Welcome, Larry Hughes, Jr.!

[billiken_roy]

who and what was the slander?    use your other moniker to post your answer so it appears you have more people on your side.   i like that tactic. 

[johnbj14]

Aaron Hines was a fun bright spot in some lean years. Great representative of what being a Billiken is all about 

[johnbj14]

NM, duplicate post 

[Fraz]

Aaron Hines was a prime example of someone who got the absolute most out of their ability

[ARon]

1 hour ago, Old guy said:

Have you thought that perhaps he was not interested in going anywhere but SLU and the other recruiters just gave up on him? It is NOT ALWAYS a matter of high and mighty schools or lots of money, there are people that decide early and stick with their decision. Have you ever met one of those? There may not be many of them around but they definitely exist.

Another thought for you, this kid does not need a scholarship (or NIL) to go play somewhere, how about if they (he and his family) decided to let someone else with talent but no money get  the scholarship instead. There is nothing that says a walk on cannot play regularly or even be a starter.

I guess in this day and age people can't imagine such a scenario being true. Sad as that is.

The good news is we'll find out. If he plays a meaningful role (is any part of Ford's rotation) at some point over the next few years, doesn't transfer, and is never put on scholarship, we'll know that the above scenario is what is playing out. 

[cgeldmacher]

I think that anyone who views Larry Hughes, Jr. as anything more than a long term play will be disappointed.  There's a reason that he is a walk-on and a reason he wasn't getting offers from really anywhere.  247, Rivals, and Verbal Commits show no offers made to him.

This does not mean that I am not excited for him to come to SLU.  I am.  I think his ceiling is a Gibson Jimmerson type that can hit at a high rate from three and from mid range.  His floor is that of a hard working walk on.  If he turns into any sort of a contributor, it will be in at least his 3rd season.  Please do not put undue pressure on him or the coaching staff that he should be on the court and scoring points in bunches right away.  That would be unfair to him and the coaches.

[Fraz]

6 hours ago, cgeldmacher said:

I think that anyone who views Larry Hughes, Jr. as anything more than a long term play will be disappointed.  There's a reason that he is a walk-on and a reason he wasn't getting offers from really anywhere.  247, Rivals, and Verbal Commits show no offers made to him.

This does not mean that I am not excited for him to come to SLU.  I am.  I think his ceiling is a Gibson Jimmerson type that can hit at a high rate from three and from mid range.  His floor is that of a hard working walk on.  If he turns into any sort of a contributor, it will be in at least his 3rd season.  Please do not put undue pressure on him or the coaching staff that he should be on the court and scoring points in bunches right away.  That would be unfair to him and the coaches.

Looking purely at rankings, LHJ is the 6th best senior in the state of Missouri.  Thames is a fellow 3 star but I can’t find a ranking for him - guessing in the 10-20 range.  Kramer in the same boat.  I’ve never seen any of these 3 play I’ll admit.

On paper, LHJ looks to be the earliest contributor in this class.  Im in the camp that says offers don’t really matter.  Im not going to hold Kramer to a certain expectation because Alabama A&M wanted him or Thames to a certain expectation because Georgetown did.  I think that’s silly.  I think it’s conceivable to think plenty of D1 schools evaluated him and said “yeah, but he’s probably going to SLU”.  

[Fraz]

On 2nd look, I can’t even find any recruiting metrics on Kramer

[wgstl]

39 minutes ago, Fraz said:

Looking purely at rankings, LHJ is the 6th best senior in the state of Missouri.  Thames is a fellow 3 star but I can’t find a ranking for him - guessing in the 10-20 range.  Kramer in the same boat.  I’ve never seen any of these 3 play I’ll admit.

On paper, LHJ looks to be the earliest contributor in this class.  Im in the camp that says offers don’t really matter.  Im not going to hold Kramer to a certain expectation because Alabama A&M wanted him or Thames to a certain expectation because Georgetown did.  I think that’s silly.  I think it’s conceivable to think plenty of D1 schools evaluated him and said “yeah, but he’s probably going to SLU”.  

Rankings and offers the past 2 years can be thrown out the window with Covid. I’m a fan of recruiting/offers etc but not until things are back to normal.

 

[JMM28]

11 hours ago, wgstl said:

Rankings and offers the past 2 years can be thrown out the window with Covid. I’m a fan of recruiting/offers etc but not until things are back to normal.

 

A lot of high school guys are going overlooked because of the portal and the extra covid years. 

Some coaches are recruiting exclusively from the portal, which I disagree with. Why take a HS senior when you could spend a year or two developing them and they can scatter for a better offer?

The portal guys are a little more of a sure thing - they have some level of experience, you can call their current coach and get the scoop, they can't bolt on you again, etc. 

Then you have the extra covid year that is taking available scholarships that would typically go to HS seniors. It is also contributing to some HS guys going to a lower level and waiting for their chance to level up. 

[AnkielBreakers]

12 hours ago, Fraz said:

Looking purely at rankings, LHJ is the 6th best senior in the state of Missouri.  Thames is a fellow 3 star but I can’t find a ranking for him - guessing in the 10-20 range.  Kramer in the same boat.  I’ve never seen any of these 3 play I’ll admit.

On paper, LHJ looks to be the earliest contributor in this class.  Im in the camp that says offers don’t really matter.  Im not going to hold Kramer to a certain expectation because Alabama A&M wanted him or Thames to a certain expectation because Georgetown did.  I think that’s silly.  I think it’s conceivable to think plenty of D1 schools evaluated him and said “yeah, but he’s probably going to SLU”.  

I noticed that a while ago, but it doesn’t make sense. Thames and Kramer both played well with BBE. Kramer was a good bench scorer. Thames was more defense and ball handling. Hughes was similar, but on a different team, MoKan. It is hard to compare, since Hughes had a 3pt. % last summer of about 21%. If he has figured that one out, then his value would go way up. But either way, without more information, he is close to the same, but no better than Kramer or Thames.

There is also nothing wrong with unreasonable expectations. Go crazy!

[Old guy]

37 minutes ago, JMM28 said:

A lot of high school guys are going overlooked because of the portal and the extra covid years. 

Some coaches are recruiting exclusively from the portal, which I disagree with. Why take a HS senior when you could spend a year or two developing them and they can scatter for a better offer?

The portal guys are a little more of a sure thing - they have some level of experience, you can call their current coach and get the scoop, they can't bolt on you again, etc. 

Then you have the extra covid year that is taking available scholarships that would typically go to HS seniors. It is also contributing to some HS guys going to a lower level and waiting for their chance to level up. 

Whenever there are basic changes to the rules (Covid, transfer waivers) there will be major disruptions in the way the process works. In this case, the HS seniors come in the losing end with more transfers taking the better spots. What that means is that the good HS seniors will have to go play for lower level schools, go Juco, or opt for prep schools. Of course openings for the current HS seniors will open in time at higher level schools, and some of the current transfers to better schools will prove to be unsatisfactory and be disposed of. It will all come to equilibrium at some point in the future and the process will become more or less stable and predictable once more.

[Taj79]

@billikenfan05:  slander:  noun.  Oral communication of false and malicious statements that damage the reputation of another.

My statement:  "My hope is that LHJ becomes so much more than a walk-on .... and does not become Aaron Hines or Phil Russell."  How is that slander?  No statements about either Hines or Russell were made but the implication on overall performance is there.  No where was there any question of his work ethic or his direct play or his wearing of the laundry.  He was placed in an untenable situation given his talent level and [dead's] inability to stock a roster with better talent.  We were damn lucky to have him in hindsight.  But his play and that of the others on those rosters are definitely NOT what I want for the Hughes legacy.  

Hines played in 89 career games, 66 over his last two years, averaging 5.7 ppg, while shooting 31% from the field and 30% from three.  He was at 67% from the line and doled out 184 assists for an average of 2 per game. Hines career here started as a walk-on and him in the lineup became more out of necessity.  Phil Russell's stats are totally irrelevant but both stand as examples of what I DON'T want for LHJ.

If that's your measure of success for LHJ, so be it.

[billikenfan05]

3 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

@billikenfan05:  slander:  noun.  Oral communication of false and malicious statements that damage the reputation of another.

My statement:  "My hope is that LHJ becomes so much more than a walk-on .... and does not become Aaron Hines or Phil Russell."  How is that slander?  No statements about either Hines or Russell were made but the implication on overall performance is there.  No where was there any question of his work ethic or his direct play or his wearing of the laundry.  He was placed in an untenable situation given his talent level and [dead's] inability to stock a roster with better talent.  We were damn lucky to have him in hindsight.  But his play and that of the others on those rosters are definitely NOT what I want for the Hughes legacy.  

Hines played in 89 career games, 66 over his last two years, averaging 5.7 ppg, while shooting 31% from the field and 30% from three.  He was at 67% from the line and doled out 184 assists for an average of 2 per game. Hines career here started as a walk-on and him in the lineup became more out of necessity.  Phil Russell's stats are totally irrelevant but both stand as examples of what I DON'T want for LHJ.

If that's your measure of success for LHJ, so be it.

It was a joke that for sure didn't need to result in a 2 paragraph reply.

[rgbilliken]

Guys......I'm pretty sure 05 was being tongue-in-cheek.........."xxxxx slander will not be tolerated" is a common phrase that means "hey don't talk sh!t on this guy!"

[Matty Light]

I wonder how much growing Hughes has potentially available. The Murray twins were my height (6'3) when they finished HS, shorter than their dad. Only W. Illinois offered them. They went to one of those prep school basketball factories in Florida and grew another 3-4 inches. That was crucial to getting scholarships at Iowa. They have only developed from there. I am hoping Larry has a similar trajectory. A man can dream, can't he?

[BilliesBy40]

3 minutes ago, Matty Light said:

I wonder how much growing Hughes has potentially available. The Murray twins were my height (6'3) when they finished HS, shorter than their dad. Only W. Illinois offered them. They went to one of those prep school basketball factories in Florida and grew another 3-4 inches. That was crucial to getting scholarships at Iowa. They have only developed from there. I am hoping Larry has a similar trajectory. A man can dream, can't he?

I thought of another wiry, son-of-a-former-NBAer who played for a now A10 team, so you aren't the only one dreaming

[juniorbill76]

49 minutes ago, rgbilliken said:

Guys......I'm pretty sure 05 was being tongue-in-cheek.........."xxxxx slander will not be tolerated" is a common phrase that means "hey don't talk sh!t on this guy!"

This was new to me so I Googled it.

It seems we all take a turn at being Old Guy.

[almaman]

42 minutes ago, Matty Light said:

I wonder how much growing Hughes has potentially available. The Murray twins were my height (6'3) when they finished HS, shorter than their dad. Only W. Illinois offered them. They went to one of those prep school basketball factories in Florida and grew another 3-4 inches. That was crucial to getting scholarships at Iowa. They have only developed from there. I am hoping Larry has a similar trajectory. A man can dream, can't he?

we should send Yuri that prep school for off season

[billiken_roy]

your slander accusation wasnt needed as well.

[GOSLU68]

3 hours ago, almaman said:

we should send Yuri that prep school for off season

Find a good Dominican school that still has a rack from the Spanish Inquisition days

[almaman]

1 minute ago, GOSLU68 said:

Find a good Dominican school that still has a rack from the Spanish Inquisition days

no one would expect it

[HoosierPal]

Some sort of ceremony today.  Looks like Jr signed something. 

[QUAILMAN]

On 4/13/2022 at 11:03 AM, Pistol said:

Ian Mooney is an outstanding story teller. We should try to get him on the show.

I should be able to get you in contact with him, if needed. 

[BuiltFordBills]

 

 Just saw on LHJ IG story that he will be playing in this game.  Some decent names on here but the MVP of this game will get a spot in the all-star game which is the game with all of the 5 star recruits.