2024-25 Roster

[HoosierPal]

31 minutes ago, brianstl said:

I really think with the way this appears to being going down for Connor Turnbull that there have to be questions about his elbow’s status.  

Yep. You got it.  Everyone else is guessing.

 

Turnbull averaged 4.1 points and 2.2 rebounds on 11.6 minutes per game this season, but missed most of it due to an elbow injury. The sophomore big-man will look for a new home after two years with Butler, but may have to continue to nurse back his elbow injury to full health before appearing next year with whichever team he chooses to join.

[ACE]

12 hours ago, cgeldmacher said:

Why would we invite Turnbull to come to campus, give him a tour, and then tell him we are not interested?  That makes no sense.  I know everyone wants to think we can do no wrong right now, but I have to think he turned us down.

Conversely, Turnbull could have been the one who initiated it. He wouldn't have shown up to the meeting if he didn't have some interest in SLU. Maybe the current staff didn't know much about him and wanted to get to know him? There could have been many reasons that either side decided it wasn't  a good fit. Maybe SLU wanted him to wait a bit as they were exploring other bigs. We don't know that he turned us down and we also don't know that he moved on from us.

It doesn't hurt to meet and get to know kids in the era of free agency. Maybe he goes to a place like Evansville, has a productive season and then decides to go to SLU for his final season.

[ACE]

So if Dotzler and Casey sign as predicted, that still leaves 4 more spots available. 

I still hope we find a starting PG and starting 4 in the portal, and then two more HS kids would make sense with the last two spots.

So the starting lineup would look something like this...

5 - Avila

4 - Not yet signed

3- Gibby

2 - Swope

1 - Not yet signed

 BENCH

1 - Casey (first big off the bench)

2 - Dotzler (first guard off the bench)

3- Thames (wing)

4 - Hughes

* Then the last four spots in the rotation with HS kids (Pikaar, McCottry + two more) - hopefully one or two of them is good enough to crack the rotation and be a contributor. It's always good to have real competition for PT.

It's fun watching the roster take shape.

[Zink]

6 minutes ago, ACE said:

So if Dotzler and Casey sign as predicted, that still leaves 4 more spots available. 

I still hope we find a starting PG and starting 4 in the portal, and then two more HS kids would make sense with the last two spots.

So the starting lineup would look something like this...

5 - Avila

4 - Not yet signed

3- Gibby

2 - Swope

1 - Not yet signed

 BENCH

1 - Casey (first big off the bench)

2 - Dotzler (first guard off the bench)

3- Thames (wing)

4 - Hughes

* Then the last four spots with HS kids - hopefully one or two of them is good enough to crack the rotation and be a contributor. It's always good to have real competition for PT.

It's fun watching the roster take shape.

I'd put Thames over Dotzler tbh - I think Thames could make a leap this year. He is an athletic freak who figured out his shot.

Plus, he was a 1 in HS and has solid court vision, so I think he'll fit the pass and move offense incredibly well and really break out. His trouble has been that he doesn't really have the ball-handling to go with his vision, but I think that the more ball movement pass & cut oriented way that Schertz's team runs (versus dribble-drive) will be to his benefit.

[cgeldmacher]

4 minutes ago, Zink said:

I'd put Thames over Dotzler tbh - I think Thames could make a leap this year. He is an athletic freak who figured out his shot.

Plus, he was a 1 in HS and has solid court vision, so I think he'll fit the pass and move offense incredibly well and really break out. His trouble has been that he doesn't really have the ball-handling to go with his vision, but I think that the more ball movement pass & cut oriented way that Schertz's team runs (versus dribble-drive) will be to his benefit.

Toward the end of last season, Thames showed an ability to drive into the lane and then pull up over a big to hit a ten foot shot.  I hope Schertz sees that when reviewing film and encourages that aspect of his game.  If so, and if he improves his three point shooting, I think Thames could have a big breakout season.

[cgeldmacher]

4 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

 

You ever ask a girl out on a date and then realized that it wasn't going to work out during the date?

Yes.  Usually when the girl excused herself to go to the bathroom and then didn't come back.  So, I totally see what you are saying.

[SLUMedBilliken15]

8 minutes ago, cgeldmacher said:

Toward the end of last season, Thames showed an ability to drive into the lane and then pull up over a big to hit a ten foot shot.  I hope Schertz sees that when reviewing film and encourages that aspect of his game.  If so, and if he improves his three point shooting, I think Thames could have a big breakout season.

I agree, except it doesn't sound like Schertz encourages 10 foot shots.

[RUBillsFan]

4 hours ago, cgeldmacher said:

Toward the end of last season, Thames showed an ability to drive into the lane and then pull up over a big to hit a ten foot shot.  I hope Schertz sees that when reviewing film and encourages that aspect of his game.  If so, and if he improves his three point shooting, I think Thames could have a big breakout season.

I highly doubt Josh Schertz is going to encourage guys to shoot mid-range jumpers.

For reference, this is Indiana State's shot chart vs Utah in the NIT semi-finals: 

[wgstl]

55 minutes ago, Zink said:

I'd put Thames over Dotzler tbh - I think Thames could make a leap this year. He is an athletic freak who figured out his shot.

Plus, he was a 1 in HS and has solid court vision, so I think he'll fit the pass and move offense incredibly well and really break out. His trouble has been that he doesn't really have the ball-handling to go with his vision, but I think that the more ball movement pass & cut oriented way that Schertz's team runs (versus dribble-drive) will be to his benefit.

Just a side note, CU fans were bummed Josiah was leaving, they felt he was next to help lead the team. 

[Zink]

Just now, wgstl said:

Just a side note, CU fans were bummed Josiah was leaving, they felt he was next to help lead the team. 

Yeah, I'd just tend to value on-court performance more than fan hype... Josiah hasn't done anything as a college hoops player. he could become a stud. He could wash out. Just way harder to count on versus someone like Thames who has shown us that he can be an above-average player even on a pretty bad team.

[wgstl]

10 minutes ago, Zink said:

Yeah, I'd just tend to value on-court performance more than fan hype... Josiah hasn't done anything as a college hoops player. he could become a stud. He could wash out. Just way harder to count on versus someone like Thames who has shown us that he can be an above-average player even on a pretty bad team.

Oh I agree. Just found it interesting as they saw at least the limited role and saw something there 

[slu72]

4 hours ago, JMM28 said:

It happens a lot more than you'd think. Guys participate in an open gym and everyone realizes "Ah he's actually not good/good fit/good attitude/whatever." Or guys come in and theres some sort of demand made for playing time, a new John Deere tractor, or a specific position that the staff doesn't line up with. Or guys come in and they themselves realize "I'm not good enough to get playing time here" and drop their interest. 

Hell, a Deere tractor would be a bargain today. 

[slu72]

2 hours ago, cgeldmacher said:

Toward the end of last season, Thames showed an ability to drive into the lane and then pull up over a big to hit a ten foot shot.  I hope Schertz sees that when reviewing film and encourages that aspect of his game.  If so, and if he improves his three point shooting, I think Thames could have a big breakout season.

Plus, didn’t Schertz coach up a couple of his starters? Or at least his system worked out well for them. 

[mrjoelabs]

2 hours ago, ACE said:

So if Dotzler and Casey sign as predicted, that still leaves 4 more spots available. 

I still hope we find a starting PG and starting 4 in the portal, and then two more HS kids would make sense with the last two spots.

So the starting lineup would look something like this...

5 - Avila

4 - Not yet signed

3- Gibby

2 - Swope

1 - Not yet signed

 BENCH

1 - Casey (first big off the bench)

2 - Dotzler (first guard off the bench)

3- Thames (wing)

4 - Hughes

* Then the last four spots with HS kids - hopefully one or two of them is good enough to crack the rotation and be a contributor. It's always good to have real competition for PT.

It's fun watching the roster take shape.

Pikaar?

[ARon]

I realize the team's performance last season might not lead someone to assume a big role for any returning player other than GJ.  But I doubt Hughes and Thames would have stayed if, after meeting with Coach Schertz, they believed they would be at the end of the bench going forward.

[Aquinas]

3 hours ago, ACE said:

So if Dotzler and Casey sign as predicted, that still leaves 4 more spots available. 

I still hope we find a starting PG and starting 4 in the portal, and then two more HS kids would make sense with the last two spots.

So the starting lineup would look something like this...

5 - Avila

4 - Not yet signed

3- Gibby

2 - Swope

1 - Not yet signed

 BENCH

1 - Casey (first big off the bench)

2 - Dotzler (first guard off the bench)

3- Thames (wing)

4 - Hughes

* Then the last four spots with HS kids - hopefully one or two of them is good enough to crack the rotation and be a contributor. It's always good to have real competition for PT.

It's fun watching the roster take shape.

McCottry?

[ACE]

13 minutes ago, Aquinas said:

McCottry?

Yes, I'm aware of McCottry and Pikaar - that's why I suggested two more freshmen with the remaining scholarships - four total. As I mention - if one or two can break into the rotation great - I just typically don't count on freshmen to make an impact. When they do, it's a nice bonus.

[ACE]

3 hours ago, ACE said:

So if Dotzler and Casey sign as predicted, that still leaves 4 more spots available. 

I still hope we find a starting PG and starting 4 in the portal, and then two more HS kids would make sense with the last two spots.

So the starting lineup would look something like this...

5 - Avila

4 - Not yet signed

3- Gibby

2 - Swope

1 - Not yet signed

 BENCH

1 - Casey (first big off the bench)

2 - Dotzler (first guard off the bench)

3- Thames (wing)

4 - Hughes

* Then the last four spots in the rotation with HS kids (Pikaar, McCottry + two more) - hopefully one or two of them is good enough to crack the rotation and be a contributor. It's always good to have real competition for PT.

It's fun watching the roster take shape.

Now that Dotzler is official - I want to follow up on this. I hope that Dotzler is not our starting guard - rather he's our first guard off the bench. Considering this is Swope and Gibby's final year, I'd like to see them surrounded with other experienced starting players at the 1 and 4 for their final college go-around. Perhaps a couple of senior transfers.

[slu72]

I’d be wary of any more FR unless they’re a game changer. They’re likely gonna sit, get ticked off, and then leave. Fill it out with experienced guys to provide cover for injuries. Find an Avila in training and he’ll likely stay because Robbie may go pro after this season. His backup will then see potential minutes in his future and likely stay. 

[wgstl]

7 minutes ago, ACE said:

Now that Dotzler is official - I want to follow up on this. I hope that Dotzler is not our starting guard - rather he's our first guard off the bench. Considering this is Swope and Gibby's final year, I'd like to see them surrounded with other experienced starting players at the 1 and 4 for their final college go-around. Perhaps a couple of senior transfers.

Agreed, but I think he's closer to being a starter than his numbers show. 

[JohnnyJumpUp]

3 hours ago, RUBillsFan said:

I highly doubt Josh Schertz is going to encourage guys to shoot mid-range jumpers.

For reference, this is Indiana State's shot shart vs Utah in the NIT semi-finals: 

You lost me at shart, damn it, now all I can think about is a towel incident 2.0...

[ACE]

10 minutes ago, wgstl said:

Agreed, but I think he's closer to being a starter than his numbers show. 

I hope so, IMO, it's asking a lot to have a guy go from being barely used this past season to getting 30 minutes a game. I'd feel better if we could find an experienced senior to hand the keys to for one year, while Dotler gets 15-17 mpg in his sophomore year, then he's ready to step up as the starter as a junior.

[cgeldmacher]

I say that our five best players should be on the floor and get most of the playing time regardless of who they are in our Elite 8 game.

[wgstl]

8 minutes ago, ACE said:

I hope so, IMO, it's asking a lot to have a guy go from being barely used this past season to getting 30 minutes a game. I'd feel better if we could find an experienced senior to hand the keys to for one year, while Dotler gets 15-17 mpg in his sophomore year, then he's ready to step up as the starter as a junior.

From looking at the list of players coach has reached out to, the one glaring common denominator is the fact that most have a few years of eligibility left.  He seems to want underclassmen more than anything.  Perhaps the search now changes after locking up dotzler, but we shall see. 

[slufan13]

I'm loving how organized the coaching staff is with the athletic department, social media, local media, etc. It's a huge change from anything we've seen and it's great.