I don’t think anyone is being unreasonable about this team lately. Most realize they’ve beat up on the bad teams in the Valley, lost to the good teams, and need to get better. I don’t think it’s wrong for people to have some optimism. I’m skeptical about next season but I still have some optimism that changes will be made.
SIU preseason No 2 or maybe 3 next season . Let’s keep being delusional.
I always wonder if people promoting this team have watched the games this year.
But I digress, enjoy the middle of the pack.
This isn’t Year 1. It’s gonna be Year 4 about 6 days from now.
If playing great hustle defense is gonna be the brand with lousy offense , good luck with that.
It doesn’t sell and doesn’t win.
For the ‘this team didn’t beat anybody good’ crowd, I’m sorry…but you have to consider the Colorado win good. They’re 19-10 and just beat Arizona. Plus, we lost to Creighton by a point, another tournament team. The gap isn’t far. My worries for the future are making sure we keep our core and be able to land a skilled transfer and get more high-level recruits. There’s a slight skill/athleticism gap that needs to be filled. It’s not as wide as I originally thought. Keep your heads up
Bow Em
We have a ways to go for sure. Year after next maybe.
The offense has definitely improved for several reasons: Much better pace..Domask quit playing like a puss and became much more aggressive..Jones' foot healed up and he started shooting and driving better.. Ben Coupet started shooting better and became more aggressive.
Next year we need a point guard who can add some offense.
Jones should have taken that last shot - either outside or drive it. The Domask shot was VERY predictable and he was NOT open.. no screen or anything to get him open. He was not fouled, but he was well guarded. Disappointing play call.
Jones should have taken that last shot - either outside or drive it. The Domask shot was VERY predictable and he was NOT open.. no screen or anything to get him open. He was not fouled, but he was well guarded. Disappointing play call.
I would have went for the win there. Going to Domask was predictable and I don't know if SIU wins in overtime anyways. Run a play for Coupet or Jones and get them a look at 3. Or run a play for Domask to get a look from 3.
I don’t think anyone is being unreasonable about this team lately. Most realize they’ve beat up on the bad teams in the Valley, lost to the good teams, and need to get better. I don’t think it’s wrong for people to have some optimism. I’m skeptical about next season but I still have some optimism that changes will be made.
SIU was picked to finish 5th in the Valley. We lost two games, by a total of 3 effing points to the team picked to finish first. We had a 1 point loss to the team that did win the Valley. We have two highly regarded recruits who redshirted. We signed a 7’ high school senior who had 13 D1 offers, including offers from K State and Oklahoma. We don’t even look at recruits if they aren’t not just good players, but also good kids. That’s all.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
SIU preseason No 2 or maybe 3 next season . Let’s keep being delusional.
I always wonder if people promoting this team have watched the games this year.
But I digress, enjoy the middle of the pack.
This isn’t Year 1. It’s gonna be Year 4 about 6 days from now.
If playing great hustle defense is gonna be the brand with lousy offense , good luck with that.
It doesn’t sell and doesn’t win.
Tell that to Bruce Weber. It was good enough for 2 Sweet 16 trips. Sorry if that wasn’t pretty enough for you.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
In all fairness let us look at things objectively Brian took over a depleted roster in year one and got a late start totally rebuilt the roster he has chosen to use a philosophy of using freshman and redshirting players not just restocking with transfers in year 2 Domask was hurt after 8 games and Southern was playing extremely well also we have the pandemic to deal with which obviously hurt recruiting with a couple of more pieces in this recruiting season coupled with the way they have finished the season and been extremely competitive in most games I believe we are closer to the top than the bottom and the future is bright
I understand the frustration, but I don't think some of the doom posts have been realistic:
- The season isn't over yet, and though we haven't been playing for the league title for a couple weeks, some are acting like a 2 point road loss to the #89 KenPom team in Drake just ended the season. Why declare a grade for the season when it's not over? What happens if this team wins Arch Madness? How about if they somehow win a game in the tournament? Of course both aren't likely, but at least in the former this team actually has a chance this year since there isn't a Top 15 ranked Loyola or Wichita looming in the Arch Madness championship game.
- Marcus was lost for the majority of his Sophomore year due to an injury, so to peg a "Year 3" grade on the program with that isn't quite accurate. Sure, injuries happen, and arguably a roster should be deep enough to sustain winning, but he was and is still our star player, so it definitely needs to be considered.
- As SalukiWorld pointed out, our KenPom is now at 120, which is good for the top 1/3 of college basketball. For those that say we are mediocre I would ask how you define that; to me mediocre is middle of the pack, and I think nationally we're more above average more so than mediocre.
- Hockey stick growth is rare: how often does a new coach come in and immediately see improvements in wins, standings, and tournament results year one to year three and beyond? You have to basically land a Marcus Domask-level recruit or transfer every single year, or at least kick off Year 1 with putting together an elite team so you can use that success and NCAA appearance to improve recruiting in subsequent years. Most coaches do not, and I would ask you to please refer to the Marcus Domask injury consideration above.
- The loss of key players like Ben Coupet to graduation will hurt, for sure, but that does not automatically equate to a doom scenario. As an undergrad in Carbondale I saw a single transfer make a program-elevating impact in Rolan Roberts, and while losing Ben hurts as he has been great there are those types of players available on the market. If we're able to nab one then as the Rolan scenario played out it could effectively help alter the trajectory of the program's success. And yes, I realize that team had Kent Williams and Jermaine, but this current team is above average, and I think we can all agree that an impact player like Rolan would have been a literal game changer this year.
- Lastly, think of Brian Wardle and that situation in Peoria. There's a pretty unique situation where you have a recent coaching hire with conference standings / results that are all over the place, yet he's won Arch Madness twice and earned two NCAA tournament appearances. For the doom and gloomers, I would ask how you would grade that coaching scenario, because if Bryan finds a way to win Arch Madness this year that would create a similar track record.
Fact: Coach K was nearly fired after three years.
Fact: Saluki Head Coach Paul Lambert didn't really succeed until 4th year and NCAA tourney bid in his 7th year.
There are numerous cases of coaches who were nearly fired after three and four years who then went on to successful careers.
Anyone not understanding that either doesn't know the game, understand how programs are built or has some kind of agenda. Will Bryan ultimately be successful? Time will tell , but to be writing the bs. that some on here continue to promote is ridiculous. I'm guessing these are the same people who studied medicine and know all about the vaccine and also studied politics and completely understand the Russian/ Ukraine situation.
No doubt there is work to be done with this team and the issues are obvious: turnovers, rebounding, point guard, timely shooting and yes, free throws (better lately).
I was at Paradice Jam and liked what I saw even though we lost two games. The last second loss to Crieghton was painful. This team is tough and plays hard, just not for 40 minutes unfortunately. Some here contend SIU is not athletic enough. I tend to disagree somewhat and like what's coming in next year. Coupet is gone along with his athleticism, but Ebube, Wonders and D'Amico should shore up his scoring. Still curious about Harvey?
Yeah, another scoring point guard or forward would certainly help and hope it happens. Don's see 7 footer playing. What I hope is that next year's team is ahead of the curve with gelling and cleaning up the above deficiencies. But hey, I've been wrong before...
In the meantime, make some noise at AM. Go Salukis!
March on triumphantly!
If I had to answer yes or no to "Were you happy with this season?," I would answer no, and I suspect most (likely including Bryan Mullins) would answer the same way. 0-8 against the top four in the MVC, 6th place MVC finish behind Bradley, mediocre non-conference results and recurring struggles most nights offensively make it hard to call this year the big step forward we were hoping for.
That said, I do give the coaches and players credit for battling through the tough stretches, finishing the regular season well and competing with grit the overwhelming majority of the time. And yes, overperforming their seed at Arch Madness next week would count for something if they can pull that off.
I guess I'm somewhat in the middle on the "state of the program." I very much support and like Mullins, am happy with the kind of kids he's brought into the program and see some potential for being formidable as soon as next season. But, as I've posted before, just hopeful Bryan and Co. take a clear-eyed view of what needs to change/improve to get the Salukis to serious contention to win championships.
Voices of reason. What's this world coming to?
I honestly believe a high-impact addition to this team at its weakest position - PG/leader/floor general is THE missing ingredient for SIU to take off. Maybe getting a Brian Moore recruiting win will be the answer.
The Rolan Roberts effect was mentioned and I agree. In just that one season, he alone with his dominating play inside allowed SIU's perimeter defenders to pressure the ball much more aggressively because they knew they had Roberts as a fail-safe behind them to erase or change countless otherwise easy attempts in the paint. Offensively, he opened up so many things for players like Kent Williams, Brad Korn and Darren Brooks. Jermaine also flourished with defenses now sharing equal concern for both he and Roberts; think what a player like Brian Moore could do for Lance Jones.
In addition, we still could use more athleticism in the post, but I believe Ebube will fill that role exponentially. He has the ability to erase shots like a Rolan Roberts.
I also hope with as highly regarded as Hornecker is, that he's ready to come in and contribute some meaningful minutes next year.
With the additions of Ebube and Wonders to the rotation, if SIU lands Brian Moore or a similarly impactful point guard, and Hornecker is a little more ahead of the curve than some believe, look out, because next year will be a fun, fun ride.
--Insert something witty here--
Use of that remaining scholarship (or possibly more) is going to be huge. If we get an impact scoring PG or combo guard, we should be off to the races. If not, we're probably looking at mediocre again next year.
Ebube, Wonders, D'Amico, and Hornecker were all very good recruits. If D'Amico continues to improve and the others are as advertised, our program should be in good shape going forward. I'm putting some faith in these players and the Coaching Staff.
