good Ahern article on CBS Sportsline

[Billiken Law]

calls him better than JJ Reddick. Damn....

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/8983679

[NashvilleBilliken]

Thanks for trying to stir $hit up. It doesn't say Ahearn's better than Reddick, it says he's better than Reddick in free throws. Who cares. Good luck in the Big East.

[slufanskip]

If Reddick finishes above Buchanon, 2 of the top 3 in NCAA history are from STL.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

[Billiken Rich]

Don't be so hard on Marquette Law. He's got a friend of a golfing buddy of his who knows someone who's reasonably sure that Brian Gregory is going to be our next coach. Bank on it.

Then again maybe there is a DrewDeiner/BlakeAhern axis of evil at work here....slow, slow, slow, snipers, that can't play a lick of defense.....hmmmm.......

[Hardball]

If Ahern was so slow how did he score all those points on us two years ago? I know you would rather have DC. Get a clue.

I for one would have like the free National publicity for SLU especilly comparing anything we have to what Duke has. It provides free Pub for our school why not take it.I hope one of our current players (KL,TL,DP) could compete for a National title in some statistical category.

[Billiken Rich]

Ah c'mon now Pistol/Mrs Ahern/Hardball. I'm happy for the kid. The truth is that Blake might have worked out better than Clarke if he had the desire to play defense under Brad. It's a moot point. Blake is a defensive liability and Clarke is gone. Neither of them are of any use to the Bills at this point. It was brought up by Marquette Law to stir the pot. The bottom got scraped and you popped up too.......

[Hardball]

Hey you forgot Slaten, VTIME, Tringle and TOO.........

And really I dont care what you think about the Ahern kid my problem was with YOUR smart ars response. The whole thought of taking a swipe at a St. Louis kid to make a point that has been beaten like a dead horse...is tiring and predictable.

[Billiken Rich]

If the St. Louis kid is a slow, slow, slow, sniper, that can't play a lick of defense it isn't my fault and it isn't being particularly smart a**ed. The truth hurts sometimes.....

[billiken_roy]

free throws.

it is great he is a good free throw shooter, but so is ted st martin and i dont think he even played college basketball.

http://www.sharpshooterfreethrows.com/ted.htm

[courtside]

I knew before opening it, it was about free throws, as everyone else did. I am assuming it wasn't posted to take a jab at anyone...I didn't take that way. Maybe I am wrong.

...free throws are the most underrated part of the game, and if you can get there often, they make a big difference. Bottom line is he has averaged double digit points at SMS, now Missouri State, his first two seasons. There were a lot of questions abut his defense, footwork, selfishness, and ability to play at a high D-I level. He has proven a lot of people wrong to this point, like it or not...I am neither a fan or hater.

I do find the info interesting as it is an STL kid, and also someone in the past mix for SLU recruiting. I actually read these kinds of posts.

People could always ignore threads if they have no interest.

[Major Majerus]

At the end of practice today, the team ran a lot of windsprints because of missed free throws. I think the final # was around 3/10, with every make/miss a different guy. Guys who hit...DB, AD, & JJ.

[Hardball]

I'm sorry Roy who did you say you played for? Just what I thought!!!!

Free throws aren't important? Who are you kidding.

Hey...when I have questions about the Belleville's Newspaper circulation I'll give you a call.

[billiken_roy]

i will try to find the phone number of a reading comprehension course. i dont see anywhere in my post where i said free throws werent important.

my point was that billiken law made his post appear someone was saying ahearn was a better basketball player than jj reddick. that wasnt what the article said though.

and there is no denying that with practice, anyone can make free throws as mr st martin proved. can i make 94%? no. are free throws an important part of the game? undoubtedly.

however if it was the most important part of the game, i doubt there would be as many horrible free throw percentages as there are in all levels of basketball.

that said, the fact young mr ahearn does shoot free throws as good as he does, likely garners him most of his playing time. i am happy for him that he found a nice home at missouri state. good for him.

say hi to mrs ahearn for me.

[Billiken Rich]

By the way what is the ciculation of Belleville's paper?

lol!

[Hardball]

Well said. Thanks for taking the high road.

This is my whole point in my original post (not to stir up the past). But why would any of us take a shot at a STL kid. Billiken Rich and Billiken Roy seem to have some personal vendetta against the kid. Heck for that matter why would anyone continue to knock Drew D. All he ever did was to decide to come to a school we all think is the best option in our Midwest. But I guess now some will spend the next 10 years bashing Drew the player. Just doesn't seem right.

[courtside]

Roy,

Do you honestly think Ahearn wouldn't have played the past two years and this year for SLU had he been on their team over some others. Share the Kool-Aid.

It is a bit different doing it in practice, or another venue, than doing it in high pressure D-I games. Not even comparable.

If Ahearn can get to the line OFTEN, and shoots free throws like he does, hw would get playing time at many places, period.

[Schasz]

As crapola as our shooting has been from both beyond the arc and at the line...I'd agree that we screwed up in not recruiting someone like Master Ahearn. It would have been a total joke to say that he could not have garnered minutes on that crew that played for us last year. Hell we could not throw the ball into the ocean in the majority of our games last year.

[billiken_roy]

no i dont think he would have played. his defense was not good enough and he would have sat right next to clarke.

[slu72]

I've always stayed out of the Ahern/DC battle....can't judge them from afar. However, I think this kid might have seen some serious minutes with SLU last year, especially in those close ones we lost. 38% from the 3 and 97% from the charity stripe...hard not to want to insert him into a game. Since DC really never got much of a chance here we'll never know really know who won this argument. Unless of course DC goes on to become all conference at UTEP.

[Cursor100]

I just love it when Billiken Roy (Mr. Clark) and Billiken Rich (Mrs. Clark) accuses anyone who says something positive about Ahearn of being related to the kid. Nice. Intelligent. Good basis to back up your argument. Let's see, which Ahearn family member will I become Mr. Clark?

Ahearn will always be referred to as "the one that got away" and I am sure he will not be the last one in Slu basketball history of who we should have recruited but didn't. But for some reason Mr. Clark can't seem to agree with that. That's his parental prerogative. But hey, we can't all be a Billiken Roy and know what's best for the team.

I think to be first at anything in the NCAA is quite a feat. The fact that this kid is from our hometown makes it even sweeter. Free throws are as important as any other shot because they put points on the board and win games. I disagree with you Mr. Clark that anyone can make free throws with practice. Although practice does make perfect there are lots of people who practice but never perfect this skill. Apparently Ahearn has and to make a commentlike "it is great he is a good free throw shooter, but so is ted st martin and i dont think he even played college basketball" just shows how much you know about the game of basketball and the importance of free throws. Oh, by the way, I was an English major and it was very easy to comprehend what you were "really" saying in that comment. So, please, read that comprehension brochure yourself.

[billiken_roy]

no one has yet to show me where i said free throws are not important. my only point was to say that ahearn is not an all around player that likely would not have played at slu. he isnt a particularly good ball handler, he is a half of a step slow for a guard, and he plays at best below average defense.

yes he can shoot. especially when open from the free throw line. but that doesnt necessarily put him in the lineup even with the billikens bad shooting last year. we will never know, but i believe last year he would have sat on the bench with clarke behind drejaj, polk, bryant, brown, and meyer because in the big picture, all five of them have a better game than ahearn.

[thetorch]

Hey all you Ahearn fans why don't ya ***** about your own program which won't let superstar Ahearn get of the bench? He only started 2 games last season? Who's the bigger idiot, Soderberg for not taking him or Hinson for getting the next Rick Barry and then barely playing him 20 minutes a game.

Ahearn is a world class free throw shooter. That skill alone doesn't help him crack a decent mo valley squad's starting five though. Clarke was a bust but Ahearn is not the key to NCAA or even A-10 titles for the Billikens. If he wouldn't be in Soderberg's doghouse for his por defense he would be there for his attitude problems. Even easy going Hinson doesn't put up with it.

[Hardball]

My My My are we a little touchy on this subject. I never said anything about playing for the Billikens just noting that the Ditech man continues to take a shot at a St. Louis Kid.

Torch, Hinson's team made the NIT and we were 9-21. Maybe they were better than we where. Don't you think he could have gardnered any minutes for our 9-21 team? The question has always been could Ahern have helped us not started for us. Ahern may have only played 20 minutes but he averaged double digits and was the second leading scorer on a team that went to the NIT. Who cares if he started. Heck we had players playing 24, 27, and 28 minutes a night that could not get to double digits. As a matter of record. our starting PG shot only 57% form the stripe. Also Ahern's 38% from the 3 was better than anyone on our roster last year.

Let's see a double digit scorer. a 95% freethrow shooter and a 38 % 3PT shooter can't get any minutes for our 9-21 team.

Do you subscribe to the Belleville Newspaper too?

[thetorch]

A guy who averages double digits and leads the team in FT% on a poor ft shooting team can't crack the starting lineup? That speaks volumes.

Lets get to brass tacks and end all of this. Ahearn didn't come to SLU, Brad didn't want him. The guy we got "instead" of Ahearn was a humungous bust. Still if Ahearn wanted to transfer to SLU and play the bball team would we take him today? No, last year? Also no.

Fact of the matter is Ahearn and his family and friends think he is a much better player than he really is. He is a headcase. His father is a headcase. His AAU mentor is a certified grade A ######. Hinson is a player's coach so to speak, he placates Ahearn, even then he still benches him. Soderberg wouldn't put up with it. The first time Ahearn whined in practice at SLU Lisch and Drejaj would throw medicine balls at his head. He is a decent ballplayer with some skills that SLU could use. He comes with baggage though and lots of it. You can shrug those type of things off when a player is like a Larry Hughes but not for a Blake Ahearn. A credit to Soderberg that he saw this in Ahearn and his groupies a mile away and pulled his offer from the table. Ahearn's abilities or lack thereof are not the reason he is playing at Mo State instead of SLU. His mental makeup is.

[billikenmetz]

first of all, the kid doesn't go to SLU. why should I or anyone who reads this board care or give two shits about ahern. He's a punk kid and I hope Mizzou State sucks this year and gets their asses handed to them at Carver Arena when they play Bradley. I'll be sure to boo everytime ahern touches the basketball.