Recruiting - 2021

[billiken_roy]

1 hour ago, Pistol said:

There's also a chance he leaves Chicago for prep school somewhere else. La Lumiere is in NW Indiana or somewhere farther away altogether. Playing for OPRF and the Illinois Wolves (Under Armour Association), he's probably avoided more of the Chicago basketball politics than most recruits of his stature. He's also a fairly late bloomer in terms of high-level interest.

there are a couple of "high schools" in chicago that are nothing more than basketball factories.   but of course most of the prep schools these kids transfer to are also such.   i have little respect for those "schools" and imo would be a good clue about a "student's" actual academic interests.

[Littlebill]

44 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

 i have little respect for those "schools" and imo would be a good clue about a "student's" actual academic interests.

Like Jimerson, Bell, and Jacobs?

[billiken_roy]

2 minutes ago, Littlebill said:

Like Jimerson, Bell, and Jacobs?

definitely didnt shine the best light on their academic hopes imo.   seems like they are showing they are above the tomfoolery though all seem to be good citizens and students thus far. 

[BuiltFordBills]

1 hour ago, billiken_roy said:

i'll be interested to see what chicago high school he ends up at.   chicago politics for basketball is nasty.  

If he stays in the Chicago area my guess would be Whitney Young

[Pistol]

2 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

there are a couple of "high schools" in chicago that are nothing more than basketball factories.   but of course most of the prep schools these kids transfer to are also such.   i have little respect for those "schools" and imo would be a good clue about a "student's" actual academic interests.

These schools are pretty much everywhere now. The charter school wild west has made it possible.

The school he's coming from is an extremely good school, routinely one of the best public schools in the state or even the country. I'll reserve judgment on his destination until he actually announces it.

[slufanskip]

2 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

definitely didnt shine the best light on their academic hopes imo.   seems like they are showing they are above the tomfoolery though all seem to be good citizens and students thus far. 

Why? You can't lump everyone in the same boat. Maybe they had great academics and really wanted a school that could help their basketball development the most. 

[Pistol]

Tons of updates for the 2021 class in the Recruiting Lists page - transfers, offers, interest, and more. I updated the other classes, as well, but not as much new stuff for those.

[NH]

1 hour ago, slufanskip said:

Why? You can't lump everyone in the same boat. Maybe they had great academics and really wanted a school that could help their basketball development the most. 

Further to your point, Jimmy and Jacobs also did an extra year of school. So they attended prep school for that 5th season. Even if the academics weren't great, they were basically in an extra year of high school at that point. Jimerson did 3 seasons at St. Chris' which is a pretty prestigious school in Richmond, before going to IMG. 

[Cowboy]

49 minutes ago, Pistol said:

Tons of updates for the 2021 class in the Recruiting Lists page - transfers, offers, interest, and more. I updated the other classes, as well, but not as much new stuff for those.

-thanks, informative as always

-historically when was that Nike event held at Simon Rec? I thought it was about this time of year, guessing not this year

[Pistol]

1 minute ago, Cowboy said:

-thanks, informative as always

-historically when was that Nike event held at Simon Rec? I thought it was about this time of year, guessing not this year

Mid-June

[billiken_roy]

14 minutes ago, NH said:

Further to your point, Jimmy and Jacobs also did an extra year of school. So they attended prep school for that 5th season. Even if the academics weren't great, they were basically in an extra year of high school at that point. Jimerson did 3 seasons at St. Chris' which is a pretty prestigious school in Richmond, before going to IMG. 

i am not saying that players going to prep schools or high schools that are more basketball factories are incapable or deficient in academics.   i am saying those "institutions" choose to emphasize basketball instead of academics just getting by with the minimum academic focus to be considered a school.   not knocking the player, i dont like those institutions.  

 

 

[disgruntledbilliken]

2 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

i am not saying that players going to prep schools or high schools that are more basketball factories are incapable or deficient in academics.   i am saying those "institutions" choose to emphasize basketball instead of academics just getting by with the minimum academic focus to be considered a school.   not knocking the player, i dont like those institutions.  

 

 

But doesn't the same dynamic play out for most athletes at most (if not all) D1 basketball programs? I'm thinking here about all of the missed classes, "ghost classes" (ala what UNC got in trouble for, but certainly doesn't only happen at UNC), etc.

Let's say we have a basketball player--we will call him Tony Smith. Tony decides to go to one of these "baseketball factories." His whole day is organized around basketball. He takes a few easy classes so that the "school" does just enough to justify their position as a "school." 

Tony Smith then gets an offer from Average Joes State University (or maybe we can it Midsize Midwestern City Catholic U). His days is organized around basketball. He takes a few easy classes to justify his position as a student. There online courses that are developed for him and other athletes. He is given extensions on assignments to work around his schedule. He misses classes a lot due to his schedule, and they due just enough to pass his courses. What really is the difference? 

Granted, the overwhelming majority of students at the university are there to study. However, the experience of the basketball player is overwhelmingly centered around basketball. 

[billiken_roy]

23 minutes ago, disgruntledbilliken said:

But doesn't the same dynamic play out for most athletes at most (if not all) D1 basketball programs? I'm thinking here about all of the missed classes, "ghost classes" (ala what UNC got in trouble for, but certainly doesn't only happen at UNC), etc.

Let's say we have a basketball player--we will call him Tony Smith. Tony decides to go to one of these "baseketball factories." His whole day is organized around basketball. He takes a few easy classes so that the "school" does just enough to justify their position as a "school." 

Tony Smith then gets an offer from Average Joes State University (or maybe we can it Midsize Midwestern City Catholic U). His days is organized around basketball. He takes a few easy classes to justify his position as a student. There online courses that are developed for him and other athletes. He is given extensions on assignments to work around his schedule. He misses classes a lot due to his schedule, and they due just enough to pass his courses. What really is the difference? 

Granted, the overwhelming majority of students at the university are there to study. However, the experience of the basketball player is overwhelmingly centered around basketball. 

i like to believe Saint louis university is not like most basketball programs then.

[Aquinas]

The Okoro signing is big.  It would appear that Okoro had his pick of SLU, Illinois, Mizzou and more big named schools.  His choosing SLU sends a message to local St. Louis area players.

Good things are happening at St. Louis.  The local players are playing, having fun and winning. They are playing an exciting brand of basketball and our local Billikens are recruiting for SLU.
The next big step for SLU is to play our way into the top 25.  If French and Goodwin return, then I believe that will happen this year.
Martin tried to rebuild their program with a big splash in his first season, with big signings and made a trip to the tournament.  However he has not been able to build on that.  Instead the team has fallen back to mediocracy and inconsistency, with good wins followed by terrible losses.  It looks like coach Martin goes for the best available player and just hopes the pieces will fit together.  His individual player development also seems to be lacking.  I think the shine is off of the Martin apple.

Illinois seems to be making progress under coach Underwood, but I don't consider them to be the threat to SLU in the St. Louis area that Martin was with his local ties. At this point, for the coming season we seem to be the better of the 3 teams and well ahead of Mizzou. 

 Coach Ford has a vision for the team and it is coming together.  Going into this season, I believe we have a good player at each position and high quality players coming off of the bench.  We have depth at the forward position, which is something that we did not have last season.  We also have a path to success after this year's big seniors graduate.  That means we have a successful program shaping up.  We have a team that can run and looks to score of a fast break, a team that can dominate inside, a team that can press and one that can hit outside shots.  That is a tough combination to beat.

Coach Ford has sailed this team through rough waters.  I believe we are positioned now, to attract top local area recruits.  Go Team Blue and congratulations Coach Ford!  

[NextYearBill]

Travis Ford stated in his introductory press conference, STL is locked down. Kids like Xavier Sneed would NEVER leave STL anymore.... This is St Louis' team. 

[Billfan7]

On 4/21/2020 at 2:31 PM, billiken_roy said:

i am not saying that players going to prep schools or high schools that are more basketball factories are incapable or deficient in academics.   i am saying those "institutions" choose to emphasize basketball instead of academics just getting by with the minimum academic focus to be considered a school.   not knocking the player, i dont like those institutions.  

 

 

Will these institutions of higher basketball learning flourish once the NCAA changes the rules and allows players to make $$$ off endorsements and such?  It will become even more important to play at a highly visible university to maximize your earning potential.  

[CBFan]

2 hours ago, Aquinas said:

Martin tried to rebuild their program with a big splash in his first season, with big signings and made a trip to the tournament.  However he has not been able to build on that.  Instead the team has fallen back to mediocracy and inconsistency, with good wins followed by terrible losses.  It looks like coach Martin goes for the best available player and just hopes the pieces will fit together.  His individual player development also seems to be lacking.  I think the shine is off of the Martin apple.

Illinois seems to be making progress under coach Underwood, but I don't consider them to be the threat to SLU in the St. Louis area that Martin was with his local ties. At this point, for the coming season we seem to be the better of the 3 teams and well ahead of Mizzou. 
 

Good post I just have a little difference of opinion on Illinois.

With Illinois being successful  in the B10 is a threat to local recruits.  If Illinois can continue top 4 finishes in the B10 that will equate to higher NCAA tournament seedings.  The TV exposure is big they are seen on the B10 network, CBS, and ESPN.  The annual bragging rights game is exposure to the local recruits.

Missouri is a mess and you can count on coach Martin calling Okoro to see how strong his commitment to SLU is.   The coach and fan base is a mess.  Go on Tiger bore and read the boring posts of the clueless fan base.  One example on the Okoro thread is, “No big deal.  No player at SLU is worthy of being on Cuonzo’s practice squad.  This is the SEC and Mizzou”.  When Yuri committed to SLU Tiger bore read good pickup for SLU.  Correction Yuri would be a good pickup for all 350 D1 schools.  The 2 local recruits that committed to KSU Tiger bore read that those recruits were not good enough. Another gem from Tiger bore was no more St. Louis recruits.  The MIZZOU fans in my opinion have alienated the local recruits and I want to thank them for that.

Local relationships built by coach Ford and staff are special.  Kids that did not sign with SLU are attending games and watching some fun basketball and talking to their peers about being at the Billiken game.  These types of relationships and the high level of play gives local recruits a good option to play high level basketball in front of parents and friends now.

I am greedy, continue the local flow of kids and get invited to the Big East.

[Aquinas]

57 minutes ago, CBFan said:

Good post I just have a little difference of opinion on Illinois.

With Illinois being successful  in the B10 is a threat to local recruits.  If Illinois can continue top 4 finishes in the B10 that will equate to higher NCAA tournament seedings.  The TV exposure is big they are seen on the B10 network, CBS, and ESPN.  The annual bragging rights game is exposure to the local recruits.

Missouri is a mess and you can count on coach Martin calling Okoro to see how strong his commitment to SLU is.   The coach and fan base is a mess.  Go on Tiger bore and read the boring posts of the clueless fan base.  One example on the Okoro thread is, “No big deal.  No player at SLU is worthy of being on Cuonzo’s practice squad.  This is the SEC and Mizzou”.  When Yuri committed to SLU Tiger bore read good pickup for SLU.  Correction Yuri would be a good pickup for all 350 D1 schools.  The 2 local recruits that committed to KSU Tiger bore read that those recruits were not good enough. Another gem from Tiger bore was no more St. Louis recruits.  The MIZZOU fans in my opinion have alienated the local recruits and I want to thank them for that.

Local relationships built by coach Ford and staff are special.  Kids that did not sign with SLU are attending games and watching some fun basketball and talking to their peers about being at the Billiken game.  These types of relationships and the high level of play gives local recruits a good option to play high level basketball in front of parents and friends now.

I am greedy, continue the local flow of kids and get invited to the Big East.

 

[Aquinas]

I'll agree, IF Illinois can finish  near the top  of the Big10 every year, they will get attention from local recruits.  They dont however have the tradition of getting covered by the St Louis media like Missouri  has.  Right now, the Big 10 is brutal, so getting in the top tier and staying there, is really tough.  Illinois has not yet demonstrated that they can do that.

The best thing we can do for national coverage is to get into the top 25.  That way we get the daily ESPN scores and highlight updates.  The way we play, with Yuri dishing the ball with amazing passes and with so many forwards and guards able  to get well above the rim for spectacular dunks, we produce Made for TV moments every game.  Another advantage to us being in the top 25, is that it will make the annual Bragging Rights game a joke, as we suddenly become the elephant in the room.

 

[3star_recruit]

2 hours ago, NextYearBill said:

Travis Ford stated in his introductory press conference, STL is locked down. Kids like Xavier Sneed would NEVER leave STL anymore.... This is St Louis' team. 

Kids will go to the situation they feel is best for them.  It's not an accident that every local player we've landed has committed when there  was immediate playing time available.  Hence why we couldn't pull in the locals last year.  But when we have significant playing time available, we are VERY tough to beat locally.  That other program that Aquinas refused to name (nicely done) is just a hodgepodge of players.  Illinois's recruiting strength is upstate. 

KState is still our strongest competitor.  I think we will demonstrate, however, that our program has a higher ceiling as the most talented program in the A10 than KState does as a Big 12 program with average talent. 

[slu72]

Looking ahead to 21-22. 
Starting lineup

Yurimania

Fred (hopefully)/Jacobs

Jimerson

Okoro

Jimmy

bench

Hargrove

Jacobs/Thatch

Lorrentson

Linnsen

Strickland

Diarra (?) or 3 FR

overall team 

Big Inside- check

Speed- check

Defense- check

Rebounds-check

Perimeter game- check

Experience- check

Depth- check

Balanced classes - check

All facets of game are checked. Can’t remember being in good as shape as this. 

 

[Reinert310]

1 hour ago, slu72 said:

Looking ahead to 21-22. 
Starting lineup

Yurimania

Fred (hopefully)/Jacobs

Jimerson

Okoro

Jimmy

bench

Hargrove

Jacobs/Thatch

Lorrentson

Linnsen

Strickland

Diarra (?) or 3 FR

overall team 

Big Inside- check

Speed- check

Defense- check

Rebounds-check

Perimeter game- check

Experience- check

Depth- check

Balanced classes - check

All facets of game are checked. Can’t remember being in good as shape as this. 

 

Hey 72, love your list. This is probably nitpicking, but if Hargrove isn’t starting in ‘21-‘22, I’ll be shocked. Although, I’m not sure who I would remove from your starter list either. Lol what a time to be a Billikens fan!

[Sheltiedave]

On 4/21/2020 at 9:56 AM, billiken_roy said:

there are a couple of "high schools" in chicago that are nothing more than basketball factories.   but of course most of the prep schools these kids transfer to are also such.   i have little respect for those "schools" and imo would be a good clue about a "student's" actual academic interests.

 

On 4/21/2020 at 2:31 PM, billiken_roy said:

i am not saying that players going to prep schools or high schools that are more basketball factories are incapable or deficient in academics.   i am saying those "institutions" choose to emphasize basketball instead of academics just getting by with the minimum academic focus to be considered a school.   not knocking the player, i dont like those institutions.  

 

 

Roy, first you cast backhand disparagement at a student’s actual academic interests by attending certain schools, and then you say you are not knocking the student, merely the institutions. You are trying to have it both ways.

We have had students come from Chicago And CPL schools like Phillips, Simeon, Foreman, Proviso, North Chicago, and numerous other disadvantaged high schools where academics were not of the highest standard, yet the students succeeded at SLU.

We have had a similar stream of students from St. Louis public schools, Vashon, Beaumont, Soldan, etc.
Without knowing a student’s exact situation, it may not be wise to judge why they need to transfer. In Chicago, just as much recruiting happens to private schools as within the CPL, so it baffles me how the better education plank can justify an immoral act, but the better b-ball team cannot. The four year college degree is meant to help balance out and fill in many of the first 12 years of a weaker educational regime.

If not for these very players and their schools you disparage, we would probably be a DII/III team now.

[bauman]

22 minutes ago, Reinert310 said:

Hey 72, love your list. This is probably nitpicking, but if Hargrove isn’t starting in ‘21-‘22, I’ll be shocked. Although, I’m not sure who I would remove from your starter list either. Lol what a time to be a Billikens fan!

72, another nit to pick.  It's Linssen not Linnsen or as STU reported in the P-D Linsenn.  Also, it's Lorentsson, not Lorrentson.  Additionally, I would suggest that having 6 of 13 scholarships in one eligibility class does not allow us to refer to the classes as balanced.  Assuming redshirts are given to FT Jr. and GJ it seems to me that the following players are all in the same class:  FT Jr. , JB Jr., MD, TH Jr., YC and Okoro 

I can't wait to see which spellings of our new Grad Transfer and Swede that Roy's elects to use.

[slu72]

2 hours ago, bauman said:

72, another nit to pick.  It's Linssen not Linnsen or as STU reported in the P-D Linsenn.  Also, it's Lorentsson, not Lorrentson.  Additionally, I would suggest that having 6 of 13 scholarships in one eligibility class does not allow us to refer to the classes as balanced.  Assuming redshirts are given to FT Jr. and GJ it seems to me that the following players are all in the same class:  FT Jr. , JB Jr., MD, TH Jr., YC and Okoro 

I can't wait to see which spellings of our new Grad Transfer and Swede that Roy's elects to use.

Broy gets a pass. Whatever he decides is fine by me. 

As for balance, we’ll return the Swede, Strickland, Jimerson (if he gets a medical) and the 3 unnamed FR will all be local 4 stars or above. Good building blocks. Plus any transfers Coach Wizard lands to round things out a little. Oh, ye of little faith.