On the Record - Salukihoops Predictions

After a great deal of debate the Salukihoops staff has concluded that the final standings of the MVC will look a little something like this:

1. Southern Illinois
- Admittedly, we drink the kool-aid every day, but this is by far the best team in the conference heading into the season.

2. Bradley
- Ruffin can dish it and Crouch can shoot it. Together, they constitute one of the nation's most talented backcourts.

3. Missouri State
- Right on the heels of Bradley, the Bears have experience and this year... that's enough.

4. Illinois State
- The Redbirds have been mired in the second division of the Valley for years. They return five starters from a year ago and if we had the guts, we would put them 3rd on this list.

5. Wichita State
- An interesting incoming class brings the Shockers to the middle of the pack. Couisnard is talented, but the newcomers will make or break this squad.

6. UNI
- Twelve players on the Panthers with less than one full year of experience at the D-I level. If Coleman gets injured, the bottom could drop out.

7. Creighton
- Dane Watts will get his points, but this year's lineup doesn't have it on paper. Great coach. Great program. But this is a definite gap year.

8. Indiana State
- Four starters back. Lots of potential. They could finish much higher than this.

9. Drake
- Back to back winning seasons are a rarity in Des Moines. They'll need to develop some bigs to free up their outside shooters.

10. Evansville
- By throwing a full spectrum of defenses at the Salukis last year, from experimental to archaic, the Aces pulled off an upset and they can do it again, but they won't make a move up the ladder this year.

Torres Roundtree info

Torres Roundtree continues to gain notoriety as one of the top 200 players in the country.

Roundtree reopened his recruitment over the summer giving Saluki fans some reason for concern. Recently he recommitted to SIU, completing the best '08 recruiting class in the state, (Sorry Bruce) and with 3 players in the top 2oo, it's probably one of the best in the country. Roundtree talks about this and other topics in a recent interview with stlhoopsinsider.com. Below is an excerpt from the interview where he talks about is recruitment and his future at SIU.


Q: Was the short period where you reopened your recruitment a healthy decision for you? Is your verbal to Southern Illinois even stronger today?

A: The decison was healthy to me, but when I look back it was a bad decision. All and all, I'm a Saluki and I hope Saluki Nation is looking forward to having me.

Q: You have shown the ability to play the point guard position effectively. With your size and athleticism, you are also able to play on the wing just as well. What position do you expect to play in college?

A: I expect to be a combo guard, and probably do a lot of dirty work.

I'm sure Roundtree will be doing lots of dirty work (read: playing defense) and developing into an explosive offensive player in the college ranks. ...and yes, Torres, Saluki Nation is certainly looking forward to having you.

Not Yet Familiar List 2007-08

The perennial contenders have reloaded and while the names may not be marquee right now, these newcomers should be ready to contribute right away.

Chris Cooks - Missouri State

Cooks is a 6'4", 210 lb. JUCO transfer that has the size/talent combination to create matchup problems as a 1,2, or 3 and he can really fill a stat sheet. As a sophomore last season, he averaged 14 ppg/7.5 reb/5 asts/3 stls for a team that finished 30-2.

P'Allen Stinnett - Creighton

As the Valley's only incoming 4-star recruit, word is probably already out on Stinnett. Explosive and a bit lanky, at 6'3" this guy's a definite talent. He's coming off of a year at prep school and should be ready to fill the power vacuum in Omaha.

Carlton Fay - Southern Illinois

Making a big jump from small school Illinois to the MVC, but it looks like he has the game to make it on the bigger stage. Capable of scoring inside and outside, at 6'8" Fay should be the exclamation point on the conference's most dangerous front court.

Ramon Clemente - Wichita State

Clemente is one of two players that first-year head coach Gregg Marshall says have already locked up a starting spot. Known for his play on both ends of the floor, this 6'6" JUCO transfer should be a double digit scorer in his first year.


Brandon Sampay - Illinois State

Another JUCO transfer, Sampay is 6'8" and draws attention on the blocks. Sampay will not amaze you, but he should get to double figures most nights and rip down some boards, too.

Worth a mention:

Carlton Reed - UNI - Former Iowa "Mr. Basketball" and transfer from Iowa that has broken his foot twice since August. Should be healthy in six weeks.

News and Notes

Jamaal Tatum was released by the Atlanta Hawks. Tatum has not been completely healthy this Fall and that hurt his chance to make the team. It looks like he'll have to prove himself in the D-League before getting a crack at the NBA.

In other news Randal Falker was named as a candidate for the John Wooden award. The current list of candidates consists of the top 50 players in the Nation and Falker is the lone candidate from the MVC.

The news about Falker being a top 50 player in the country makes me wonder about how much weight should be put into top 150 lists for recruits and player rankings. It's fun to see guys like Anthony Booker and Kevin Dillard on the list of top players headed to SIU, but for every Booker there is a guy like Falker who many of the so called "major" programs passed on and later became a top 50 player in the nation. Falker was never touted as a "four star" recruit but when it's all said and done he will have had a much better career than many of the players that were ranked ahead of him coming out of high school.

Also, give credit to Bruce Weber, Matt Painter, and Chris Lowery for being able to spot talent that others did not see.

Notes from Tuesday's Practice

Tuesday's practice was open to the media and I was able to ask Chris Lowery and Carlton Fay a few questions and take some notes on the Saluki scrimmage.

I asked Lowery if this non-conference schedule was the most difficult that he has ever had as a coach or a player, he said "Definitely, a lot of the teams we're playing have a chance to win their conference." Lowery explained that the tough schedule isn't just about the RPI but it also shows that the team isn't scheduling "gimme games" just to get a win.

Last year, in the early going, opponents had success playing zone defense against the Salukis. When I asked Lowery about prepping for the zone, he responded "The thing we had to figure out last year was how to get Randal the ball and get the other big men in foul trouble. That's something that we really executed well the last few months and it allowed us to get JT and Tony wide open shots from the perimeter."

Carlton Fay described the first week of practice as "very physical and tough" he mentioned "closeouts and moving my feet" as areas that needed improvement. Once shoot around started, Randal Falker pestered Fay as he took his shots but Fay was able to hit time after time from long range. During the practice, Fay was hounded by Lowery to move faster up and down the floor. When the scrimmage began Fay appeared to injure himself on defense. He was able to walk off the floor just fine, but did not immediately return. Below is video of the play when the injury appeared to have happened.

Nick Evans came into the scrimmage (sporting a black eye) after Fay left but did not look ready to compete against the other players. Based on what I saw from him I expect to see him redshirt this season.

Brandon Wood participated in full contact scrimmage today. He previously sat out the Maroon Madness scrimmage while recovering from a shoulder injury.

Tony Boyle (hand) did some layup drills using his left hand and even dunked the ball with his left hand at one point. He was held out of scrimmage but if he can develop his left hand and keep his conditioning he shouldn't really be too far behind once he returns.

Christian Cornelius (knee) participated in the conditioning portion of practice but was held out of scrimmage.

Jordan Armstrong is featured in the first clip below scoring on an assist from Matt Shaw. Armstrong could get a shot this year but it's worth mentioning that he finished last during opening wind sprints. The second clip is the one with Fay (red jersey) limping at the end of the play. It doesn't appear to be too serious.