MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Denny McKinney]

Well covered Hopefan. I watched several of WU's games on Live Feeds and saw them play FU in person. IMHO. I told Yjak that I thought Coach Bunch did not have the players to play, what I will call, Bunch - Style basketball. The game I saw in person was very tough to watch. The dribble drive track meet style of basketball just was not what I've come to expect from a Webster team. Webster has been very successful playing hard nose defense and a some what deliberate style offense. This style was basically an inside out game. I think that's why Huskey's numbers dropped. Smith was athletic and had a nice perimeter shot.

My view of basketball is the guards only drive for two reasons, to keep the defense honest and to kick to a shooter. Otherwise your just clogging the paint and not allowing your bigs to go to work. The problem was WU only had one player who consistently shot well from the perimeter and that was Smith. Although, he also was one of those that kept driving it down the middle.

I've seen one of WU's recruits play against my brother's Sullivan team. Nice size and a good frame. I don't know if he'll be a big impact as a freshmen, but will definitely have the tools to be a good SLIAC player. I hope the rest of the recruiting class is able to help out next year.

Let's get back to Webster style of play.

[hopefan]

How about a quicky writeup on Principia... its current 53 game losing streak speaks for itself....  That streak should have been broken last year.... unfortunately 6'4" Kenny Sydness was out with injury early, and started slowly when he got back on the court... Frosh Larry Patterson, who averaged 15.4 ppg sat out second semester to get his feet on the ground with academics...
had they both been on the court together against Blackburn or St Louis Pharma, there likely would have been a win... As it was there were close losses in both semesters, and a bunch of blowouts

Prin only loses one senior, Stanly Beal... 8 ppg, 7 rpg  what's left leaves little optimism that the streak will be broken, though the likes of Blackburn, Pharma, Eureka (who loses everyone) and Iowa  Wesleyan (who also gets clobbered with losses to graduation) present opportunity..

Back are:

Kenny Sydness...  17 ppg, 7 rpg...  Would be an All Conference player if there was more talent around him.. as it is, voting ignores him....
Damon Wilgus... 15 ppg... proved himself to be a pretty good player this past season
The rest... well, the talent is not at the level necessary to win, even in the SLIAC   ..and depth is non existant

Two possibilities
Larry Pattterson....   Prin Coach told me there were realistic hopes he would return this year... averaged 15 ppg in 7 ggames as a frosh
another, less defined possibility, is HS senior Justin Ball... from St Louis Principia School.... 6'8", 15 ppg, 10 rpg.... let's hope that this young man continues his education at Prin...  however, I've heard several schools are under consideration along with Prin, including Wabash....  Any readers know anything?...

Coach Mike Bushong, who seems like a really nice guy, should be working the recruiting trails hard  (assuming Prin recruits)...  poor Mike, career coaching record at 0-50

[Denny McKinney]

I think Coach Bushong's biggest challenge will just be getting numbers.

[hopefan]

From a very good source...  Justin Ball to Principia!!!!   As Denny alluded to, now Prin needs to get some bodies to join him....

But wow, I just really feel happy for Prin.....  he should be a BIG help in the uphill climb from the bottom....   (hmmm that's the title of a great soul song from the 60's)

[Denny McKinney]

That is SUPER news. He'll be a GREAT carrot to dangle in front of other kids. Him and Sydness are a good nucleus to build around.

[magicman]

I just got caught up reading the posts on the SLIAC board and the most unusual thing I found over the past 6 or 7 pages was how few of the posts were from hopefan.   But that's a good thing.    Good job with all the team breakdowns hopefan. Plus K. Played golf last weekend with a 72 year old former football coach from RPI named Doug. Never got his last name. Ring any bells? He was pretty good for his age.

I also wonder if you'll be choosing Prin in the Winless Pool now that they grabbed that 6'8" recruit?

[hopefan]

I just got caught up reading the posts on the SLIAC board and the most unusual thing I found over the past 6 or 7 pages was how few of the posts were from hopefan.   But that's a good thing.    Good job with all the team breakdowns hopefan. Plus K. Played golf last weekend with a 72 year old former football coach from RPI named Doug. Never got his last name. Ring any bells? He was pretty good for his age.

I also wonder if you'll be choosing Prin in the Winless Pool now that they grabbed that 6'8" recruit?

Magic... good to hear from you....   things were getting a little squirrelly with the posts so I backed off until they settled down....  I'm trying hard on Doug from RPI, but nothing is coming... I'll do a little research...   Thought it might be Head Coach White, who was there in 70's when I was coaching, and the age would be about right, but that was Dave White, not Doug....I'll do a little research....

The call on Prin is a tough one.....  the big kid should certainly help... if I find that Patterson is coming back, I'll definitely have to go with someone else....  if not, and no other recruiting news emerges, it still is up in the air....  Speaking of which, we had some chat last season that you... YOU... should serve as the commish of the selection process so that participants don't get unfairly squeezed out of picking (ie, a draft of some sort) ... I think you should establish that and set it up on the appropriate page in the fall!!!!  I'm willing to take my chances in order to give everyone a fair shot..

[magicman]

I just got caught up reading the posts on the SLIAC board and the most unusual thing I found over the past 6 or 7 pages was how few of the posts were from hopefan.   But that's a good thing.    Good job with all the team breakdowns hopefan. Plus K. Played golf last weekend with a 72 year old former football coach from RPI named Doug. Never got his last name. Ring any bells? He was pretty good for his age.

I also wonder if you'll be choosing Prin in the Winless Pool now that they grabbed that 6'8" recruit?

Magic... good to hear from you....   things were getting a little squirrelly with the posts so I backed off until they settled down....  I'm trying hard on Doug from RPI, but nothing is coming... I'll do a little research...   Thought it might be Head Coach White, who was there in 70's when I was coaching, and the age would be about right, but that was Dave White, not Doug....I'll do a little research....

The call on Prin is a tough one.....  the big kid should certainly help... if I find that Patterson is coming back, I'll definitely have to go with someone else....  if not, and no other recruiting news emerges, it still is up in the air....  Speaking of which, we had some chat last season that you... YOU... should serve as the commish of the selection process so that participants don't get unfairly squeezed out of picking (ie, a draft of some sort) ... I think you should establish that and set it up on the appropriate page in the fall!!!!  I'm willing to take my chances in order to give everyone a fair shot..

Hello hopefan,
Nice to hear from you as well. Don't spend too much time doing research on the RPI coach. I just found out today from Plattsburgh State Coach Curle that the RPI coach is a member at the golf course I frequent so I'll get his last name next time I'm there, off the handicap sheet, and let you know.

I think your idea regarding the selection process of the Undefeated Pool and the Winless Pool is a good one. I'm thinking that everyone interested can sign up and then we'll have a draft. I'll do the same thing that Tom (Greek Tragedy) does for the NCAA Tournament Fantasy League. Use a partial deck of cards with the appropriate number of players. If we have more than 13 players I'll use 2 suits, spades and hearts. Whoever gets the Ace of Spades gets 1st Pick in the Undefeated Pool, the King of Spades will get the 2nd pick and so on until we run out of spades. The Ace of Hearts would get the 14th pick and so on until we go through the hearts. We usually have anywhere from 15 to 25 guys in the contest. Then we'll do another draft for the Winless Pool with everyone drafting in reverse order of what the Undefeated Pool was. That way the guy who has the last pick in the Undefeated Pool will have the 1st pick in the Winless Pool. It will take a little while to do a draft but if we start it early enough and set a deadline for enties we should be okay. Any late arrivals can choose a team that is undrafted as they join.

The other possibility is to state that no one can choose a team for either pool until a certain time. This would eliminate a draft but prevent anyone from jumping on a team in September or early October. Since November 15th is the first game day, no one would be allowed to choose a team before 1:00 AM on November 1st, as an example. Then it's first come first served. That would give everyone 2 weeks to get their picks in and at least prevent anyone from taking the top teams a month or more before the season starts.

I will go on the Undefeated and Winless Board mid-summer and post the possibilities and maybe get a consensus (if that's possible ) as to what the majority of players wish to do. If done early enough we shouldn't have any problems with either of these choices.

Glad to hear your medical issues were the usual and nothing serious. The price of growing older.    

[ecreddevils]

the likes of Blackburn, Pharma, Eureka (who loses everyone) and Iowa  Wesleyan (who also gets clobbered with losses to graduation) present opportunity..

I don't know, I would not lump EC in this bottom group so quickly.  If the the early buzz is any indication, this will be a reloading year for the Red Devils, hopefully much like 11-12 season.  I think some pretty solid transfer help will be coming.  Not really fair to make statements without details, but that's what this writer must do at this point!

[hopefan]

the likes of Blackburn, Pharma, Eureka (who loses everyone) and Iowa  Wesleyan (who also gets clobbered with losses to graduation) present opportunity..

I don't know, I would not lump EC in this bottom group so quickly.  If the the early buzz is any indication, this will be a reloading year for the Red Devils, hopefully much like 11-12 season.  I think some pretty solid transfer help will be coming.  Not really fair to make statements without details, but that's what this writer must do at this point!

EC... Eureka does lose everybody....  if you have heard some buzz, tell us, don't keep it a secret...  What I write about is strictly based on who is returning... My past attempts at attaining recruiting information prior to September have been pretty much futile...  As far as RETURNING talent, Prin is FAR AHEAD of Eureka....  More than willing to discuss that statement....

[Denny McKinney]

ECreddevils - I agree. I like the way Coach Wilde builds his teams for a run. Mixture of Freshmen and transfers. I have heard a little of the buzz out of EC and do not expect them to be at the bottom of the pile next season. Although, PC has added a very good recruit, they are still Principia! I'm looking forword to watching a few of EC's games via Live Feed.

[Denny McKinney]

Since it is the Holiday Weekend I thought I'd fill some space on the board. Recently I had a long conversation with one of Lafayette HS finest Landon Kurz. We had a Glory Days discussion. The thing that made FU's 3 straight run so fun was the balance of competition in the Sliac Tourney's. When you look back at the teams FU had to get by on the way to the NCAA Tournament, it makes the run more exciting. Twice FU got by a Maryville team that included Saxton, Stienke, Winters, Grueneweld, Dulle and McKoy.

FU's 1st Championship they had to get by a Webster team with Spinner, Hoggatt, Kuhn, Turk and Robinson. Then a Championship OT 2 point win over a very very good Eureka team with the likes of Roy Tarpley. JR Richards, McComb, Zasada, Darnell and Bell. All three years included a fine Westminster group with the likes of Kurz, Buxton, Warnecke, Sodemann, Kovach, Davis, Visalsy and Millard.

That FU bunch dismissed a lot predetermined myths. Pops played a starting five that played well over 30 minutes. They didn't break down or run out of gas, in fact Justin Storandt and Chad Fournie never missed a game while playing at FU. Fogerty missed one with a concussion and probably played more minutes in 4 years then any other player ever. And, McCoy started every game till his senior year when he missed 4 in a row at midseason with a broken wrist. Patrick was one of the Big Three that started together as Freshmen and took their lumps He led the league in scoring as a Freshmen shooting guard, then moved to the PG position as a Sophmore and lead the league in assists per game his senior year. Brian Fogerty became a two time SLIAC POY, All American and the conferences fourth leading scorer all time.

Along the way two conference Newcomers of the Year were brought in. First was Trevor White and after Trevor was a late scratch before his sophomore season, Chris Forrest was added and proceeded to be a 1st Team All Conference selection in the '08-09. That was the year FU added Conference Co Champs to the resume. They reached some gaudy national statistical rankings that year. Eight in scoring (84.7), Third in FG% (52.3), Fifth in 3pt% (41.5) and Top 20 in rebounding and assists.

Chad Fournie's snub of All Conference honors brought on an All Conference Defensive Team the year after his senior year. One of toughest defenders Pops ever coached.

I guess these Rural Kids over achieved. But represented towns like Salem, Winfield, Herman, Mascoutah and Willard very well.

Thanks for the memories and thanks for use of the D3 space. Happy Holidays to you All.

[hopefan]

Denny's post inspired me to spend an hour going back to posts on these pages in the 2007,2008, 2009 time... what a great history of SLIAC basketball...  There was some friendliness, some unfriendliness, a lot of facts, a little fiction... but all very readable....   

[Denny McKinney]

Those were some very enjoyable experiences. I'm glad I could inspire you Hopefan. I'm glad I have those memories to carry with me every day.

There were some really good teams in the SLIAC back then. I take pleasure in watching a lot of those players doing so well in the time since then. Great bunch of guys.

[hopefan]

So let's look at Fontbonne for the upcoming season...   Fontbonne showed signs of emerging from the lower pack of SLIAC schools back to the top four throughout the season... they were 6-0 against Greenville, Blackburn and Prin, but 0-10 against the 5 schools ahead of them..   but they had nailbiting losses to Webster, Spalding and Eureka along the way... they were close, and they did it primarily with 8 frosh and a soph, and the role playing of Yadi Demisse and Andrew Chisum...

The frosh class was terrific, with every position seemingly covered, and a future that seemed to lead to Fontbonne's return to Conference Tourney and even the top rung of the SLIAC....  but an email from the coaching staff, though optimistic in nature, brought news that I found disheartening.... 3 of the frosh will not be returning...
Zach Carel who I thought handled the ball well and played tough D, though shot poorly, will stay at Fontbonne, but will focus on baseball  (was he pushed out by the dominant minutes Greg Gentry was receiving at point?)
Colton Woods who had a couple of very good games early but seemed to run out of steam later in the season, is transferring for academic reasons... His dream is to be a pilot and I'm not so sure Fontbonne offers a prep for that... the kid could have been a scoring 6'5" perimeter player...
Jack Stephens, 6'5", aggressive, scrappy, to the basket, leaves Fontbonne for personal reasons... another kid whom I thought could be a four year 10 ppg, 7 rpg player...

Still four frosh who played regularly return along with Greg Gentry and Yada Demisse, not to mention 6'9" jacob Martin, who sat out most of his frosh year with injury... it's a solid nucleus, but new faces will need to provide the depth... Coach Steve Shafer, without going into detail, promises that depth is coming in this year's recruiting class....

Returning are:
Greg Gentry  5'9" (generous height) point  guard 10.3 ppg, 5apg....   I made no bones during this season that I was not a Big fan, but I'll start from scratch this year... As I said  before, Gentry is the SLIAC version of Mizzou's Phil Pressey... so many things right, so many things wrong... but his demeanor at times, total aloofness to the rest of the team when he wasn't playing, was a total turnoff ...still great quickness and penetration with the ball, but just too many bad decisions...  hopefully maturity will come into play and this young man can point his skills to winning basketball games....

Blake Welch  6'1"  2 guard.... 10.3 ppg... came on very strong in the 2nd half of the season after looking pretty lost early... really filled it up.. several games over 20 points...  43% from 3's

Richard Dorhauer  5'10"   7.4 ppg... could he be the point if Gentry loses it?   Started most games at the 2 spot... very aggressive, leader type, shot selection needs to be improved...

Darius Rucker...  6'3"   7.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg..  aggressive, to the basket kind of player... I really like him... but would disappear at times... keep up the intensity, this could be an all conference player...

Jared Greenlee   6'5"  10.9 ppg, 7 rpg...  SLIAC newcomer of the year.... Very solid in the middle, few mistakes..  will be very good for the next three years

Yada Demisse... 6'2"  3.9... they'll probably call him pops... great attitude, plays with poise.. saw his minutes diminish, but stayed upbeat... His demeanor, direction, is critical to the success of this team next year...

Jacob Martin... 6'9"   I only saw him play twice and came away with 2 impressions... way behind in conditioning and quickness, AND, unstoppable if he gets the ball down low... Coach Shafer, it's up to you....

Fontbonne was in my top 4 next year if everyone was coming back...  now, they're a little short on depth... but Coach Shafer, the youngest coach in the league (I think), has a brightness and enthusiasm that will bring kids to the program... if he gets any help from this year's recruits, the Griffs should hit the top 4 in 13-14.