Longterm SLU

[slu92]

It’s very obvious that NIL is king, case in point all the SEC schools in NCAA tournament this year, not a programs culture. A10 one bid. Writing is on the wall big time. 

If I were SLU, instead of trying to fight and compete with big boys, embrace being a mid major like no other. Meaning make it a point to become the best mid major school in the Midwest. Forget national level or even trying to compete with a P4 level school. Recruit mainly high school kids, only give NIL to juniors and up. Openly tell high school kids we will develop you, if you want to move on at anytime we will help you, if you want to stay we will pay you come junior year and would love to keep you. However we understand the landscape. Saying all that SLU should invest in facilities to make them NBA level - new student athlete dorms, hire nba level coaches to develop, front office player personnel, support staff for athletes etc. Embrace what you are and invest in resources, not giving teenagers hundred of thousands of dollars out of high school.
I’d also look into bringing back hockey. Local support would be through the roof and St Louis produces NHL lottery draft picks nonstop. Both soccers and baseball would be revenue along with facilities on same level as MBB, sharing similar model. 

All I’m saying is invest in SLU and control the things you can control today. Kids today, besides NIL, want awesome facilities, development, support services, gear, etc. Just embrace what you are and commit to it. In St. Louis baseball and hockey rule. Soccer is huge too. MBB when they are good is like no other sport come March when the Bills are in the NCAA. Who knows maybe on a given year we get into NCAA. Maybe start a new mid major tournament with literal regional brackets? It’s just a different way of thinking and reality is we either need to evolve or die.

The pro model is there to copy and make into SLU’s own version. All I’m saying is it seems like all we do is try and play catch up with P4 and it’s a losing battle. Why not create something unique and make our own path forward, let other schools try and copy what SLU does for once? Think of SLU as like the IMG of college athletics. Where administrators, athletes, coaches, support staff, etc come to learn and move on to bigger jobs. The more talent we churn out, that’s the new bar we are judged on, try hard to make MBB NCAA, never excited or settling over an NIT bid vs Arkansas State. Would at least be more exciting overall product year to year. So use to losing we will take any bread crumb tossed at us as a fanbase. Would take huge buy in from university level like never before.

 

 

 

[FatherB]

Without the cost of a football program, we can afford to spend NIL money on MBB. 

Sports is huge for marketing. Too few people outside of Saint Louis, even know SLU is a school. Goal would be name recognition like Gonzaga or Marquette. 
We also need a long term plan to elevate out of the A10. Big East would be great. 
No need to compare to the likes of SEC schools. 

[ARon]

22 hours ago, slu92 said:

It’s very obvious that NIL is king, case in point all the SEC schools in NCAA tournament this year, not a programs culture. A10 one bid. Writing is on the wall big time. 

If I were SLU, instead of trying to fight and compete with big boys, embrace being a mid major like no other. Meaning make it a point to become the best mid major school in the Midwest. Forget national level or even trying to compete with a P4 level school. Recruit mainly high school kids, only give NIL to juniors and up. Openly tell high school kids we will develop you, if you want to move on at anytime we will help you, if you want to stay we will pay you come junior year and would love to keep you. However we understand the landscape. Saying all that SLU should invest in facilities to make them NBA level - new student athlete dorms, hire nba level coaches to develop, front office player personnel, support staff for athletes etc. Embrace what you are and invest in resources, not giving teenagers hundred of thousands of dollars out of high school.
I’d also look into bringing back hockey. Local support would be through the roof and St Louis produces NHL lottery draft picks nonstop. Both soccers and baseball would be revenue along with facilities on same level as MBB, sharing similar model. 

All I’m saying is invest in SLU and control the things you can control today. Kids today, besides NIL, want awesome facilities, development, support services, gear, etc. Just embrace what you are and commit to it. In St. Louis baseball and hockey rule. Soccer is huge too. MBB when they are good is like no other sport come March when the Bills are in the NCAA. Who knows maybe on a given year we get into NCAA. Maybe start a new mid major tournament with literal regional brackets? It’s just a different way of thinking and reality is we either need to evolve or die.

The pro model is there to copy and make into SLU’s own version. All I’m saying is it seems like all we do is try and play catch up with P4 and it’s a losing battle. Why not create something unique and make our own path forward, let other schools try and copy what SLU does for once? Think of SLU as like the IMG of college athletics. Where administrators, athletes, coaches, support staff, etc come to learn and move on to bigger jobs. The more talent we churn out, that’s the new bar we are judged on, try hard to make MBB NCAA, never excited or settling over an NIT bid vs Arkansas State. Would at least be more exciting overall product year to year. So use to losing we will take any bread crumb tossed at us as a fanbase. Would take huge buy in from university level like never before.

 

 

 

I appreciate the thought behind this sentiment but it ultimately sounds like - "SLU should just give up."

[Box and Won]

22 hours ago, slu92 said:

I’d also look into bringing back hockey.

I actually like this idea. I don't see it ever happening though.

[billikenfan05]

16 minutes ago, Box and Won said:

I actually like this idea. I don't see it ever happening though.

Chaifetz cannot host hockey. It’s a non-starter. I do like the idea otherwise. 
 

Lacrosse would be feasible, and they probably should have replaced women’s field hockey with women’s lacrosse instead of building a facility. 
 

another thread where I ain’t reading all that

[billikenfan05]

22 hours ago, FatherB said:

Without the cost of a football program, we can afford to spend NIL money on MBB. 

Sports is huge for marketing. Too few people outside of Saint Louis, even know SLU is a school. Goal would be name recognition like Gonzaga or Marquette. 
We also need a long term plan to elevate out of the A10. Big East would be great. 
No need to compare to the likes of SEC schools. 

This requires leadership with vision, and a president willing to eliminate the current leadership who clearly has no vision or long term plan. 

[cheeseman]

On 3/18/2025 at 9:31 AM, billikenfan05 said:

This requires leadership with vision, and a president willing to eliminate the current leadership who clearly has no vision or long term plan. 

The new president can hardly be expected to clean house at this point - he is just starting.

[MusicCityBilliken]

On 3/17/2025 at 10:54 AM, FatherB said:

Without the cost of a football program, we can afford to spend NIL money on MBB. 

Sports is huge for marketing. Too few people outside of Saint Louis, even know SLU is a school. Goal would be name recognition like Gonzaga or Marquette. 
We also need a long term plan to elevate out of the A10. Big East would be great. 
No need to compare to the likes of SEC schools. 

Well Fr B, please tell us why we are not in the Big East?

2006 & 2012, the expansion years for the Big East and did we even try?  Especially 2012, we were very attractive. We had a HOF coach, Chaifetz was still new with nice crowds and we had a very competitive team that was 'dancing'.

Was it some ego issues with other fellow Jebbie university presidents? 

Unfortunately now the Big East boat has long sailed.

[WVBilliken]

On 3/18/2025 at 10:13 AM, Box and Won said:

I actually like this idea. I don't see it ever happening though.

Back in the day .... SLU had big hockey crowds; went to many games.  I even have a Billiken puck on my mantle.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NBNpsoojnhZkJosYA

[billikenfan05]

3 hours ago, cheeseman said:

The new president can hardly be expected to clean house at this point - he is just starting.

I didn't and don't expect him to.

[thatskablamo]

1 hour ago, MusicCityBilliken said:

Well Fr B, please tell us why we are not in the Big East?

2006 & 2012, the expansion years for the Big East and did we even try?  Especially 2012, we were very attractive. We had a HOF coach, Chaifetz was still new with nice crowds and we had a very competitive team that was 'dancing'.

Was it some ego issues with other fellow Jebbie university presidents? 

Unfortunately now the Big East boat has long sailed.

Marquette’s long time president Father Bob Wild SJ, whose personal Road to Manresa intersected with Biondi’s at Loyola Chicago, and St. X HS in Cincinnati, f’d us (SLU), Larry B, and his linguistics degrees in about six different languages. 
If you want to point a finger at anyone, it’s Bob Wild. I’m sure Lawrence Biondi did all he could do behind the scenes. He is Sicilian, after all. 

[BrettJollyComedyHour]

59 minutes ago, WVBilliken said:

Back in the day .... SLU had big hockey crowds; went to many games.  I even have a Billiken puck on my mantle.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NBNpsoojnhZkJosYA

My dad remembers going to SLU hockey games with my grandpa when he was a teen in the 70s. He remembers seeing Mike Liut in goal since we were in the same conference as Bowling Green State.

[MusicCityBilliken]

9 hours ago, thatskablamo said:

 He is Sicilian, after all. 

So why no offer he could not refuse?

[almaman]

16 hours ago, BrettJollyComedyHour said:

My dad remembers going to SLU hockey games with my grandpa when he was a teen in the 70s. He remembers seeing Mike Liut in goal since we were in the same conference as Bowling Green State.

good times, I'll throw my bring it back on this dead horse