slu72 Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 With all this talk about our lack of a PF (#4), one name never gets brought up JJ. Is this because you all think he's just not going to have that big an impact? Was this a wasted scholie by UB? You go back and look whenever someone starts a post with "next season's starting lineup", JJ is never in the mix even as the 6th, 7th, or 8th man off the bench. I don't get it. By the way I would love to see McKinney in SLU Blue. And wouldn't it be in character for Irons to direct him toward SLU just to stick it to Quin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 No, we have not forgotten him (the coaches said last year that he was the most athletic big man on the team) but, during this dead time, a board like ours will beat the recruiting horse to a pulp. We are supposed to be looking for a PW in the 2004 class, Grimes was a prime candidate and he does not appear to be interested in SLU, so the question is "who do we take at PW in 2004"? As to JJ, I would love for him to blossom as it would add a ton of athleticism to the front court; however, while Sloan is still here, he is not going to start. I would expect him to contribute in 2003-2004 though and, with Brad, the minutes will largely be dependent on his defense. He supposedly has bulked up so it shall be interesting to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 I was the skeptical one regarding the abilities of JJ from the beginning. All of this talk about him being the most athletic big man on the team is a bunch of rubbish. SLU isn't exactly brimming with athletic big men. The slow plodders of Kenny Brown and Chris Braun, the totally unathletic Varner, and the skilled, but clumsy Ohannon isn't exactly tough competition for that title. Now I'm a little surprised that JJ is considered a better athlete than Sloan, but maybe I'm overestimating Sloan's athleticism. So you can tell I still see JJ as a bust, but that will be one player that I will be eyeing closely in the fall. Big men are always the hardest to project, so we'll see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Sloan and Frericks can't play 40 minutes a game. I thought simple math dictated that JJ would play quality minutes in the frontcourt. I don't expect a true freshman like Husak to beat JJ out and Vouyoukas will probably miss a few games since he played for a club team. AJ, was Kevin Young a "bust" since he only averaged 2.3 ppg and 3.2 rpg last year? A little patience, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 If JJ and the Greek each average in the neighborhood 4 pts and 3 boards as the back-ups at the 4 and 5, I think that's decent. With Sloan and Ohanan playing together, I think our rebounding out of the 3 position will be much improved over what little Diener gave us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Little is being a bit generous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 >So you can tell I still see JJ as a bust, but that will be >one player that I will be eyeing closely in the fall. Big >men are always the hardest to project, so we'll see... "A bust" ... what's that all about? The guy was red-shirted last year and hasn't even played yet. I guess you have judged him before he has even played his first game in a SLU uniform. We should wait and see what JJ can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 how in the world is izik clumsy? at times, he looked like george gervin to me driving to the lane and leaving defenders in the dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 jj he claims he saw him in some all-star game where mckinney hogged the ball and wouldnt give justin a chance to do anything. thus he was able to determine from that one game that justin was a bust. that and the fact that k-state recruited him and let him go. he must be terrible based on those two instances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 You are correct. Diener gave us zilch, nada, nothing, goose eggs, when it came to rebounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 nil, nadda, zilch all apparently mean 1.4 per game or 45 for the season? true not much to brag about, but once again, the anti-drews come out with incorrect information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 From all I've heard he has the skills but his head isn't screwed on straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 How dare I be labeled an "anti-Drew." I guess I should fall in line and be a Drew apologist. I guess you were content getting that 1 rebound per game out of a 5th-year small forward. Call me crazy, but I'm excited about the program bringing in bigger, more athletic players than the mighty Drew. Nark, how dare you make that crack about Drew, you "anti-Drew" guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Roy, you are being too literal. Anyone who has every played competitive basketball and learned basic fundamentals is guaranteed to grab a rebound or two per game (particularly if that person plays 23+ minutes at the small forward position). If you assume every starting small forward in the country will grab at least a rebound and a half per game, then Drew gave us zilch, zero, nada, nothing as a rebounder from the small forward position. An even more telling statistic: our starting shooting guard, our starting point guard, and our backup shooting/point guard all significantly outrebounded Drew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Nark quit being so "anti-Drew." We should mourn the loss of one of Spoon's most brilliant recruits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Billiken L, you are the guy who said he looked at your girl during a game and said "hi", right? Is it a personal thing then? The guy hasn't played a game yet so we should keep an open mind about him otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Justin Johnson scored 10 points in the game and didn't play with McKinney or Kern. He actually showed a nice jumper in the game. It's just that he came up short on two dunks even though he's 6'8 which left me leery about him... Also, he was very skinny at the time. I know he can bulk up, but that was my first impression of him. We'll see next fall... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 was absolutely terrible in the exhibition game that year. I thought he'd be worse than JJ his first year. However, he miraculously lost 50-60 pounds and actually did much better than I thought he would his first year. Having said that, he's still limited in the skill department and really don't see him making an impact at Mizzou. Who cares, they have Klezas now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 guys, i just dont see what is accomplished by ripping drew. he got as much out of his talents as what seemed possible to me. for all we know, drew will end up as a high school coach somewhere and it sure wouldnt help if billiken fandom has alienated him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 No, nothing personal - lots of guys try to pick up my fiancee. If I held a grudge against every player who asked out my fiancee then I really would have hated Cordell Henry at Marquette! I just found it rather strange and a bit disconcerting that he tried to do it during a time-out while the team was getting obliterated at Butler. I'm just going on repeated statements by coaches referring to him as immature and comments from others who know him on campus. I'd love to see him be a difference maker and I think he has the athletic ability to do it, just with everything I've been told and heard I'm not very confident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 I'm with you, Roy. Drew gave 5 years to the Billikens, excelled in the classroom and got the most out of his talents on the court. Sometimes people just don't have the talent to be a star but they maximize their abilities and give their all. That was Drew. I'd much rather have a marginal talent who plays his heart out than a talented kid who wastes talent and potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basketbill Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 He looks like he is about 6'8 235 or so now. Easily leaped up to throw down an alley oop slam. Is working at all the camps this summer, so perhaps Brad will get his head screwed on straight.... Remember these guy are growing up, that has to be the scary thing about recruiting, a coaches career is dependent upon the decisions made by a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 >Remember these guy are growing up, that has to be the scary >thing about recruiting, a coaches career is dependent upon >the decisions made by a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds. I don't think the youngest players on the team are 16 or 17. More likely, they're 18 and 19. Maybe an occasional freshman is 17. I agree with your point that the players are young men who need to mature, but it's not THAT bad (I work with high-school kids from 14 to 19 years of age). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 hey jj, take it from me who has had the pleasure of shaking billiken law's fiancee's hand. the man that doesnt give her a second look is borderline dead! she is a very attractive young lady with a delightful personality. i just wonder how billiken law pulled that off? ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 I figure she either lost a bet or has strong feelings of pity! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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