Recruiting - 2025

[Pistol]

New offer:

Matt Gilhool - PF, 6-11, 205 - Philadelphia, PA (William Penn Charter) - AAU: Team Final (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @Matthew_Gilhool
Offers: Saint Louis, St. John's, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Rutgers, Maryland, Penn State, Washington, LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia, Syracuse, Miami, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Temple, Indiana State, Iona, Fairfield, Marshall, Bryant.

Interest: George Washington, St. Joseph's, Villanova, Marquette, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan, Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Utah, Washington State, Gonzaga, Detroit, Troy, UMBC, 

Latest News: Gilhool received an offer from SLU. (6/29/24)

Scouting Report: Gilhool is a long, lean, left-handed stretch big with a developed skill set. He's a consistent shooter from the perimeter who punishes bigs who can't guard outside. He's an ambidextrous finisher with good timing and intelligence. He's got nice handles for his size. He's an effective offensive rebounder.

[Pistol]

New interest:

Chance Gladden - PG, 6-4, 175 - Raleigh, NC (Ravenscroft) - AAU: Team CP3 (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @chance_gladden
Offers: Hampton, Boston, Stetson, Presbyterian.

Interest: Saint Louis, Loyola-Chicago, North Carolina State, Clemson, Charlotte, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Indiana State, Furman, Chattanooga, UNC-Greensboro, Western Carolina, James Madison, Bucknell, Lehigh, American, Northeastern, William & Mary, Mount St. Mary's, Marshall, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, Florida Gulf Coast, Winthrop, Charleston Southern, High Point, Queens.

Latest News: SLU reached out to Gladden. (6/29/24)

Scouting Report: Gladden is a big-time scoring point guard with a good feel for the game and decent size for his position. He scores on three levels, handles the ball well, plays with patience, and understands how to break down defenses. He's a gifted passer who makes plays for his teammates. He has a smooth, consistent release on his shot.

[WVBilliken]

So SLU has 3 scholarships to fill for sure, all guards (Jimerson, Johnson, Swope).  Likely given today's transfer rules we lose a couple of others.  

Given the recent level of the players in the transfer portal, I don't see Schertz taking more than one HS kid, if he has only 3 to give.  With Avila, Casey, Anya, Hughes, Thames, all juniors it would make sense that Schertz would want to solidify that group with a couple of proven guards.

If say there are 5 scholarship openings, then maybe Schertz brings in a second HS kid.  But in no way do I see more than 2.  Like I said, the transfer pool will once again likely be loaded and if SLU has NIL money to compete for transfers, then the high school guys will be passed on.

[thetorch]

1 hour ago, WVBilliken said:

So SLU has 3 scholarships to fill for sure, all guards (Jimerson, Johnson, Swope).  Likely given today's transfer rules we lose a couple of others.  

Given the recent level of the players in the transfer portal, I don't see Schertz taking more than one HS kid, if he has only 3 to give.  With Avila, Casey, Anya, Hughes, Thames, all juniors it would make sense that Schertz would want to solidify that group with a couple of proven guards.

If say there are 5 scholarship openings, then maybe Schertz brings in a second HS kid.  But in no way do I see more than 2.  Like I said, the transfer pool will once again likely be loaded and if SLU has NIL money to compete for transfers, then the high school guys will be passed on.

If this was the case why is the staff wasting time recruiting all these HS guys?

HS guys are being underrecruited. Why not sign more HS players with star potential who we can then keep with the advantage of having them be in the program already.

I really think Schertz will base most of his recruiting on HS players and then augment in the portal as opposed to the opposite. This will be the plan for good mid majors going forward. We can't compete for high level transfers with P5s. We can compete for high level HS recruits and put ourselves in a better position to retain the ones we want.

[billiken_roy]

31 minutes ago, thetorch said:

If this was the case why is the staff wasting time recruiting all these HS guys?

HS guys are being underrecruited. Why not sign more HS players with star potential who we can then keep with the advantage of having them be in the program already.

I really think Schertz will base most of his recruiting on HS players and then augment in the portal as opposed to the opposite. This will be the plan for good mid majors going forward. We can't compete for high level transfers with P5s. We can compete for high level HS recruits and put ourselves in a better position to retain the ones we want.

Torch, I see where you are going but I am assuming you think the high achieving high school player will give us some sort of resign discount.   I doubt it.   All players are thinking about is where I can get the most money.   The likes of Hughes and Thames like players might be the majority of our retention players.   Not that that is a bad thing as both have tons of potential.   But the freshmen soon to be sophomores that have very good seasons are you going to hit the portal and play us against the richer big time programs and more times than not I would guess we will lose

[Old guy]

11 hours ago, thetorch said:

If this was the case why is the staff wasting time recruiting all these HS guys?

HS guys are being underrecruited. Why not sign more HS players with star potential who we can then keep with the advantage of having them be in the program already.

I really think Schertz will base most of his recruiting on HS players and then augment in the portal as opposed to the opposite. This will be the plan for good mid majors going forward. We can't compete for high level transfers with P5s. We can compete for high level HS recruits and put ourselves in a better position to retain the ones we want.

 

10 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

Torch, I see where you are going but I am assuming you think the high achieving high school player will give us some sort of resign discount.   I doubt it.   All players are thinking about is where I can get the most money.   The likes of Hughes and Thames like players might be the majority of our retention players.   Not that that is a bad thing as both have tons of potential.   But the freshmen soon to be sophomores that have very good seasons are you going to hit the portal and play us against the richer big time programs and more times than not I would guess we will lose

Of course, this discussion assumes that the current status quo continues long term without change. That means that the donors continue being donors and do not shift their attention to other areas, or just get tired of paying high amounts in donations year after year to pay for NILs. From my point of view, the status quo is likely to change, and basically bounce large numbers of private schools out of the NIL game. Of course the schools that have and continue to have adequate amounts of money to continue the NIL game will remain in it, everyone school that does not have the necessary amount of money will have to go down in the scale from Div 1 to Div 2 or Div3.

If what I think will happen does happen given enough time, the high school kids will be the ones hurt the most until a totally separate development channel for high school kids planning to go into professional basketball playing as a career is developed. I also think  that the role played by the NCAA in collegiate sports will be significantly diminished or eliminated in time.

[brianstl]

10 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

Torch, I see where you are going but I am assuming you think the high achieving high school player will give us some sort of resign discount.   I doubt it.   All players are thinking about is where I can get the most money.   The likes of Hughes and Thames like players might be the majority of our retention players.   Not that that is a bad thing as both have tons of potential.   But the freshmen soon to be sophomores that have very good seasons are you going to hit the portal and play us against the richer big time programs and more times than not I would guess we will lose

I think it makes sense for one reason over others.  It is easier to get donors to buy in on going the extra mile with a player when there is already a relationship built over a year.  I think that is especially true in a place as provincial as St. Louis.

[WVBilliken]

12 hours ago, thetorch said:

If this was the case why is the staff wasting time recruiting all these HS guys?

HS guys are being underrecruited. Why not sign more HS players with star potential who we can then keep with the advantage of having them be in the program already.

I really think Schertz will base most of his recruiting on HS players and then augment in the portal as opposed to the opposite. This will be the plan for good mid majors going forward. We can't compete for high level transfers with P5s. We can compete for high level HS recruits and put ourselves in a better position to retain the ones we want.

SLU cannot compete with the P5's for high level HS kids.  But in the portal Schertz got Casey a top 50 guy out of HS, Anya, Dotzler, Brockofff .... all nice looking prospects. 

Oh, and this year he had 10 scholarships to give, and only took 2 high school kids.  You can't recruit transfers right now, so the only prospects they can look at this time of the year are HS and maybe JC kids.  So of course you keep looking, you might find a high level kid who can make a difference and wants to go mid-major/SLU.

[slu72]

I tend to agree with B’roy given today’s situation with NIL. Look no further than Avila. Now granted he lost his HC but he likely would have been showered with NIL bucks and jumped even if Schertz had stayed put at ISU. If we got a strong FR who played well, he’d be stupid not to test the portal/NIL waters. These days you can toss the idea of player development over a 4 year period. The minute they show they can play at the D1 level they’re gonna test the waters. 

[thatskablamo]

On 6/24/2024 at 1:56 PM, TheChosenOne said:

Pulling for a kid from Vianney might be tough for me hahahaha. But, if he is one of the athletes who was getting jerked off by the school nurse, I could probably come around.

That’s what she said.

[Aquinas]

1 hour ago, WVBilliken said:

SLU cannot compete with the P5's for high level HS kids.  But in the portal Schertz got Casey a top 50 guy out of HS, Anya, Dotzler, Brockofff .... all nice looking prospects. 

Oh, and this year he had 10 scholarships to give, and only took 2 high school kids.  You can't recruit transfers right now, so the only prospects they can look at this time of the year are HS and maybe JC kids.  So of course you keep looking, you might find a high level kid who can make a difference and wants to go mid-major/SLU.

We have 3 highschool players this year. Amiri McCottry, Max Pikaar and Dylan Warlick. 

[thetorch]

13 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

Torch, I see where you are going but I am assuming you think the high achieving high school player will give us some sort of resign discount.   I doubt it.   All players are thinking about is where I can get the most money.   The likes of Hughes and Thames like players might be the majority of our retention players.   Not that that is a bad thing as both have tons of potential.   But the freshmen soon to be sophomores that have very good seasons are you going to hit the portal and play us against the richer big time programs and more times than not I would guess we will lose

This just isn't true.  Fans are going crazy about the transfer market but its peak has come and gone.

Transfers fall into several categories

- High level players looking to make more money - SLU can't get these guys.

- Overrecruited players from P5 schools - SLU can get these guys but most aren't that good.

- Underrecruited players from low major schools - Most of these go P5 or they aren't that good.

- Coach leaves, whole team transfers - This is the outlier but mostly the players will stay at the same level.

The last of the 6th year players are gone so the transfer market numbers will go down, the talent level there will go down, and it wasn't high to begin with, and the money available to pay for transfers is too high, so P5 teams are going to fill out their rosters with also rans and hope one of them pans out.  We don't have that type of money.

We recruited 3 freshman in the spring.  That is a very high number considering the late start we had.  I fully expect this coaching staff to focus on HS recruits and use the transfer market to fill out roster spots.  It will be easier to retain freshman over the long haul and if we lose one or two who cares.  Can you name a player that we lost to the portal that the staff wanted to keep?  I can't.  We've kept our top players so far.  I think counting on players to leave before they even on campus is foolhardy.  With our NIL budget we simply can't compete in the transfer open market and the talent there just doesn't warrant us being all in players there.  Good HS recruiting and player retention will be the focus and that is where it should be.

[Billikenbooster]

It also depends on how we do this year. Nail this season, and folks will want to come/stay.

Just win, baby!

[ACE]

Schertz struck gold with Conwell and Swope in the transfer market at ISU... and then he again added Swope, Johnson, and Dotzler in the transfer market and got Gibby who was a free agent to return. Why would anyone think the transfer market won't remain very important for Schertz? Of course, he'll recruit high schoolers too, but no doubt he'll be looking at the portal for guards with three of them graduating after this year.

[3star_recruit]

1 hour ago, ACE said:

Schertz struck gold with Conwell and Swope in the transfer market at ISU... and then he again added Swope, Johnson, and Dotzler in the transfer market and got Gibby who was a free agent to return. Why would anyone think the transfer market won't remain very important for Schertz? Of course, he'll recruit high schoolers too, but no doubt he'll be looking at the portal for guards with three of them graduating after this year.

Based on their modest accomplishments coming in I'd say Conwell and Swope were copper that Schertz helped transmutate into gold.

[ACE]

23 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

Based on their modest accomplishments coming in I'd say Conwell and Swope were copper that Schertz helped transmutate into gold.

Swope has very productive at his 1st stop. He was able to carry similar production from a lower level to MVC competition.

[Pistol]

New offer:

Tre Singleton - PF, 6-8, 215 - Jeffersonville, IN (Jeffersonville) - AAU: Team Tradition (Adidas Gold) - Twitter: @TreSingleton_
Offers: Saint Louis, Richmond, Northwestern, Indiana State, Valparaiso, Kent State, Miami-Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Ball State, IUPUI, Wright State, Western Kentucky, Western Carolina, Furman, Appalachian State, Georgia State.

Interest: Loyola-Chicago, Butler, Louisville, Memphis, Rice, Drake, Portland, Bradley, Milwaukee, Youngstown State, Detroit, East Tennessee State, Old Dominion, Central Arkansas, Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

Latest News: Singleton received an offer from SLU. (7/1/24)

Scouting Report: Singleton is a tough, competitive power forward who rebounds hard. He operates in the mid-post and low-post areas but can step out and take bigger defenders off the dribble. He displays good footwork and knows how to use his body. He finishes with soft touch around the rim. He's a versatile defender.

[willie]

11 hours ago, 3star_recruit said:

Based on their modest accomplishments coming in I'd say Conwell and Swope were copper that Schertz helped transmutate into gold.

copper has more usage than gold

[Pistol]

New interest:

Legend Smiley - SG, 6-5, 175 - Seattle, WA (Southern California Academy, CA) - AAU: Rotary Hoops (Nike EYBL) - Twitter@legend_smiley
Offers: St. John's, Washington, UNLV, Utah State, San Francisco, Weber State, Montana, Seattle.

Interest: Saint Louis, Loyola-Chicago, USC, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Virginia, Utah, California, Washington State, Oregon State, Boise State, Gonzaga, Pepperdine, Stony Brook, Iona, Siena, UC-San Diego, Portland State, Idaho State, High Point, Tarleton State.

Latest News: Smiley received an offer from St. John's. (7/1/24)

Scouting Report: Smiley is a versatile scoring guard who puts up points on all three levels. He's effective in transition and handles the ball well. He has a number of spin moves in his offensive tool bag. He's an active defender. His father played alongside Brandon Roy in HS and played two seasons at USC. Smiley transferred from Garfield HS in Seattle to Southern California Academy for his final year.

[3star_recruit]

46 minutes ago, willie said:

copper has more usage than gold

I agree.  But gold has more prestige and symbolic value than copper.  That's what the P5s are paying an arm and a leg for.

We're recruiting at the copper level of the transfer market.  If they put up gaudy stats at our level, the P5s will recognize them as gold and bid accordingly.

[willie]

15 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

I agree.  But gold has more prestige and symbolic value than copper.  That's what the P5s are paying an arm and a leg for.

We're recruiting at the copper level of the transfer market.  If they put up gaudy stats at our level, the P5s will recognize them as gold and bid accordingly.

I'm with you. I was just being a smartass. 

[brianstl]

58 minutes ago, Pistol said:

New interest:

Legend Smiley - SG, 6-5, 175 - Seattle, WA (Southern California Academy, CA) - AAU: Rotary Hoops (Nike EYBL) - Twitter@legend_smiley
Offers: St. John's, Washington, UNLV, Utah State, San Francisco, Weber State, Montana, Seattle.

Interest: Saint Louis, Loyola-Chicago, USC, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Virginia, Utah, California, Washington State, Oregon State, Boise State, Gonzaga, Pepperdine, Stony Brook, Iona, Siena, UC-San Diego, Portland State, Idaho State, High Point, Tarleton State.

Latest News: Smiley received an offer from St. John's. (7/1/24)

Scouting Report: Smiley is a versatile scoring guard who puts up points on all three levels. He's effective in transition and handles the ball well. He has a number of spin moves in his offensive tool bag. He's an active defender. His father played alongside Brandon Roy in HS and played two seasons at USC. Smiley transferred from Garfield HS in Seattle to Southern California Academy for his final year.

We need @Box and Won's take on Legend.

[cgeldmacher]

I think going forward we can expect to retain something like 5 or 6 guys a year, we will sign 3 or 4 high school kids and supplement the rest with transfers, meaning 3 to 5 transfers.  This year was an anomaly with the number of transfers given the coaching change.

[Old guy]

6 hours ago, willie said:

copper has more usage than gold

That is true but when you buy and sell these commodities the unit used for copper is the lb., the unit used for gold is the oz. The current spot price of a single oz. of gold is $2331.90, the current spot price of a lb. of copper is $4.36. As useless as it may be industrially, one oz of gold is worth 539. 89 lbs. of copper. I thought you all should be aware of the real value of these commodities nowadays.

One pound of gold buys over a ton and a quarter of copper at current values. The difference in value between gold and copper is probably applicable to the difference in value of power league players vs lower level players as 3 Star posted.

[gobillsgo]

1 hour ago, Old guy said:

That is true but when you buy and sell these commodities the unit used for copper is the lb., the unit used for gold is the oz. The current spot price of a single oz. of gold is $2331.90, the current spot price of a lb. of copper is $4.36. As useless as it may be industrially, one oz of gold is worth 539. 89 lbs. of copper. I thought you all should be aware of the real value of these commodities nowadays.

One pound of gold buys over a ton and a quarter of copper at current values. The difference in value between gold and copper is probably applicable to the difference in value of power league players vs lower level players as 3 Star posted.

What’s a pound of bofa worth?