2023-2024 Roster and Schedule

[JMM28]

3 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

A quick read of the SIUC Insiders Forum suggests that our away game at Carbondale has been 'postponed/canceled' for next season.  We needed to remove an away game to allow for the three game Myrtle Beach Invite.  This would leave away games at Drake and NC State.  There is no mention on the Saluki's site as to how or when this away game would be made up.  I assume we had to make some concessions to get this game delayed, if in fact their board is correct.

Not a bad move if true. SIU is looking like they'll be fairly terrible next year. It is getting to nutcutting time for Mullins there. Can't imagine they'll be happy with a 7th or below finish in the MVC next year. 

And anytime you can avoid breathing air in Carbondale, it is a good thing. 

[wgstl]

1 hour ago, JMM28 said:

Not a bad move if true. SIU is looking like they'll be fairly terrible next year. It is getting to nutcutting time for Mullins there. Can't imagine they'll be happy with a 7th or below finish in the MVC next year. 

And anytime you can avoid breathing air in Carbondale, it is a good thing. 

depending on the last 2 spot, we could be very similar to this years team if numbers play out like they're projected. 

[VeniceMenace]

1 hour ago, wgstl said:

depending on the last 2 spot, we could be very similar to this years team if numbers play out like they're projected. 

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[wgstl]

8 minutes ago, VeniceMenace said:

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

depends on what you expect from the SLU basketball program.  some on here say win 20, some on here say make the tourney. 

[Billiken Rich]

No one thinks not making the tournament is a good thing.......it is sometimes an understandable thing......

 

[wgstl]

8 minutes ago, Billiken Rich said:

No one thinks not making the tournament is a good thing.......it is sometimes an understandable thing......

 

correct didn't say that.  I said some think you absolutely need to make the tourney, some think while that would be nice , the measuring ruler is 20 wins. 

[BilliesBy40]

19 minutes ago, wgstl said:

correct didn't say that.  I said some think you absolutely need to make the tourney, some think while that would be nice , the measuring ruler is 20 wins. 

What does 20 wins get us aside from being totally arbitrary?

[wgstl]

Just now, BilliesBy40 said:

What does 20 wins get us aside from being totally arbitrary?

That's all it means. Its a pathetic and outdated "goal" to achieve. But some people like to go off of that still for some weird reason - including our very own Chris May. 

[Billiken Rich]

1 minute ago, BilliesBy40 said:

What does 20 wins get us aside from being totally arbitrary?

It's the difference between a crappy, coach firing, season and the NCAA Tournament......

 

[wgstl]

1 minute ago, Billiken Rich said:

It's the difference between a crappy, coach firing, season and the NCAA Tournament......

 

its in between* crappy season and Tourney appearance - just sorta, nothing.  

[Billiken Rich]

23 minutes ago, wgstl said:

correct didn't say that.  I said some think you absolutely need to make the tourney, some think while that would be nice , the measuring ruler is 20 wins. 

No one said it might be nice to make the tournament.  Everyone knows that is the goal.  Twenty wins +- used to get you there.  It's still a marker for a decent not coach firing season unless you have a coach like Majerus waiting in the wings.

[Billiken Rich]

1 minute ago, wgstl said:

its in between* crappy season and Tourney appearance - just sorta, nothing.  

Now you've got it.

[johnbj14]

25 wins needs to be the expectation if we want this program to be a relevant mid-major name outside of the region. Needs to start happening, and soon. 

[wgstl]

3 minutes ago, johnbj14 said:

25 wins needs to be the expectation if we want this program to be a relevant mid-major name outside of the region. Needs to start happening, and soon. 

For me, 23 wins is the new 20.  23 wins wont get us in the Tourney, but if you're gonna miss out, that still a mark of a good season. That said, 23 wins needs to be accompanied by Tourney appearances.  Just saying oh he keeps winning 23 games is not a good measuring stick for keeping a coach. Also 23 wins means you were just a game or 2 from making the tourney.  20 means you were still decently far from making the tourney. 

[Box and Won]

16 minutes ago, BilliesBy40 said:

What does 20 wins get us aside from being totally arbitrary?

People whose college hoops knowledge is anchored in 1987 get really happy about that sort of thing.

[johnbj14]

14 minutes ago, wgstl said:

For me, 23 wins is the new 20.  23 wins wont get us in the Tourney, but if you're gonna miss out, that still a mark of a good season. That said, 23 wins needs to be accompanied by Tourney appearances.  Just saying oh he keeps winning 23 games is not a good measuring stick for keeping a coach. Also 23 wins means you were just a game or 2 from making the tourney.  20 means you were still decently far from making the tourney. 

I can get with that logic as long as it’s coming with tournament appearances. Those are really what I want more of at the end of the day. It doesn’t seem like an unreasonable ask. The fact that SLU only has 2 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 10 seasons is a really disheartening reality. 

[wgstl]

11 minutes ago, johnbj14 said:

I can get with that logic as long as it’s coming with tournament appearances. Those are really what I want more of at the end of the day. It doesn’t seem like an unreasonable ask. The fact that SLU only has 2 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 10 seasons is a really disheartening reality. 

And the only one that matters (2019) was as a 5 seed and needed to win the A10T. we're not even talking at large which is more important

[JMM28]

44 minutes ago, Box and Won said:

People whose college hoops knowledge is anchored in 1987 get really happy about that sort of thing.

It is also popular for Coaches and ADs when they put together their "Please dont fire me" lists. 

"Won 20 games 4 of the last 7 years!" 

[Taj79]

Going up a few posts to johnbj14's comment that 25 wins is the expectation to be relevant .....

.... 25 wins per season would do two or three things.  #1) Winning at that rate entrenches you in the national consciousness.  It's up there like Gonzaga, St. Mary's, San Diego State, Utah State, etc.  Not the bluebloods but the hey-look-at-me section of the map.  Yearly totals of this nature would make folks take notice.  #2) It likely means you are winning the annual A10 bucket race, which seems to be lessening year after year now to the Juan Bid level.  This is what we have all called for ---- not Top Four but winning outright.  Which we haven't done even in Ford's best year.  With better talent.  Then let the chips fall because you know the A10 Tournament will produce upsets.  It also meets Dr. Chaifetz's NYC statement of "just win baby."  Do this, and the big boys will come knocking and we are upgraded.  #3) Along the annual journey, you will hopefully have a few signature wins that will bolster your overall NET/status as March rolls around.  Therefore, 25 wins is it.

Having said that, we are light years away from doing anything close to 25 wins outside of annual cupcake schedules.  Plus, we need to upgrade the talent level as it now stands because I don't see van brussel sprout, Yao Ming, Tim Dalger or Brad Ezewiro being the parts that get us to 25 wins.  I hope I am wrong and you never know.  And, unfortunately, the future is now because we MUST start this run as soon as possible.  Ford missed his chance last year for whatever reason and all those seniors have moved on.  I believe it will be a hard road to hoe to reach 20 wins this year, let alone 25, unless we get a lot of blind/deaf/dumb schools on the schedule.  

This season is a crossroads in so many ways.  

[Cowboy II]

-why not just make your point without making fun of the name of a Billiken? 

[wgstl]

13 hours ago, Taj79 said:

Going up a few posts to johnbj14's comment that 25 wins is the expectation to be relevant .....

.... 25 wins per season would do two or three things.  #1) Winning at that rate entrenches you in the national consciousness.  It's up there like Gonzaga, St. Mary's, San Diego State, Utah State, etc.  Not the bluebloods but the hey-look-at-me section of the map.  Yearly totals of this nature would make folks take notice.  #2) It likely means you are winning the annual A10 bucket race, which seems to be lessening year after year now to the Juan Bid level.  This is what we have all called for ---- not Top Four but winning outright.  Which we haven't done even in Ford's best year.  With better talent.  Then let the chips fall because you know the A10 Tournament will produce upsets.  It also meets Dr. Chaifetz's NYC statement of "just win baby."  Do this, and the big boys will come knocking and we are upgraded.  #3) Along the annual journey, you will hopefully have a few signature wins that will bolster your overall NET/status as March rolls around.  Therefore, 25 wins is it.

Having said that, we are light years away from doing anything close to 25 wins outside of annual cupcake schedules.  Plus, we need to upgrade the talent level as it now stands because I don't see van brussel sprout, Yao Ming, Tim Dalger or Brad Ezewiro being the parts that get us to 25 wins.  I hope I am wrong and you never know.  And, unfortunately, the future is now because we MUST start this run as soon as possible.  Ford missed his chance last year for whatever reason and all those seniors have moved on.  I believe it will be a hard road to hoe to reach 20 wins this year, let alone 25, unless we get a lot of blind/deaf/dumb schools on the schedule.  

This season is a crossroads in so many ways.  

You're likely correct.  And lets say we win 20, that backs back to back years of 20 wins(D2 doesn't count), well below what the standard should be. 

 

I don't think we're a long way from taking the next step, though. We have the facilities, we have the resources, we have the donors, but is that all we have?  Do we also lack fan support to help move this along faster?  having crowds go from 8k, 9k average to 4500 right away is the fastest thing to turn heads, especially for those stuck on the 20 win thing. 

[johnbj14]

7 minutes ago, wgstl said:

You're likely correct.  And lets say we win 20, that backs back to back years of 20 wins(D2 doesn't count), well below what the standard should be. 

 

I don't think we're a long way from taking the next step, though. We have the facilities, we have the resources, we have the donors, but is that all we have?  Do we also lack fan support to help move this along faster?  having crowds go from 8k, 9k average to 4500 right away is the fastest thing to turn heads, especially for those stuck on the 20 win thing. 

Yeah the fan support thing is huge. Chaifetz holds 10K fans. In 2013-2014, the high water mark for attendance since Chaifetz opened, we averaged 8,400 fans a night. Last year we averaged about 1,800 less than that. This is not really a 1 to 1 relation, but the 6 win difference between those two groups absolutely shines through in attendance. It will be interesting to see if attendance drops off this year with less hype, but I do have a sneaking suspicion the department would be quicker to make moves if the crowds drastically shrink. 

[HoosierPal]

6 minutes ago, johnbj14 said:

Yeah the fan support thing is huge. Chaifetz holds 10K fans. In 2013-2014, the high water mark for attendance since Chaifetz opened, we averaged 8,400 fans a night. Last year we averaged about 1,800 less than that. This is not really a 1 to 1 relation, but the 6 win difference between those two groups absolutely shines through in attendance. It will be interesting to see if attendance drops off this year with less hype, but I do have a sneaking suspicion the department would be quicker to make moves if the crowds drastically shrink. 

Here is a pretty useless piece of information.  The attendance for the Boise State game is not listed on the SLU Stats page.  On the SLU Stats page, the total attendance of 120,500 is divided by 18 (which includes the Boise State game) for an average of 6,694.  If you divide by 17, the average is 7,088.  So the true average for last season is likely north of 7,000. Yeah, pretty useless information.  

[JMM28]

Does Chaifetz report tickets sold or tickets scanned? 

The asses in the seat number is the most important part when you're looking forward, not tickets sold. Season tickets are sold in June-October before results play out. If the scan rate on tickets is trending down throughout the year, it is probably a sign of apathy and a precursor to folks dropping season tickets for next year. If the scan rate is steady and walk up is solid, probably going to sell the same or more season tickets the next year.

Apathy is the most dangerous spot for a program to be in. 

[wgstl]

12 minutes ago, JMM28 said:

Does Chaifetz report tickets sold or tickets scanned? 

The asses in the seat number is the most important part when you're looking forward, not tickets sold. Season tickets are sold in June-October before results play out. If the scan rate on tickets is trending down throughout the year, it is probably a sign of apathy and a precursor to folks dropping season tickets for next year. If the scan rate is steady and walk up is solid, probably going to sell the same or more season tickets the next year.

Apathy is the most dangerous spot for a program to be in. 

Gotta be Tickets sold.  When we had that "sellout" vs VCU there was maybe 8500 there.