My Postgame Thoughts

[tseugnekillib]

kappy....what offense would you run this season?

[jjray]

We go on and on about the PF thing but I can live with JJ and Luke at that slot. JJ rebounds well and defends. Luke is all around solid player but undersized. I'm fine with that as long as JJ doesn't jack up the 15 footers and stays focused on defense. Generally he has done that this year. It's not really our most glaring need. We defend fine, we struggle to score against good teams in our half-court offense. We desperately need more perimeter shooters. Drejaj, as sporadic as he was, is missed. D. Brown has been acceptable as a jump shooter (14-44 / .318 from 3) but has not looked good on defense and has continued to turn the ball over meaning his minutes have been cut.

Kevin Lisch's injury is killing us IMHO. He is our one established perimeter shooter on the floor for 30 minutes a game. A thought: Tommie Liddell should shoot more 3s. He's 13-30 / .433 from 3. They routinely lag off of him in deference to his crossover. Tommie, let it fly!

[Hardball]

Well, with no Tip in at the buzzer to save us this time we find ourselves in familiar territory.....the forties AGAIN! You won't beat many D1 teams much less North Carolina scoring only 48 points.

One can't fault the effort but effort only goes so far. If you chose to watch carefully you could see the ramifications of our recruiting. You know, the dirty little subject that no one seems to want to recognize. The program supporters would rather have us focus on what a great year we are going to have instead. Can you imagine playing this game without Ian? Well Ian is gone after this year and his replacement played one minute last night. Are we all encouraged?

We had five players playing 30+ minutes last night and that will never work against a good team. People wonder why we question our freshman recruits. Why can't they get more than one minute in a 21 pt loss. Why not Knollmeyer,Dixon or DM? Give the bench some qaulity minutes and they may help in Jan and Feb.

Also we need more shooters. If BS is not going to play DM how come he didn't redshirt him? Same with Knollmeyer.

Is there a plan or are we just playing games?

[courtside]

>soderberg history tells us it is the rare freshman that

>plays significant minutes. i am not condoning that, just

>pointing out those questioning why the likes of maguire and

>knollmeyer are not playing more.

>

>and those of you ready to right players off because they are

>not contributing, i noticed watching the illini and mi$$ouri

>game on tuesday the vast improvement and minutes played by

>the illini inside players. both carter and pruitt have

>stepped up big time this year.

>

>let it play out before writing a player off.

This isn't the first year Pruitt has had any minutes. Pruitt also for the record was a supestar high school player that had every top program in the country after him. It just so happened Illinois was pretty darn good in recent years. We are talking about getting ANY decent minutes on a team that goes 6 deep and hasn't been to NCAA's in many years. How is that comparable? "Significant" also is the key word. You should have 1-2 Frosh who contribute double digit minutes a game unless you are a one of country's top programs, or you are a great team that year loaded with returning players and Frosh have to sit more. In this situation, SLU isn't going to get anywhere with JJ and even DB to some extent. If DM is not good enough to play, redshirt him or recruit someone better. DM was the star recruit of his classs. That concerns some people, rightly so.

I was on this board vehemently defending Lisch and Liddell when frankly they were very bad first half of season last year at many times. They had proven ability, and were learning as they played. Some yahoos expected miracles and didn't understand the HUGE transition from high school ball to college ball in any sport. So I am well aware that it takes elite players to get a lot of minutes as Frosh. But one, we aren't talking many minutes, and two, these aren't good enough players.

DM will likely be fine at SLU...but he is likely two year contributor as a shooter. That is a nice role player on the team. The idea is to elevate recruiting. Recruiting is tough nasty business. Someone in this thread said they miss AD's spradic shooting. The idea is to elevate recruiting better than him and find a consistent shooter and other areas.

Freshman do get minutes at top 25 and near top 25 programs, and struggle, and get better as they go. Lisch and Liddell did it last year. Lisch and Liddell are good ball players, but they aren't "rare" in college hoops. Nice top 100 players. That means similar level kids are going to all the other good schools too. Getting two kids like that in x number of years isn't good enough.

SLU should make tourney and BS should keep job. But he isn't exactly on great ground as far as I am concerned, with his inability to sell the program, playing offensively challenged basketball, and so on....

If he is so disappointed in their play, recruit better athletes coach.(BS is a good guy and has always been kind to me personally, but with new arena coming, many years to build foundation...etc...now is time where his leash is shortened and expectations raised a little bit, and that is objective, and fair.)

[jjray]

>>We had five players playing 30+ minutes last night and that will never work against a good team. People wonder why we question our freshman recruits. Why can't they get more than one minute in a 21 pt loss. Why not Knollmeyer,Dixon or DM? Give the bench some quality minutes and they may help in Jan and Feb.<<

Maguire and Dixon haven't played a lick and we're too deep into the season at this point to allow him to learn under fire. It was Brad's call to go with the short bench early in the season aiding us in victories over lesser competition but failing to get PT for our more inexperienced players. Games like NC are the payback. I understand why (we lost games against cupcakes in years past) but the philosophy hurts the team's growth. Knollmeyer is the only guy on the bench who has got something of a taste for it. I'd make him the backup center and play him 10-12 minutes a game, minimum.

[courtside]

>soderberg history tells us it is the rare freshman that

>plays significant minutes. i am not condoning that, just

>pointing out those questioning why the likes of maguire and

>knollmeyer are not playing more.

>

>and those of you ready to right players off because they are

>not contributing, i noticed watching the illini and mi$$ouri

>game on tuesday the vast improvement and minutes played by

>the illini inside players. both carter and pruitt have

>stepped up big time this year.

>

>let it play out before writing a player off.

1) It takes longer for "bigs" to develop than wings or guards.

2) Carter played in 17 games as Frosh, Pruitt played in 21, Pruitt started every game as Soph, and so far every game as Junior, Carter played in almost every game as Soph.

We'll see if SLU's Frosh playing behind MUCH lesser talent, can get into that many games or near it as Frosh and make those kinds of contributions as Sophomores as Pruitt etc...did.

These are big time players at big time schools, Pruitt a Superstar recruit and Carter was Texas class 5 player of the year. And these guys were there for a National runner up team.

The quality of recruit for SLU needs to upgrade dramatically if SLU wants to be a consistent NCAA caliber team. SLU scheduled well, and will rack up wins in weak conference, to look even better with the record. SLU currently goes 6 deep, and has plenty of needs on the team that Frosh could try to help in small doses. I have no doubt that the Frosh might not be good enough and that is why they aren't playing. That is the problem. Recruit kids who can get you minutes here and there in a lot of games as newcomers.

Recruiting is a large aspect of the job.

[tseugnekillib]

PHOG, some Billiken fans can do both.....enjoy the current 9-3 record and at the same time recognize that for next year SLU needs more really good players.

Ian is a senior....that means he won't play next year. Hopefully, his replacement was sitting three rows behind the SLU bench last night. Some fans can enjoy Ian's play this season and at the same time know that he will be sorely missed next season.

Some fans only fret that rain is in tomorrow's forecast.....and can't enjoy today's sunshine. Some people aren't happy unless they are unhappy!

[Hardball]

T, I have no idea who was sitting behind the bench. Call me old fashioned but I usually worry about the players who are sitting ON THE BENCH! But whoever it was I can't really feel comfortable with our recruiting history about this staff securing his commitment. Whatever evidence you can provide that would make all of us feel better regarding committments, please share.

Secondly, if you truely believe our next center was sitting behind the bench on Friday instead of on the bench what are you saying about our redshirt Junior Mr. Husak? Talk about bashing one of our own.

How should Mr. Husak feel about your player behind the bench statement?

[tseugnekillib]

PHOG, I always leave the bashing and hating to you....it's your specialty.

Your post was about recruiting. I pointed out a key post recruit, and about fans enjoying the current season and being concerned about future recruiting all at the same time.

BH is a bright, hard-working student-athlete. He is aware that with two senior post-players gratuating after this season that those same positions will be filled and that he will have to continue to work hard to earn significant minutes in 2007-08.

[billiken_roy]

knollmeyer and ikeakor's high school accomplishments rival carter and pruitt's.

pruitt as a freshman averaged 4 minutes a game 1 pt and 1 rb per game.

carter only averaged 3.7 pts a game and less than a reb and a 1 pt game.

surely you didnt think i wouldnt look that up?

[courtside]

Knollmeyer played small schools in Missouri. Pruitt played with the big boys in Illinois. Pruitt was recruited by top notch hoops factories. Knollmeyer for example was not. He also with Carter played behind players on a national championship runner up Illinois team, not for SLU.

Yeah really comparing the same. Nope. And even with that, they still got in games that SLU kids aren't....despite SLU's desperate need for them.

[GOSLU68]

or at least believe they will get more out of the system in 5 years than 4; what happens sometimes and was happening before IV got his chance is some players play down to the bench if that is what is expected of them; is this team and coach so intent on everyone getting along that they are willing to accept the pecking order? I sure thought AK or Horace would push their way into the line up. OI reminded me of Larry Simmons and a handful of others who think if they

stand on the wing someone will find them so they can throw down the game winning shot and the other four guys can grind out the rebounds and hustle for loose balls-I like Brad and think he may have staying power but who would say demanded less of his talent

Rich Grawer

Spoon

Romar

I'd rather have Brad than any of the others with the caveat he needs to demand more from every player-even the guys hiding at the end of the bench.