slu72 Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Any more news than he had a nice visit. Two questions can he recommit today verbally or does he have to wait until the fall. If he can, will he? It's a little scary seeing him in CT with Uconn not more than an hour or two away. Plus all those other big east vultures, and I'd sure hate to see him playing against us in the A-10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 at this very moment, he is a billiken recruit. his current binding loi doesnt vanish until the first day of school at slu and tommie is not enrolled. at that time he is a "recruitable athlete" again. i.e. there is no reason to re-verbal at this time. a verbal is nothing more than a gentlemen's agreement and not worth a thing legally or binding. so it wont be until november that tommie liddell can re-sign. but most importantly, it is hands off until august for the vultures and wolves. at least that is my understanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 He's had several calls from Columbia Missouri though. It was always someone asking for his mom....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Roy, It was reported on this board that Tommie took another "official" visit to SLU over the weekend. I interpreted that to mean that his recruitment had reopened and that he was no longer bound by his previous LOI. Otherwise, how could he make an "offical" recruiting visit to a school that he was already contractually bound to attend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 i dont know if he ever took his "official" visit from before. maybe that is how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jalensdad2002 Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 If he can, will he? It's a little scary seeing him in CT with Uconn not more than I'd sure hate to see him playing against us in the A-10. I don't have any info on his visit with the coaching staff but please lets refrain from all this speculation about Tommie signing elsewhere. Tommie and SLU in no way mirrors Justin Dentmon and ISU. I often read on this board how SLU is turning the corner with recruits, only to have other people not truly believing this to be true. Tommie, Kevin, and Dwayne did not have to sign or verbal to SLU. Yet they did. Moreover they all committed pretty early. There has been talk about Tommie attending South Kent. That final decision has not been made as of yet. I have been talking to his parents on the value of sending Tommie to Hargrave Military Academy in Va. I think Hargrave would be the best thing for Tommie not only athletically but personally. I believe Tommie is in dire need of being challenged. By attending Hargrave I believe he will develop the tools that he will use into adulthood. Sportwise they finished last season at 25-1. Its only loss coming at the hands of Oak Hill. South Kent and Hargrave each had outstanding talent, yet South Kent lost 16 games last year. I believe he will receive better coaching at Hargrave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Jalensdad2002, It sounds to me that you are giving Tommie and his parents some good advice. Surely, he has things in his game that could be improved and the better coaching at Hargrave could only help to hone and develop him as a ball player. Thinking down the road a year, that would be a benefit to SLU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheltiedave Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Jalen's dad, as usual, thanks for providing a solid perspective for Tommie and family. If he is planning on succeeding in the NBA (and life in general,) he needs to be nails tough mentally. The truly great players figured out they have to be able to think better than anyone else. My all time favorite was reading about Bill Russell, who decided he needed to know where to be before his opponent took a shot. The modern player who followed in his footsteps on the court, believe it or not, was Dennis Rodman. Both excelled through sheer willpower driving their entire games. Tommie has been derided by some for seemingly not giving his all, but people don't realize the difference between LeBron James talent and a standout high school talent. Tommie has had his share of losing at ESL, and I for one would love to see him attend and excel at Hargrove as well, in a climate where outstanding is not enough. He will go far if he listens and works as hard as we hope he does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 we saw south kent at the shootout last year. they looked like a pickup all-star team. no cohesion whatsoever. but boy were they talented. still, i left that game thinking, what is that coach doing? so without even seeing hargrove, from a basketball standpoint, i bet tommie would accomplish more at hargrove. it sounds to me that tommie is lucky to have a family friend like yourself that seems to be truly thinking about what is best for him as a person not just basketball exposure. regardless of what tommie does, if he has good input from people like yourself, he will do the right thing. i guess the dilemna is keeping the other element away from him that tell him things they think he wants to hear but not really the best for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 but since you brought it up sheltie, rodman aside from the "freakshow" stuff, was an amazing basketball player. i never liked the tatoo's, piercings, dye jobs, wild nights, etc, but when he was on the court he was one tough sob. back in his piston days, i think he had more to do with the two world championships than anyone. the guy could literally guard every single player on the floor, and he rebounded like there was no tomorrow unless he did the job. i got the opportunity to go watch the bulls in jordan's last season in chicago. they were playing the timberwolves with garnett, marbury and peeler. all young bloods that were already labeled the future. yet every single time down the floor, it was rodman, jordan and pippen that beat everyone down the floor. it would be rodman, or jordan or pippen that would be flying out of bounds for a loose ball. it would rodman, jordan or pippen that would make the big defensive play after play. i walked away from the game with new found respect for all three, but especially rodman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 TL needs a solid academic prep school year more than he needs an undefeated prep school season. I'm not sure how many games you can play in prep school, or how many hours a day you can practice, or how good the prep school coaching is at this school or that school. However, I am confident that TL will learn more about basketball in one month with Coach Soderberg than he will learn in one season at any prep school. imo, what TL needs is a solid nine months of english, history, math, writing skills, test taking skills, etc., etc. TL's real basketball will begin in June 2005. In between today and June 2005 it's TL's academic side that needs prime time attention. The prep school that best serves TL's academic side is the right choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 I just went to their website and this place looks like it would be very good both from an academic and athletic standpoint. I was impressed that with the teacher/student ratio of 1/11 and that they teach the kids how to study. Here is a link. http://www.hargrave.edu/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheltiedave Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Guest, no one will argue the fact of wanting the highest academic rigors, but I think you will agree that parallel discipline in the half a day Tommie will spend on basketball should also provide the maximum benefit. I always got my best grades in high school and college during the sports season, because it forced me to be extremely disciplined with my study habits, even though free time was minimal. A prep coach with six Div 1 players and 16 losses last year is not providing a structured coaching environment, unless he is from the nurturing Q school of thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Sheltie, again, academic progress is more important than bball progress in this case, as I stated above. Wins and losses for one prep season doesn't mean crap. What does it really matter in the long run if the prep school goes 28-2, 20-10 or 15-15, if your player doesn't come out significantly better prepared academically for the courses he will take at SLU. Does anybody (outside of his sister) really know or care how many games Reggie Bryant's prep school won? You were evidently disciplined enough in grade school and high school that a prep school or juco wasn't necessary for academic reasons. In addition to the academic priority, a college coach wants to place his player at a prep school or juco where he is very confident that the receiving coach will "return" the player to the sending coach. Don't think for a minute that there aren't prep school coaches or juco coaches that can't be bought off $$$$$ by another college recruiter! Again, academics first, right along with the integrity of prep school coach, are the two things that matter most to me in this matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big al Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Hi Roy, I have a poor understanding about Prep School in general...Who pays for Prep School...Also, basically doesn't it seem like giving a player another year of high school to improve his skills whereas the players who have the grades do not receive this benefit...Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 it is my understanding that prep schools can give athletic scholarships. so someone like tommie would get an athletic scholarship to attend the school. i guess the thinking is that if hargrove has a kickass basketball then more little east coast rich kids will also come to the school and pay the outrageous tuition. if someone has more input let me know because i am totally clueless on it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StLouBlue Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 You can go there even if you have good grades. I remember Brad's first year he was recruiting a kid to walk-on from a prep school, who went to prep school to get more exposure in order to get a scholarship. This kid didn't have any grade issues, but if I remember right played at a small school in Wisconsin and he thought he was overlooked. I think this kid did get a scholarship somewhere. I can't remember his name though--Hale is what comes to mind but I doubt if that is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RecCenterRat Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Has anyone seen "School Ties" with Brendan Frasier? (Ben Affleck, chris o'donnel, and Matt Damon co-star) It's about a Jewish quarterback who gets recruited to go to prep school in order to play quarterback in his fifth year. He's from a small Ohio town and wants to go to Yale (if I remember correctly), but he didn't have the resources to get in. The fifth year isn't just for poor students. If you have a 1350 SAT (30 ACT?), and an A average at a decent high school .. but .. don't get into Harvard, Yale or something like that .. you can go to prep school, for a fifth year .. if you excel there .. the schools are connected with Alumni to the "ivy" schools .. and you can get in after doing well in prep school The same goes for athletics, only they give the guys schorlarships. Tommie will get special attention. I'm sure! He'll get a tutor to really teach him study skills. This really could be a wonderful thing for him. They will teach him how to survive in a college structure. His payment will be his basketball talent. Not a bad trade off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trich Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 In line with what you are saying, I recall that Kroenke also went to a prep school for one year before going to Mizzou. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheA_Bomb Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 I have heard of a lot of big name recruits coming out of Hargrave Academy mostly football recruits. I would bet it is the best Prep School in the country for football but I am not sure about basketball. David West went there Josh Howard Wake Forest (sr 2003) James White 6-8 180 SF Hargrave Academy (Chatham VA) *Florida Isiah Swann - 6-1/195 Rockville (MD) Hargrave Academy (VA Marqutte Player Terry Sanders F 6-8 225 Sr. Milwaukee, Wis./Vincent/Hargrave Academy Texas Player James Thomas C 6-8 235 Sr (3V) Schenectady, NY (Hargrave Academy That is a few I found with a quick search and pretty impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDELL Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 I agree with you academics is first,thats why weve decided to go with Hargrave Prep School he's needs the decipline.Tommie's uncle(Jalensdad)convinced me that was the right school........Tommie's Dad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDELL Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Hey Wzup Kenny,Ive been calling you to tell you Tommie chose Hargrave I told him what you said about Hargrave the next day that was his choice Thanks Kenny.......Tommie's Dad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SluSignGuy Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 I just want to say welcome to the board. It is always a treat to get updates like the ones you just delivered. Just wanted to say Welcome, and feel free to post often. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDELL Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Thanks Steve..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 the maturity that tommie has shown over the last year in making solid choices to prioritize academics over basketball is fantastic. a lot of young men with the skills that tommie has would have went ahead and played for the eagles last summer and then headed to jucoland this next year while listening to all those recruiters that are only interested in his basketball abilitites. tommie though did the right thing and will undoubtedly be the better person over the long run for doing that. it only makes me as a billiken fan and alumni of sait louis university, that much more excited about tommie one day becoming a billiken. those are the kind of choices that true leaders and lifetime difference makers make. congrats to tommie and hopefully we will see him soon enough wearing the billiken blue! welcome to the board. post often as you have a prospective about our passion that none of the rest of us ever get to view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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