Brad sighting

[Nate Latsch]

Saw Brad Soderberg at Whitfield last night. He was watching DeSmet (John Brandenburg) against Gateway Tech (Jesse Perry). I don't know if he stayed to watch Cardinal Ritter vs. Whitfield.

There were a couple coaches there, including Chris Lowey (SIU), Derek Thomas (W. Illinois) and others that I did not recognize.

There was a group of coaches at Pattonville as well, including SLU assistant Angres Thorpe. Someone in another thread mentioned AT as the only D-1 coach at Pattonville, but that is incorrect. There were a couple there, including Thomas.

- Nate

[bknightsfan]

Nate, I take it you were at the Desmet game. What was the deal with John Brandenburg, I saw he only had 5 pts, did he grab any boards? It is only the first game so maybe he was just getting adjusted

[Orange Julius]

He plays the high post and gets very few touches in a position where he can score. As far as rebounding his team is chucking shots up from wherever they touch it so he rarely had an opportunity to get into rebounding position.

Coach was also watching Jesse Perry from Gateway Tech play.

[thetorch]

North-CBC game started late about quarter to 6 and lasted till almost 7:30. If Thomas was there he must have a really fast car to see two games going on at the same time. There may have been asst coaches there as I cannot readily identify them but they weren't in their team's garb.

[Orange Julius]

DT left the Chaminade game early as did a few of the coaches. To make sure they got to Whitfield in time. When I left the gym there were still a few coaches at Pattonville.

[thetorch]

So he didn't see North play.

[Nate Latsch]

>Nate, I take it you were at the Desmet game. What was the

>deal with John Brandenburg, I saw he only had 5 pts, did he

>grab any boards? It is only the first game so maybe he was

>just getting adjusted

The DeSmet offense didn't do a very good job of getting the ball to Brandenburg. Actually, that's probably being too generous. They just didn't get him the ball.

I'm surprised when I watch that team play because I don't understand what they're doing on offense. They have some good players but it's like they don't try to get the ball to their best player inside where he can be more effective.

I'd like to know what all the Division I coaches were thinking about watching that.

- Nate

[3star_recruit]

I guess showing up to watch a player's first game is more a demonstration of a coach's level of interest than anything else. There is some really mediocre team basketball played in November. Hopefully Brandenburg and the guards can get on the same page over the next couple of weeks.

Over on mosports.com it's being reported that Suggs injured his hand and will be out until January.

O'Fallon's Kenny Leverette put up 30 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Peoria Manual at the Lincoln tournament. I realize Manual is a shadow of what they once were but that's still ridiculous. I'm looking forward to Dez Hickman and Leverette going at it when Collinsville plays at O'Fallon on December 8.

[courtside]

Steiner can coach fine at DeSmet, better than a lot of teams in the coaching department. The talent level of the players surrounding Brandenburg may be an issue, haven't seen them yet. DeSmet and SLUH remain the only two teams in their conference that don't recruit for sports. It is the battle of play and compete a certain way vs...you better recruit to keep up with the Jones'....which is the way to go? That is the question. And those two schools prefer to do it the old fashioned way, right or wrong, depending on your opinion.

[davidnark]

It defends upon how you define recruiting. I am sure that SLUH directs certain football talent toward the school, and I know DeSmet does the same with basketball.

[brianstl]

DeSmet has recruited at least since the late eighties in basketball. SLUH has recruited in both football and soccer since the late eighties. These sports I know for sure because kids I grew up with were recruited by the schools in those sports. I know some people don't want to think the Jesuits would sink to the same level as the Christian Brothers or the Marianist but they are and have been for a long time.

[kshoe]

The best player on my 6-8th grade basketball team lived, like the rest of us, in the U. City district. When we all went to highschool though, he was, surprisingly enough, awarded a full scholarship to DeSmet. I don't blame him for going but I certainly feel he was recruited there.

[VTIME]

>>Nate, I take it you were at the Desmet game. What was the

>>deal with John Brandenburg, I saw he only had 5 pts, did he

>>grab any boards? It is only the first game so maybe he was

>>just getting adjusted

>

>The DeSmet offense didn't do a very good job of getting the

>ball to Brandenburg. Actually, that's probably being too

>generous. They just didn't get him the ball.

>

>I'm surprised when I watch that team play because I don't

>understand what they're doing on offense. They have some

>good players but it's like they don't try to get the ball to

>their best player inside where he can be more effective.

>

>I'd like to know what all the Division I coaches were

>thinking about watching that.

>

>- Nate

Sounds like the same problem Grimes had at Haz Central. Brandenburg should get the ball everytime down. If the coach is worried about alienating the others, he should explain how having a dominant big man opens things up for everyone else. There is no way he shouldn't get 20+ shots per game. That's only 5 per quarter.

[Sheltiedave]

3Star, while Manual is certainly down from their halcyon days of being state and national champs over a five year period, Peoria basketball is still excellent. Richwoods has two solid D1 players in Bill Cole and Justin Dehm, and a couple underclasssmen who are reputed to be up and comers. They are ranked 4th is state, and would do a good job dismantling Vashon this year.

Central has DJ Richardson, a soph PG who has been tagged as the latest NBA talent on the horizon. They lost a tough game in the Turkey Tourney down in Decatur/Bloomington in the semis, but represented well.

Matt Roth is one of the top two SGs in the state at Washington, and is a Blake Ahearn clone with a better shot. Notre Dame has what's his name(Christine Zak's son) who singlehandedly beat Vashon last year at combo guard.

While Vashon wins titles in Missouri as routinely as punching the clock at work, they would be doing well to finish second in the MidState Six this year, even with both Manual and Limestone having below average years due to the normal ebb and flow of IN DISTRICT talent.

I also don't get the abilities of many of the area high school coaches, as we had coaches like Fletcher, Van Syoc, Hammerton, and programs in Centralia, Quincy, Rock Island, Proviso, Bloomington, Effingham, Pekin and elsewhere(not even touching Class A) where a gift like Brandenburg would be developed into the engine to two or three state finals. Incompetence only lasts two seasons in most areas, ie Ron Darling at Richwoods during the Livingston/Faulkner years.