evaluate this coach

[nostatic]

After 4 years as a Division I coach, he is 72-49

This includes 2 trips to the NIT and 1 trip to NCAA

Are these good enough credentials to be considered at SLU? Would the board be happy with these results? What if he followed that up with the next 4 years of 2 trips to the NCAA and 1 trip to the NIT? Or do you need more information, like when he gets his recruits (spring or fall) and how many visits does he have to make before he offers? Just wondering

[3star_recruit]

"After 4 years as a Division I coach, he is 72-49

This includes 2 trips to the NIT and 1 trip to NCAA"

What was the record of the coach he replaced in his last four years? Was said team coming off an NCAA appearance?

[Hardball]

I am not sure some SLU supporters would want a coach that has had this much success. The feeling is they would just jump ship and go somewhere else. I say who cares. If the program is that successful you canidates for replacement will be that much better.

[Also Receiving Votes]

How far did we get in the Tourney? Also, if this is Jud Heathcoat you're talking about, kindly say so.

[NashvilleBilliken]

Is that necessary, d-head? Why throw these jabs out there? I'm asking this question in all seriousness...are you Bernie?

[billiken_roy]

actually, those first 4 years are years that a coach is using the previous regime players. granted in year 4 the % of the roster is less than year 1, but the point is, the 5th year is the first year that the coach has his own players and one can really say without bias this is 100% his team and his efforts.

[RealisticBilliken]

l

[TheRaginCajun]

Roy, so erase Soderberg's first two seasons since they were teams with mostly guys who had committed under Romar. The past two seasons have been with all players who committed to Saint Louis under Soderberg, since the only players who were "hold-overs" were upperclassmen and thus gone after year one and two. Looks like the first two NIT appearances would be a bad indication of Soderberg's ability and years three and four are more representative under your logic.

[nostatic]

If SLU goes 21-9 this year (realistic), that will be UB's record (72-49) at SLU if you eliminate 2 years ago (9-21). Maybe you say I can't take that year out. I think I can; he has never had a year even close to that anywhere he's been. It was an abnomality. I understand saying he's 60-61 at SLU, but I don't think it's a true indicator.

What does SLU have returning this year? 85% of both scoring and rebounding (something close to that). What will they have back next year? Something close to 75-80% of both scoring and rebounding again (losing IV and JJ). IV will leave a hole to fill, but there are some good years coming up.

If you can't give UB credit for anything, give him credit for this: He has raised everyone's expectations for this program. I guess that's why we have some of these posts that are over the edge. Isn't it great having high expectations for a program you care about.

Thanks UB

[billiken_roy]

no argument there. but the better judge is in year 5 when all the players in the program are his. which is where we are right now.

and this appears to me to have a chance to be the best team in years and years and years.

that all said, soderberg's year one and two were not normal years since so many of romars recruits either left or were kicked out and soderberg indeed had to scramble to even have a team. pulley, seifert, kern, hollins, edwin and mcclain. all should have served under soderberg and did not. that is a lot of basketball minutes that never saw the floor under soderberg. plus they were last second leaves in most cases.

[kshoe]

Could I ask my stock-broker to simply give me my money back on the 1/5 of my stocks that performed the worst?

Could the Cardinals give me a refund for the worst 1/5 of the games I went to that we lost.

Could my boss at work simply ignore the worst 1/5 of my work?

Could my teachers simply ignore the 1/5 of my answers that are wrong.

[TheRaginCajun]

I am not sure you can take away one year and say it isn't a good representation when he has only been at SLU for four seasons. He needs to prove that it was an abnormality before we give him the benefit of the doubt. I mean one would probably argue that his first two season would make more sense to take out of the equation since he was playing with Romar players and thus the best representation of him as a coach with his players would be the past two seasons. Did Brad raise the expectations for the program or did two local boys, Tommie and Kevin, raise expectations?

You take away 1/4 of the school year and Randy Pulley and Jason Edwin were 4.0 students at SLU.

[NashvilleBilliken]

For the last two...did you get cancer and thuse miss out on 5 months of school/work? That's basically what happened.

The guy lost players 1 & 2 and had a ton of people jump ship. It was extreme circumstances and as somebody said, nowhere in Brads career did he even come close to approaching that number. It's what we refer to as outliers. In most statistical analyses, they are disregarded.

[Billiken Rich]

"You take away 1/4 of the school year and Randy Pulley and Jason Edwin were 4.0 students at SLU."

I'm thinking it would take more than that to make Pulley an a student........

[TheRaginCajun]

Completely agree Roy. Soderberg is just now playing with kids he had a chance to recruit under normal conditions.

[Hardball]

Here is where this analysis doesn't make sense.

Brad wasn't an outsider. He had a say on who was on that team for a full year since he was an assisstant before taking over the head coaching job. He was in on the recruiting strategy and direction of SLU recruits. He didn't come in from the outside cold. As a matter of fact the main reason he got the job was because the players were in is corner. You judge coaches by their total body of work not just one year out of many. Where SLU made the mistake was signing him to a entension before we read the rest of the book. Like buying a screen before and ending id written. Knowing what we know now no way does BS get an extension back then. My guess will be even after our good year this year BS will have to wait on any extension until he proves himslf on the recruiting trail.

[TheRaginCajun]

Here's my thing: Brad had an awful season and an above .500 season (no post season play) with what can truly be called his guys. His record only looks decent based on the success he had in his first two seasons with guys mostly brought in by Lorenzo Romar. For me, looking at just four seasons of data (and 2 of which are clouded a bit), I dont think you can confidently call that 3rd season an abnormality at this point. Brad banked off of his first two seasons with Romar holdeovers and now he has to prove he can do it with his guys and this is the year for him to do that. Not trying to be negative, just objective. One may also ask how many wins we would have had last season if not for the collapse of C-USA and our move to the A-10.

[slu72]

What season did I miss, nonstatic? The one where he went 9-21 or the one where he went 21-9? I know I was there for the 9-21 year ...painful. It's that 21-9 year I can't remember. Of course, I'm old, as Billiphan likes to point out, maybe I just lost it somewhere. Damn, the Bills have a 21-9 year go to the dance, and I can't even recall it. Old age is a b**ch and then you die.

[Sheltiedave]

What salary does he require?

What level of funding for the basketball program will he require?

What is his ten year student graduation rate, and what will he achieve at Saint Louis?

What parts of the SLU mission does he support/reject?

What position does he take on Roe v. Wade?

His record with his current team unfortunately is only one part of the total picture frame. The administration will not hire the Pope if he will not fully support the mission of the University, be a strong credit to the U., and be able to work effectively within the funding, mandate, and scope of the University.

BTW, in a tribute to Satan(Bruce Pearl,) he was picked up following a funeral of a former player he coached by a limo. Nice touch of class, eh?

[Basketbill]

Zo left brad scrambling to fill spots, he came in with a Transfer RB, and the next year juco TF. His second year was relatively successful, then the dreadful year when RB and TF were hurt. My point is that you cannot really point to the first two year and say he is coasting on Zo's work. When the two stars of the second year are Soderberg recruits.

Romars holdovers I will grant you for the first year but, Pulley, Sefert, McClain, Edwin would have been holdovers, but they were gone....Perry heldover one year, then gone, Sloan I will give you for two years. He clearly had his best year with Soderberg.