Wishing my best to all the MIAC faithful as the season begins.

Looking forward to some great games and some MIAC Maniacs!!

Let's Go!! 

http://www.saintmaryssports.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball&;

FYI - I probably should have referred to Ghiz as my "former" HS BBall coach - not "OLD" coach - he still looks as if he could hold his own on the court and he may still put me on the line for that comment as well!!!   

As our season has now come to an end - I want to say THANK YOU to all the MIAC die hards, followers, posters and supporters of our phenomenal league.

That fact that the final playoff spot went down to the final game of the regular season was good stuff!!

This has been a incredibly competitive year from top to bottom with no nights off for anyone - regardless of who you play.

I would have liked for us to have a little better showing yesterday at the "new" shoe (and a few other times I can think of off the the top of my head) but I also am very aware what we competed against on Saturday is 20+ years in the making – so the "Redbirds" have some dues left to pay in order get to be #7 in the nation. 

I am reminded of that each time I return to the alma-mater because (even though there is very little that looks the same) – I know that us "football" guys (Benner, O'Neil, Stallings, myself and others) used to play pick up in the "old" shoe and sometimes "the box" against the ones (Batta, Thompson, Shnieder etc.) that started to establish that tradition.

One of the other things I have noticed this year - was that the wife, kids and jobs have taken over for many MIAC online posters – I know that the likes of Drake (who actually new we were alive here in Winona by saying we might be trap game for the Johnnies and even said we were rapidly improving!!  ), MiacManiac, AO, GoldandBlueBU and so many others really continue to support our teams and league by the high numbers of online hits on school websites, online broadcast follows and actual numbers of live fans in the stands  – which this year has been great (FYI - the crowd on Saturday at UST was phenomenal, even had my old High School BBall Coach -Dick Ghizoni in the stands).

While it is not always "easy" in our line of work to deal with all the "things" that get thrown our way – the one thing that can never be questioned is the passion and pride that runs so deep for all the people associated this great level and with this great league.

Good Luck to all the teams that made the conference tournament and a bit of extra Good Luck to the teams that will represent us in the NCAA Tourney.

Thanks again to all of you for a great season, I look forward to doing this again October 15th and we will see you on the recruiting trail!

Go Cards!!

Coach R

Hey MIAC Faithful -

Just wanted to say Thank You for supporting the league the way you all do.

The board has been quiet this year - but the stands were always full and the internet hits always high - no matter who played who.

It is great to work in a league that has people so passionate and supportive of their team.

Know we will continue to work hard to raise our status in the league and keep this as one of the best leagues in the nation from top to bottom.

Finally - Good luck to all the playoff teams and fans - it should be fun to watch.

Here's to hoping we get two teams in the big dance!

It will be interesting to see how the NCAA brackets look with the new region placements now in place.

Until next year - See you on the recruiting trail!

Coach R

Hey Guys -

Happy Halloween!

Hope you have the the candy ready for all the ghosts and goblins this week.

The little Winona ghouls will be on our campus tomorrow to walk the dorms and get all the sweet treats via Student Life with some help from our guys... 

Since Kilroy has taken the job on the Twin Cities campus and "that website" has him working all those combines - it is now like - "where is Kilroy"...  since I hardly see him any more. 

However - I did see him driving away from campus a few weeks ago on his way out from a "work-out"..  I figured it must have been a pretty intense one since it took the shirt right off his back. 

Now that we are a few practices in, had a scrimmage, and had a few of those talks that every coach hates (with some really nice kids), it is now time to get down to business and unveil the 2014-15 Cardinals.

http://www.saintmaryssports.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

I have really enjoyed putting this group together and really like our guys - they are fun to be around. 

As you will see - we are still very young and we still have a-lot of work to do here in Winona - but I am hoping that we can do some good things the next few years to do our part to help bring the overall conference rating up.

So as the season begins I will try to give you something (With-in reason)    each time I am able to post.

I am sure there will questions on our guys and who they are - but I will let "Mr. Combine" handle all that.

It is Hard to believe that in 7 weeks from now we will have already played Hamline, Augsburg, Bethel and St. Thomas.

Wow...

I guess it is time to Sit down, Buckle up and Hold On....  Cause Here we Go!!

Quote from: AO on July 28, 2014, 11:24:13 AM

Quote from: Coach R on July 28, 2014, 10:26:08 AM
So hopefully of everything goes right these next 4 weeks we will open the season with 18-20 on the roster..  Halleluiah!! 

With that many players are you hoping to field a JV team this year? 

Is scheduling North Park a sign that your Chicago-land recruiting is improving?  We have heard from ChicagoTommie on the football board that the Chicago Catholic Leagues are now aware of St. Thomas and are pushing their kids there.

AO -

Sorry for some reason I must have hit the wrong button since my earlier reply is gone..

Long story - short...

Yes we are looking to take on a few "futures" games. 

We will not be doing a full schedule but hope to get the 2nd half of the team some good runs. 

I am looking to possible do 3 games home and 3 away.

We have feelers out - but before I confirm to playing I want to make sure everyone is here for the first day of classes.

I would have to say that waiting until the first day of class is one of the biggest disadvantages of our level.

Knowing a kid could "change" his mind keeps many at our level recruiting the same kid for well over a year.

Long story - Longer... 

As far as the Chicago goes, yes we have some prominent booster in that are and it makes since to head that way.  One of the Department supports even brought the Stanley cup last year..

Also I wanted to move away  from the "National" travel until our fundraising goals and talent pool have some time to replenish itself.

It is great to be in Cali or Hawaii or even the Bahamas - but that cost money.  With the tuition in our league - I am also aware of the out of pocket already - so I would rather have the guys work for it than pay for it.

And by the way - if we are paying 20 g's to go some where - we need to at least give ourselves a chance to win the whole thing. 

Longer Story - Even Longer....

Especially for football - UST makes great sense for Chicago Kids.  As I stated before - no other football program between the Twin Cities and Chicago can compare (with the exception of Whitewater)...   Matter a fact - we beat Whitewater by 1 in the NCAA playoffs (24-23) my Sophomore year and then had the heart break loss vs. Central (Iowa) 33-32.

Was on the 20 with the ball at home and less than 1 minute to play...  Central player made a phenomenal interception in the end zone on a offensive broken play...  Still hurts.... 

I digress...

G -

Great observations. 

As I have been trying to look at trends in and around the program and I noticed that as well. 

I also noticed (me being a doctoral candidate my brain sometimes gets in the way) a lot of player turn over the past several years here at SMU, but am not really ready to say why (but I have some ideas being put into play to hopefully help stop the trend).

There are a few other trends (I noticed while at Platteville and it has continued) with basketball in southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin that I am watching to see how it plays out... 

For example - several of these kids from the really good programs in the area that could have a chance to play in our league or even in the WIAC, IIAC or UMAC - just stop playing after high school.  Again - not sure why.

As far as Illinois kids - those that graduated from SMU have been great to us.  It has been nice to know for once that when Will Wright walks into the gym I do not have to worry about having my guys defend him. 

I am sure the trend of having Illinois student-athletes will continue - but again I really feel we need to have the support system in place (not that it wasn't) I just need to have it meet my expectations.   

Funny you mentioned Preston - his family moved to Arizona last year, so actually we had none..  Which may have been a first.

Guess the board is awake now.  Love talking hoops.  Excited about our program.

I will do the best I can to keep the MIAC faithful up to date.

I tried to do so during the season - but it seemed like every time I turned around there was something else to address..

But even with that said - I will admit what I do is a lot of fun. 

Gonna have people criticize and second guess - it comes with the job.

But nothing we do down here in the bluffs is secretive or deceptive - but know I won't always divulge everything. 

One last thought on what started the conversation - I just saw the NCAA DI list of transfers at 626 student-athletes - many on scholarships, so it should be no surprise it happens at our level.  (Here is a sneak peek of a public list..) http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10702122/tracking-every-transfer-2014-offseason-college-basketball

Know as we go forward we are gonna be mistakes and have unforeseen miscues (some happened this year) - but that even happens with fortune 500 companies with analysts...  But I think we are headed in the right direction.  We will know in few short years. 

Plan the work and work the plan.  That's our goal.

Go Cards!

Quote from: jimhoops1234 on July 27, 2014, 09:46:00 PM
The following players will all NOT be returning to SMU next year
Evan Pederson
Trent Vix
Johnny Spillane
Ben Meyer
Brandon Larson

The loss of Pederson and Vix is huge to the backcourt. Lots of minutes there. 5 guys leaving after year 1 for Coach R is not a great sign. Also heard there may be a freshman or 2 not return.

SMU will bring back Mark Schumacher after a year hiatus. Be interesting to see how long it takes him to get his legs back. Was a very good high school player and had some good games as a freshman.

Great thoughts.  That is going to break the silence.

It is almost like you were sitting in my office. 

Most of the information is correct - so your source is pretty good.

While a coach never likes to see players leave - it happens a lot (especially at our level).   It even happened when I wore the Purple and Grey - we had guys leave each year (but since we had 105 on roster - it was not really news). 

I actually did not play my senior year - when Clem gave me a call.  Big Ten vs. Senior year - was not a hard choice for me...

I am a little surprised that nobody has been talking about summer league or the other places the MIAC players have been playing.

It has been a great summer and it continues to amaze me how hard the players in our league work in the off season.

Nate Ohme does a great job running his stuff in Bloomington while Brad Stangel and Dana MacKenzie - provide a great opportunity for college teams in the Dells during the Jimmy V tourney.

I know it was fun for our guys to have a team playing together this year (THEY TOLD ME..  Added that so I don't get a call from the League office thinking or somebody else thinking we are running and watching workouts...)   

It was kinda hit and miss at times and I know they played with many of the freshman - but we still need more guys that want to work and get better every day (not just play games).    The leadership and organization in running all this that Will and Wylie have shown this summer has been great for our program.

And you are also correct that "Shoo" is back and will give us some much needed depth up front.  And the freshmen that were possibly leaving because of "non-basketball related issues" were able to work things out with the family and are excited to return.  So hopefully of everything goes right these next 4 weeks we will open the season with 18-20 on the roster..  Halleluiah!! 

Also surprised your source did not mention the coaching changes. 

It was tough to loose Zach - but I knew the risk of bringing him back to Winona when I hired him.  WSU was his dream coaching job - and when Coach Brown left, I knew the call was coming. 

But I think we did a great job replacing him.  I am excited about the hiring of Matt Johnson as my assistant - he is a tireless worker and he brings great head coaching experience with as well.   

While it is fun to see how the board reacts with a sinking ship - actually the Redbirds are doing really well and are really excited to see what we can do next year.  We again will be RIDICULOUSLY young (a trend I hope stops after this year) but the campus and our offices are a buzz with excitement.

Let's Go.   

Can't wait for the season to get here.  Hardest part of the year starts in 4 weeks.  Having the guys on campus - but not at October 15 yet. 

Should be a fun year. 

The league will be young - but will be very talented. 

There were some great recruiting classes across the board.

The Conference All Freshman team will be a tough selection this year.  As will the Drake Palmer All-Newbie team.

Go Cards!

Drake -

Great Post as usual. 

I am honored that my first post follows the great Drake Palmer.

You are correct - we have not posted the roster yet.  Should be out the next 48 hours, we had a few things I needed to follow up on before it was posted.  We have a history of players appearing and disappearing on Rosters - so I want to make sure that does not happen (or at least as little as possible) on my watch.   

I have followed these boards for many years.  I love the passion that comes with being an fan.  In the era of public media - I thought I would follow in the steps of the trailblazer Dave Buchanan.  As an assistant - I enjoyed reading his thoughts when he was the HC at Superior and thought that it would be fun to do the same if I was ever fortunate to be in that position.

As the season gets under way - I will do my best to give any insights or take any questions or even offer any clarification if possible.  Obviously I can't put all my cards on the table all the time - but I will also try not to be like Belichick. 

As a MIAC rookie going up guys that have held the post longer than I have been alive - will be fun.  It is also never easy to live a life in the public eye - but it also provides the opportunity to talk about something we all have in common, the love of this sport and conference.

So as we work to build this I hope some of the other coaches join the conversation as well.   

Cause here we go - it was a great weekend so far with some great games with some fun wins and tough losses.

This IS one of the BEST times of the year!

Coach R