PD Article

[NashvilleBilliken]

Here's Stu's latest from the post.....Thanks!

Soderberg settles on starting 3 guards

By STU DURANDO

Post-Dispatch

12/10/2003

SLU's Reggie Bryant (left) shoots around Arizona's Mustafa Shakur last week in the Billikens' 68-67 loss to the Wildcats. Bryant lead the Bills in scoring with 24.

(Tom Gannam/AP)

The long-awaited arrival of Reggie Bryant for St. Louis University created a bit of a challenge for coach Brad Soderberg in devising a starting five.

Thus far he has decided to go with a three-guard lineup, and it's a look that might continue regardless of the matchup.

Soderberg has used Bryant with Josh Fisher and Anthony Drejaj the past two games, and figures to do so again when the Billikens travel Saturday to play Georgia Tech, which also has a guard-oriented team.

"I'd like to settle in with three guards if I feel comfortable it's our best team," he said. "In a couple of early games, we started with the bigger team, and I felt I was adjusting more to the opponents' quickness. I don't mind starting a smaller lineup because it might force teams to adjust to us."

Without Bryant available, SLU started a more traditional lineup for the first three games with forward Chris Sloan, forward Ross Varner and center Tom Frericks.

However, the guards have been among the team's most productive offensive players. Bryant has averaged 18 points in his two games. Fisher is third on the team at 13.8 points a game, and Drejaj is fourth at 9.6.

But defense is more important to Soderberg, and that will be the ultimate factor.

"I want to find the best defensive lineup that can provide us with some points," he said. "I'm moving closer to believing that the team we started against Arizona fits that bill."

Coach is calling

for reinforcements

Soderberg is still waiting for another perimeter player to step forward so that he can give his three starting guards some rest. Bryant has averaged 35 minutes, Fisher 34.4 and Drejaj 30.

"I can't continue to play those guys that much," he said. "They're playing close to 115 minutes as a threesome and that's too much. The most capable is Josh. I don't think Drejaj is ready to be a 36- to 40-minute guy, and I suspect Reggie isn't because he's not as big as Josh."

Johnson is earning trust

Redshirt freshman forward Justin Johnson is slowly working his way into a key role off the bench. In limited minutes he has shot the ball well (62 percent) and played solid defense and has only one turnover in 67 minutes.

"I'm trusting the fact that he won't turn it over and that defensively he knows his responsibility," Soderberg said.

Johnson played 15 minutes against Arizona and did a good defensive job on Channing Frye. He also made his two shots.

Foul trouble

Frericks returned to the starting lineup against Arizona but was banished to the bench after two minutes with two fouls. He leads the team with 15 fouls despite averaging only 17.6 minutes. Soderberg says the problem is Frericks' positioning.

"It's pretty simple," he said. "We have to improve his positioning. When he gets out of position his solution to get back is to just grab the guy and move him out of the way."