slu72 Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Whoaa, we got some real emotion going about this upcoming season. Since UB took over this season is shrouded in more mystery than any of the previous two. His year one was a pleasant surprise, year two what we expected. This year???? Who can tell? One thing we had the last two years that is missing right now is two leaders who could play D, CS and JF. This is what concerns me the most going into this season. You can count on a rock solid Defense to keep you in most games. Every team, no matter whether it's Duke or Kansas, will experience nights when the O just ain't clicking. SLU, with the exception of RB, has no proven offensive backups. And if RB is all we have, then count on him being shoved, pulled, pushed, jammed, hammered, frustrated, and, God forbid, possibly injured with all the attention he will draw from opponents. This is why SLU needs to play exceptional nationally ranked blue collar hard nosed defense to have any shot at making the NCAA's. And they have to bring that intensity everynight just like CS and JF did. "We be Jammin in a couple of days". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 I feel that Saturday demonstrated that the Billikens' offense won't be merely a one-trick pony. Reggie Bryant isn't all SLU has. Someone will step up each game. I'm confident that Vas'shun Newborne will join Bryant as a double-figure scorer, and I think that Tom Frericks and/or Izik Ohanon might, also. Hey, Bryant was the Bills' leading scorer in only about a third of the games last year, and the Bills did well, so I think this year will be even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehms13 Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 From what I hear we have some very good scoring options this year, besides Reg. Yes Reg may be the "proven" scorer, but don't sleep on the rest of the team, just because u haven't seen their best. As far as I'm concerned I agree with Coach Brad when he says that he knows the guards will be fine. He's knows the offense will be there, he wants to focus on the defense. Defense is what SLU is known for, hopefully the added talent will make for a better team. But then if everyone opponent thinks as u do, then that will be great. They'll be sleeping on VN, DP, AD, LM, etc......and they won't see the buckets coming, because their only focus would be Reg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted November 15, 2004 Author Share Posted November 15, 2004 Yeah, Brehms, this is what I hope for to. I'd hate to see RB's senior year be one filled with hacks, double teams, hip shoves, etc. I think RB's capable of avg close to 22 ppg if he's not the focus of the other team's D. What they did to him at Charlotte last year was criminal. A couple of those defenders should have been arrested for a mugging. Not having seen the team we out of towners have to leave a lot to our imagination and the reports we get from the STL contingent. DP coming up with 13 and VN coming up with 14 sounds promising. Also, I don't get the gripe about the bigs. TF and IV combined for 19 pts and 18 rbs. We get that kind of production out of those two every game things will be OK. Of course Truman state ain't UC, UL, Charlotte, etc. But D's my real concern. You're hard pressed to find two guys more committed on the defensive side of the ball than JF and CS. They took pride in that. The guy I think we're all looking to to back up RB is IO, but so far from what I gather he's still his old inconsistent self. Brilliant for brief moments and then disappears altogether. This team's version of Matt Baniak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Roy used to rip Heinrich and Tatum. He ripped Frericks pretty good too. However depressed Roy might be, it's way too early to talk negatively about Bryce. Hell, Husak is already better than the Haley twins were at MU. I also think Ian will be terrific as our starting ccenter next year after another year of seasoning. Small, quick, hustling teams always make less mobile bigs look bad. (I'll never forget Maine coming to savvis and doing just that.) Tom and Ian will look better with bodies to bang against. Newbourne looks like a stud. IO looks like a big soft wing. All in all our bigs are servicable to good. If Polk was a sophmore I'd be dissappointed with this team not winning a game or more in the NCAA Tourney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 "This team's version of Matt Baniak." The regression of a player from the conference all-freshman team to 18 minute a game guy as a senior continues to be a riddle wrapped inside an enigma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted November 15, 2004 Author Share Posted November 15, 2004 Maybe that wasn't a fair comparison. Baniak regressed. IO has stayed the same, inconsistent. Really hope this is the year he fulfills the promise Marque saw in him when he told UB, "sign this guy." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 I note that he's pronouncing Bryce's name in the fine old-world, Eastern European fashion. I assume that's because, at the end of his four years at SLU, Bryce will be so dominant that all of America will be asking "Who's Shaq?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Didn't I read way back when that Baniak was school first and basektball second as he had aspirations academically that were not often found by a player playing D1 ball. IO is here to play basketball. If any of the years that IO has been here, this is his year to shine as I think his style is better suited for what will be our style of play this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 I looked at my wife. She looked back at me. We both just shook our heads and bit back the sort of comments we don't want our six year old to repeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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