Billiken Rich Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 After seeing what passes for a cheerleader for UMSL, I'll never ever complain about a little belly on a baby blue again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehms13 Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 From what I hear, Ian has earned his starting spot......I mentioned it early this summer that it seemed that Coach was getting frustrated with Tom's injuries etc............ I'm not surprised at all that Ian is starting, Tom had been isolated to practices with just the coaches, he's been hurt, wasn't in great shape(these reports were posted on this board during the summer).....so that kind of gave me a clue as to what might happen.... I'm still gonna step out on a limb and say that if Drejaj wasn't hurt, I think he would have started over Polk.........just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLU_Nick Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 I think Polk definitely proved himself to be able to handle the point of what we saw of him last night. He was solid with the ball and I wasnt whispering to myself "dont lose it, dont lose it, dont lose it", like I do when AD dribbles. I echo what has already been said...and was wondering if anyone else wanted VN to throw one down hard. There were a couple times where he could of, and he did a lay up. He even missed a lay up when he should have dunked. Was he not trying to show up UMSL or something? Just Wondering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 bauman, perhaps Coach Soderberg started IV against UMSL because on a net basis IV's pluses outweight his shortfalls. It appears you tend to focus on what IV doesn't do well and you ignore his assets. imo, IV is a good shooter, a good passer, has good offensive post moves and a good bball mind . IV is an average runner for a 6-10 250+ pounder, he will never run the 100 meters for the Greek olympic team. IV is an average rebounder, mostly getting only those balls heading his direction and will never make us forget Bonner. Both of these areas need improvement. If the 19 year old IV continues to work and improve all phases of his game, he will be a significant contributor in the A-10. I urge patience with IV and all freshmen and sophmores as they are still works-in-process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 "he NEVER got more than 2" off the floor, in fact on 3 occasions UMSL players between 6'5" and 6'7" who were behind him actually got the rebound because they went up for the ball." Ian is what he is. Better to platoon with Frericks now so he can adjust to playing major minutes because we don't have anybody else capable of playing major minutes next season. If he only plays 15 minutes a game this year, he is not going to be ready to play 30 minutes a game next year. In the short term, I think Ian is being rewarded for outworking Tom in the offseason. Ian will have to prove himself in the actual games to keep that starting position. A stat line of 9 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks ain't too bad, even if it was against UMSL. But if Ian turns the ball over four times again on Saturday, I bet he'll come off the bench in the Virgin Islands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 slu nick said, "I think Polk definitely proved himself to be able to handle the point of what we saw of him last night. He was solid with the ball and I wasnt whispering to myself "dont lose it, dont lose it, dont lose it", like I do when AD dribbles. i dont know why you say this. did you make the same statements when marque perry had the ball? drejaj has had less tpg than perry had in each of his seasons as a billiken. drejaj would be just fine as our pg. the fact is that polk brings more to the table because of his supreme athleticism, but drejaj would have been just fine as our primary pg. slu nick said, "I echo what has already been said...and was wondering if anyone else wanted VN to throw one down hard. There were a couple times where he could of, and he did a lay up. He even missed a lay up when he should have dunked. Was he not trying to show up UMSL or something? Just Wondering" i just dont picture newborne as the dunk in your face type. as i have said on a few occasions now. i think newborne really resembles quitman dillard in style and production capabilities. and for those of you that remember, q was a supreme leader, always enthusiastic, and a very good basketball player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Brehms, the reason I wanted Polk to start was because I know he is the future PG of this team and from what everybody has said, he has incredible skills. Well, after watching him play on Friday I was more impressed that I thought he would be. He looked very comfortable out there. I think he will only get more comfortable out there. If AD is hurt and gets healthy I think he and Polk may switch off early on depending on who we play and who the matchup at guard will be. I do think you will really like seeing Polk play. BTW, when you come to a game, sit behind the players bench if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 I'm only afraid of Drejaj losing the ball against pressing teams like UAB and Louisville. The rest of the time I think he's a capable ballhandler who doesn't really create much offense off the dribble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Roy, you have a different view of Drejaj than many of us on this board. I have never been overly impressed by Anthony's ballhandling skills and there are times when his decision-making with the ball is downright scary. Drejaj has a role on this team, but he is not a good enough ballhandler to be our starting point guard and he is not a good enough shooter to be a our starting shooting guard. His role is to bring defensive intensity, energy, and some ocassional offensive firepower off the bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehms13 Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 I have heard how good Polk is...Reg told me...I don't doubt that....but I also believe if Drejaj gets the start it would boost his confidence and give him more responsibility....that he'd play better down the stretch.....Plus I heard that in practice Drejaj did very well against Polk......... Some players...(I learned this summer, from coaching my brother's team in a local tournament)play better when they start and others play well off the bench....I would just like to see what happens in a game for Drejaj if he starts....plus he so deserves it... I'm hoping to get very good seats, especially behind the bench, that's what I'm used to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 are not always the best measure of a players ability to play the point and handle the ball against the press...especially when you compare a player like Drejaj and a player like Marquee. First off, Marquee played considerably more minutes then Drejaj has in either season and thus would be expected to have more turnovers. Secondly, turnovers are as much a function as a players aggresiveness and creativity as they are their ability to handle the ball. Player A may bring the ball up the court and never turn it over but on offense he often drives to the hole and looks to dish and make things happen. He is likely to incurr a few turnovers a game. Player B may turn the ball over a couple times a game from fullcourt pressure but once he gets into a half-court set is unagressive and settles for passing the ball around the perimiter. He will rarely incur "good" turnovers that you will occasiaonally have when you are creating easy opportunities for your teammates. Count me in the group that feels very nervous when Drejaj is manning the point and bringing the ball up the court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheltiedave Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Bills teams always have lots of questions, because we always have players playing out of position. Well, this year is a decent change from years past, because we have a good group of position players that bring skills to the table, tho more on the offensive side than the defensive half. PG Dwayne Polk has the car keys, and I am expecting 25 mpg from him. The other 17 mpg will come from a combo of Drejaj(experienced), Clark, and Brown and Reg can do it in a pinch. Polk is the first natural quality PG we have had since H Waldman. SG Reggie Bryant will be gunning for POY in CUSA. I have him pencilled in for 35 mpg. As a senior, he will be the quieter leader of this team. As much as his offense stands out, it will be his added defensive role that will be a large part in any team improvement in the postseason this year. Drejaj and Clark will be the capable backups here, with Meyer subbing a few mpg as well. Reggie will be the primary beneficiary of Polk's abilities to push the ball and create switching mismatches and gaps in the defense. SF V Newbourne(xcuse me spelling) is a quality garbageman and finisher at SF. He has the physical tools to mix it up with Cincinnati, Memphis, and Louisville. He is tagged at 11 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and tons of vocal leadership. He also has court awareness, and how to maintain spacing to not crowd Polk and Bryant. With these three starters, we have a set of skilled players who can run the floor and create matchup problems while on offense. While we have had a single player causing problems in years past, we now have three. This means no slow start this year on the offensive side. With the big men, we have Tom Frericks to bull moose many teams, IV to outbig many teams, and Ike to flash some wing moves and actually outmuscle some forwards this year. We will never have all three going in the same game, but if any two are on for the whole game, we can beat most anyone. If we get some improved rebounding out of the bigs, coupled with improved defense out of Reggie, we will be dancing with an 8 - 13 seed. It is a good season to be a Bills fan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLURadioBoy Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 I like your optimism Sheltiedave! I'd be very happy with any seed from 8-13, just as long as we're in "the dance." With this talent this year, I don't think it's out of the question to expect a run to the NCAA's this year. "Praises we sing, to you our alma mater, Praise to the white and blue. Our hymn shall ring, in tribute strong to you, We hail Saint Louis U." Official Billikens.com sponsor of Andrew Latimer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 "While we have had a single player causing problems in years past, we now have three. This means no slow start this year on the offensive side." Unfortunately, those three players haven't run much offense in practice together. Coach has been emphasizing defense this early in the year, as he does every year. I don't think we'll see the "real" Polk/Bryant/Newborne on offense until 5-6 games into the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 "I don't think we'll see the "real" Polk/Bryant/Newborne on offense until 5-6 games into the season." If that's the case, let's hope the Bills don't go 1-2 in the Paradise Jam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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