ACE Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 All this talk about more talent on the team this year. Do people think Jordair Jett, Dwayne Evans, Rob Loe and McCall weren't talented? I sure do. They weren't athletic. Just a bunch of overachievers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 All this talk about more talent on the team this year. Do people think Jordair Jett, Dwayne Evans, Rob Loe and McCall weren't talented? I sure do. Nah, they were chopped liver compared to these guys. I mean, big deal, JJ was A10 POY, DE was first team all conf, MM steady and a good defender, and RL smart and steady. We'll be much improved this year over last. Not a problem. Seriously, we lost a good team, but I'll trust my gut and say we're not going to do as bad as I feared immediately after this season ended. Dance capable? Might be a stretch. NIT? Very doable. I'll be disappointed if it's the CIB. If AY turns out to be a Siebert, which I'm not counting on because Siebert was pretty good at OSU, that would be a real bonus. I'm kind of banking on JM and TL to have good seasons. And wouldn't be surprised to see MC be a sniper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billikenswin Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 There's more talent in the locker room than ever for SLU. Now it's time for Coach Crews and his staff to make them a team. His predecessor did OK with less talent than we have right now. Are you saying that Coach Crews should turn this inexperienced group into an NCAA team in the first year for most of them having any significant role on the team? His predecessor never did that--it took him several years to develop the talent which I assume will be the case this year. I am excited about the long term potential of this group but it is folly to put pressure on them to be as good as a junior or senior dominated team like we have had the past three years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettFlight5 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 All this talk about more talent on the team this year. Do people think Jordair Jett, Dwayne Evans, Rob Loe and McCall weren't talented? I sure do. Well, the ratings people seem to think the Class of 14 is better than their class (for what little that's worth). I'm trying to be optimistic about this class. Would you rather people say "this team is going to suck, welcome to 2010 all over again"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 They weren't athletic. Just a bunch of overachievers. Only Rob Loe falls in that category . I'm not trying to be down on the guys coming in or are already in the program but people are really selling the departing seniors short with talk of making the NCAA (as if it easy for SLU to do so) and more talent then ever before, etc. I'll believe it when I see it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettFlight5 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Are you saying that Coach Crews should turn this inexperienced group into an NCAA team in the first year for most of them having any significant role on the team? His predecessor never did that--it took him several years to develop the talent which I assume will be the case this year. I am excited about the long term potential of this group but it is folly to put pressure on them to be as good as a junior or senior dominated team like we have had the past three years. I'm not sure on the time frame to be honest. I would hope that he has them playing together. If they make the NCAA this year, great....it's not an easy thing to ask of him or any coach in his position. His job is to develop a team. He can and will do that. When it happens, I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Well, the ratings people seem to think the Class of 14 is better than their class (for what little that's worth). I'm trying to be optimistic about this class. Would you rather people say "this team is going to suck, welcome to 2010 all over again"? And that class went 12-19 as freshmen. And yes I realize there are more pieces to the puzzle on this year's team then the 12-19 team, but still. People can say what they want but I'm going to say what I feel is realistic. Anywhere from 17-21 regular season wins feels realistic. 24 or more (which is what the NCAA would likely require) feels like quite a stretch to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettFlight5 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 And that class went 12-19 as freshmen. And yes I realize there are more pieces to the puzzle on this year's team then the 12-19 team, but still. People can say what they want but I'm going to say what I feel is realistic. Anywhere from 17-21 regular season wins feels realistic. 24 or more (which is what the NCAA would likely require) feels like quite a stretch to me. I'll buy this. It's not going to be easy, but when has anything ever been easy around here? I always see the word "realistic" as pessimistic, but your observation is pretty fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 And that class went 12-19 as freshmen. And yes I realize there are more pieces to the puzzle on this year's team then the 12-19 team, but still. People can say what they want but I'm going to say what I feel is realistic. Anywhere from 17-21 regular season wins feels realistic. 24 or more (which is what the NCAA would likely require) feels like quite a stretch to me. Ain't no Conklin on the team next season either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufan13 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 That team started the 4 freshmen and a Cassity for the majority of the season. I don't see any freshman starting this season. I'm guessing NIT though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 That team started the 4 freshmen and a Cassity for the majority of the season. I don't see any freshman starting this season. I'm guessing NIT though Actually it started Conklin, Cassity, and 3 freshmen most of the season. It had Ellis and Remekun playing roles too. Really young team overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeniceMenace Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 All this talk of significantly better talent is laughable. Larry Hughes was way better, but the margin between these recruits vs Jordair and Dwayne is practically nonexistent...and JJ and DE conceivably could be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettFlight5 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 All this talk of significantly better talent is laughable. Larry Hughes was way better, but the margin between these recruits vs Jordair and Dwayne is practically nonexistent...and JJ and DE conceivably could be better. Why is it that people that are optimistic about the direction of the program are getting laughed at? Like I asked earlier, do people want to go back to the Death Penalty days of 2010? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
For-DaLove Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Why is it that people that are optimistic about the direction of the program are getting laughed at? Like I asked earlier, do people want to go back to the Death Penalty days of 2010? To me, it comes across more as disrespectful than optimistic. It also places unfair expectations on the incoming freshmen, who I'm guessing most of you haven't even seen play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettFlight5 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 I haven't seen much of the two big guys, but the other 4 I have. I'll buy your respect suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Why is it that people that are optimistic about the direction of the program are getting laughed at? Like I asked earlier, do people want to go back to the Death Penalty days of 2010? I think most are tempering their expectations given what we lost and given that a Larry Hughes isn't in our current recruiting class. "Laughed at" is probably too harsh and no one is saying you're batshit crazy. We lost a talented group of seniors and replaced them with a perhaps more talented group of freshmen. The calculus of that says falloff in production unless your blue uniforms say Duke or UK or KU on the front...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettFlight5 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 I think most are tempering their expectations given what we lost and given that a Larry Hughes isn't in our current recruiting class. "Laughed at" is probably too harsh and no one is saying you're batshit crazy. We lost a talented group of seniors and replaced them with a perhaps more talented group of freshmen. The calculus of that says falloff in production unless your blue uniforms say Duke or UK or KU on the front...... Fair enough. The senior class set the bar pretty high around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB73 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 I'll say this -- not having seen most of the new guys in person, at all (sorry if I broke the golder rule, but I do know how to use Youtube)-- I do believe we will be pretty good next year. I've heard excellent reports on the newcomers, really a talented group, possibly the best ever in my time at SLU (sorry to KM BC and the rest); I'll go out on a limb here: I'd be surprised if we fall out of the top 3 in conference; and I am expecting another bid to the Dance. yes, pretty early for all that. but excellent talent and good, hard work have a funny way of helping teams, generally in all sports... that's 40 years of experience talking! I hope you are right, a top 3 in the conference would be a good year IMO in our present situation. I'd take that, right now, # 3 in A-10. After several very successful years, we are facing more uncertainty than we have in a long time. Other than Crews respecting the players that have been here and played some significant minutes (JM, GG, AM) and playing them at the outset, most every position is up for grabs in the starting 5 and the 8-9 man rotation. I would guess this will not be settled until mid January. We can only speculate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettFlight5 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 I didn't mean optimism in a disrespectful manner. What this senior class did was raise the bar at Saint Louis University. They are the new standard, and they set it very high. That is the greatest compliment I think one can pay a class: they did something that will be remembered here fondly for a long time. Their success is a large part of the reason Coach Crews can bring in good players right now. They made the most of their gifts and talents, and they took this program to places it has never been before. That also leads to a better class of players coming in. It's how programs are built for the long haul. I think most of us thank the seniors for what they did to make any of this discussion even somewhat relevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clock_Tower Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Comparisons of our youngsters (incoming Frosh) to our graduating Seniors - men who have developed their games/bodies, played in the Tourney three (3) years in a row, some who have played Internationally, etc. is speculative. To me, a much better (and more interesting) comparison would be that of the incoming Frosh with last year's Frosh. For the most part, these guys are not local (except for the Oakville big) and most of us have seen very little of them -- both the new Frosh and the Sophs (especially Reggie). But if our soon to be Sophomores had similar highschool rankings, earned similar highschool honors/accomplishments and yet were found to be not the best at defense, to be "a step slow", to not be strong enough, to not quite be ready, etc., and if they could not push Jake Barnett out of the lineup or step up to allow an undersized DE to stop playing the 4 on offense, then why will these Frosh become instant starters and lead us to a 3rd place A10 finish (or better) and a fourth straight NCAA Tourney? Don't get me wrong, I sure hope they do!! Will not our incoming Frosh have these same, and normal, growing pains? Did not our graduating Seniors not have these growing pains (12-17 their Frosh year)? Have JM, GG, AM and Ash proven they can provide the upperclass leadership and guidance which were lacking 4 years ago when we went 12-17? A year of getting older, smarter, bigger, stronger and familiar with Jim Crews and the college game (Sophs) versus the influx of good, young talent (Frosh)... now that's what I am interested in reading about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Well, one of the players has expectations of the Dance again next season: Austin McBroom @AustinMcbroom 5m March Madness...Will be back next season ! #TBT http://instagram.com/p/n_JppOwsZR/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Reading thru these posts leads me to conclude, we are all waiting anxiously to be pleasantly surprised with this up coming season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 I think most are tempering their expectations given what we lost and given that a Larry Hughes isn't in our current recruiting class. "Laughed at" is probably too harsh and no one is saying you're batshit crazy. We lost a talented group of seniors and replaced them with a perhaps more talented group of freshmen. The calculus of that says falloff in production unless your blue uniforms say Duke or UK or KU on the front...... This is a very cogent and well articulated response - who are you and what have you done with Billiken Rich!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettFlight5 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Reading thru these posts leads me to conclude, we are all waiting anxiously to be pleasantly surprised with this up coming season. Nice summation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufan13 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Slow start. Up and down middle. Fast finish. NIT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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