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thetorch

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https://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-once-a-slu-hoops-recruit-vashon-s-kern-finds-fit-with-virginia-commonwealth/article_b9e0496a-83b8-5698-b71c-24bfa8fc72a2.html

I know this will be beating a dead horse but...

look at this headline

Once a SLU hoops recruit, Vashon’s Kern finds fit with Virginia Commonwealth

Why is SLU in the headline of this column at all?  Am I being paranoid or did this column paint Ford and SLU in a bad light for no reason at all.  

Why isn't this an article about a local kid getting a chance to play high major hoops and do what his father couldn't?  Slightly better story than SLU quit recruiting me.

Maybe I'm paranoid but Mi$$ou and Illinois don't get headlines like this and first paragraphs highlighting how they passed on a local player.  Only SLU does.

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9 hours ago, thetorch said:

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-once-a-slu-hoops-recruit-vashon-s-kern-finds-fit-with-virginia-commonwealth/article_b9e0496a-83b8-5698-b71c-24bfa8fc72a2.html

I know this will be beating a dead horse but...

look at this headline

Once a SLU hoops recruit, Vashon’s Kern finds fit with Virginia Commonwealth

Why is SLU in the headline of this column at all?  Am I being paranoid or did this column paint Ford and SLU in a bad light for no reason at all.  

Why isn't this an article about a local kid getting a chance to play high major hoops and do what his father couldn't?  Slightly better story than SLU quit recruiting me.

Maybe I'm paranoid but Mi$$ou and Illinois don't get headlines like this and first paragraphs highlighting how they passed on a local player.  Only SLU does.

-you know there was a reason 

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It's in the headline because the article is written for a St. Louis audience of which there are more SLU fans than VCU or HS Basketball thus trying to drive more eyeballs.   The collateral damage is that it looks like SLU whiffed on a local recruit.

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9 hours ago, thetorch said:

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-once-a-slu-hoops-recruit-vashon-s-kern-finds-fit-with-virginia-commonwealth/article_b9e0496a-83b8-5698-b71c-24bfa8fc72a2.html

I know this will be beating a dead horse but...

look at this headline

Once a SLU hoops recruit, Vashon’s Kern finds fit with Virginia Commonwealth

Why is SLU in the headline of this column at all?  Am I being paranoid or did this column paint Ford and SLU in a bad light for no reason at all.  

Why isn't this an article about a local kid getting a chance to play high major hoops and do what his father couldn't?  Slightly better story than SLU quit recruiting me.

Maybe I'm paranoid but Mi$$ou and Illinois don't get headlines like this and first paragraphs highlighting how they passed on a local player.  Only SLU does.

I actually thought about posting something similar, but just felt the dead horse thing was too strong.

The worst part is that if you brought this complaint to Hochman or anyone at the PD, they would say something like "SLU fans complain that we don't write enough about them, but then they complain when we write an article about them, yuck yuck yuck..."

You are absolutely right that putting SLU in the headline & focusing on that is pretty stupid.

Compare this to when Courtney Ramey chose Texas over Mizzou: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/webster-groves-courtney-ramey-announces-commitment-to-play-for-texas/article_14f4bb72-0506-5671-a150-947f8dc88da0.html or when Caleb Love chose UNC over Mizzou: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-his-dream-school-was-duke-but-cbc-star-caleb-love-signs-with-dads-favorite/article_2cd3d7fd-5516-5602-b385-754686e8805a.html

No Hochman article at all about Ramey's commitment just something from the HS writer that mentions Mizzou was in the running and it was tough for Ramey to turn them down.  Hochman's article about Love doesn't even mention Mizzou at all.

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The strength of "Vashon" alone was enough to perk the interest of any St. Louis basketball fan.  Torch is right, there's an agenda here.  The Post Dispatch sports department has a long-standing practice of trolling SLU fans whenever the opportunity presents itself.

However, the amount of good press we've received about our local recruiting far outweighs the occasional ding.  Because it has to be.  The facts of Coach Ford's St. Louis recruiting success stand tall at the end of the day.

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What's most interesting is why did SLU slow down it's efforts? Kern is right in Tate's wheelhouse. In normal times Kern would have been considered a real feather in our recruiting cap. It leads me to think the staff may know more about our Senior wings plans than they are making known. If Kern was going to be stuck behind Perkins, Jimerson, Makhi, TJ, and Lorentsson VCU makes sense. I find it hard to believe Ford and Tate just tossed his file into the trash bin. 

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18 minutes ago, slu72 said:

What's most interesting is why did SLU slow down it's efforts? Kern is right in Tate's wheelhouse. In normal times Kern would have been considered a real feather in our recruiting cap. It leads me to think the staff may know more about our Senior wings plans than they are making known. If Kern was going to be stuck behind Perkins, Jimerson, Makhi, TJ, and Lorentsson VCU makes sense. I find it hard to believe Ford and Tate just tossed his file into the trash bin. 

i think it might have more to do with possible transfers ford believes will be available in the spring.   

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I’m not saying you guys are wrong because the P-D rarely does us any favors with coverage and the article certainly does paint the situation in a light that I don’t really think is necessary. And this isn’t really an excuse, but consider the current landscape of sports reporting in STL. No Blues, no Cardinals, Mizzou football just had another game cancelled this weekend. You can only write so many stories about whether or not the Cardinals will re-sign Yadi and Waino. They’re, quite literally, starving for stories. So when Hochman saw an opportunity to write a click bait headline and troll SLU fans, he took it, because he probably has nothing better to do. And he wants you to get upset about it because every article read, every retweet, every quote and comment on Twitter is good for him as a reporter. We’re better off just ignoring it. The Post Dispatch has become like crazy old uncle that says something mildly offensive during every Thanksgiving dinner, and it takes every ounce of your strength not to scream at them, but you, instead, just smile with clinched teeth and nod your head because you know calling them out on it will only make things worse. F the Post Dispatch! They’ll come around when we’re playing in the Tournament every March!

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I get as annoyed with the Post Dispatch as anyone, but this article doesn't both me. It's not as if they directly criticize SLU, in fact he tries to explain our reasoning in the article.

Maybe the reason I'm not bothered by the article is the whole recruitment is a bit of a head scratcher to me given we have 3 schollys to give. I fully understand that free agency is coming and that we have to replace 3 excellent seniors, but I also think there is room for at least one freshman in any given class and I have my doubts that we are going to find a player better than Kern in the spring. I've got a ton of faith in Ford's recruiting and they've earned the benefit of the doubt, but they aren't perfect and my money is on this being a decision that is regrettable. 

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2 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

i think it might have more to do with possible transfers ford believes will be available in the spring.   

Coach has pretty much said this twice on his radio interviews.  He also said they are being 'patient and cautious' on recruiting. He mentions that 8 of the players are underclass, and he has confidence in them moving forward.  With those statements, I would have been surprised if had signed Kern, or any other HS player in this window.

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25 minutes ago, kshoe said:

I get as annoyed with the Post Dispatch as anyone, but this article doesn't both me. It's not as if they directly criticize SLU, in fact he tries to explain our reasoning in the article.

Maybe the reason I'm not bothered by the article is the whole recruitment is a bit of a head scratcher to me given we have 3 schollys to give. I fully understand that free agency is coming and that we have to replace 3 excellent seniors, but I also think there is room for at least one freshman in any given class and I have my doubts that we are going to find a player better than Kern in the spring. I've got a ton of faith in Ford's recruiting and they've earned the benefit of the doubt, but they aren't perfect and my money is on this being a decision that is regrettable. 

The jury is still out on that one.  Maybe we only have to replace two seniors.  Say one scholarship goes to a high major transfer.  If the choice of the other scholarship is a talented freshman wing player who gets buried behind talented experienced wing players and a talented freshman big, the freshman big has a better chance of breaking into the rotation.

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24 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

The jury is still out on that one.  Maybe we only have to replace two seniors.  Say one scholarship goes to a high major transfer.  If the choice of the other scholarship is a talented freshman wing player who gets buried behind talented experienced wing players and a talented freshman big, the freshman big has a better chance of breaking into the rotation.

Any seniors that come back won't be counted against the 13 scholarship limit. I get your comment that you don't want to bring Kern here to sit on the bench, but I'm pretty sure that Ford could convince him to grin and bear it for a year if one of the 3 seniors comes back and there isn't as much playing time to go around.

As for your mythical talented freshman big, I'll believe it when I see it. We end up with far more players like Diarra than we do Bell when it comes to spring high school signings.

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34 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

The jury is still out on that one.  Maybe we only have to replace two seniors.  Say one scholarship goes to a high major transfer.  If the choice of the other scholarship is a talented freshman wing player who gets buried behind talented experienced wing players and a talented freshman big, the freshman big has a better chance of breaking into the rotation.

Any indication that Russell was told a scholie might be available for him next season?

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2 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

Any indication that Russell was told a scholie might be available for him next season?

This is a very good question and actually makes a lot of sense when you think about how the staff has handled recruiting.

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Russell’s received pretty good reviews from Ford, so I would think he might fill one of the openings. I don’t get the desire for another big. We already have 3 returning and possibly 4 with Linssen, if he bulks up. Do we need a FR project big, which is what we’re likely to get? Now, if there’s a GT or transfer big that’s not just a large body filler, I could see adding another big. 
Maybe I’m kidding myself but I think we already have the players to plug the holes left by our seniors save for JGood. He’s such a unique player and leader, he’ll be sorely missed. 

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8 minutes ago, slu72 said:

Russell’s received pretty good reviews from Ford, so I would think he might fill one of the openings. I don’t get the desire for another big. We already have 3 returning and possibly 4 with Linssen, if he bulks up. Do we need a FR project big, which is what we’re likely to get? Now, if there’s a GT or transfer big that’s not just a large body filler, I could see adding another big. 
Maybe I’m kidding myself but I think we already have the players to plug the holes left by our seniors save for JGood. He’s such a unique player and leader, he’ll be sorely missed. 

We have 3 returning, Okoro, Bell and Linssen.  When you say possibly 4 are you actually referring to Lorentsson?

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49 minutes ago, kshoe said:

Any seniors that come back won't be counted against the 13 scholarship limit. I get your comment that you don't want to bring Kern here to sit on the bench, but I'm pretty sure that Ford could convince him to grin and bear it for a year if one of the 3 seniors comes back and there isn't as much playing time to go around.

As for your mythical talented freshman big, I'll believe it when I see it. We end up with far more players like Diarra than we do Bell when it comes to spring high school signings.

That would've been a helluva Svengali act based on questions the Kern asks college coaches and what Rhoades told him.

https://youtu.be/WlS9j8c8hc4?t=963

I have confidence that this staff can bring in a Bell-caliber recruit in the spring with this many uncommitted prospects and fresh off a strong season.

 

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1 hour ago, 3star_recruit said:

That would've been a helluva Svengali act based on questions the Kern asks college coaches and what Rhoades told him.

https://youtu.be/WlS9j8c8hc4?t=963

I have confidence that this staff can bring in a Bell-caliber recruit in the spring with this many uncommitted prospects and fresh off a strong season.

 

Yeah.  It was between SLU and VCU.  Playing time played a factor.  Time will tell if the wings that are already here are better than Kern.  

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4 hours ago, 3star_recruit said:

The jury is still out on that one.  Maybe we only have to replace two seniors.  Say one scholarship goes to a high major transfer.  If the choice of the other scholarship is a talented freshman wing player who gets buried behind talented experienced wing players and a talented freshman big, the freshman big has a better chance of breaking into the rotation.

That plus Ford can afford to be patient, seeking a JGOOD-level high school difference maker, or JUCO or senior transfer. Kern situation would have caused agony a few years ago, it shouldn’t now.

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It could be what's best for Kern as well. With everyone getting an extra year, and even taking our seniors out of the equation, where is he going to play? He's a wing and at the present time we have Thatch, GJ, Strickland, Lorrentsson, and TJ locked in. There simply are no minutes for him. Wish the kid well. 

 

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I have no issue with us slowing down and not taking Kern, or however it went down. However, lets not assume there wouldn't be playing time for him early in his career. Just like everyone else Nick could earn playing time by outworking and earning playing time over those considered ahead of him right now. And let's be real, there are no guaranteed all conference performers ahead of him. Potentially possibly, right now ... Nope

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16 hours ago, slu72 said:

Russell’s received pretty good reviews from Ford, so I would think he might fill one of the openings. I don’t get the desire for another big. We already have 3 returning and possibly 4 with Linssen, if he bulks up. Do we need a FR project big, which is what we’re likely to get? Now, if there’s a GT or transfer big that’s not just a large body filler, I could see adding another big. 
Maybe I’m kidding myself but I think we already have the players to plug the holes left by our seniors save for JGood. He’s such a unique player and leader, he’ll be sorely missed. 

The desire for another big is because that position has less depth than any other position on the team.  This is an unusual position that SLU is in and it is a great thing.  In all the years I do not find myself concerned about depth.

Because of Welmer I am concerned about Bell’s foot injury.  Because Okoro sitting out this season to get healthy concerns me and finally French moving on after this season.  I really want Gassama who I consider a project and will be ready when Okoro and Linssen graduate.  Also Gassama is a local kid.

The only concern at the guard position is JGood leaving and Fred Thatch’s health.

At the wing position there are so many options.

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2 hours ago, CBFan said:

The desire for another big is because that position has less depth than any other position on the team.  This is an unusual position that SLU is in and it is a great thing.  In all the years I do not find myself concerned about depth.

Because of Welmer I am concerned about Bell’s foot injury.  Because Okoro sitting out this season to get healthy concerns me and finally French moving on after this season.  I really want Gassama who I consider a project and will be ready when Okoro and Linssen graduate.  Also Gassama is a local kid.

The only concern at the guard position is JGood leaving and Fred Thatch’s health.

At the wing position there are so many options.

Yeah, I understand your concerns. As for Bell worries, I think Welmer’s foot problems were a chronic problem that was not entirely BB related, ie hereditary maybe. Fred seems to have recovered nicely, but I know nothing about his illness and if it is going to be a reoccurring issue for him. Old Guy would know if this was a one time illness or if it’s an illness that requires continuing treatments. 
I really appreciated Russell taking a walk on spot this year when he likely could have got a scholie at a low mid major. He must really want to be a Billiken. I hope his commitment is rewarded with one of those open scholarships. 

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