majerus wastes no time...

[TVDirector]

New Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus signs 6-foot-7 juco player
New Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus signs 6-foot-7 juco player

May 3, 2007

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Two days after being introduced as the new Saint Louis coach, Rick Majerus announced his first recruit.

The Billikens said late Wednesday that 6-foot-7 forward Barry Eberhardt, who averaged 17.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in junior college last season at Coffeyville College in Kansas, had signed with Saint Louis.

Majerus replaced Brad Soderberg, who was fired last month.

[slingkong]

Anyone else think it would be nice to start a home-n-home deal with SLU? There's the Catholic connection, the former conference mates connection, and now Majerus. I'd like it for purely selfish reasons - Milwaukee is just too damn far from STL to make more than a couple games a year.

[ecompt]

I hope Rick knows better than to go the JUCO route. But he knows there's a lot of pressure on him to win soon to fill up that building.

[Harrison]

That is not necessarily correct.  The JUCO route can be very affective.  If nothing else our own Al McGuire proved that.  The problem MU has faced under Crean was we have never really signed a top rated JUCO.  We have had transfer issues and then Crean has been forced to go the JUCO route or has signed the 100th rated JUCO prospect.  The talent level falls off very quickly.  If you are signing the top guys that's one thing.  If you are recruiting the underrecruited unsigned guys in April that a whole other story, or if you miss on that guy and then sign his teammate, ala Lott and Blackledge....yikes.  Mu's problem is we have attempted to fill holes of need with these types.  Those guys should be 12th man's not need fillers.  Need fillers need to be top 20 rated JUCO's ala Marcus jackson. 

Where this SLU recruit is rated or where he will fall on the depth chart is unnow to me , just addressing the MU situation.

[BigSky]

I hope Rick knows better than to go the JUCO route. But he knows there's a lot of pressure on him to win soon to fill up that building.

SLU had many scholarships left for next season.  They are desperate for any 4 or 5 help they can get for next season.  They don't even have enough bodies for practice.  They have two more years of two high caliber players, and one year left of a solid role player and needed to added someone for size, rebounding, inside play. 

Majerus isn't going to be flooding the roster annually with tons of jucos.  SLU has a chance with a couple of good returning players,....to try to win next year.

Majerus has never had a losing season...400 plus wins...I think he knows what he is doing. 

Porter Moser was recruiting that kid for a while at Illinois St and that is why he was ready to go to SLU so quickly.

[mviale]

If you recall, this is how Rick became 29-4 at ball state

[ecompt]

Harrison, if I remember correctly (and I do), none of the key players on our 1977 team were JUCOs. In fact, the only JUCOs I can remember of note from 1969 on were Bob Lackey and Ric Cobb. Chones, Meminger, Thompson, Bo, Butch, Whitehead, Lucas, Allie, Brell, Tatum were all MU recruits. 

[79Warrior]

Harrison, if I remember correctly (and I do), none of the key players on our 1977 team were JUCOs. In fact, the only JUCOs I can remember of note from 1969 on were Bob Lackey and Ric Cobb. Chones, Meminger, Thompson, Bo, Butch, Whitehead, Lucas, Allie, Brell, Tatum were all MU recruits. 

Was Boylan a JUCO? I don't remember Whitehead a 4 year player either.

[Pardner]

Was Boylan a JUCO? I don't remember Whitehead a 4 year player either.
[/quote]
Boylan was a transfer from Assumption College...came to MU via Dean Smith since UNC did not take transfers.  Ironic that Jim then led MU to the championship over UNC.  Jay Whitehead was a JUCO.

[4everwarriors]

while originally from Illinois, played at Saddleback in California before coming to the Warriors.

[MUMac]

Those were the days that MU (Al/Hank) would have a player go JUCO for a year or two and then to MU.  Whitehead was one of those players they "stashed" away for a year or so.  Whitehead came to MU as a Sophomore.

[MUMac]

Anyone else think it would be nice to start a home-n-home deal with SLU? There's the Catholic connection, the former conference mates connection, and now Majerus. I'd like it for purely selfish reasons - Milwaukee is just too damn far from STL to make more than a couple games a year.

TC does not like coaching against his friends.  I kind of doubt a home and home will happen.

[77fan88warrior]

Sam Worthen was a very nice JUCO for MU.

[bilsu]

Lloyd Walton was a JUCO

[spartan3186]

If you are signing the top guys that's one thing.  If you are recruiting the underrecruited unsigned guys in April that a whole other story, or if you miss on that guy and then sign his teammate, ala Lott and Blackledge....yikes.

Actually Lott was a JUCO All-American. I think it is pretty obvious by the "All-American" that he was indeed one of the top talents at the Junior College level, we just got unlucky and had him never really materialize at the DI level.

[ChicosBailBonds]

That is not necessarily correct.  The JUCO route can be very affective.  If nothing else our own Al McGuire proved that.  The problem MU has faced under Crean was we have never really signed a top rated JUCO.  We have had transfer issues and then Crean has been forced to go the JUCO route or has signed the 100th rated JUCO prospect.  The talent level falls off very quickly.  If you are signing the top guys that's one thing.  If you are recruiting the underrecruited unsigned guys in April that a whole other story, or if you miss on that guy and then sign his teammate, ala Lott and Blackledge....yikes.  Mu's problem is we have attempted to fill holes of need with these types.  Those guys should be 12th man's not need fillers.  Need fillers need to be top 20 rated JUCO's ala Marcus jackson. 

Where this SLU recruit is rated or where he will fall on the depth chart is unnow to me , just addressing the MU situation.

Lott was a JUCO All-American and I believe Marcus Jackson was honorable mention.

[spartan3186]

thanks for reiterating what i said a minute before you 

[🏀]

Kinsella was also an All-American.

The big thing here is what division JUCO ranking they recived. Kinsella was a NJCAA First Team All-American.

Marcus was a 2nd team JUCO All-American.

Lott was a  2nd team JUCO All-American.

I don't know how they all shake down, but Lott was just as highly reguarded coming out as Marcus.

[ChicosBailBonds]

thanks for reiterating what i said a minute before you 

You obviously type faster than I.

[Murffieus]

TC's mistake with JUCO's is he signs them late to fill holes or to  fill the last schollie----AL sometimes made it an early objective to sign a particular JUCO.

Rick is doing the same thing here (sign JUCO's late)----but he's forced to do it this year!

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

Anyone else think it would be nice to start a home-n-home deal with SLU? There's the Catholic connection, the former conference mates connection, and now Majerus. I'd like it for purely selfish reasons - Milwaukee is just too damn far from STL to make more than a couple games a year.

I do! I'm starting at SLU Law School in the fall and as such will not be able to renew my season tickets!!!

Sign the deal!!!

[Harrison]

Thanks for making many of my points.  As Murf stated if you target a top JUCO early in the process and get top flight guys ala Cincinati in the Huggins era that is one thing.  But to then say Kinsella and Lott were all americans in rediculous!!  MJax was a highly touted recruit who actually signed with Georgia during their brief resurrection under Harrick.  Lott and Kinsella and Blackledge were underrecruited guys that had no offers from programs anywhere near the level of MU.  Crean took a flyer on them.  Again if they were to fill the 11th or 12th man roles no big deal, but we had/have dire need in the paint.  Also, to address the All-american baloney  there are numerous different divisions of JUCO and they name many all-americans and honorable all-americans etc.  much of what i would call "resume' stuffing"  the real question is how highly were they rated and those three were not rated highly at all, in fact the bottom line is they were mid major or low D1 recruits at best.  Three of them on the roster at once killed our bench.  Injuries or fouls and our goose was cooked...see Providence, MSU, ND etc. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

But to then say Kinsella and Lott were all americans in rediculous!!  MJax was a highly touted recruit who actually signed with Georgia during their brief resurrection under Harrick.  Lott and Kinsella and Blackledge were underrecruited guys that had no offers from programs anywhere near the level of MU. 

Ridiculous?  You either are or aren't an All American.  It's a designation.  Those guys were All-Americans, whether you like it or not...they earned those honors.

Don't backtrack because you were wrong.  If you want to say they didn't pan out or weren't that good, fine.  But they were All-Americans.  That is a statement of fact.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Chicos -- take a look at the banner in the Al McGuire Center that lists Marquette's "All Americans." I'd say MU is not exactly being truthful about who is an "All American." For example, Dwyane Wade WAS an all-american. Travis Diener was not. Roney Eford was not. Matter of fact, I think they've got McIlvaine listed as a former All American, which he wasn't.

[Avenue Commons]

Chicos -- take a look at the banner in the Al McGuire Center that lists Marquette's "All Americans." I'd say MU is not exactly being truthful about who is an "All American." For example, Dwyane Wade WAS an all-american. Travis Diener was not. Roney Eford was not. Matter of fact, I think they've got McIlvaine listed as a former All American, which he wasn't.

I'd have to agree. "Honorable Mention" is just that, the honor is that you are mentioned, but your were not on the All-America team. I think that unless you were on one of the All-America teams, you aren't an "All-American."