slu72 Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 ...this is one that just won't die. Only having seen Ahern once on TV and for a very short time...it's hard to judge from afar. But the numbers sure seem to indicate we blew it on Ahern vs Clark. Defense or no defense, and that would have been UB's job to improve his D, he definitely is the winner over DC, who we aren't getting squat from at this point on either side of the ball. If 38 pts in 44 minutes, by one player, were dropped in our lap at this point we'd be estatic, delirious, comatose. Hell, our whole team is having trouble scoring 50 in 200 minutes of player time. Broy.....you're fired on this one. (My best Trump imitation). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Sorry, it is fair issue to raise - as long as DC is here and still has eligibility this question will continue to raise its ugly head for discussion purposes. Is Romar a better evaluator - he wanted Ahern - it was Brad who didn't. That being said, I have talked with knowledgable h.s. coaches who liked Ahern but thought Brad's decision not to offer wa accurat. The key here is that DC is a bust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 It's clear that Brad wanted to upgrade our size and athleticism on the perimeter -- he's said as much. The problem is DC, even if he played, has the reputation of being a good shooter. Ahearn is a great shooter. We are so dependent on our perimeter game to score that we need great shooters, not good shooters. Brad's assertion that defense is what gets you on the floor just isn't true. Reggie isn't out there for his defense and neither was Drew Diener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLUDrew Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I will come to the defense of Brad on this one. Ahern is a nice player. There is no doubt about that. However, we have to remember that he is playing in the Valley. That is not to take anything away from the Valley, as we would probably be in the bottom half of that league right now as well. BUT, I think Brad was probably looking at the schools in our league and the type of athletes we would need to compete in this league. For those who have seen Ahern shoot, you know he doesn't have the quickest of releases. More importantly, and I heard a columnist from Springfield make this comment, he plays defense when he wants to. We all know that will not fly with Soderberg. Say what you want about a guy like Ahern being able to fill the bucket, but when you are playing man-to-man, like we do, and one guy is a defensive liability, the whole defense breaks down. I am not saying DC was a better choice as he is riding the pine, but I don't blame coach for not going after Ahern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Ding...Ding...Ding...3star right on with your comment about Reggie and his defense or should we say lack of defense. This team desperately needs shooters who can knock down treys. Hopefully, Kevin will be one of those shooters but we need a couple more IMO if we are going to continue running the motion offense with any real success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 What was DD out there for if not his D? He sure couldn't get his shot off. I still think DD was recruited by Spoon to get an in on his brother and cousin. It's tiresome getting marginals all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 I shouldn't have started this since I've never seen either one to make a fair judgement. Based on the numbers, Valley or not, Ahern in hindsight would have been contributing something and something's better than nothing. Does anyone have any clue or an inkling of a clue as to DC's disappearance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 the argument isnt either or clarke or ahearn. soderberg wasnt going to take ahearn no matter what. the argument is why clarke at all? let the ahearn deal die. if you want to pick out a valley player and ask why not? the bigger one is lorenzo gordon at illinois state. we assume it was academic related, but subbing him for newborne would look pretty darn good from all angles on the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 >> For those who have seen Ahern shoot, you know he doesn't have the quickest of releases. << Compared to Luke Meyer or Drew Deiner, Ahern is very quick with his release. Ahern is very quick with the catch & shoot. Although the release part might not be lightning fast, he sets his feet and get the shot going very quick IMHO. He's the prototypical shooter lurking on the wing taking a kickout from a slasher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Exactly. Ahearn doesn't have a particularly quick release but he does have a short stroke. So in the final analysis he still doesn't need much time to get off his shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebraska_Bob Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 On Saturday night I watched Ahern smoke Creighton for 27 points, this was one week after he hit for 22 against the same team. He hit several threes and hit some pentrating in the paint shots. I really don't know how he would have done in Conference USA but he certainly has given Creighton fits this year. I've also watched Lorenzo Gordon play and he was very effective inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 i have long quit saying that clarke was the better choice. i only point out that if brad didnt like ahearn then, he wouldnt have used him anyway, plus ahearn's style of play would have kept him on the bench as well. so it is pointless to pine for ahearn as a billiken. it was never going to happen. the questions in everyone's mind should be why clarke was selected? why doesnt clarke get used when it is obvious he is more athletic than some of the players that do get pt? and why does clarke stick around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMan Alum Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Couple points here. Ahearn was viewed a one-dimensional and was not given a ringing endorsement by his high school coach. Brad did originally like him, but fell off the band wagon fairly quickly. Also, Darren was also being recruited by Minnesota and was seen as a more athletic player, not just a shooter. Turns out Darren is a very emotional kid, who I think is basically homesick and just hasn't been able to adjust. Brad has pushed Reggie very hard to play better defense and I think he responded as well as could be expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 Those are questions only DC and UB can answer. Would it be a fair question to ask UB at a billiken club affair what happened with this recruit. We still have never heard how he went from "really developed over the summer" to starter in Paradise Lost tourney to spot player to best seat in the house season ticket holder. He is like the invisible man on this team. Would the question be politically incorrect at a billiken club or would it just get shrugged off as that's between him and me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 Gman do you know this for a fact? If true are you saying the kid has just lost all desire to play for SLU? If you know the answer to that one is he gone after the season? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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