Thoughts from SIUC

[SLU_Nick]

I know that there was some other discussion regarding the bigs but there is still plenty to discuss about that amazing game.

First of all, Jim Crews showcased some incredible coaching ability in that game. Everyone playing and contributing some way in the win is going to be great for team chemistry and it worked. With the constant line changes, everyone looked like they belonged out there (with the exception of Manning...good lord).

The point guard situation will be the situation which dictates whether we can keep our heads above water this season. I will not say a negative thing about McBroom because he was absolutely fantastic. That was a Kwamain-like performance but for some reason the tone of this board is not gushing over him like they would another player who hits a step-back go ahead 3 with 7 seconds left after he already has 21 points. Jump on the Hollywood band wagon. With that said, I really want another guard to step up to be the distributor as sometimes I think McBroom doesnt look up enough when he dribbles. Ok...one negative thing.

Our Freshmen looked confident for their first game. I thought MR had some bad turnovers and then when I look up with 3 mins left, Crews has him in the game....wow. And Bartley and Gillman are the first subs off the bench. This board was clammoring for one of them to redshirt. Crews probably reads the board just to troll us. Bunch of MBMs...

Speaking of MBMs....I was absolutely shocked how good Gillman looked. If I remember correctly, there were some on here saying we reached with a scholarship offer to him. He moved so well for a big man and just the fact that he pulls his big man away from the basket opens up vulnerabilities. He might slip into Rob Loe's role (offensively at least) very nicely.

If we win @Indiana St then the Kool Aid will be flowing freely. It is going to be tough though. We are gonna need Ash to do more. Go Billies!!!!

-Nick

[slu72]

I just watched the replay on MSW. For the actual game I was limited to the stream, which never seems to work well... a lot of stop and go stuff. Anyways, I would agree JC coached a good game. I think AM's not getting the love a KM got is because of consistency. W/ KM it was pretty much game after game. McB's fade out last year is still fresh on our minds. He's going to have to do this consistently. Not score 24 points a game but have solid games, ie low TO's, good D, assists timely scoring. What I saw today was he had a gunner mentality. Okay, when you've got a hot hand, not ok when they ain't falling. Some of his drives to the hoops were very ill advised and almost Randy Pulley like, eg on a fast break he was trying to beat two taller defenders when he could have just slowed it down and settled for a set play.

Apparently JM's gonna be our '14-'15 whipping boy unless he does something consistently. Rebound, a few inside points, some inside D, catch the ball, etc. He did nothing well that I could see, and both FR clearly outplayed him and made us a better team.

Ash got limited because of fouls, but he's definitely going to be a plus going forward. Like to see him get that 3 shot untracked.

MY was a pleasant surprise. I think as he gets acclimated to playing in more of a team system and adjusts to D1 speed, he could turn out to be another DE. I realize that's setting the bar pretty high, but there's no doubting his talent. Needs to be harnessed.

The FR guards played like FR at times, but overall they look like they'll do just fine. Rome wasn't built in a day. That said, DR seems to be ahead of the learning curve at this point. Obviously, JC agrees since he starts him.

MC is going to be a very solid player for SLU. Glad we got him. Love watching him stroke that 3, and he can take it to the hoop as well. He's gonna have some nights where he goes on scoring binges.

TL and RA- going to hold off here. RA definitely still a WIP, but man he's got the body and raw talent to do something. TL? Kind of an enigma in this game. He played well for us down the stretch last year. Not so much against SIU, but it's only one game.

Overall, game got sloppy at times and not played in the disciplined manner we've become accustomed to over the last 4-5 years. But when you've got 4 FR on the floor at one time in a tight ball game w/ a large vocal crowd you're gonna see some slop. Still, it was fun to watch. Expecting a lot of our games to be like this this year. I think we'll be in the top 6 of the A10, but when we play VCU it could get pretty ugly real quick. And if we don't get our inside game clicking both on D and O, a team like GW will give us serious problems. I do think a healthy GG would have helped us in this game and we're going to need him going forward. Not to do a lot, but just to give us some much needed experience in the paint.

[SShoe]

Our Freshmen looked confident for their first game. I thought MR had some bad turnovers and then when I look up with 3 mins left, Crews has him in the game....wow. And Bartley and Gillman are the first subs off the bench. This board was clammoring for one of them to redshirt. Crews probably reads the board just to troll us. Bunch of MBMs...

-Nick

Reynolds was playing some pretty darn good D during our late run, which I think is what kept him on the floor. Don't change lineup when its working.

[Cowboy]

-the team we saw on Saturday better not be the team we see in Dec, Jan, Feb or March as I expect improvement along the way, if from no others the frosh, who from my seat acquitted themselves in a positive way and all showed at least glimpses of why they are Billikens

-as Taj said, sit back and enjoy the ride....with any ride there will be bumps, flat tires and periods of smooth sailing, let's get to smooth quickly

[Dwayne's_World]

-the team we saw on Saturday better not be the team we see in Dec, Jan, Feb or March as I expect improvement along the way, if from no others the frosh, who from my seat acquitted themselves in a positive way and all showed at least glimpses of why they are Billikens

-as Taj said, sit back and enjoy the ride....with any ride there will be bumps, flat tires and periods of smooth sailing, let's get to smooth quickly

Speaking of Taj, where is his perspective on Saturday's game from the Maryland couch?

[Clock_Tower]

+1 to all the above comments.

And yes, mistakes will decrease with time -- some of them right away. For instance, within only a game or two, I expect to no longer watch the diagonal cross court bounce pass thru the lane which may work in high school -- but not D1 college. Also, most teams will maintain different levels of pressure on our guards for the entire game, a big change from high school, and therefore the careless passes from guard to guard as we begin to bring the ball down after a made basket should stop. And while guys like Ash can certainly dribble the basketball, they are not that good that we can be careless leading to to easy layups. Jim Crews and staff will eliminate these mistakes right away. The others.... well, they may persist for awhile. But if we can reduce turnovers down from 16 to 10 or 12, then we will have a good chance to win nearly every game.

[hsmith19]

That was a Kwamain-like performance but for some reason the tone of this board is not gushing over him like they would another player who hits a step-back go ahead 3 with 7 seconds left after he already has 21 points.

Especially just a few minutes after going to the floor with what looked like a potentially serious wrist injury.

[hsmith19]

I just watched the replay on MSW. For the actual game I was limited to the stream, which never seems to work well... a lot of stop and go stuff. Anyways, I would agree JC coached a good game. I think AM's not getting the love a KM got is because of consistency. W/ KM it was pretty much game after game. McB's fade out last year is still fresh on our minds. He's going to have to do this consistently. Not score 24 points a game but have solid games, ie low TO's, good D, assists timely scoring. What I saw today was he had a gunner mentality. Okay, when you've got a hot hand, not ok when they ain't falling. Some of his drives to the hoops were very ill advised and almost Randy Pulley like, eg on a fast break he was trying to beat two taller defenders when he could have just slowed it down and settled for a set play.

Mitchell's shooting wasn't very consistent his last two seasons here. Let's be honest--the Twitter stuff plays a big role in the reaction McBroom's big game is getting.

[slufan13]

I'm giving McBroom the green light on almost any jump shot. Don't love the full speed, wild drive to the bucket though. Despite last game's performance, he's a really good free throw shooter, but I'd still rather him just slow it down and let us get into our offense

[billikens747]

Could only catch the last few minutes of the game - was there any particular reason DR wasn't in at the end of the game?

[Billiken Rich]

Mitchell's shooting wasn't very consistent his last two seasons here. Let's be honest--the Twitter stuff plays a big role in the reaction McBroom's big game is getting.

I couldn't give a rip about McBroom off the court. Somebody has the distribute the ball and that wasn't Austin's game v SIUC.

His points were awesome but someone has to run the offense.

[brianstl]

I wouldn't take too much from Saturday's game when it comes to trying to predict our record.

40 % of the minutes were played by freshmen. Freshmen normally are up/down and now opposing teams have tape to break down on them. The season tends to wear on them quicker. I do think Roby is going to be the real deal.

Ash appears to be as advertised. We knew McBroom could put up points in the early part of the season. I am not giving up on Manning yet. I think his injury might have had an impact on where he is at this point. We definitely could use a healthy Glaze. Crawford appeared to be what I was hoping for and think he needs more minutes. We still have no real clue what we have in Tanner and Reggie.

Crews will have to tighten up the rotation as the season progresses.

[Taj79]

I was occupied with granddaughter and did not see game until right before Crawford hit tying three. i won't offer my couch perspective unless I see the game.

However, when I did open the board before I found the stream, I would've sworn we lost by twenty! Putrid is the description someone used that kept coming to mind. I was stunned it was still streaming and I caught the end.

A win is a win --- strap on for the ride. Going to be a hellova year.

[JettFlight5]

Ash is going to be special. He can do so much on the floor.

[brianstl]

I wouldn't take too much from Saturday's game when it comes to trying to predict our record.

40 % of the minutes were played by freshmen. Freshmen normally are up/down and now opposing teams have tape to break down on them. The season tends to wear on them quicker. I do think Roby is going to be the real deal.

Ash appears to be as advertised. We knew McBroom could put up points in the early part of the season. I am not giving up on Manning yet. I think his injury might have had an impact on where he is at this point. We definitely could use a healthy Glaze. Crawford appeared to be what I was hoping for and think he needs more minutes. We still have no real clue what we have in Tanner and Reggie.

Crews will have to tighten up the rotation as the season progresses.

Just looked at the box score again and was saw that Crawford played 27 minutes. So scratch that.

[brianstl]

Ash is going to be special. He can do so much on the floor.

He was the best player on the court Saturday.

[SLU_Nick]

Brian...that is not eating crow.

[brianstl]

Brian...that is not eating crow.

What is not eating crow? We won the game and I am happy about it. Sorry if I am a little reserved when it comes to my expectations this year and if I am not going to let a one procession victory in the home opener dramatically change those expectations.

[hmart23]

Coming from the front row of the student section, I could see exactly why Miles Reynolds was the heart of his Whitney Young team last year. He was great on defense, and calling out the inbound plays of SIU. He was getting in the other guards heads. That is something an experienced point guard does on defense. While he still needs to work on his decision making on the offensive side of things, I see good things in his future.

[hmart23]

Also, why don't we isolate AY on the wing a little bit more. I can't see too many defenders being able to stop him getting to the basket one on one. When he gets doubled I would assume he has the ability to make a nice pass out of the double to the open man.

[Clock_Tower]

Some more thoughts:

1. The emotions of many posters remain elevated with respect to AM - I presume for off the court actions. He is the last of the RM recruits. As stated elsewhere, JC is obviously recruiting a different type of athlete than RM with an emphasis on height. Yes, AM wore down, became exposed and his production dropped down the stretch last year, still he is a dynamic force on offense so I would wish that many would cut him some slack. Yes, is very short but does not mean he is a pass first PG who can break down defenses. Instead, he is an outside shooter -- an undersized 2 guard.

2. As good as JJ and MM were these past 4 years, neither of them could break down the defenses like KM did (especially KM's Sophomore year). MR has the ability to be this guy but let' not put too much pressure on him now.

3. Ash will be good -- but he was in foul trouble for most of SIUC, probably tried too hard and did not what he is really capable of -- yet we still won the game against SIUC.

4. Hoping MC keeps up his good play and becomes the player we had hoped JB would become

5. Yes, AM was very hot from the outside but TL, Ash and others will step up and take pressure off. I expect a better outside shooting team than last year.

6. I sure hope our guys can find their mid range jumpers. Outside shooting will be streaky and dominance on the inside is unlikely so making high percentage 2 point shots from the motion offense will allow us to win most games.

[bauman]

Also, why don't we isolate AY on the wing a little bit more. I can't see too many defenders being able to stop him getting to the basket one on one. When he gets doubled I would assume he has the ability to make a nice pass out of the double to the open man.

While I agree AY is going to be a big contributor this year and might be our best player, he does have quite a bit of room to improve. During the second half I believe he made 3 turnovers within a short period of time. He like all the rest has to improve on that.

TL------FIRE UP!!!!!!!!!! Way too passive. AM-----pass the ball, but keep shooting the 3 when it's there. Somebody, anybody, REBOUND!

[willie]

He was the best player on the court Saturday.

Ash was good but the Beane kid looked very good. We do not win the game if he wasn't in foul trouble.

[ACE]

Some more thoughts:

1. The emotions of many posters remain elevated with respect to AM - I presume for off the court actions. He is the last of the RM recruits. As stated elsewhere, JC is obviously recruiting a different type of athlete than RM with an emphasis on height. Yes, AM wore down, became exposed and his production dropped down the stretch last year, still he is a dynamic force on offense so I would wish that many would cut him some slack. Yes, is very short but does not mean he is a pass first PG who can break down defenses. Instead, he is an outside shooter -- an undersized 2 guard.

2. As good as JJ and MM were these past 4 years, neither of them could break down the defenses like KM did (especially KM's Sophomore year). MR has the ability to be this guy but let' not put too much pressure on him now.

3. Ash will be good -- but he was in foul trouble for most of SIUC, probably tried too hard and did not what he is really capable of -- yet we still won the game against SIUC.

4. Hoping MC keeps up his good play and becomes the player we had hoped JB would become

5. Yes, AM was very hot from the outside but TL, Ash and others will step up and take pressure off. I expect a better outside shooting team than last year.

6. I sure hope our guys can find their mid range jumpers. Outside shooting will be streaky and dominance on the inside is unlikely so making high percentage 2 point shots from the motion offense will allow us to win most games.

Agreed on AM. He is a scorer who can create his own shot. People forget how good he was until his late season fade last year. He was also not afraid to take the big shot - At Duquesne last year and did it again vs. the Meth. MR or MB may take over his starting role at some point over the next two years, but it will be a while. We are lucky to have him.

I was surprised how few fast break points we got, MY had a nice follow up rebound, but I don't remember much else. I expect us to run more as the season progresses. He have more guys suited to run than we did last year.

I still expect TL and RA to make significant contributions this season.

I really like DR and not sure why, but I have a feeling MY will play a bigger role as the season develops.

Nice showing by Gillman. I was in the camp thinking he would/should redshirt, so I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not really sure what to make of Jolly yet.

[kshoe]

He was the best player on the court Saturday.

Just saw Brian Haenchen's write up of the game and he pointed out that Ash was +13 in plus/minus. While the plus/minus stat has its flaws, the fact is we won by 13 points during the 23 minutes he played and lost by 10 in the 17 he didn't.

Keeping him healthy and out of foul trouble this season is going to be very important.