I think CR can really help us a lot defensively, push people around, get some rebounds, get some garbage baskets on "O". If he stays within himself and is mentally tough, he can play a significant role. We are deep up front. One big has to become a key inside scorer, though. TBD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB73 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 It was brianstl that you bet. If they go 4-4 in conference, it will be a push. 5-3 he wins (which is already gone) and 3-5 or worse you win. They face Florida on the road today, then Tennessee and finish off against A&M. Pretty likely that you will pick up $20 after today. I seemed to remember it was him but knew the human Billiken.com encyclopedia jbizzle would know for sure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 It was me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westy03 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 It was me.Not your finest hour on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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