mrjoelabs Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 The Gordon situation is no surprise. We all had heard things going back to last spring. The thing is, this sort of thing traveled with Travis from OK state. He always has been known as a recruiter first, coach and mentor later. Before anyone flames me, I know RM got WIllie, but I think he learned from that. After Willie and S1, Rick focused on high character high academic players who could also perform on the court. That is what it takes to be a success at SLU. I think with all the turnover the last few years, its becoming obvious that Travis just wants to bring in as much talent as possible, without fully vetting people. Honestly, Gordon never should have even been at SLU, and was not going to work out. As much as I wanted him to because of his on court ability. We need a lot more players like Conklin, Ellis, Evans and Jordair and a lot less of Willie Reed, Gordon, Santos, Adonys, etc.. Maybe its time to reopen the Aussie pipeline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextYearBill Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 if we want to be a consistent top 50 program... i think we need to get used to these types of stories. bring me the talent, let the chips fall where they may Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenfan05 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 This dude only shows up when things go bad. Troll City. Willie Reed, Jon Smith, Justin jordan, Jared Drew, Ruben Cotto. Majerus had his share of character issues too. You can’t just say willie reed and pretend you’re being impartial. 3star_recruit, billiken_roy, rgbilliken and 1 other like this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 I don't think we know enough about Travis' vetting process. As or the players affected by sit2, one of them was a Crews recruit. The other 3 came to SLU baggage free. Not sure about Santos history. Everyone knew Gordon was sort of a prima donna who had problems throughout HS. But he certainly came across as sincerely wanting to play for SLU and the city. We don't know what has transpired since he's been here and caused this situation, but I don't think it reflects on Travis's ability to judge a kid's character. Sure, he might have known he was welcoming a highly emotional kid, but probably thought he could be a positive influence on him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiseAndGrind Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Fair or not, if it doesn’t work out with CAG I will hold that against Ford. He knew what he signed up for and the potential issues. It’s his job to manage it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenfan05 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmbilliken Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Most coaches take these gambles and why not? These are 18 year old kids who have had issues. They are not convicted criminals. Don't they deserve another chance? If they blow their chance, so be it. DirtyRican likes this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonner89 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, NextYearBill said: if we want to be a consistent top 50 program... i think we need to get used to these types of stories. bring me the talent, let the chips fall where they may I'm out of reactions. This is spot on. For the blue blood programs and Gonzaga, this is another Wednesday. rgbilliken likes this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 If a school of our profile wants to put itself in the best position to win now, they're going to have take some calculated risks. They are going to need freshmen who can come in and produce right away. A top 60 player who chooses a school like us instead of an established top 50 program will probably have rough edges to his game or rough edges to his personality. That's just part of the deal. Unfortunately, most gambles fail. If a fanbase is willing to wait until a collection of 3 star recruits become juniors and seniors, then you have a two year window to win before you have to start all over again. Fans today don't have that kind of patience. After the initial honeymoon phase, they want to be in the hunt for an NCAA bid every year. So gambling it is. SShoe likes this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Why does everyone want to shift blame for a decision away from the principal and onto secondary and tertiary shoulders of perceived responsibility? rgbilliken likes this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowboy Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 17 minutes ago, Taj79 said: Why does everyone want to shift blame for a decision away from the principal and onto secondary and tertiary shoulders of perceived responsibility? -this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 judging character is tough. probably the toughest attribute of any manager. as a college coach/recruiter, they have limited direct exposure to make a decision on whether or not to even recruit a player let alone give them a scholarship. the real test is what does that manager do if and when the real cracks in the structure of a person come to light after everyday exposure to that person? do you make the decision that the person in question is so valuable you have to overlook the flaws and friction that person may cause to the organization? or do you decide that it is a matter that no matter how good that person is at their job, the damage they will do to the organization, teamwork and morale is not worth it? this is where coach ford is likely at right now. and i am not going to hold him accountable for bringing in such a highly acclaimed basketball player but what happens hereforward is really the test of his ability as a manager. the thing we all have to remember, we are only hearing/reading third hand rumors and statements. we do not know what our coaching staff and players know. so regardless of what the decision is, unless coach ford airs it ALL out for all to hear/read, we still wont know the basis for any decision. it sure is tough being a a part of the billiken fandom. drkelsey55 and rgbilliken like this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjoelabs Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Bonner89 said: I'm out of reactions. This is spot on. For the blue blood programs and Gonzaga, this is another Wednesday. I can agree with this. If he can bring in recruits of this quality at a high enough volume, its ok if some do not take. But will that actually happen? Our margin for error is always so slim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old guy Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Every team in the nation has the same problems in terms of player's talent vs their character and ability to fit in the team. The fact that a coach wants to recruit a certain player does not automatically means that the player will be able to fit in the team, it means the coach wants to give the player the chance to prove they can fit in the team and become a positive asset for the team. Unfortunately sometimes this does not work as expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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