If Crews is retained I am done

[jzstldc]

When it comes to your repeated and inane supposedly expert posts on everything Billiken I thought I had seen everything but this is a new low even for you--the person who was the biggest Sodeberg sycophant on this board. You should hope some day to achieve even 20% of what Jim Crews has accomplished in his profession.

As far as his stint with the Bills is concerned, he came here at the last minute as a personal favor to the coach who lost a key assistant as we were getting ready to play our first game. Last year Coach RM told me personally how much he appreciated the fact that Jim had joined the staff and how much he thought he added to the mix in terms of coaching and preparation. Then the coach gets extremely ill and no one knows whether he will ever be able to coach again but hope springs eternal so we decide to hire an interim coach and the one on the staff with the most experience and success, by far, is Jim Crews. Is he perfect? No Is he RM? No, emphatically. But he has kept things together during this difficult time and I for one see considerable improvement in this team's execution over the past few games. But for some reason you feel you can just insult the man, bellittle him and crap on him like you did with RM for years because you are so self important that you are above everyone! I will say it again--you are not a Billikens fan-- You are a Roy fan who will support the Billikens when they do things the Roy way. If I never read another one of your posts it would be wonderful!

Couldn't have said it better myself an all but the latter. And I too have lost any respect for Roy I ever had which started with his constant Majerus bashing. I used to highly respect Roy's thoughts on Billiken basketball and enjoyed reading his posts but I don't take them seriously anymore given some of his crazy comments. On your last comment I would have to disagree as even as little respect as I have for Roy any longer I have no doubt he is and always will be a huge Billiken fan but I never read his posts anymore and don't take him seriously.

I still laugh when Roy defends Soderberg to this day. Brad was the biggest embarrassment as a Billiken coach in recent history both from a coaching and recruiting standpoint and killed SLU basketball until we Thank God got Majerus who revived Billiken basketball.

[TheA_Bomb]

jzstldc now added to my list.

[billiken_roy]

Jzsldc when was the last time i defended soderberg? Maybe give me a link to the post. Thanks in advance.

[Tonka]

All we need is a coach, a conference, and a few players. I don't see what everyone's getting bent out of shape about.

[Tonka]

Roy is the Soderberg sycophant? Pot meet kettle.

Billikan, no one ever needs to read any of your posts because they are always the same. You out-pollyanna the AD's mother. That is usually harmless but you've gone too far this time. Roy made a post in jest to state his opinion. To doubt his fandom is dumb but you doubt anyone that questions anything to do with SLU athletics. Unless we adhered to your Stalinistic devotion to all things Billiken then we aren't fans.

PS This goes for your too Band Legend. I'll fight both of you at the same time. Lay off Roy or feel my wrath. Oh and Merry Christmas.

[moytoy12]

Salina. Tomorrow. Paystubs.

[brianstl]

This board has gone completely insane when it comes to Crews. I am saying that as someone isn't super happy with the job he has done so far. He is taking too much crap on here. You would think we would have lost to EIU the way some are acting on here.

[jp18]

This board has gone completely insane when it comes to Crews. I am saying that as someone isn't super happy with the job he has done so far. He is taking too much crap on here. You would think we would have lost to EIU the way some are acting on here.

+1

I don't get it, either. At times, I think people are watching different games than me. The Rob Loe thing baffles me as well. He is doing the exact same stuff as last year - except for missing a lot more shots. I don't see his game as any different, which isn't a good thing - don't get me wrong. But I don't get how people are saying Loe is trying to play a different game. He is doing the exact same stuff as I have seen the first two seasons - looks like the same player.

[JettFlight5]

This board has gone completely insane when it comes to Crews. I am saying that as someone isn't super happy with the job he has done so far. He is taking too much crap on here. You would think we would have lost to EIU the way some are acting on here.

Expectations of this season were super-high. Two bad losses in 9 games tends to do that.

[thetorch]

I wish there was a Billikens.com message board in the late 70s so we could all read Billikan's posts defending Ron Ekker boinking a cheerleader and coaching with a black eye because one his players decked him at halftime.

I admit to drinking the blue Kool-Aid before the season. I thought Crews, an average D-1 coach, could babysit this team to the NCAA tourney. I've tempered my expectations since then but I still think this team is talented enough to get there.

Here are Carter's quotes on his transfer -

"It's nothing against the coaches," "I just felt with the injury I needed more time. . .I wanted to redshirt."

"Since [Kwamain Mitchell] was hurt, we didn't have many guards," Carter said. "They were trying to do what was best for the team, and trying to do what was best for me. We just couldn't come to one decision."

"It's just unfortunate," Carter said. "It hurt very bad and it's not something I could play through. I wanted to redshirt, but now I'm going to try to play somewhere else."

"I played better in practice but I knew I wasn't going to be right," Carter said. "I had absolutely no problems with the Coach [Jim] Crews or the coaching staff, this was just the best decision for me. I just need some time off."

IF Carter wanted to redshirt before the beginning of the season or after the first game because he was hurt and wasn't allowed to Crews should be dismissed immediately.

[Box and Won]

I've tempered my expectations since then but I still think this team is talented enough to get there.

It is. I don't think it will, however.

[Clock_Tower]

I wish there was a Billikens.com message board in the late 70s so we could all read Billikan's posts defending Ron Ekker boinking a cheerleader and coaching with a black eye because one his players decked him at halftime.

I admit to drinking the blue Kool-Aid before the season. I thought Crews, an average D-1 coach, could babysit this team to the NCAA tourney. I've tempered my expectations since then but I still think this team is talented enough to get there.

Here are Carter's quotes on his transfer -

"It's nothing against the coaches," "I just felt with the injury I needed more time. . .I wanted to redshirt."

"Since [Kwamain Mitchell] was hurt, we didn't have many guards," Carter said. "They were trying to do what was best for the team, and trying to do what was best for me. We just couldn't come to one decision."

"It's just unfortunate," Carter said. "It hurt very bad and it's not something I could play through. I wanted to redshirt, but now I'm going to try to play somewhere else."

"I played better in practice but I knew I wasn't going to be right," Carter said. "I had absolutely no problems with the Coach [Jim] Crews or the coaching staff, this was just the best decision for me. I just need some time off."

IF Carter wanted to redshirt before the beginning of the season or after the first game because he was hurt and wasn't allowed to Crews should be dismissed immediately.

KC. Are you f#$king kidding? You wanted to medical redshirt? You didn't sustain a serious injury. You missed a couple of games and probably could have played in them as well. I am not a physician and I have no personal knowledge of your medical condition but I do know that you didn't have a serious injury because you have been practicing and you sure looked good against EIU? Man up and play basketball. You were given a scholarship, you accepted it, so play basketball.

No, I think you want what we called as kids "a do-over". With hindsight, you would have either not come to SLU or left before the start of the season or done something else to preserve as much eligibility for yourself. If you want to leave b/c RM is dead, I get it. Either way, it is obvious that you don't want to play for SLU. Goodbye.

[Clock_Tower]

He has

Best news of the day.

[The Dude]

I see how this all plays out. SLU Admin either inexplicably retains Crews or screws up the off-season hire. A malaise sets in over the program and the bills become a fixture in the bottom half of the A10. All this while the BE7 makes decisions on who else to include in a bball only conference and we're left on the outside looking in ....... again.

[Westy03]

I see how this all plays out. SLU Admin either inexplicably retains Crews or screws up the off-season hire. A malaise sets in over the program and the bills become a fixture in the bottom half of the A10. All this while the BE7 makes decisions on who else to include in a bball only conference and we're left on the outside looking in ....... again.

We won't retain Crews. Dr. Chaifetz is ready to pump in even more money to get a coach. Now if that coach pans out that's another story. I do have a bad feeling about getting invited to this new conference. Other than the tv market, which is overrated if you don't have your own network, SLU doesn't bring much to the table. Yes we have a 10,0000 seat stadium but some nights have trouble getting 5000 people there. That's not what they are looking for

[kmbilliken]

Crews is in a tough position. I doubt he wants the job and if he does, he knows he won't get it. With all that he is still working hard for this team and the program. He even was able to land a recruit in this mess. Chris May is the most important guy now. Can he figure out who he can get that will generate some excitement, have potential to succeed and be able to close the deal fast so that guy can try to salvage a couple of jucos for next season. We will still have a good core ,but will need a couple of decent players who can step in and contribute immediately. Biondi needs to step in and tell May he will give him the tools to succeed and May needs to execute.

[TheOldie]

Crews wants to continue after the year has concluded in some capacity with the team / but not as the head coach.

We all should be grateful for his efforts. We all should be assuming that there the administration are working behind closed doors to fill the coaching position

[kappy96]

I have had issues with Billikan in the past, but in this case I agree with him completely. BRoy once again has his head up his butt. A convergence of circumstances that no one could possibly imagined has led us to this point. Jim Crews did not sign up for this originally, but he's trying to make the best of an extremely bad situation. The supposition that he is disinterested is ridiculous; I guarantee you he believes he's a great coach, even if most of the people on this board thinks he blows. I hope he shoves it up everyone's keester by having a great conference season and success in the tournament. Then we can go get a new coach from a position of strength instead of from desperation, and Jim Crews can transition to the next phase of his life gracefully, knowing that he took chicken bleep and made it into chicken salad. Has everyone given up on the season because one thing after another has gone wrong? I haven't, and I guarantee you the players who are still here haven't either. I know it's hard being a Billiken fan, but the world is not ending today. We still have a hell of a good team going out tomorrow to play ball, and I'm going to drink a couple of coldies at the game and enjoy watching my team avenge last seasons loss. Then I'm going to watch them win the A-10.

+1

[Clock_Tower]

Crews is in a tough position. I doubt he wants the job and if he does, he knows he won't get it. With all that he is still working hard for this team and the program. He even was able to land a recruit in this mess. Chris May is the most important guy now. Can he figure out who he can get that will generate some excitement, have potential to succeed and be able to close the deal fast so that guy can try to salvage a couple of jucos for next season. We will still have a good core ,but will need a couple of decent players who can step in and contribute immediately. Biondi needs to step in and tell May he will give him the tools to succeed and May needs to execute.

Take this in the correct context. No one was a bigger RM than me. In RM, I trusted. IMO, RM had turned around the basketball team -- the right way - but the basketball program had not yet turned around. I do wish he had brought in some short term fixes (JUCOs and/or Transfers) but he was committed to building only with 4 year players. Also, The Situation would have knocked most coaches out for good. Instead, RM responded by taking the team to second round of the NCAA Tournament and nearly knocked off #1 seed Michigan State. Despite all the usual and added SLU obstacles, RM was still in the process of turning things around. Unfortunately, he simply ran out of time.

Even still, though, there has been no real excitement (in the larger sports community) at SLU in years. After the buzz, curiosity and uniqueness of RM's hiring, the recruits kept coming but the winning and excitement lagged. Spoon had the whole St. Louis area excited from the beginning. Spoonball was crazy - it was everywhere. Billboards everywhere. Stickers on my car and thousands of others. Crowds of 12000 to 18000 came a few years later. Spoon was interviewed on every tv channel and not just during sports segments. SLU had a TV show as well as radio show. Spoon had his own restaurant with Pasta House/SLU booster Kim Tucci. None of this happened during the RM years. Attendance was simply not good under the RM years. In fact, I would not be surprised if a large percentage of the average sports fan in town (or elsewhere) thought RM failed or was mediocre at best. Even on this Board, many were giving RM and ultimatum to win -- or else.... RM never seemed to click with Bob Ramsey. The radio show was awful until RM quit after Fr. Biondi took away the chartered flights. While the head coach is always the central figure of the program, I'd say that Romar and Brad were key part of the program. RM, though, was the program with Chris May trying to keep peace.

Aside from winning cures all ills, our basketball program has not been creating excitement. 5,000 to 7,000 to watch a game is just not good. Not having a regular radio or tv show has hurt the program. Having an administration which is at odds with the basketball coach has not been good. RM would have turned things around. We needed 2 more years. We didn't get it.

Now, we are back to square 1.

[The Dude]

Aside from winning cures all ills, our basketball program has not been creating excitement. 5,000 to 7,000 to watch a game is just not good. Not having a regular radio or tv show has hurt the program. Having an administration which is at odds with the basketball coach has not been good. RM would have turned things around. We needed 2 more years. We didn't get it.

Now, we are back to square 1.

The hard truth! As for Rickma not clicking with Ramsey that just raised my already elevated opinion of Rickma.

[slu72]

I have had issues with Billikan in the past, but in this case I agree with him completely. BRoy once again has his head up his butt. A convergence of circumstances that no one could possibly imagined has led us to this point. Jim Crews did not sign up for this originally, but he's trying to make the best of an extremely bad situation. The supposition that he is disinterested is ridiculous; I guarantee you he believes he's a great coach, even if most of the people on this board thinks he blows. I hope he shoves it up everyone's keester by having a great conference season and success in the tournament. Then we can go get a new coach from a position of strength instead of from desperation, and Jim Crews can transition to the next phase of his life gracefully, knowing that he took chicken bleep and made it into chicken salad. Has everyone given up on the season because one thing after another has gone wrong? I haven't, and I guarantee you the players who are still here haven't either. I know it's hard being a Billiken fan, but the world is not ending today. We still have a hell of a good team going out tomorrow to play ball, and I'm going to drink a couple of coldies at the game and enjoy watching my team avenge last seasons loss. Then I'm going to watch them win the A-10.

Legend, my following comments are in no way intended to be a defense of Broy. I like Broy and his passion for all things Billikens. I just think at times he envisions the world thru 1940 glasses, when the underdog always wins and everything is above board. Sadly, that's not the world we live in today, but he refuses to accept it. Enough on Broy.

As for your comments on Crews, I do have some disagreements. No, he didn't sign up to be the interim HC. He did agree to come back and help out his old friend RM. But if he didn't want the pressures of being a HC again, he easily could have declined Mays offer in August. My guess is he still thinks he's a good HC. Also, contrary to what you call his inheritance, "chicken ######", he got a team that was ranked as high as #9 in the preseason by one publication, and was ranked a top 25 team by any number of other national publications/websites. I for one am a little scared he may do just the opposite of what you're suggesting, ie I'm afraid he'll turn chicken salad into chicken ######.

This is a good team made up of solid veterans who were taught by basketball's version of Yoda and coming off a very competitive well played NCAA experience. However, there have been signs they are not playing as well as they did last year, ie a blowout home loss to Santa Clara, a not so close game at UW, and not displaying the toughness and discipline that was the trademark of last years team in the first half of the KU game. It's also disheartening to see RL regress, when we all expected this would be his breakout season. As for Carter's leaving, who knows the real reasons, although, Ben's article seems to indicate he was being pushed to play thru an injury that would hamper his game. I suspect KC was just not prepared for the rigors of D1 ball and college academics. So, it's probably best he's gone. But if JCrew was pushing him, ala Bobby Knight his true mentor, to play thru it, he probably pushed a really good talent right out the door.

None of us expect JCrew to be RM. There can only be so many geniuses, but we did expect a better stewardship than we've seen in these first 10 games. It's not like he's not familiar with the schemes or the talent, since he was here all last year. But so far, it's been a rarity when the Bills resemble the Bills of last year. In his defense, he's minus his best player and team leader, so maybe all this becomes moot when KM gets back on the floor. I certainly hope so, because this team has too much going for it to not reach their own high expectations.

[Bobby Metzinger]

and so are the other five members of my group. There are too many other things I could be spending my money on than a program that refuses to get out of its own way

Amen. Preach! Crews shows no emotion or enthusiasm on the sidelines. He is not a motivator of young men and makes no apologies for that. I'm done too if he is retained.

[cheeseman]

This thread is bat crap crazy! Look, Crews took the job this year as a friend to RM - I am sure RM called him and asked him as a favor and he did what all good friends do - they step up. What 2 bad losses is someone complaining about - the SC loss, yes but the UW loss away was not a bad loss - could have been a win but nobody should have had that one in their win column as a lock. If what someone said about Crews wanting to come back in some capacity next year but not as Head Coach is true then I am fine with that - he could become the DBO - lots of programs hire older ex head coaches for that position now - or in some capacity in the AD. He did his duty this year and deserves to be treated fairly. As far as RM and Ramsey not hitting it off - that was all about the issue that RM did not want to do a regular show and Ramsey was just caught in the middle of it - even Ramsey says that as time went by RM warmed to him more. Even Bernie M talked about how he kept telling RM not to take it out on Ramsey that Ramsey was good guy so eventually RM figured out he was wrong. Finally, we can still make the Dance so lets not get off point here - keep supporting the team and hope for as many wins as possible. Yes, our recruiting has been hurt but when we get a new coach he can get that taken care of fairly quickly - he only needs 2 more for next year and that is doable if they hire him early enough. So everybody chill out!

[slu72]

Take this in the correct context. No one was a bigger RM than me. In RM, I trusted. IMO, RM had turned around the basketball team -- the right way - but the basketball program had not yet turned around. I do wish he had brought in some short term fixes (JUCOs and/or Transfers) but he was committed to building only with 4 year players. Also, The Situation would have knocked most coaches out for good. Instead, RM responded by taking the team to second round of the NCAA Tournament and nearly knocked off #1 seed Michigan State. Despite all the usual and added SLU obstacles, RM was still in the process of turning things around. Unfortunately, he simply ran out of time.

Even still, though, there has been no real excitement (in the larger sports community) at SLU in years. After the buzz, curiosity and uniqueness of RM's hiring, the recruits kept coming but the winning and excitement lagged. Spoon had the whole St. Louis area excited from the beginning. Spoonball was crazy - it was everywhere. Billboards everywhere. Stickers on my car and thousands of others. Crowds of 12000 to 18000 came a few years later. Spoon was interviewed on every tv channel and not just during sports segments. SLU had a TV show as well as radio show. Spoon had his own restaurant with Pasta House/SLU booster Kim Tucci. None of this happened during the RM years. Attendance was simply not good under the RM years. In fact, I would not be surprised if a large percentage of the average sports fan in town (or elsewhere) thought RM failed or was mediocre at best. Even on this Board, many were giving RM and ultimatum to win -- or else.... RM never seemed to click with Bob Ramsey. The radio show was awful until RM quit after Fr. Biondi took away the chartered flights. While the head coach is always the central figure of the program, I'd say that Romar and Brad were key part of the program. RM, though, was the program with Chris May trying to keep peace.

Aside from winning cures all ills, our basketball program has not been creating excitement. 5,000 to 7,000 to watch a game is just not good. Not having a regular radio or tv show has hurt the program. Having an administration which is at odds with the basketball coach has not been good. RM would have turned things around. We needed 2 more years. We didn't get it.

Now, we are back to square 1.

As much as I admire and respect RM as a bb savant, he was no Spoon. Spoon, in addition to being a good coach, although not in RM's class, was a master showman, and the St. Louis public ate it up. He was our version of Will Rogers. I still recall being at Cincy for the CUSA tournament and walking in with a group of elderly fans all decked out in Spoonball Sweatshirts. I asked them what year they graduated from SLU. Not one of them was a SLU alum, they just liked Charlie and his team. Would love it if we could get a guy like him back here who is a combo coach and good ol' boy who would appeal to the masses. I remember catching him and Karraker on his KMOX show, and it wasn't so much about Bills basketball as it was about his love for the Cards and funny stories about his early coaching days in Arkansas and other hill jack locations. I'd still take RM over Spoon, but you had to love the guy and he certainly gave SLU fans their money's worth.

[slufan13]

I don't want Crews back but I don't agree with ripping on Crews for not redshirtting Carter even if he wanted it. He knew Kwamain would be out for 2 months and Carter was highly touted point guard. I don't think anyone really expected anything out of Barnett so Carter was going to be your 3rd guard while Kwamain was out. Everyone just wants to hate Crews but personally, I would not redshirt Carter in that situation. And after he got hurt, he didn't play for about 7 games so he still could have applied for a medical redshirt (but he wouldn't get one)