The really big questions for SLU in 2006-07

[slu72]

1.) Will IV return?

2.) Who in the A-10 are the major opponents we must overcome? Will GW fall now that Pinnock and Pops are going going gone? How many bids can the A-10 hope for...1, 2, or 3?

2.) The annual # 4 dilemma. Will JJ finally break out? If not, whose the PF or will we be forced go 4 guard again?

3.) Who replaces AD? or Who becomes the team's leader? IV, KL, TL?

4.) How quickly can DM, OBI, and AK contribute? Is Obi another Floyd McClain?

5.) Will BH be anymore than a 7'1" obstacle to the basket?

6.) How much more effective will KL and TL be?

7.) Can UB pull off a late international recruiting diamond in the rough? Is he even looking to do so?

Say everything but # 7 is answered with a positive. Is that enough to get us dancing?

[Scoop]

Thank you for talking some basketball.

1) yes

2) St. Joe's, Dayton for starters. Yes to GW. 2-3 bids

2) JJ breaks out if given the chance

3) KL

4) Very little this year. Ask me about Obi after 5 games.

5) 4 pts./ 2 rbs per

6) TL= 5 pts. per game more. KL= 3 pts. per more.

7) No. Yes.

[slu72]

Didn't St.Joe's lose a lot of starters? X will be tough as usual and UMass had some decent recruits I recall. Key for us is IV and no injuries to our key players. Depth beyond our first 6 or 7 is thin. Even our 6 and 7 have something to prove.

[Pistol]

I'm also happy to see some basketball being discussed here. Here's my take:

1.) Yes. That's what I'm leaning toward, anyway. I try not to get my hopes up too high because how often does SLU really catch a nice break?

2a.) GW will still be good, but not like this past year. XU will be tough, as will St. Joe's. I don't want to overlook Temple or Charlotte, but they both might have lost too much, and Dayton wasn't good enough last year (despite our bad games against them) for me to pick them among the tops. The good news is that all of these teams are very beatable.

2b.) No. Like I've said all along, JJ hasn't given anything in four years at SLU, so what makes people think that he will now? Don't blame Brad for this one- this kid just isn't the answer. Time to move on.

3.) KL is the natural leader. IV and TL are great, but not in the leadership roles- both of them should score as much or more than KL, though.

4.) These are all huge question marks. Obi is a lot different than Floyd in that Floyd was a spectacular athlete and Obi isn't. Hopefully, unlike Floyd, he can get healthy. The other two are freshmen- hopefully they fill their roles nicely, but I never count on it.

5.) BH can be a contributor. He has nice touch, good shot blocking skills, and will be hard to guard if he develops a little more. As always, his areas to work on will be strength and conditioning, agility, toughness- he's still got that young awkwardness to him.

6.) KL is very, very good and will keep getting better. He won't explode, but experience is going to make him even better. TL could be one of the hardest matchups in the A10 if he could shoot. Until then, he will be given room to shoot and sent to the free throw line.

7.) Lance Randall was one of the big connections with international recruiting, given his connections to European coaching. Brad likes the Euros, but I don't know how much he's looking there anymore, unless Ian's brother is that good.

Enough to get us dancing? Ian has to come back, Tommie has to be more consistent, and the guys outside of the big three have to contribute, whether it means stepping up and being the man sometimes, or just filling roles every night. I think DB might be the guy to watch aside from IV, TL, or KL. He has the biggest upside and most athleticism. Luke HAS to hit open shots when he has them. Dwayne has to get back on track, find at least something of a jump shot, and make this team play up to his speed in transition. As a team, if we start to hit open shots, especially those 3's, we can beat anybody in the A10 on any night.

[Slumn1]

A big key even if IV returns is that we keep everyone healthy.