2023 Offseason - Coaching Discussion Thread

[slu92]

If you criticize Ford or May’s job performance over last 7 years (Ford) 9 years (May I know has been there longer) 1/9 years NCAA appearances, you are trying to sabotage the program? That’s ridiculous and just as based in reality as thinking next year, year 8, is going to be any different than the first 7. It’s not. I’m still buying my season tickets and I will bet a year for now we will have a new AD and head coach. That’s a guess based on track record over last decade, not some random fan trying to destroy what’s left of this mbb program. Lol 

[billikenfan05]

42 minutes ago, VeniceMenace said:

Yes, have noticed that repeatedly….focus on facts, back it up with numbers, don’t even mention the coach and you’ll be branded a “fort hater”

Sh!t, at this point I'm not even mad at Ford, don't change a thing, finish ahead of the trash but behind Dayton & VCU, sit back count your money. The people moving the expectation goalposts are the ones who should be drawing our ire.

[DOC]

So you guys are saying that there aren't a handful of people who repeat virtually the same negative post over and over in multiple threads? My responses are aimed only at them.  

[slu92]

2 minutes ago, DOC said:

So you guys are saying that there aren't a handful of people who repeat virtually the same negative post over and over in multiple threads? My responses are aimed only at them.  

How noble of you defending everyone and the integrity of posting to a fan board. What a hero. Go to another thread if you don’t want to discuss head coach. Seriously. However I want to make you happy so here we go DOC! Travis Ford is awesome, Chris May should run the Golden State Warriors, we are so lucky and grateful to have such rock stars, no superstar titans of college athletics. They need a raise, better yet lifetime contracts! Maybe schedule more games vs Rockhurst, D2’s next year and we can get to 24/25 wins. Anyone not agreeing on wanting the bar raised we can dismiss, call them a troll and kick them out! Love it or leave it baby! Hope that made your night and I look forward to your snarky but sort of cute comeback post. Good evening. 

[billikenfan05]

9 minutes ago, DOC said:

So you guys are saying that there aren't a handful of people who repeat virtually the same negative post over and over in multiple threads? My responses are aimed only at them.  

All I'm seeing is people having a good conversation about Billiken Basketball, what the expectations of the program were at the time of Ford's hiring against what has happened the last 7 years, and the response by Chris May and Fred Pestello to those 7 seasons. It's important, as Billiken fans to discuss whether or not whether or not we're wasting our time expecting this program to progress upward if the administration is okay with the results of this past season. If you're just hear to yell at someone, the weather is beautiful in St. Louis right now.

[wgstl]

This thread is hilariously entertaining. 
 

really need a transfer locked up to give us something else to talk about 

[gobillsgo]

6 hours ago, BIG BILL FAN said:

Great, I’ll be looking forward to those updates on Ford signed jerseys at trivia nights…

You’ve added nothing of value to this board whatsoever over the past three weeks… give me the Ford signed jersey updates any day over another “yOu FoRd HaTeRz R eMbArRaSsInG yOuRsElVeS” post. 

[Billfan7]

6 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

This is right. Pressure not only needs to be placed on Travis, but Freddy and Chris as well. Keep posting well thought out content.

Most of us are just MBMs.  However,  you have a platform and microphone.  Should we expect a podcast or podcasts devoted to putting pressure on them?  

[Soderball]

It's amazing to me, watching people defend a program with a 10,000 seat on campus arena, a coming basketball palace with private chefs, and a 2.4m per year coach, that can't even make the NIT.

Only SLU would ever put up with this level of failure. We are truly cursed as a fanbase and a program. The revilement of what is happening here should be universal. This is now a sub-100 program. We are worse than Oral Roberts and Liberty. The Pope should excommunicate SLU for this miserable output.

 

[Schasz]

6 minutes ago, Soderball said:

It's amazing to me, watching people defend a program with a 10,000 seat on campus arena, a coming basketball palace with private chefs, and a 2.4m per year coach, that can't even make the NIT.

Only SLU would ever put up with this level of failure. We are truly cursed as a fanbase and a program. The revilement of what is happening here should be universal. This is now a sub-100 program. We are worse than Oral Roberts and Liberty. The Pope should excommunicate SLU for this miserable output.

 

Soderball...maybe Pope Francis should take your suggestion. SLU no longer has a Jesuit running SLU, and if they did one would think they would not have put up with being sub 100 program. 

[BrettJollyComedyHour]

52 minutes ago, gobillsgo said:

You’ve added nothing of value to this board whatsoever over the past three weeks… give me the Ford signed jersey updates any day over another “yOu FoRd HaTeRz R eMbArRaSsInG yOuRsElVeS” post. 

What's funny is I added that to display the lack of fan/donor/parent/student interest in bidding (for a good cause) on an item signed by our head coach. The fact it had almost no takers and went for such a low price illustrates the fan temperature right now. Fans should want to buy memorabilia from the head coach!

 

Edit: *signed by the head coach

Now I have an image of Travis Ford selling his old Kentucky jock straps out of his car.

Edited March 27, 2023 by BrettJollyComedyHour

[Compton]

28 minutes ago, Soderball said:

This is now a sub-100 program.

Is that a preseason projection for next season's team? For 2022-23 we were Top 100 and SLU's rankings over the last 3-5 years don't indicate "sub-100 program".

KenPom - 96

NET - 99

RPI - 53

Sagarin - 84

And from the last few years:

KenPom: 106, 68, 53, 62, 96

NET: 52, 66, 99

RPI: 110, 61, 53

[DOC]

2 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

All I'm seeing is people having a good conversation about Billiken Basketball, what the expectations of the program were at the time of Ford's hiring against what has happened the last 7 years, and the response by Chris May and Fred Pestello to those 7 seasons. It's important, as Billiken fans to discuss whether or not whether or not we're wasting our time expecting this program to progress upward if the administration is okay with the results of this past season. If you're just hear to yell at someone, the weather is beautiful in St. Louis right now.

All you’re seeing is what you want to see. Yelling? You’re the one screaming in caps. We’ve been talking about everything you mentioned for a month non-stop. 

[billikenfan05]

.

[billikenfan05]

7 minutes ago, DOC said:

All you’re seeing is what you want to see. Yelling? You’re the one screaming in caps. We’ve been talking about everything you mentioned for a month non-stop. 

It's not yelling, It's emphasizing words. IF I WAS YELLING I'D CAPITALIZE EVERY WORD.

Yes it's a message board, where conversation takes place. Why even open this thread, if you know it's the same thing over and over? Seems like something you could easily avoid.

[BIG BILL FAN]

7 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

It's not yelling, It's emphasizing words. IF I WAS YELLING I'D CAPITALIZE EVERY WORD.

Yes it's a message board, where conversation takes place. Why even open this thread, if you know it's the same thing over and over? Seems like something you could easily avoid.

Ok, here’s a question for you, what would you tell a potential recruit or transfer who is considering playing for SLU and Travis Ford next season? Looking forward to the answer from our “fans”. 

[SLU_Nick]

19 minutes ago, BIG BILL FAN said:

Ok, here’s a question for you, what would you tell a potential recruit or transfer who is considering playing for SLU and Travis Ford next season? Looking forward to the answer from our “fans”. 

I’ll give this a go.

”Hi (recruit’s name), we have a very passionate fan base that demands success and we have top notch facilities to help you realize success and for the team to become a top 50 program in the country.  Unfortunately last year, our season was disappointing mainly due to me hitching our wagon to one of the more overrated point guards in ncaa history, but he’s gone now so now our team defense won’t be bottom 250 in the country, sign here.”

 

[SLUDrew]

46 minutes ago, BIG BILL FAN said:

Ok, here’s a question for you, what would you tell a potential recruit or transfer who is considering playing for SLU and Travis Ford next season? Looking forward to the answer from our “fans”. 

I'd have a hard time selling it right now as I don't believe our head coach is the guy to turn this thing around. The better question is what would you tell him as a person who believes Ford IS the guy?

I would like to tout recent success, direction of the program, league opponents, being the only basketball show in a metro area of nearly 3 million, etc. Right now the best you can do are facilities (although if you are recruiting against a P5/P6 program for a kid this won't move the needle significantly) and minutes. The best thing Ford going has for him right now is available minutes, which is of course, no small matter. 

[billiken_roy]

the best thing ford has going for him imo is that he now longer is married to yuri collins.   collins was a good point guard.   probably one of the 3 or 4 best in billiken history.  but somehow it was believed he was the end all of the team this season.   he had moments where he lived up to it, but the majority of the time when he tried to do more than just be a very good point guard, he failed and took the team down.   i believe it cost us at least 5 games.  

i would not have wanted to play this past season without yuri collins.   however i wish Ford had stepped up and created a different focus on each game and not tried to make him the man that the game depended on and just had him play point guard.  

i believe next year will be better even though it appears the well is dry.  while i have never been a fan of Ford's practice and game coachng as well as player development, i still believe he is the best recruiter the billikens have ever had and am hoping that the money for NiL will be sufficient to find success bringing in maybe 3 starters to meld with Young Hughes and one of the other returnees to put a team on the floor as good as last year talentwise and hopefully a better "team" than last year.  

[billikenfan05]

1 hour ago, SLU_Nick said:

I’ll give this a go.

”Hi (recruit’s name), we have a very passionate fan base that demands success and we have top notch facilities to help you realize success and for the team to become a top 50 program in the country.  Unfortunately last year, our season was disappointing mainly due to me hitching our wagon to one of the more overrated point guards in ncaa history, but he’s gone now so now our team defense won’t be bottom 250 in the country, sign here.”

 

We covered this on today's show. Every basketball player who has put in the work to go to play good D1 basketball thinks he's the guy that can make a difference, players don't care that those who came before him failed to live up to the hype, they are the guy that's going to do it.

[ACE]

1 hour ago, BIG BILL FAN said:

Ok, here’s a question for you, what would you tell a potential recruit or transfer who is considering playing for SLU and Travis Ford next season? Looking forward to the answer from our “fans”. 

"I helped put Jordan Goodwin into the NBA - a tough blue collar player who was willing to work, also did it previously with Marcus Smart, I helped develop Yuri Collins (not a national recruit) into a PG who led the country in assists two years in a row and was a Cousy Award finalist and a player good enough that a program like TN was willing to throw a bunch of money at (before you scoff, both Medlay and the Hunter kid each mentioned Yuri), helped developed Gibby into a more well rounded player, had some success with some P6 transfers Bess, Foreman, Okoro, Pickett, success with local recruits, juco recruits, grad transfers (Isabell) and East Coast recruits. Inherited a dumpster fire, got the team in the Big Dance in year 3, and two Top 50 teams the following two seasons. With free agency, we can turn it around quicker, I have playing time and NIL money to offer."

Before a few folks potentially fly off the handle, I have been on the record as saying Ford is rightfully on the hot seat, but I think some very real bad luck (not excuses) is why he does not have at least a couple of more NCAA Tourney bids to his credit. How I think he saves his job? Do exactly what he did when he started here - land quality transfers Bess, Foreman, Henriquez, Graves (this time they would be immediately eligible) then follow it up in the fall landing a couple of impact high school players like he did when he got French and Goodwin. That's a tall order, but he has done it before.

[TheA_Bomb]

As ACE says there's a lot going for SLU that we can sell.  That is what makes some of this maddening.  The right mix of players that play team basketball can win. 

[gabriel]

1. I'm curious on what the perfect scenario for the 'Fire Travis' contingent is?

2. Is there a single realistic candidate out there that right now that would be a smart business decision to get rid of travis right now and give him his massive buyout?

After seeing Providence settle for Kim English, it gave me a whole different perspective on what coaches are out there for this year. 

[ACE]

1 hour ago, TheA_Bomb said:

As ACE says there's a lot going for SLU that we can sell.  That is what makes some of this maddening.  The right mix of players that play team basketball can win. 

They had the right mix of players in 2020-21. They cracked the Top 25 and then Covid hit.

The roster consisted of 5 guards: Yuri, JGood, Jimmer, Jacobs and Russell (walk on). Check out that guard depth compared to this year's. Our walk-on this year was the 3rd guard as opposed to the 5th guard like it was a couple of years ago, which highlights the lack of guard depth I was complaining about prior to the season.

Wings: Perk, Hargrove, Thatch

Bigs: French, Linnsen and Bell 

That team was going to the Dance. You had defense, rebounding, ballhandling, shooting - a nice blend of bully ball and skill.

[JettFlight5]

6 minutes ago, ACE said:

They had the right mix of players in 2020-21. They cracked the Top 25 and then Covid hit.

The roster consisted of 5 guards: Yuri, JGood, Jimmer, Jacobs and Russell (walk on). Check out that guard depth compared to this year's. Our walk-on this year was the 3rd guard as opposed to the 5th guard like it was a couple of years ago, which highlights the lack of guard depth I was complaining about prior to the season.

Wings: Perk, Hargrove, Thatch

Bigs: French, Linnsen and Bell 

That team was going to the Dance. You had defense, rebounding, ballhandling, shooting - a nice blend of bully ball and skill.

That was a good team...I still have trouble with the LaSalle loss that year.