2024-25 Roster

[Aquinas]

Schertz hired Phil Gaetano from Merrimak, a team recognized for their zone defense.  It's been called the no 3 zone or no fun zone. In any event, Shertz described Geatano as an Xs and Os servant. It makes me wonder if we will be running the no 3 zone?

[White Pelican]

1 hour ago, Dr. Holly Hills said:

I will never forget that LA Tech game last year.  Most ridiculous ending I’ve witnessed in person.  Which was preceded by a team that forced ZERO turnovers!  I’ve never even heard of that happening before.

The  guy behind me, who is a BIG Hargrove fan, bailed with about 2 minutes left during a timeout. I couldn't wait for the next game to razz him about it. He said, "yeah, we heard it all on the car radio."

I've been a season ticket holder for over 30 years and I know I've never seen an ending like that.

[thatskablamo]

6 hours ago, White Pelican said:

The  guy behind me, who is a BIG Hargrove fan, bailed with about 2 minutes left during a timeout. I couldn't wait for the next game to razz him about it. He said, "yeah, we heard it all on the car radio."

I've been a season ticket holder for over 30 years and I know I've never seen an ending like that.

Another “Brake Lights in the Parking Lot” situation from Kirk Gibson’s walk-off in ‘88. Those poor people who leave games early… 

[Crewsorlose]

17 hours ago, RUBillsFan said:

The top 3 in minutes are more than likely going to be Avila, Jimerson and Swope.  None of those 3 guys are known as defensive stalwarts.  Thames and LHJ seem to have good defensive tools, but both are coming off a season where they were rotation players for one of the worst defensive teams in the nation.  Casey didn't play a ton & Miami was 112 defensively.  Brown was 183 and Anya was one of their better defensive players based on stats.  WV was 178 and Johnson played a lot for them without great defensive stats.  He seems to have good tools with with the big wingspan.

I'm not sure that adds up to the defense being better than ISU was last season.

On defense, Schertz teams:

1. Rarely give up 2nd chance points (his ISU teams were 13th, 9th, and 6th in the nation in defensive rebounding)
2. Rarely foul a lot / give teams FTs (his ISU teams were 73rd, 162nd, and 27th in FT attempt per FG attempt)
3. Largely force teams to win playing one on one / don't give up a lot of assisted buckets (112th, 7th, and 4ht in assists per field goal allowed)

Given the make up of this SLU team I'd expect these 3 to continue.

On the down side, Schertz teams won't force a lot of TOs (310th, 235th, and 283rd in TO%) or block a lot of shots (350th, 344th, and 359th in block %).

All that adds up to a solid, but unspectacular defense.  If the D can limit good looks / hold FG% down, it will be good, if not it'll just be ok.  Since our offense should be really really good, that'll be the difference between a really good team and a great team.

I agree with most of what you're saying but Schertz realizes he's moving up in competition and athleticism and seems to be targeting athleticism to round out offensive skill. That athleticism will raise the defensive ceiling on the team. 

[TheA_Bomb]

I enjoy this dudes break film break downs 

 

Vidoe also mentions the "Barkley" backing down your man in the post. I've been thinking lately, with the focus on big guards in the 5 out, we can play "booty ball". It's a trend in the NBA with guards backing their man into the post and taking a shot. In the NBA, it's harder if they call the 5-second rule, but that doesn't exist in college. So I can foresee large guards getting some booty ball points in the A10 and vs P4, the large guards neutralize the opponent doing to us.

 

[brianstl]

Didn't want to start a new thread for this, so I will just dump it in here.

 

[billikenfan05]

1 hour ago, TheA_Bomb said:

I enjoy this dudes break film break downs 

 

Vidoe also mentions the "Barkley" backing down your man in the post. I've been thinking lately, with the focus on big guards in the 5 out, we can play "booty ball". It's a trend in the NBA with guards backing their man into the post and taking a shot. In the NBA, it's harder if they call the 5-second rule, but that doesn't exist in college. So I can foresee large guards getting some booty ball points in the A10 and vs P4, the large guards neutralize the opponent doing to us.

 

Film Room is an awesome channel. His Gap Theory video is so damn fascinating. 

[billikenfan05]

2 hours ago, brianstl said:

Didn't want to start a new thread for this, so I will just dump it in here.

 

I wish they would have started a pro women's volleyball team

 

[ACE]

On 5/13/2024 at 1:01 PM, cgeldmacher said:

Question for everyone:  Is next season's Billiken team the same, worse or better than last year's ISU team?  Please give reasons for you answer.  At this point, I'm not sure we are better than last year's ISU team on paper.  The only way we would be better is if the guys we kept and the guys we brought in perform better than they did last year now that they are in Schertz's system.

The starting lineup probably won't be as good, but the bench will be a lot better. It's very interesting to see the minutes distribution with his team last year, compared to the prior year. A BIG difference. All five starters averaged 30 plus minutes per game last year; and the 6th man Bledsen was the only notable contributor off the bench. The 7th man Wolfe barely average 10 mpg and didn't do much, everyone else was a non-factor.

Schertz was fortunate to avoid any lengthy absences from his starters. Looking at the prior year, I don't think Schertz thought that minute distribution was ideal, although it worked for that particular roster. He did it out of necessity because the starters were so far superior to the rest of the bench. 

The breakdown of minutes from 2022-23 tells a much different story. Only one player averaged more than 30 mpg (barely), two others came close. Ten players averaged at least 10 mpg and an 11th man just barely missed it, averaging 9.4 mpg across 31 games.

So my conclusion is that Schertz (thankfully) is not a Mark Schmidt who will usually run his starters into the ground. He's not afraid to play his bench if he has the depth. I expect he will play his bench more this coming season than he did last year (particularly the Kent and Julian Larry spots may each be more of a shared role)- I would predict something in between his bench usage last year and 2022-23. 

[Old guy]

I think the effect that Schertz will have upon the Bills may be like the effect Majerus had, with one major difference, Schertz is younger and is not sick like Majerus was.

[Bills By 40]

4 hours ago, ACE said:

The starting lineup probably won't be as good, but the bench will be a lot better.

Yes, the bench will be better, but I don't think the starting lineup will be any worse. Not quick to say it will be BETTER, but I see it this way:

Swope and Robbie will be better than last year, individually. A year of experience and both physical and mental maturity, not to mention Swope will be at 100% rather than playing through an injury. 

I think Gibby is as good as Conwell, at least in an offense suited to his playing style with a coach who has any measurable competency. If you look at their numbers season over season there's no reason to believe he'll be less productive. This is not a comment on their playing styles - they're different players, but a good coach like Schertz will scheme around that. 

There's no reason Kalu can't be as good a PF as Kent was, and especially considering the combination of Kalu and Casey I fully believe we'll get more production out of the 4 spot than Indiana State had last year. When you compare their stats through the same point in their career the edge is actually strongly in favor of Anya, and he did it against arguably better competition:

Kent:

 

 Anya:

Same physical attributes with a 10lb advantage for Anya. Similar playing styles. If you assume Schertz and his system was the difference, why couldn't Anya be that much better than Kent? Their per 40 numbers comparing last year apples to apples:

JK - 17.8PPG/10.69RPG/0.79APG/0.66BPG/0.92SPG/3.43FPG/1.45TOPG

KA - 14.02PPG/10.8RPG/2.48APG/1.46BPG/1.75SPG/3.07FPG/3.36TOPG

(I know per-40 numbers aren't a perfect science but play the game with me) The advantage goes to Anya in 4 of 5 counting stats, he fouls less, and while he does commit more turnovers his A/TO ratio is still better - 0.55 (JK) to 0.74 (KA). 

Then we're talking about Larry. I don't care to do the math again but look at his 2022-2023 numbers compared to Kobe's last year numbers: 

Larry:

Kobe: 

Kobe's numbers are against Big 12 competition, Larry's are against MO Valley. Draw your own conclusions 

[SLUMedBilliken15]

11 hours ago, Bills By 40 said:

Yes, the bench will be better, but I don't think the starting lineup will be any worse. Not quick to say it will be BETTER, but I see it this way:

Swope and Robbie will be better than last year, individually. A year of experience and both physical and mental maturity, not to mention Swope will be at 100% rather than playing through an injury. 

I think Gibby is as good as Conwell, at least in an offense suited to his playing style with a coach who has any measurable competency. If you look at their numbers season over season there's no reason to believe he'll be less productive. This is not a comment on their playing styles - they're different players, but a good coach like Schertz will scheme around that. 

There's no reason Kalu can't be as good a PF as Kent was, and especially considering the combination of Kalu and Casey I fully believe we'll get more production out of the 4 spot than Indiana State had last year. When you compare their stats through the same point in their career the edge is actually strongly in favor of Anya, and he did it against arguably better competition:

Kent:

 

 Anya:

Same physical attributes with a 10lb advantage for Anya. Similar playing styles. If you assume Schertz and his system was the difference, why couldn't Anya be that much better than Kent? Their per 40 numbers comparing last year apples to apples:

JK - 17.8PPG/10.69RPG/0.79APG/0.66BPG/0.92SPG/3.43FPG/1.45TOPG

KA - 14.02PPG/10.8RPG/2.48APG/1.46BPG/1.75SPG/3.07FPG/3.36TOPG

(I know per-40 numbers aren't a perfect science but play the game with me) The advantage goes to Anya in 4 of 5 counting stats, he fouls less, and while he does commit more turnovers his A/TO ratio is still better - 0.55 (JK) to 0.74 (KA). 

Then we're talking about Larry. I don't care to do the math again but look at his 2022-2023 numbers compared to Kobe's last year numbers: 

Larry:

Kobe: 

Kobe's numbers are against Big 12 competition, Larry's are against MO Valley. Draw your own conclusions 

I'm drinking this blue Kool-aid all day!

[ACE]

17 hours ago, Bills By 40 said:

Yes, the bench will be better, but I don't think the starting lineup will be any worse. Not quick to say it will be BETTER, but I see it this way:

Swope and Robbie will be better than last year, individually. A year of experience and both physical and mental maturity, not to mention Swope will be at 100% rather than playing through an injury. 

I think Gibby is as good as Conwell, at least in an offense suited to his playing style with a coach who has any measurable competency. If you look at their numbers season over season there's no reason to believe he'll be less productive. This is not a comment on their playing styles - they're different players, but a good coach like Schertz will scheme around that. 

There's no reason Kalu can't be as good a PF as Kent was, and especially considering the combination of Kalu and Casey I fully believe we'll get more production out of the 4 spot than Indiana State had last year. When you compare their stats through the same point in their career the edge is actually strongly in favor of Anya, and he did it against arguably better competition:

Kent:

 

 Anya:

Same physical attributes with a 10lb advantage for Anya. Similar playing styles. If you assume Schertz and his system was the difference, why couldn't Anya be that much better than Kent? Their per 40 numbers comparing last year apples to apples:

JK - 17.8PPG/10.69RPG/0.79APG/0.66BPG/0.92SPG/3.43FPG/1.45TOPG

KA - 14.02PPG/10.8RPG/2.48APG/1.46BPG/1.75SPG/3.07FPG/3.36TOPG

(I know per-40 numbers aren't a perfect science but play the game with me) The advantage goes to Anya in 4 of 5 counting stats, he fouls less, and while he does commit more turnovers his A/TO ratio is still better - 0.55 (JK) to 0.74 (KA). 

Then we're talking about Larry. I don't care to do the math again but look at his 2022-2023 numbers compared to Kobe's last year numbers: 

Larry:

Kobe: 

Kobe's numbers are against Big 12 competition, Larry's are against MO Valley. Draw your own conclusions 

This is a good breakdown - I agree about Kent, He really was ho-hum in his career prior to last year. I think the combo of Anya and Casey can at least equal what he did. We're fortunate to have Gibby return and I agree he should thrive in this offense, I just that Conwell is a more well-rounded player - better defensively and even chipping in with rebounding. But again, not a huge downgrade. So that leaves Johnson v. Larry. JLarry was clearly a much better player in his second year playing for Schertz. He appears to be better from 3 and a better distributor than Johnson, but again, the difference between those two may not be great. I expect Johnson to be a plus defender and very strong finisher at the rim and will help us push tempo.

[billikenfan05]

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. (no Grandy jokes)

[slu72]

I’m hoping this player development under Schertz is real. Travis did little for us in that regard. Rick’s Boys all showed progress. If Schertz is Rick Redux then we should expect Larry Jr and Thames to make a leap forward as well. I think we’d all like to see them flourish under Schertz as well as our newbies. 

[someoneelse]

9 minutes ago, slu72 said:

I’m hoping this player development under Schertz is real. Travis did little for us in that regard. Rick’s Boys all showed progress. If Schertz is Rick Redux then we should expect Larry Jr and Thames to make a leap forward as well. I think we’d all like to see them flourish under Schertz as well as our newbies. 

Player development with NIL is tricky.  You want the player to develop, but also to understand that the coach had a big hand in the development, so stick with the coach who developed you. 

I don't begrudge someone for seeking life changing wealth, but, as a fan, I'd like to see roster consistency.  

  

[billikenfan05]

22 minutes ago, slu72 said:

I’m hoping this player development under Schertz is real. Travis did little for us in that regard. Rick’s Boys all showed progress. If Schertz is Rick Redux then we should expect Larry Jr and Thames to make a leap forward as well. I think we’d all like to see them flourish under Schertz as well as our newbies. 

I would expect more from them not based on player development but Schertz having a better understanding than Ford on how to put certain guys in the right position to succeed. That's what makes him a great coach, not necessarily player development. Rick developed players sure, but he put smart and tough basketball players in positions where they could out perform their abilities. 

[Box and Won]

17 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. (no Grandy jokes)

It's always a good time for Grandy jokes, IMO.

[Bills By 40]

On 5/15/2024 at 2:28 PM, ACE said:

This is a good breakdown - I agree about Kent, He really was ho-hum in his career prior to last year. I think the combo of Anya and Casey can at least equal what he did. We're fortunate to have Gibby return and I agree he should thrive in this offense, I just that Conwell is a more well-rounded player - better defensively and even chipping in with rebounding. But again, not a huge downgrade. So that leaves Johnson v. Larry. JLarry was clearly a much better player in his second year playing for Schertz. He appears to be better from 3 and a better distributor than Johnson, but again, the difference between those two may not be great. I expect Johnson to be a plus defender and very strong finisher at the rim and will help us push tempo.

Another large factor in my argument is that there may be weight to the ISU guys' numbers being put up against Valley competition and our guys up against Ivy, A10, ACC, and Big 12 competition. It's a safe assumption to make that those guys at that level would have higher counting stats inherently.  

[Old guy]

46 minutes ago, Bills By 40 said:

Another large factor in my argument is that there may be weight to the ISU guys' numbers being put up against Valley competition and our guys up against Ivy, A10, ACC, and Big 12 competition. It's a safe assumption to make that those guys at that level would have higher counting stats inherently.  

This is correct to some extent, but not a good argument. We did not go against anyone after being eliminated during the A10 tournament. ISU played and beat every team that went against them in the  NIT, with the exception of the last game. Their team did play and win against A10, ACC,  Big 12, and similar level teams during the NIT.

[Aquinas]

I think Schertz saying that he is looking for Avila's back up, is a clear sign that plan A, is to play Casey/Anya with Avila. Avila is a nightmare to defend and requires double teams as works toward the basket. Another big cutting to the basket, gives Avila a big target and they either get a clear path or one defender to beat. 

I think Casey will emerge as the better of the two. He has legit size and athleticism. He also played with Avila before college and that likely played a role in him choosing  SLU. Avila will look for him. 

He will also help a lot defending the post. Avilas weakness is that he is slow and not athletic. Casey strengths help cover that weakness. 

In my view Schertz gets an A, for roster construction. It was painful to watch Ford bring in starters that had the same weakness. For example, Goodwin, French, Bell and Yuri all had limmited shooting range. Some improved over time but it was an uphill battle, trying to score inside, against teams, that packed in their defense and dared SLU, to take outside shots. Schertz has a plan and I thing it is for 2 bigs on the floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 5/15/2024 at 4:06 PM, billikenfan05 said:

 

[WVBilliken]

24 minutes ago, Aquinas said:

I think Schertz saying that he is looking for Avila's back up, is a clear sign that plan A, is to play Casey/Anya with Avila. Avila is a nightmare to defend and requires double teams as works toward the basket. Another big cutting to the basket, gives Avila a big target and they either get a clear path or one defender to beat. 

I think Casey will emerge as the better of the two. He has legit size and athleticism. He also played with Avila before college and that likely played a role in him choosing  SLU. Avila will look for him. 

He will also help a lot defending the post. Avilas weakness is that he is slow and not athletic. Casey strengths help cover that weakness. 

In my view Schertz gets an A, for roster construction. It was painful to watch Ford bring in starters that had the same weakness. For example, Goodwin, French, Bell and Yuri all had limmited shooting range. Some improved over time but it was an uphill battle, trying to score inside, against teams, that packed in their defense and dared SLU, to take outside shots. Schertz has a plan and I thing it is for 2 bigs on the floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's hope so.  So sick of one Big and four guards/wings .....

[Aquinas]

2024 Billikens: Updated with Kilian Brockoff. One scholarship to fill. 

Gibson Jimerson 6’5” Sr, 215, Guard Wing, 36 Min, 16 Pts, 2.9 RB, 3Pt% 36, FT% 86, 2.1 Asst, .66 Stls, Billikens-A10

Robbie Avila 6’10”240 Jr, Center, 31 Min, 17 Pts, 7 RB, 3Pt% 39m FT% 81, 4.1 Asst, .67 Stls, Indiana State– Missouri Valley,
Shertz: Makes everyone around him better.

Isaiah Swope 5’10” 170, SR, Guard, 33 Min, 16 Pts, 3 RB, 3Pt% 36, FT% 74, 2.1 Asst, 1.3 Stls, Indiana State, Schertz His quickness and shooting are at elite levels and is one of the best scorers in all of college basketball.  

Larry Hughes II 6’4” 185 Jr, Guard, 23 Min, 7 Pts, 2.7 RB, 3 Pt% 35, FT% 77, 1.5 Asst, Billikens

Kellen Thames 6’5” 205, SO, Guard, 19 Min, 6 Pts, 3.7 RB, 3 Pt% 36, FT% 55, .8 Asst, .9 Stls, 1.2 Stls, Billikens

Josiah Dotzler 6’3” 185, SO, Guard, 4Min, 1 Pts, 0 RB, 3Pt% 18, FT% 60, .2 Asst, .3 Stls, Creighton – Big East, Schertz: I recruited him out of high school.

A J Casey 6’9” 221, JR, Forward, 9 Min, 2 Pts, 2 RB, 3Pt% 0, FT% 59, .3 Asst, .1 Stls, Miami – ACC,
Schertz: Can play with a big and operate as small ball 5. Defensively can guard 1-5.

Kalu Anya 6’8” 215, JR, Forward, 27 Min, 9.6 Pts, 7.4 RB, 3Pt% 27, FT% 51, 1.7 Asst, 1.2 Stls, Brown-Ivy League, Schertz: Can guard 1-5.

Kobe Johnson 6’3”, SR, Guard, 26 Min 6 Pts, 2 RB, 3pt% 28, FT% 79, 2.2 Asst, .55 Stls, West Virginia

Kilian Brockoff 6’9” 225, SO, Center, 8 Min, 3 Pts, 1.5 RB, 3pt% 38, FT% 57, .3 Asst, UC Santa Barbara – Big West, (From Germany)
  

Freshman:

Max Pikaar 6’11” 205, FR, Power Forward, Double/Double, 3Pt% 40, FT% ?  Netherlands - Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas) Schertz – Can handle, pass and shoot at the highest levels Defensively can guard 1 – 4.

Amari McCottry 6’6” 215, FR, Guard Wing, 22 Pts, 9 RB, St. Thomas More, 247 3 star, Schertz: His size, skill and explosiveness are all at the very highest level.

[ACE]

This is my offseason, just for fun lineup, having not seen many of these kids play.

I know, position-less bball yadayada, but for the purpose of this exercise, I put them in traditional positions.

     STARTER                                 BACK-UP

5 - Avila                                       Brockoff

4 - Anya                                       Casey    (I think this will be the most interesting position battle)

3 - Gibby                                      Thames

2 - Swope                                    Hughes

1 - Johnson                                  Dotzler

 

I am assuming the three freshmen will be the last three off the bench, but maybe one of them surprises and cracks the rotation.

[Aquinas]

6 minutes ago, ACE said:

This is my offseason, just for fun lineup, having not seen many of these kids play.

I know, position-less bball yadayada, but for the purpose of this exercise, I put them in traditional positions.

     STARTER                                 BACK-UP

5 - Avila                                       Brockoff

4 - Anya                                       Casey    (I think this will be the most interesting position battle)

3 - Gibby                                      Thames

2 - Swope                                    Hughes

1 - Johnson                                  Dotzler

 

I am assuming the three freshmen will be the last three off the bench, but maybe one of them surprises and cracks the rotation.

I will project Casey ahead of Anya, though it's potential vs experience at a lower level.