2019-20 Season

[billiken_roy]

love the comments on jimmerson.        this is the team difference maker if he pans out as i hope.   "Klay Thompson"  !!!  are you kidding me?!?

[Billikenswin]

42 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

Hope this plays out by the end of the season. We need a go-to offensive player to emerge and Perkins' combination of shooting, ballhandling and size makes him the toughest guy to match up with.

Javon Bess is in town for 30 days before he goes to camp with the Pelicans and I had an opportunity to talk to him for a while at practice. He is in great spirits and very excited to have a potential opportunity. He is working out hard and looks to be in great shape. He plays open gym with the guys and he said that Perkins was playing outstanding basketball and can score from almost anywhere on the court. As soon as school starts Perkins can join the team at practice. It is difficult to know how all the distinct new players will mesh but I have been watching early practice for about 40 years and this is the most athletic and potentially best scoring team I have ever seen from top to bottom. With all the leapers we have it will be hugely entertaining! Go Bills!

[billiken_roy]

i thought bess had signed a contract to play with kevin lisch in australia?   

[Cowboy]

1 hour ago, moytoy12 said:

 

Worked on pressing and fast break basketball every single day this summer. Going to play differently this year.  

-the roster seems to indicate we have the pieces to do this, we've been told this many times, let's see it

[Bizziken]

1 hour ago, 3star_recruit said:

Hope this plays out by the end of the season. We need a go-to offensive player to emerge and Perkins' combination of shooting, ballhandling and size makes him the toughest guy to match up with.

That Perkins quote got me excited, too. 

[Pistol]

Great stuff. Love the positivity.

I like that we're looking to do more in transition with this team. This roster is much better suited for that style than last year's team and will be younger and (hopefully) healthier. Let's hope they can actually finish at the rim.

If Thatch has really taken the next step, that's probably the biggest X-factor here. If he's an actual scoring threat he'll be playing 35 MPG with Goodwin.

Bess' endorsement of Perkins seems particularly meaningful, too, since Perkins seems the most naturally slotted as Bess' replacement.

They're probably not going to end up in the top tier of the conference and they'll take some tough losses, but these kids are gonna be fun to watch and things are shaping up nicely for the long term. Can't wait.

 

[BIG BILL FAN]

1 hour ago, billiken_roy said:

love the comments on jimmerson.        this is the team difference maker if he pans out as i hope.   "Klay Thompson"  !!!  are you kidding me?!?

Here's the link to the audio. Go to segment 2.

 

https://590thefan.com/radio-shows/press-box/

[TheChosenOne]

17 minutes ago, Pistol said:

They're probably not going to end up in the top tier of the conference and they'll take some tough losses, but these kids are gonna be fun to watch and things are shaping up nicely for the long term. Can't wait.

Might be too early to know how we are looking long term (should have a better sense of that come the turn of the calendar), but it does look like the 2020-21 season should be one where we can make some noise with a senior class of Goodwin, French, and Perkins.

[Pistol]

3 minutes ago, TheChosenOne said:

Might be too early to know how we are looking long term (should have a better sense of that come the turn of the calendar), but it does look like the 2020-21 season should be one where we can make some noise with a senior class of Goodwin, French, and Perkins.

Yeah, pretty much what I meant by "long term". I just want to see development and cohesion this season and am pinning higher hopes on the following one.

It's almost foolish to try to predict beyond a year or two in college basketball at this point, the way coaches and players move around. Plus, it's not like we have any 2020 or later commitments yet.

[RiseAndGrind]

55 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

i thought bess had signed a contract to play with kevin lisch in australia?   

That was reported by one news outlet and no one else. Doesn't appear to be the case. Isabell already over in Belgium though.

[RiseAndGrind]

30 minutes ago, Pistol said:

Great stuff. Love the positivity.

I like that we're looking to do more in transition with this team. This roster is much better suited for that style than last year's team and will be younger and (hopefully) healthier. Let's hope they can actually finish at the rim.

If Thatch has really taken the next step, that's probably the biggest X-factor here. If he's an actual scoring threat he'll be playing 35 MPG with Goodwin.

Bess' endorsement of Perkins seems particularly meaningful, too, since Perkins seems the most naturally slotted as Bess' replacement.

They're probably not going to end up in the top tier of the conference and they'll take some tough losses, but these kids are gonna be fun to watch and things are shaping up nicely for the long term. Can't wait.

 

Started writing something, but this pretty much sums it up. If all goes well maybe have a long long shot at a bid, but I'm mostly just excited to watch these guys. 

[Pistol]

The line moved back a foot (from 19'9" to 20'9") in 2008, and now it's out to 22'1 3/4" for this season, same distance that FIBA and the WNBA use (the NBA is 23'9"). Visually, this changes things quite a bit - the jump really does look a lot bigger than the last one, even if it's just a few more inches longer. It'll be interesting to see it play out.

[HoosierPal]

3 hours ago, moytoy12 said:

After some hesitation, Coach says that Jimmy Bell is the one newcomer that has stood out (came in at 318 left friday morning at 280).  Says Bell has great hands, great feet and uses his big body. Will have an impact right away.  Bell has to get in "great" shape, but has all the skills. Probably the biggest surprise.  Better than Coach thought.

Jimerson is the best shooter "by far" in the program since Coach has been here.  Physically strong, big time scorer (got a little bit of "stuff...grit" to his game. not just a shooter). Everyone says Jimerson is like Klay Thompson with how quickly he can get his shot off.  Going to be hard to keep off the floor. 

Bess apparently told Tate that Javonte is best player in the program right now. 

Best talent top to bottom on roster since Ford has been here. 

Thatch appears to have taken that next step based on summer performance.  "Really...REALLY stood out this summer."

Yuri made great strides this summer.  Struggled first couple of weeks this summer adjusting to D-1 caliber players.  Figured it out.  Last couple of weeks was excellent. He is going to play a significant amount of minutes. Will be major part of team this season. 

Apparently, "The Athletic" is going to do some type of story on the team. 

Frank asks if you can really play Fred, Yuri, Jordan and Has together given the lack of shooting?  Coach said yes, but obviously going to mix in others to offset lack of shooting.

Weaver is more than Coach thought. Fast as lightening. Great energy. Players love him. Good shooter. Going to add a lot to the team. 

Much better shooting team. Thatch has really improved his shooting. 

Worked on pressing and fast break basketball every single day this summer. Going to play differently this year.  

An interesting story from Ford on his role in "6th Man".  After he got cut by the Warriors, he signed up to play pro in Israel.  He had his bags packed, and the night before he left, his agent called him to say this Israel team hadn't paid anyone for some time.  Then he got a call from LA and a director wanted him to audition for a role in the movie. They couldn't find anyone to 'direct' the actors on the floor. He went to LA, auditioned, and got the job.  He got paid around $50K for his part. (He still gets royalties-  he had $600 to $700 built up in the royalty fund a few years ago.) He talked about his dunk, and how he was in a harness for the dunk.  He took off from mid floor and the crane took him to the hoop.  He was on set in Seattle and Vancouver for a month each, and then in LA for another month, and he 'got the buzz' for the movie scene.  But in the end it sounded like he got home sick for Kentucky and came home.

While he did say he has the best talent, top to bottom, he mentioned the lack of experience with this team as being an issue and that the A10 will be deep in experience.  He talked about again defending at the highest level, present a physical problem for anyone, and continue being a high level rebounding team.  He mentioned 'having 8 or 9 guys with different strengths'.  I take it that he won't deviate from his normal pattern of playing 8 to 9 heavy minutes.  So who sits? 

One difference between SLU and his other coaching positions is that at his other stops, the fan base in primarily alumni based.  Here there is a larger fandom from locals who aren't alum's. 

"If Cuonzo calls, we will play".

[bauman]

1 hour ago, billiken_roy said:

love the comments on jimmerson.        this is the team difference maker if he pans out as i hope.   "Klay Thompson"  !!!  are you kidding me?!?

Roy, I rest my case on using initials at some point in a thread of posts!!  You would not have made the mistake of misspelling Jimerson's name  if you would have just used GJ.     The last time I checked the roster the only GJ would have been Jimerson

[billiken_roy]

13 minutes ago, bauman said:

Roy, I rest my case on using initials at some point in a thread of posts!!  You would not have made the mistake of misspelling Jimerson's name  if you would have just used GJ.     The last time I checked the roster the only GJ would have been Jimerson

honestly i misspelled purposely because you have made it your cause to check this with everyone.  

[willie]

22 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

honestly i misspelled purposely because you have made it your cause to check this with everyone.  

Do we need a lie detector on this? 

[Old guy]

Today is August 14th, we still are a bit over two months from the start of the season. The team has lots of talent but not so much experience in playing together. This promises to be a very interesting season. I do not see how we can say at this time that we will not finish the season at the top of the A10. We will see and, of course, the status of the team will become clearer as they play. I am  looking forward to this season. Talent vs experience, this will be one interesting season.

[billiken_roy]

13 minutes ago, willie said:

Do we need a lie detector on this? 

you havent noticed bauman's constant correction of spelling and english on this board?   it is very tiring.  

[willie]

1 minute ago, billiken_roy said:

you havent noticed bauman's constant correction of spelling and english on this board?   it is very tiring.  

Just giving you a hard time. Want to make sure it passes the 4 way test. 

[billiken_roy]

Just now, willie said:

Just giving you a hard time. Want to make sure it passes the 4 way test. 

willie, i gave up my rotary membership.   all my fraternal and charitable time is now for the Shriners.  i do still have my Paul Harris medal prominently displayed in my office though.   just didnt have the time to devote to both organizations at the level i wanted to be active.    

[bauman]

Old Guy, I concur that we should not be assuming that we will fall out of the "top tier" (however that is defined) of the A-10.  I understand a certain level of coach-speak, but unless TF is living in a dream world, I think he is not conceding anything about where we wind up in the A-10 standings.  If we are 3/4 as good as he is sounding then I think we will be better than last year.  It sounds like JB could be a definite upgrade from DJF in the role of a big; it sounds like JP might be no more that a small drop off from JB; GJ, JP, Weaver and an improved FT Jr should far exceed what we got from scoring beyond the arc and TH Jr. and YC give us abilities/qualities we didn't have last year.  Couple all of that with normal progression from JG, HF, KCH and DJ and I think we are justified in having high expectations from this team.

Looking at the non-conf schedule it seems like TF and staff are trying to put us in a place where an at-large bid is possible.  He is certainly challenging the squad with few, if any, cupcakes.

[3star_recruit]

40 minutes ago, bauman said:

Old Guy, I concur that we should not be assuming that we will fall out of the "top tier" (however that is defined) of the A-10.  I understand a certain level of coach-speak, but unless TF is living in a dream world, I think he is not conceding anything about where we wind up in the A-10 standings.  If we are 3/4 as good as he is sounding then I think we will be better than last year.  It sounds like JB could be a definite upgrade from DJF in the role of a big; it sounds like JP might be no more that a small drop off from JB; GJ, JP, Weaver and an improved FT Jr should far exceed what we got from scoring beyond the arc and TH Jr. and YC give us abilities/qualities we didn't have last year.  Couple all of that with normal progression from JG, HF, KCH and DJ and I think we are justified in having high expectations from this team.

Looking at the non-conf schedule it seems like TF and staff are trying to put us in a place where an at-large bid is possible.  He is certainly challenging the squad with few, if any, cupcakes.

We have the potential to be better than last year by the end of the year once these guys figure out how to play with each other. The problem is the 5 teams that finished ahead of us, who return everybody, will also be better than last year. I expect VCU and Dayton to be much better.

VCU is bringing in their usual strong recruiting class, including the highest rated guard in the conference. Dayton's transfers reportedly beat last year's squad on a regular basis in practice. Richmond, who gave us fits last year, gets double digit scorer Nick Sherod back from injury. They got off to a rough start last year but they were playing good ball by the end of the year.

There's a lot our guys have to learn over the next 6 months. Give 'em time.

[Old guy]

17 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

We have the potential to be better than last year by the end of the year once these guys figure out how to play with each other. The problem is the 5 teams that finished ahead of us, who return everybody, will also be better than last year. I expect VCU and Dayton to be much better.

VCU is bringing in their usual strong recruiting class, including the highest rated guard in the conference. Dayton's transfers reportedly beat last year's squad on a regular basis in practice. Richmond, who gave us fits last year, gets double digit scorer Nick Sherod back from injury. They got off to a rough start last year but they were playing good ball by the end of the year.

There's a lot our guys have to learn over the next 6 months. Give 'em time.

As you know, Rome was not built in a day. At the very least this year's team has a strong foundation.

[moytoy12]

1 hour ago, Old guy said:

As you know, Rome was not built in a day. At the very least this year's team has a strong foundation.

And it seems that they all genuinely like each other which should help keep the nucleus of this team together in the coming years. 

[Cowboy]

5 hours ago, BIG BILL FAN said:

Here's the link to the audio. Go to segment 2.

 

https://590thefan.com/radio-shows/press-box/

-thanks for the link, I listened and recommend a listen, I realize it is all coach-speak, but it heightened my anticipation for the season

-stay healthy and out of trouble