DM at Shootout

[SShoe]

Did anybody go see Dustin play today at the Shootout? I believe the game was a 12:30 game. I'm just curious as to how he played and was hoping someone would have a little info.

[tseugnekillib]

I believe DM scored 5 points in a Edwardsville win over Belleville East in a relatively low scoring game.

imo, it is better to see a prepster play in a AAU tournament game where teammates are all college prospects and where the competition is very good.

[Cowboy]

First viewing of DM

He did not have a good game.

I can understand not scoring, but he did not guard anyone.

[slufanskip]

I was much less than impressed ... of course it is only one game, but based upon that 1 game ... 2 players I'd rather have that we possibly could have gotten ... Bobby Hill, and the pg Stewart for Edwardsville.

Also the soph pg for Webster Groves ... he's only 5'10" but he plays like a SR. The kid was tough and in complete control ... He's worth watching to see how he develops.

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[cheeseman]

Thanks for the report - I was surprised to see his totals in the paper this am. If he does not play defense then he will sit on the bench at SLU. I had a h.s. coach tell me last year that DM's father was an incessent complainer - so I wonder how the coach at Edwardsville is handling that issue. Like some said - it is only one game and after the game KL had last year at the Shootout you would have been disappointed in him if you only saw him once - so who knows.

[big al]

He didn't get the ball much...I thought the guards missed him sometimes...However I too was not impressed with his overall play

[Nate Latsch]

> Also the soph pg for Webster Groves ... he's only 5'10" but

>he plays like a SR. The kid was tough and in complete

>control ... He's worth watching to see how he develops.

Hanlen was a nice player for Webster Groves as a freshman. He had a cold yesterday, and he still went out and had a great game.

I don't know how much interest SLU will have. SLU has already offered Scott Suggs, the 6-foot-6 sophomore point guard at Washington, and Kramer Soderberg is a similar player to Hanlen. The Billikens might also take a run at Miller Career Academy junior point guard Darrell Stokes, who is about 5-8 and already has offers from Southern Illinois and Missouri State.

- Nate

[Box and Won]

Assuming that Kramer plays at SLU in a few years, would he join the team as a walk-on? Even though he might be good enough to qualify for a scholarship, since his father is a SLU employee, he could get free tuition anyway.

[Cowboy]

first off, very good capsules in yest pd

have you seen stokes other than yest? your impressions? is he a help to slu in 2 yrs?

also, what the hell happened with the team pulling out on Tues??? how do you not know how many games you can play???

[slufanskip]

Stokes didn't do too much for me ...

If Kramer is as good as the Webster kid ... imo ... it wasn't as much his skills ... and he had them as it was his presence.

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[willie]

I asked Brad about Kramer as a possible walk -on and he said that if he was good enough to play for us it would be as a scholarship player.He said that there are some limitations the NCAA [or schools] put on walk-on players.

[kshoe]

since I can't remember the last time we actually used our full compliment of 13 scholarships.

[billiken_roy]

nate dont forget though that kramer doesnt count against the billiken scholarship limits.

[Nate Latsch]

I don't know the rules regarding Kramer's status, whether they would be able to bring him on as a walk-on or if he'd be a scholarship player. But Kramer and Drew Hanlen are similar players, and you're not going to take both. Plus, the Billikens have a good shot at Suggs, who could be really, really special.

Darrell Stokes, the Miller Career Academy point guard, is a nice player. I think you saw a little bit of that yesterday, but you also saw a lot of teammates dropping his passes and him getting double-teammed every time Champaign Central had the opportunity. He'll be fine.

Cowboy,

Thanks. I'm not sure exactly what happened with the Houston Bellaire team, other than somebody screwed up. When I was researching the team to put together the capsule on the game, I found out they had a game scheduled for Tuesday night. That might have been the problem, but I also heard they had other games scheduled for this week and there is a limit to how much a team can play during the week.

Career Academy was in a tough spot. They have a decent team and they were only down by 10 at halftime — but they only scored 15 points in the second half and ended up getting blown out.

- Nate

[Trich]

I generally agree with all the comments about about DM. One observation that I will add is that the Edwardsville team was fairly well set before he appeared and he seems to be having a difficult time fitting into their system. It was very apparent that for the most part the guards were not making an effort to get the ball to him.

[Billinikens]

I saw DM yesterday and agree with Trich's assessment. Stewart is clearly the leader on that team, and DM fit nowhere in the offense. As the biggest body on Edwardsville, he plays on the inside both offensively and defensively. On offense, though, he often leaks out to the perimeter looking for a 3 ball and leaves no one in the paint. Edwardsville's guards seem good enough to beat good MetroEast teams with this, I doubt they'll go far in the state playoffs that way, though. His defense and rebounding were also suspect given that he was the biggest body on the court most of the time. He was not physical at all, and he never had the opportunity to display anything that would give me confidence in him having the quickness to defend a D1 guard. It sure didn't seem like he was very quick......

[Box and Won]

Sounds like he shouldn't have transfered.

[VTIME]

>I don't know the rules regarding Kramer's status, whether

>they would be able to bring him on as a walk-on or if he'd

>be a scholarship player. But Kramer and Drew Hanlen are

>similar players, and you're not going to take both. Plus,

>the Billikens have a good shot at Suggs, who could be

>really, really special.

>

>Darrell Stokes, the Miller Career Academy point guard, is a

>nice player. I think you saw a little bit of that yesterday,

>but you also saw a lot of teammates dropping his passes and

>him getting double-teammed every time Champaign Central had

>the opportunity. He'll be fine.

>

>Cowboy,

>

>Thanks. I'm not sure exactly what happened with the Houston

>Bellaire team, other than somebody screwed up. When I was

>researching the team to put together the capsule on the

>game, I found out they had a game scheduled for Tuesday

>night. That might have been the problem, but I also heard

>they had other games scheduled for this week and there is a

>limit to how much a team can play during the week.

>

>Career Academy was in a tough spot. They have a decent team

>and they were only down by 10 at halftime — but they only

>scored 15 points in the second half and ended up getting

>blown out.

>

>- Nate

I hate to seem like I only talk about Vashon, but you guys are talking about taking Stokes, but not James Washington, and I cant figure out why.

[billiken_roy]

i think if he didnt transfer, he would have never saw the perimeter. at least edwardsville has a couple of players that would allow mcguire to go outside. at civic memorial he was going to be the center period.

[cheeseman]

I am sorry but if DM is good, I can't imagine that the coach can not figure out a way to take advantage of him. We are missing something here and I am not sure what it is. Maybe his attitude and his father has soured the coach - who knows.

[slufanskip]

I would agree with Vtime ... I thought Washington was the better player that day ... but to be honest, I wouldn't take either. What class is Stokes?

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[slufanskip]

If Stewart is as good as he played yesterday, I'd take him today ... If of course he is already committed to someone

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[VTIME]

> If Stewart is as good as he played yesterday, I'd take him

>today ... If of course he is already committed to someone

>

>

> Official Billikens.com sponsor of H.

>Waldman

He's committed to Illinois Chicago. Someone asked earlier what year Stokes was and the answer is 2007.

[Nate Latsch]

> I would agree with Vtime ... I thought Washington was the

>better player that day ... but to be honest, I wouldn't take

>either.

Yes, VTIME is using one game to pump up Bobby Hill and James Washington and to try to say that Dustin Maguire isn't any good.

But yet you don't read anything about Leon Powell, who was supposed to have his coming out party yesterday.

It's just one game for those kids. Hill and Washington each had one of the best games of their careers. Maguire looked really out of place in Edwardsville's system, missed six of his seven field goal attempts.

Stokes will be fine. He's a junior, so he's still improving. He also sprained his ankle a couple weeks ago, so I don't know if that has heeled now or not. Stokes will play at a mid major D-1 somewhere, like Southern Illinois or Missouri State, though I've heard Mizzou is keeping an eye on him. He probably isn't a good fit for the Billikens, who have two good PG options in the class behind him.

- Nate

[VTIME]

>> I would agree with Vtime ... I thought Washington was the

>>better player that day ... but to be honest, I wouldn't take

>>either.

>

>Yes, VTIME is using one game to pump up Bobby Hill and James

>Washington and to try to say that Dustin Maguire isn't any

>good.

>

>But yet you don't read anything about Leon Powell, who was

>supposed to have his coming out party yesterday.

>

>It's just one game for those kids. Hill and Washington each

>had one of the best games of their careers. Maguire looked

>really out of place in Edwardsville's system, missed six of

>his seven field goal attempts.

>

>Stokes will be fine. He's a junior, so he's still improving.

>He also sprained his ankle a couple weeks ago, so I don't

>know if that has heeled now or not. Stokes will play at a

>mid major D-1 somewhere, like Southern Illinois or Missouri

>State, though I've heard Mizzou is keeping an eye on him. He

>probably isn't a good fit for the Billikens, who have two

>good PG options in the class behind him.

>

>- Nate

I'm not trying to say that Maguire isnt any good, in fact I know the opposite. Very good shooter. I saw him score 35 against a relatives AAU team over the summer. I just didnt think he along with Mike Smith, Kyle Kirk, should've been talked up over Hill all summer on this board. My very first post on this board asked if SLU was recruiting Hill and Powell. People told me that there was no reason to recruit Hill and that he wasnt as good as those guys. I said he was and he's vindicating me. Averaging close to 15pts and 13 rebs a game. I'm not trying to downplay anybody I'm just trying to emphasize that he is a guy that SLU should've been recruiting along time ago, not just late this summer would've really helped. Leon did disappoint, but he's early in his junior year and has some room for error, while Dustin, a signed division 1 recruit is supposed to show up in these kinds of games and make SLU proud and give local fans something to talk about. Powell was disappointing, but he can play better and hopefully he will. As pitiful as he played, he still had 9pts 6 rebs, and 3 blks. DM didnt even do that. I know he transferred so he can play the wing, but he was playing like a wing anyway at CM. I'm not giving up on Dustin or Powell. I've seen what both are capable of.