MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[hopefan]

As to taking Wallis and Thompson out, I agree with coach and WUH... neither had started out particularly hot, it was good timing for them to think a little about things and ready themselves to get it going.....  unfortunately, both had down games......  the big shot just wouldn't go in.... Wallis in particular seemed to be right on line, but just short on several crucials.......

WUH... likely no to sectionals...  or to Columbia for HS... I think will move to a little TV hoops and get started on the income tax    ......

[ec_fan14]

Congrats to Westminster on a fine showing in the tourney.  Represented the SLIAC well.

In regards to Leppard and Kindred they are both Sophs.  Lessen is a freshman.  And it was LEppard who had a dunk in the Semi's vs Mac.  Although Kindred also had a dunk this year at home.  Pretty impressive athleticism for guys who both go about 6'1 and 6'


Eureka brings back Leppard Kindred and Lessen as thier core group of guys.  Lessen really started to play tough at the end of the season and if he has a good off season then look out.  Black and Wagner also return as players who saw minutes.

Eureka needs to bring in a couple of solid recruits but I think they should still be a top 4 team next year with the guys they bring back.  I know it will be hard to replace 40+ pts a night and 18+ reb but other guys will step up and fill the void.  I see no reason why Leppard and Kindred both cant score 15+ a night.

Congrats to all the all conference and all tournament players.  I am a little unhappy that Bell doesnt make 1st team with the numbers he put up but then again its up to the coaches not me.

[hopefan]

Congrats to Eureka's Michael Zasada on making D3Hoops.com All Region, Midwest Region 2nd Team

Mike averaged 21.4 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game, shooting 51.6% from the field, 38% from 3's and 72.4% from the foul line.  He pushed Eureka to a near miss entry to the NCAA tourney, as they lost close to Westminster in the SLIAC Conference Championship game.

[hopefan]

Each year I do a post season rundown of what each SLIAC team is losing through graduation, and what they have coming back....  If a player is listed as a senior on the roster, I assume he is graduating and not back.  All others are assumed to be returning.  That assumption took a beating last year when I felt that Greenville had the best returning team, only to have two crucial starters transfer.   But this analysis  is a start and it gives the avid SLIAC fan something to chew on...

I'm going to expand on a number of items too...


IE  Best Freshmen coming back:

The top Frosh returning next year....  Brady Slagle  MacMurray

Others:
Mark Lessen, Eureka    Erich Hamilton, Fontbonne    Luke Bishop, MacMurray      Stanley Beal, Principia      Jametrius Brasher, Spalding       Labrice Williams, Spalding          Cory Bradfisch,  Webster        Skylar Tolson, Westminster       Briton Rudd, Westminster....

Will be interesting to see how many of these young men will play four years for their schools  and be a key contributor throughout.... Also have to wonder if there are other Frosh in the programs that simply didn't get playing time yet as frosh but who will be contributors next year......

So  at a glance, I have subjectively arrived at how many 'KEY players' each team had this year, and how many are back...

Blackburn had 9 key players, 7 are back IF we assume Todd West returns to the program
Eureka had 8 key players, 6 are back
Fontbonne had 9 key players, 7 are back  (the expelled J**h B****h is not included in the analysis)
Greenville had 8 key players, 3 are back
MacMurray had 8 key players, 5 are back
Principia had 7 key players, 3 are back
Spalding had 8 key players, ALL are back
Webster had 11 key players, 7 are back
Westminster had 8 key players, 6 are back

Conclusions:    Teams that were in the top 5 or 6 with at least 5 players back are at a pretty reasonable starting point.....   Greenville seems to be in for a major rebuilding year....  Prin is going to need a lot of help...

Top 7 returning guards:
McAfee, Spalding     Kovach, Westminster      Tolson, Westminster      Kindred, Eureka     Leppert, Eureka     McClellan, MacMurray     Slagle, MacMurray
Top 7 returning Forwards
Moore, Webster     Jones, Webster      Robertson, MacMurray     Hilliard, Greenville     Agomo, Greenville      Vislay, Westminster     West, Blackburn

Top 3 returning post men
Gilmore, Westminster     Lessen, Eureka      Thomas, Fontbonne

Given that many of our guards and forwards are interchangeable, and that each of our 3 big men were starters for only a portion of the year, it shows that we certainly are a 'small man's' conference

Writeup continued in next post

[hopefan]

Continued from prior post


So lets go team by team.....

Westminster   -  the conference champ and tourney winner, and they played a heck of a first round NCAA game vs Wash U
Westminster loses Stanley Crawford (11.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Ky Millard (7.8 ppg and 5.3rpg)   in addition, Millard led the team in assists and Crawford was 2nd on the team in assists.   The two seniors lost account for 25.5% of Westmin's scoring, and 27.5% of the teams rebounds.  Millard was the MVP of the conference tourney and Crawford made the All-Tourney team..... Crawford was 2nd team All conference, Millard was on the All Conference Defensive Team.
Though those two losses are significant, Westminster has to feel very comfortable with what is returning.  Three starters are back   Forward Jake Vislay (16.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg) First Team All conference, Guard Kurt Kovach (10.5 ppg, 5 rpg) HM All Conference, and middle man Adam Mallette who generally started.  Also back are the three members of this season's best bench in the SLIAC...  Skylar Tolson (8.0 ppg), Justin Gilmore (8.6 ppg,), and Briton Rudd (5.3 ppg)   Each are fully capable of stepping right in to the starting lineup next year and each has the potential to be at an All Conference level.
Two others, Kelsey Weymouth and Mark Wright saw action in most games and provide depth.
In other words... this team is loaded...

MacMurray  -  the surprise team of the 2010 season, Mac loses 4 seniors from the roster....    Forward, post man Ryan Sichting (11.8 ppg, 4 rpg) Honorable Mention All conference;  Forward Marc Randle (10.6 ppg and 9.4 rpg) Honorable Mention All Conference; 6th man Adam Polston (4.5 ppg) ;  and Antwain Jones (appeared in 7 games).  Randle and Sichting were Mac's primary big men, and replacing both will be difficult.  The seniors accounted for 35.4% of Mac's scoring and 38.9% of the rebounds.
Returning are Guard CJ McClellan (14.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, team leader in assists) 2nd team All Conference, All conference Tourney team  ;  Newcomer of the year Brady Slagle (13.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg); Forward Jerel Robertson (12.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg) tough nosed kid  ;  First guard off the bench Luke Bishop, who could move into a starting lineup that would include Slagle and McClelland;  and Zac Ozee, a small forward who impressed me with a hustling tough nosed attitude.   Jake Columbia and Chris Sargdon also played in a number of games..   I like the first 5 guys mentioned, but Co coach of the year Todd Creal will have to find a big man or two to replace Randle and Sichting and supply the needed depth.  The fact that he got Slagle and Bishop to come to Mac could be the start of something good.

Eureka – just a lot of fun to watch as they had four guys who really could create offensively.  Only problem seemed to be some inconsistency that slipped into the 2nd half of the season.  They played extremely well to beat Mac in the conference semis.
Gone are two seniors, Michael Zasada and Kameron Bell, who were the two leading scorers in the conference.  Mike Zasada  (21.4 ppg, 9.9 rpg) was the SLIAC POY, First Team All conference, All Conference Tourney Team, and D3Hoops 2nd Team All Region.  Bell (20.9 ppg, 8.7 rpg) was 2nd team All conference and also on the All Conference tourney team.  The two seniors accounted for 52.9% of Eureka's scoring and 46% of the team's rebounding. 
Two huge losses, but the cupboard is not bare..  Two very good guards return in Jordan Kindred (11.7 ppg, 95 assists) and Andy Leppard (10.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg) – both are very athletic, good shooters who can go to the basket too.  Big man Mark Lessen moved into the starting lineup towards the end of the season and showed signs of being a real threat around the basket – he already has good weight on his 6'8" frame, and should be able to get stronger.  Craig Black started a number of games as a third guard – fits in very well, scrappy defender, capable of scoring with Zasada and Bell leaving.  Josh Wagner and Austin Nicholas both played regularly off the bench and can contribute.
I really like Bell and Leppert.... A guard combination at the same level as Westmin's...  and they'll both likely be + 15 ppg scorers with Bell and Zasada leaving.  Eureka needs to find one solid 6'3", 6'4" rebounder wha can score a little and they'll be fine.

Webster -  Fought through the Semester loss of point guard Jerry Strickland and 2nd semester injuries to Nick Jones and Kevin Miller to hang on to a playoff birth.  They are losing 6 seniors....  Big man John Orthwerth (7.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg); the aforementioned Jerry Strickland, who was really fitting into Coach Branch's scheme of things when an Academic – number of credits issue benched him for the 2nd semester; Reggie Smith  who came out of nowhere to play very well in the last couple of games of the season;  Forward Josue Whitcom (4 ppg, 3.1 rpg);  Defensive ace Matt Trippet (Matt is in a 3-2 Engineering program and leaves Webster after 3 years), and bench man Justin Endo.   These 6 seniors accounted for 26.3% of Webster's points and 30.5% of the rebounds.  In addition Strickland and then Trippett were the point guards... there is no returning player that naturally fits that role.
A solid group returns for Webster... Forward Drew Moore (13.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg) was First Team All conference and was on the All Conference Tourney Team  -  He goes to the basket as strong as anyone, and is a good outside shooter too – if he steps up the intensity, he could be the best player in the league.  Nick Jones (12.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg) sat out the end of the season with a broken hand, but still was All Conference Honorable Mention.  He needs to find some consistency – he's too athletic and skilled to disappear for stretches like he did.  Moore and Jones COULD be an incredible 1-2 punch.  Also returning is guard Scott Restoff (9.8 ppg, 3 rpg) and Guard-forward Robby Meeh (5.2 ppg, 4.1) – both solid players, but need to get quicker.....   Cory Bradfisch saw increasing amounts of time in the 2nd half of theseason... athletic, aggressive-  he could be a starter next year.  Kevin Miller had his moments in the middle and showed he could score in close... but he has a history of chronic injuries.... He flat out needs to get into basketball shape if he ever wants to see more than sporadic minutes.  Brad Cookson is another kid who Coach Branch gave some minutes to at the end of the season... he could see time as a small forward next year ... a nose for the ball.  Berton Wong also saw some minutes off the bench.  There are enough kids coming back to keep Webster in the conference tourney mix next year, but a take control point guard and a post man to go through on offense would make things much better.

continue to next post

[hopefan]

Continued from prior post

Spalding had NO seniors on its roster – AND only one Junior – yet managed a 9-7 record in conference.   They will again be ineligible for the conference tourney next year, but they'll definitely have a say in which teams make the tourney.  This team would be a tourney level team if they were eligible.  100% of all stats are back!!!
They are led by Dewhon McAfee (20.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, led the team in assists), First Team all conference... smooth ball handler, big scorer... a step ahead of any other guard in the conference. Quite honestly, I didn't see Spalding enough to get a feel for the roles of various players beyond McAfee.  Cody Cutsinger had a solid game against Fontbonne, but was off vs Webster.  Karlos Thompson ate Fontbonne up around the basket, but didn't play vs Webster.  Labrice Williams was solid in both games.  Spalding used a lot of kids during the season... it can't hurt in prepping the youngest team in the conference for next year......  AND the next year.

Greenville was my pre-preseason pick to win the SLIAC this year, but then Ben Cochrane transferred to the Wheaton bench and AJ Brooks disappeared supposedly to SIUE....   There was still a lot left, and Greenville came on strong at the end of the season, but they fell short of a conference tourney spot.  They lose far more than any other contending team...  Gone are Forward Laphonso Ellis (20.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg) First team All Conference, starting 2 guard Stephen Groves (7.6 ppg, 69 assists); Starting point Rashod Seaton (7.2 ppg, 73 assists);  Big man off the bench Andy Traeger (7.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg), and backup guard John Fischer (4.2 ppg).  That's 5 key players – a lot to lose in one class....
That's 59% of the team's points, and 44.7% of its rebounds.... And 65.7% of its assists. 
Back are two starters...  KJ Hilliard (12 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and Obinna Agomo (11.1ppg, 7.2 rpg) All Conferenc Defensive team....  Both of these guys are very athletic, great hops for their size, attack the hoop, good rebounders... unfortunately, when I saw them, neither shot well at all... they'll need to show improvement.  Also returning is backup guard Jonas McBride.. he impressed me as a confident player who handled the ball and scored a little.  Coach Barber gave a number of his bench players some minutes... 5 other guys played in over half of their games, but generally not in crucial situations.   It will unquestionably be a rebuilding year..

Fontbonne was also a disappointment to me this year.... Despite losing a great senior class coming into the year, I thought they had enough returning and the winning mentality to again be a contender... I was wrong.  Chemistry is critical, and this group just couldn't find it.  Gone are 2nd team All conference Chris Forest (18.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and bench player Jon Melloway.  In addition, Josh Branch, who was expelled from the team midway through the season, is gone.   That is 43 % of the team's scoring and 15% of its rebounding.
With only one key player gone from the 2nd half of the season, there are numbers returning for Fontbonne, but the quality of those numbers have yet to show they can win consistently.   Leading return player is forward Frank Sheetz (10.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg), who has to show that there is more to his game than a good perimeter set shot.  His Rebounding and lack of scoring around the basket were disappointing.  Other starters returning are middleman Jamal Thomas (8.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who may have been the best center in the conference during the 2nd half of the season (unfortunately the conference is not exactly loaded with solid pivot men);  Nolan Zoellner (7 ppg, 2.3 rpg) who seems to have a wealth of potential to be a team leader; and point guard Ben Rapp (4.9 ppg, 81 assists).  That point guard position was handled by several people at the end of the year including returners Jarrett Buford (good quicks, smart game), Daniel Lisch  (simply needs to start all over – he really lost the confidence he showed early on), and John Reese (seems to deserve a chance).  Erich Hamilton played well off the bench as a 2-3 man and should see even more time next season.  Mike Riva, who was originally slated to be a starter, sat out with injury for the whole season, but is assumedly back next year.  And the status of Freddie Fleming and Sean Gibson, both who could help around the basket, is unknown to me.   As I said, lots of bodies back, but it was an ugly year.... If  Fontbonne has a good recruiting year, NONE of these guys has a starting position locked.

Blackburn loses All Conference 2nd team Rod Sykes (18.3 ppg , 9.2 rpg) and point guard Cobri Gilbert (6.7 ppg, 88 assists).  In addition, I'm not sure of the status of Todd West (15 ppg), who was expelled from the team for 'confidntial' reasons.  This was not an end of the world offense, just one of immaturity, so maybe he'll be back.  His return would give BC some hope, but without him, the cupboard is quite a bit thinner.  Key returners will be Brandon Roberts (7.7 ppg), a tough nosed guard who shot the ball pretty well when I saw him play, and Sean Stochl (6.8 ppg, a small forward who led the team in assists.  James Gowin (6.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and burly Obie Farmer (3.3 ppg, 3 rpg) both got some starts last season, and should be seeing playing time next year.  I noticed Dakota Tcker (5.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg) come off the bench – athletic, nice moves to the basket – he could push for a starting position..  Others who got into a number of games were Ira Williams, Eli Morgan, David Golike, Devin Thompson, and Ryan Smith.   Blackburn has a huge advantage at home with a fun bunch of guys giving support from the stands and the small court, but they have to get some players....

And then there's Principia...  poor Prin..   last in the conference, and losing all conference HM Todd Zimmerman  (14.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg  121 assists) and Sam Douglas (16.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg), as well as starter Stuart Waller (6.9 ppg) and bench player Isaac Swiderski..  That only leaves 6 players that saw any action at all – there were only 8 players dressed the night I saw them play.  I missed seeing Colin Angle that night (9.2 ppg), And Stanley Beal (7.8 ppg, 5 rpg) impressed me with his aggressiveness and quicks..  Justin McDonald and Jeremy Gilman both saw action off the bench in every game during the year – I was impressed that the team played hard and stayed with Webster in the first half  -  but goodness, this team needs 8 – 10 more bodies to start building a program that is competitive.....


So...  fearless prognosticator   based on returners.........

Westminster    Leader of the pack

Webster (needs a point guard), Eureka (loses 2 prime timers), Mac (needs size), Spalding   Battle for 2, 3, 4, 5

Fontbonne  just a smidge behind

Greenville    rebuilding

Blackburn   talent level is questionable, but chemistry may be improved

Principia   needs a lot of help.


Pre – pre -  preseason. All conf

McClellan   Mac
McAfee    Spalding
Moore    Webster
Vislay   Westmin
Kindred   Eureka


So there you have it.....  wonder how recruiting is going....  word on the street is that Fontbonne has some nice numbers, and a Greenville recruit received All state Illinois Small School Recognition....     It's a start!!!!

[GCBball13]

Hope, as always, I thoroughly appreciate your in-depth posts.  Being from Greenville, the only school I can comment on is of course, my own, since I don't know nearly as much as the other schools...

One minor/major correction... although Seaton and Traeger are listed on the rosters as Seniors, they were in fact Juniors (I think they might've been seniors credit-wise or something, but they are only Juniors as far as eligibility goes).  So that will bring back nearly an entire starting lineup with: Hilliard, Agomo, Traeger, Seaton, and possibly McBride as the 5th.

Just a little note there.

Thanks again for your write-ups.

[hopefan]

GCBball   Great Feedback!   That of course makes a MAJOR Difference, If we can just keep Traeger playing close to the basket instead of on the perimeter, and keep Rashod toned down....  it's a whole different oulook with those two playing.   the bench is still untested, but 4 of five starting positions are solid.....

[hopefan]

The addition of Seaton and Traeger to the Greenville returnees really creates a logjam of teams that rate consideration as contenders for playoff spots behind my no 1 team Westmin..  Let's compare by position... for key returnees between Webster, Mac, Greenville, Fontbonne, and Eureka
How I rate them....
Point guard
1) Kindred  Eureka    can take over a game scoring, or drawing the defense and dishing
2) Slagle  Mac    good smarts, cool performer, best perimeter shooter of the points, good height
3) Seaton  Greenville   Very good quicks, penetrate and dish.... but can get out of control
4)  Rapp, Buford, Lisch Fontbonne   -  is 3 better than one...  I'm not so sure
5)  Mr. X   Webster...  They have to find one

2 guard
1) McClellan  Mac  It took me a while to notice him, but so steady, so many quiet good plays
2) Leppard  Eureka    Good shooter, good athlete..... works well with Kindred
3) Restoff / Bradfish  Webster   Restoff Has to do more than shoot the 3; I like Bradfish
4) Hamilton Fontbonne   Will he get a chance to play regularly?
5) Mr X Greenville   No one fits the bill yet

3 forward
1) Jones  Webster   Should do more than he showed this year
2) Hilliard  Greenville   Slasher to the basket, jumps
3) Zoellner  Fontbonne  A role needs to be defined, needs confidence
4) Black  Eureka   Will need to expand his game if he is to replace Bell
5) Mr X  Mac    not sure who this will be with loss of Randall and Sichting

strong forward
1) Moore Webster  Athletic Strong shoots   he should be MOP if he plays smart
2) Robertson  Mac  Tough nosed, can score, rebound
3) Agoma Greenville   Athletic, plays hard, but undersized to be key rebounder
4) Sheetz Fontbonne  Nice size, good shooter, but not active enough around basket
5) Eureka  Mr X      SOS   Help!!!!

In the middle
1) Thomas, Fontbonne    Came on strong as he earned more minutes
2) Traeger  Greenville  Aggressive rebounder, nice Size, can score       needs to stay inside
3) Lessen Eureka    True big man.. I see him developing into all conference in another year
4) Miller  Webster    Needs a lot of work with coach Bunch... can he stay healthy?
5) Mr X    Mac      Creal is a good recruiter... watch and see.....

so on a point system, given these ratings  amazingly tight..
Webster, 16
Eureka, Mac, Greenville  15
Fontbonne  14

A DOGFIGHT

Incidently if I had put Wesmin in there.... They would have been a slight winner....  I would have had Vislay and Gilmore high, Kovachs at 2 or 3, and Tolson and Rudd at 3s   -  they would have finished at about 18/19 points.....

[hopefan]

Have received a couple of emails indicating recruiting is going very well for fontbonne....  whether the new faces can come in and play right away or not, it will certainly serve to catch the program back up to conference leaders as those returning must get better to keep their minutes.

[hopefan]

I'm a numbers person so here are some numbers that totally baffle me
I made a large post on April 9 - putting out my viewpoints on the status of each SLIAC team concentrating on what players were returning....  GCBball 13 wrote back immediately correcting me on 2 greenville starters who were returning with additional eligibility...  with the new info, I did more analysis on April 12....  certainly some of my viewpoint had to be controversial to some people!!!!   And yet.......
Since April 9, the SLIAC room has had 2200 views...... and not one person other than GCBBALL13 saw  fit to comment!!!!  If that many people know this site exists, and are interested enough to open this room, I am baffled, boggled etc that we can't have a consistant handful of people interested to check in, make a comment,  and either agree or disagree and throw in a little backup....   If there were no views, I could understand it, but with that much activity, I'd think someone would write somthing....

oh well I'll plug along......

[y_jack_lok]

Okay, I will chime in by stating the obvious since I'm not inclined to do the kind of analysis we get rom hopefan. Westminster should be the clear favorite next season, everything else is wide open. From what we know, Principia is likely to be hurting, but you never know who they'll have come November.

[hopefan]

so it is recruiting season....   what makes a student athlete choose a SLIAC school?  This would be a heck of an interesting topic if people chime in.....  I would love to interview current SLIAC hoopers and ask how they ended up in the SLIAC, and why the particular SLIAC school over any other.....

here are some potential reasons

1) a SLIAC school was 1st choice due to the total athletic-academic -campus picture
2) location . other schools were possible, but the location was a better fit
3) basketball only
 3a) program/facilities/coach won the student over any other school
 3b) level of SLIAC makes Student feel he could contribute sooner than at another D3 conference
 3c) only SLIAC schools showed real interest as a basketball player
4) academics only - the perfect academic program or situation... basketball was totally secondary
5) No 'good' offers from local NAIA/D2 schools
6) Girlfriend dictated it
7) Financial aid package better than at other D3 schools

How do SLIAC coaches recruit?
1) total effort, visits to campus, seeing kids play, getting into homes
2) a call here and there
3) they take who ever comes...

in the SLIAC, is financial aid maneuvered to assist the recruiting effort... by maneuvered, I mean.. additional'academic' monies not based on need, or  a better need package with higher scholarship percentage over loan/work-study compared to the norm....  if a student says hey I'll come if you match school x package, can the SLIAC respond positively?

obviously numbers in the freshman class are the lifeblood of the school...   stop and think about what % of the Freshmen class are recruited athletes ...  at a small school like Eureka, Blackburn, Greenville, Westmin,   heck, probably 30 to 40%of the incoming class are athletes....Athletic recruiting is absolutely critical to keeping a school viable....ie lets say a frosh class of 400  ... minimal numbers of kids coming in would be 40 football, 20 mens and womens soccer, 15 basketball, 20 baseball softball, 20 track, 20 other...  that is a big chunk of change... and sports in some cases may be the key in keeping the student at that school through to graduation....

I'm rambling.....

[hopefan]

Yjak - you're supposed to show support for you favorite team!!!!!!!!!

[y_jack_lok]

Okay. okay! Jeez. Webster will be solid next year and should be a strong contender to make the conference tournament and give Westminster a run for the top spot.