Coach on the Radio

[Cowboy II]

-I wonder if Rammer gets taken to the woodshed over spilling the reason Yuri didn't play in that UNI game? 

-where was Rammer in the second half on Monday? Earl was sitting there by himself

[Billiken Rich]

3 hours ago, Cowboy II said:

-I wonder if Rammer gets taken to the woodshed over spilling the reason Yuri didn't play in that UNI game? 

-where was Rammer in the second half on Monday? Earl was sitting there by himself

I think there was a Lindenwood field hockey game he had to cover 

[wgstl]

3 hours ago, Cowboy II said:

-where was Rammer in the second half on Monday? Earl was sitting there by himself

He was sitting next to me in the first half. 

[RUBillsFan]

19 hours ago, dlarry said:

The Ramey thing is very interesting. 
The NIT thing is kind of a bummer to hear. 
Oh well. All’s well that ends well. 

Ramey thing is interesting, but I don't take Rammer's words as meaning Ramey to SLU was a sure thing.  I take as SLU was going to go after Ramey & Ramey was receptive until Yuri came back.

NIT thing is definitely a bummer & explains the team's lackluster performance in that game even after accounting for Yuri not playing.  IMO a deep NIT run would've paid dividends this season.

[HoosierPal]

On 10/26/2022 at 8:35 PM, WVBilliken said:

No way they average 85 points a game.  Other teams will slow games down to keep score close.

The highest team average in the past 30 years was the 93-94 Highmark-Claggett-Waldman-Dobbs first round NCAA team which averaged 80.6 ppg.  Yeah, it's a stretch to get to 85 ppg. 

[Gremio14]

On 10/27/2022 at 2:20 PM, RUBillsFan said:

Ramey thing is interesting, but I don't take Rammer's words as meaning Ramey to SLU was a sure thing.  I take as SLU was going to go after Ramey & Ramey was receptive until Yuri came back.

NIT thing is definitely a bummer & explains the team's lackluster performance in that game even after accounting for Yuri not playing.  IMO a deep NIT run would've paid dividends this season.

Ramey was 100% committed to SLU.  He initiated the dialogue.  Only one stipulation:  He had to play the point.  Yuri decided to return. Ramey said “adios.”      This is not.a secret.  SLU staff talks about it openly now.   The larger concern is Yuri still does not have a lucrative NIL deal.

[almaman]

where did he end up, W4it,

Lindenwood?

[dlarry]

7 hours ago, Gremio14 said:

Ramey was 100% committed to SLU.  He initiated the dialogue.  Only one stipulation:  He had to play the point.  Yuri decided to return. Ramey said “adios.”      This is not.a secret.  SLU staff talks about it openly now.   The larger concern is Yuri still does not have a lucrative NIL deal.

I thought Yuri stayed because he got an NIL deal??

I would also like clarification on how that’s a larger concern. Not being an ass genuinely ly curious how that’s a big problem if he’s here and playing. 
 

I guess if he felt lied to or misled it can affect future Billikens?

[CBFan]

7 hours ago, Gremio14 said:

Ramey was 100% committed to SLU.  He initiated the dialogue.  Only one stipulation:  He had to play the point.  Yuri decided to return. Ramey said “adios.”      This is not.a secret.  SLU staff talks about it openly now.   The larger concern is Yuri still does not have a lucrative NIL deal.

Thank you for the information it is interesting.

I never thought Yuri was coming back next season because of the NIL money.

Like a soon to be pro free agent Yuri will have a great season and a huge payday coming from a big school that needs an experienced play maker in Yuri’s last season.

We must also be concerned about Jimerson next season.

[AnkielBreakers]

6 minutes ago, CBFan said:

Thank you for the information it is interesting.

I never thought Yuri was coming back next season because of the NIL money.

Like a soon to be pro free agent Yuri will have a great season and a huge payday coming from a big school that needs an experienced play maker in Yuri’s last season.

We must also be concerned about Jimerson next season.

We just gotta win the whole _________ thing.

[CBFan]

10 hours ago, AnkielBreakers said:

We just gotta win the whole _________ thing.

You bet we do and this team if it stays healthy will get it done.

Adding Pickett, Perkins, Parker, and Forrester to the core of Okoro, Jimerson, Collins, Thatch, and Hargrove is reload of what was lost last season and an improvement.  Lots of talent with experience.

[Gremio14]

12 hours ago, dlarry said:

I thought Yuri stayed because he got an NIL deal??

I would also like clarification on how that’s a larger concern. Not being an ass genuinely ly curious how that’s a big problem if he’s here and playing. 
 

I guess if he felt lied to or misled it can affect future Billikens?

My understanding is the main reason Yuri returned is that he had a long heart to heart with SLU staff.  Talked about how much SLU and St. Louis mean to Yuri, and about how much Yuri means to SLU, etc.  Yuri is a true St. Louis kid.  

Secondary reason for retuning when he did is that he was aware of Ramey’s desire (and he saw what happened to Nesbitt when JN made the NBA play, wanted to return, and discovered Javon P had occupied his spot.)  

I don’t know what sort of NIL deal with Yuri was discussed (if any.). The concern is future recruits.  Opposing coaches would go down the route: “hey, SLU might be a great place to play, with a good vibe and a cool staff; but they can’t get you any NIL funding….”

[Taj79]

I still have the opinion that NIL is a ticking time bomb.  As @Pistolsays 'welcome to the wild, wild west.'  There has to be some sort of governing requirement put into place or it's all just pay for play.  I have no problem with Bryce Young being in Heisman House commercials, he's earned that.  But giving a kid $200k just to transfer seems totally illegal.  Or at least against some sort of rule(s).  

Given the current situation, guys like Collins and Jimerson and Parker should all be gone come next year.  I think those fears are warranted.

[dlarry]

1 hour ago, Gremio14 said:

My understanding is the main reason Yuri returned is that he had a long heart to heart with SLU staff.  Talked about how much SLU and St. Louis mean to Yuri, and about how much Yuri means to SLU, etc.  Yuri is a true St. Louis kid.  

Secondary reason for retuning when he did is that he was aware of Ramey’s desire (and he saw what happened to Nesbitt when JN made the NBA play, wanted to return, and discovered Javon P had occupied his spot.)  

I don’t know what sort of NIL deal with Yuri was discussed (if any.). The concern is future recruits.  Opposing coaches would go down the route: “hey, SLU might be a great place to play, with a good vibe and a cool staff; but they can’t get you any NIL funding….”

Thanks for the information!

[HoosierPal]

Coach, on KMOX Sports on a Sunday Morning, Oct 30

Not pleased with the D in the UMSL game.  Thinks they can be really good defensively, but not intense enough against UMSL.  Offense was okay.  Parker came in and was hot early.  He gave great energy off the bench.  We know he can score.  We are asking him to defend, and he is working hard on it daily.  He would start on a lot of teams.  Gibson, Javonte, and Parker, three of the best scorers in the country.

Perkins still impaired with ankle injury.  Hopes to be closer to 100% come Monday.  The knee injury was pretty serious, more than many ACL's.  Knee is close to 100% physically, but the mental end isn't there yet.  The ankle injury and 10 days off gave Perkins time to rest his knee.  By mid-Dec, hope he is back to form.

We know Yuri will lead on both ends of the court.  He gets guys in the right spots.  Loves Forrester's physicality, but have to get rid of some of his silly fouls.  Pickett does a little bit of everything to help out.

Leading rebounder against UMSL was Parker.  Last year was one of the few years we haven't lead the A10 in boards.  Have to get the big guys to rebound at a higher level.  Rebounding should be on the bigs resume's.  Doesn't mean everyone else shouldn't be chipping in, but the bigs need to elevate their rebounding.

 Murray State will be a good test.  They lost a bunch from last year, but they have a great history.   Thinks this is one of the top 5's opening games in the country. We will be tested every night in OOC.  Most of the OOC teams are picked first or second in their league, or a P5. 

What do we have to do to get into the NCAA.....win.  Take care of business and win games.  Schedule can help us get there, but we have to win. 

Expand the tourney?  Ford is for it.  Most coaches want to expand as it gives more kids opportunities to be part of the tourney.  There is no right or wrong opinions on this.  Lot of media say coaches want it as job security.  Ford, that has nothing to do with it.  Teams will still be left out. 

(No mention of the Bradley scrimmage held Saturday.)

[bauman]

While this isn't exactly correct under this heading, I just watched Coach Ford on TV on Ch 5, Sports Plus with Frank C.  A couple of points, he is hoping Perkins is 100% by Dec, but won't be there when we start the season-maybe 70-75 % now.

One really interesting tidbit, he said they had a 3 pt shooting contest and the result wasn't even close with Gibson  way ahead of the others.  He mentioned that Parker can not only shoot the 3 but is also able to score inside the arc.

Finally, he said that he can see this as his last job.  He said their family loves St Louis and that it is considered home for his children.

[gobillsgo]

6 hours ago, bauman said:

While this isn't exactly correct under this heading, I just watched Coach Ford on TV on Ch 5, Sports Plus with Frank C.  A couple of points, he is hoping Perkins is 100% by Dec, but won't be there when we start the season-maybe 70-75 % now.

One really interesting tidbit, he said they had a 3 pt shooting contest and the result wasn't even close with Gibson  way ahead of the others.  He mentioned that Parker can not only shoot the 3 but is also able to score inside the arc.

Finally, he said that he can see this as his last job.  He said their family loves St Louis and that it is considered home for his children.

I’ve said it before, but I really only see one job Ford would leave for. And I don’t see Coach Cal leaving any time soon. 

[cheeseman]

19 minutes ago, gobillsgo said:

I’ve said it before, but I really only see one job Ford would leave for. And I don’t see Coach Cal leaving any time soon. 

He is not going anywhere - money is not an issue  he has enough and yes I know when is enough a enough and who wants that kind of pressure when you don't need it.  Now if he thinks he can't win here for whatever the reason then all bets are off.

[bauman]

With the great facilities he has for the BB program, coupled with the annual local talent to draw from, I think he will be here a long time.  I hope he can fix the one issue I see at this time,  getting the TOP local STL kids to join the program.  The last couple of classes are not going to keep us in the NCAA picture.  There has not been a Yuri, or Perkins or Goodwin (or even a Gordon) in the last few years deciding to join the Bills. (While Nesbitt seemed to be in that category, it turns out that the hype was better than the actual)

[Compton]

19 minutes ago, bauman said:

With the great facilities he has for the BB program, coupled with the annual local talent to draw from, I think he will be here a long time.  I hope he can fix the one issue I see at this time,  getting the TOP local STL kids to join the program.  The last couple of classes are not going to keep us in the NCAA picture.  There has not been a Yuri, or Perkins or Goodwin (or even a Gordon) in the last few years deciding to join the Bills. (While Nesbitt seemed to be in that category, it turns out that the hype was better than the actual)

The absolute TOP guys you're referring to went to UNC (Caleb Love), Kentucky (Cam'ron Fletcher), Texas (Courtner Ramey), and Ohio State (EJ Liddell). Coach has great facilities and support, but they don't compare to those absolutely elite, national programs with booster money to burn (especially as we enter the NIL era). Also, a few near the top chose Mizzou (Pickett, Tilmon, Watson, McKinney, Keita), but you can't expect every 17-18 year old to have good judgment (fortunately Pickett has come around). Goodwin, Gordon ,Yuri, and Nesbitt were all Top 3 in Mo. Hargrove and Hughes were Top 6 in Ill. and Mo respectively.

Are there specific area guys in the 2021 or 2022 classes that you think we should have gone for or gotten?

 

[slu72]

1 hour ago, Compton said:

The absolute TOP guys you're referring to went to UNC (Caleb Love), Kentucky (Cam'ron Fletcher), Texas (Courtner Ramey), and Ohio State (EJ Liddell). Coach has great facilities and support, but they don't compare to those absolutely elite, national programs with booster money to burn (especially as we enter the NIL era). Also, a few near the top chose Mizzou (Pickett, Tilmon, Watson, McKinney, Keita), but you can't expect every 17-18 year old to have good judgment (fortunately Pickett has come around). Goodwin, Gordon ,Yuri, and Nesbitt were all Top 3 in Mo. Hargrove and Hughes were Top 6 in Ill. and Mo respectively.

Are there specific area guys in the 2021 or 2022 classes that you think we should have gone for or gotten?

 

College Hoops really exploded onto the national scene in a big way once they expanded the tournament in the early 80s along with the expansion of cable TV sports programming. Prior to this expansion, SLU did pretty good with local kids, especially in the 50s thru 60s, even though we lost some good locals along the way. Jo Jo White comes to mind. This explosion of national attention caused some schools to capture the attention of local stars. Which leads us to today's recruiting scene and why getting the cream of the local crop won't get any easier. Now, if Travis were to stay and turn us into a mini Zaga, ie every year trips to the dance at a minimum, and we somehow get in the Beast local recruiting should improve. Enough to compete with the royalty of college hoops? Highly unlikely unless we are offering killer NIL deals. Still, St Louis area kids that fall into the top 100-150 range should be recruitable and keep us very competitive. 

[gobillsgo]

4 hours ago, cheeseman said:

He is not going anywhere - money is not an issue  he has enough and yes I know when is enough a enough and who wants that kind of pressure when you don't need it.  Now if he thinks he can't win here for whatever the reason then all bets are off.

You really don’t think he’d leave for Kentucky?  Won’t happen so not really worth arguing about, but I’m pretty sure he’d go to Kentucky. That’s really the only job I’m almost certain he’d take if offered. 

[AnkielBreakers]

7 minutes ago, gobillsgo said:

You really don’t think he’d leave for Kentucky?  Won’t happen so not really worth arguing about, but I’m pretty sure he’d go to Kentucky. That’s really the only job I’m almost certain he’d take if offered. 

Who wants to be the next Billie Gillespie? That guy is really adored by Big Blue Nation. I am sure T. Ford wants to put his name in that light.

People lose sight of reality when their name is called, and they get a recruiting pitch, but right now, I think he has a more balanced feel for what he expects or wants from himself.

[willie]

30 minutes ago, gobillsgo said:

You really don’t think he’d leave for Kentucky?  Won’t happen so not really worth arguing about, but I’m pretty sure he’d go to Kentucky. That’s really the only job I’m almost certain he’d take if offered. 

Don't take this as a slam on Travis ,because it's not but why would Kentucky want a Travis Ford? What in his resume suggest that one of the top programs in the country would come calling? 

[Taj79]

I don't think Travis would excite the faithful as he would need to.  While he is a son of the commonwealth and a former player, as willie says, what would his current resume show?  I can see UK keeping it all in the family (yes Travis has that block checked) ala Duke with replacing Coach K with Scheyer.  But what UK former folks are out there AND are successful as well?  Frankly, there i snot a lot out there. and two, Masiello at Manhatten and McCarty at Evansville, are now unemployed.  Still, they likely would not move the Big Blue needle or fan base.  Dwayne Casey is a pro coach.  There seems to be nothing out there quite sexy enough to replace Calipari right now.

So then you'd have to turn to big national names ala Calipari.  I don't see Self, Few, or Coach K walking in the door.  I don't think Calipari is necessarily in trouble but the pickings for UK seem slim.

I read a 2018 article on the options and while Travis was mentioned, it was after three or so seasons at the SLU helm.  He hasn't really 'pumped' up his resume much since then.  I, for one, hope he stays contented here.