Home College Growing Pains

Growing Pains

by

(Photo Courtesy of www.unewsonline.com)

 

After three consecutive years of unprecedented and unpredictable success, three trips to the Big Dance and a Top 10 national ranking, the Saint Louis University Billikens are off to a slow but reasonably expected 4-2 start to the 2014-2015 season. After graduating all but three players from the 2013-2014 season main rotation (including all five starters) the Billikens are left with junior point guard Austin McBroom, senior forward Grandy Glaze, and senior center John Manning to lead a group of inexperienced underclassmen. Saint Louis University basketball fans were becoming accustomed to years of rising to the top while remaining under the national radar, but after the foundation laid by these past few teams the struggles that will be encountered by this year’s young squad will test the loyalty of the large number of new-found fans that know nothing other than happy times.

 

As a loyal Billiken fan of nearly 10 years, I can say that a mediocre season such as the one we have been having thus far was more than expected and is by no means a reason for great concern. This 2014-2015 roster is left with only three of the late Rick Majerus’ recruits, and therefore it is the first year that Jim Crews will be able to really prove what he can do with his own players.

 

In years past Crews has proven to be wildly successful with the players left to him by the former head coach, but now he must show that he can provide the same success with players of his own recruitment and development. Aside from the freshman class, the players were able to practice and experience coaching tactics passed down from Majerus, and even now you can see the withstanding effects that the great coach made on the program; the freshmen have never known anything other than the coaching style of Jim Crews and so far the year to some may act as a bad reflection upon his abilities – that is extremely incorrect and unjustified. Here’s why:

 

  • This year’s team has a total of 9 players experiencing their first year in the program – 8 Freshmen and a red-shirt Junior. To introduce that many new players to a difficult and complex system will take time, not only to learn and fully comprehend but to perfect to the point where it comes without thought. Six games into the season, these kids are still building chemistry and comfort with their new teammates and trying to find their role in the system. Nobody is born a professional.
  • It is way too early in the season to be predicting the rest of the season – the entire year is a puzzle and not all of the pieces have been put into place yet. So far, only two players have gone an entire game without seeing the court and playing time is being distributed to everybody to develop confidence and provide experience. This widespread distribution of playing will result in much greater depth than we have had in years past and prevent issues such as fatigue and provide reliable options from the bench. That being said, when it gets to be crunch time certain players won’t see the court nearly as much and others will be stepping up to fill greater roles that simply aren’t an option as of now. These early games on the schedule are basically an experiment to test hypotheses that will alter the decisions made later in the season.
  •  These games really don’t matter! If the team were to lose every game until conference play, they could still go on to win the conference tournament and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in March. Clearly there would be repercussions in seeding, ticket and merchandise sales, national recognition and respect, and future recruitment, but the point is that out-of-conference games are better served as practice for later on in the season when you have a team as young as this.

 

On a brighter note, this team has exceeded the expectations of many – myself included. Highly regarded new-comer Ash Yacoubou has proven his abilities and established himself as a reliable source of both offense and defense. Returning point guard Austin McBroom, despite the distractions of his aspiring comedy career (I refer you to his social media), has become a much greater offensive threat and shown the potential to be a great leader on the court for the young players that surround him.

Photo courtesy of Saint Louis University Athletics

Photo courtesy of Saint Louis University Athletics

 

 

While other forwards such as Tanner Lancona and Reggie Agbeko are still recovering from minor injuries and not yet playing at 100%, Brett Jolly, Milik Yarbrough, and most surprisingly Austin Gillmann have been able to provide respectable numbers on both ends of the court and show the potential for themselves to receive significant playing time down the stretch. One thing that may be overlooked or under-appreciated by many is the average size of this team; fans will no longer have to worry about being undersized across the board and the squad will now look like a real basketball team.

 

 

Coming into the season, many had predicted sub-.500 records and bottom-dwelling positions in the conference, however from what I have seen so far I fully believe that this team has what it takes to surprise the nation and be a difficult opponent for anyone that may come along the way. Predictions can not be made simply due to all of the unknowns, but optimism is key and more than deserved. The Rise of the Billikens will continue whether it is this year or in years to come, but this program will continue to improve and grow greater every year for the foreseeable future. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

+ posts

Related Articles