Call me crazy, but I think we might have a pretty decent basketball program in a few years.
Coach Brad Soderberg had his first crack at recruiting and has inked players who have what it takes to build a successful team: Solid shooting guards, strong forwards and a dominant center.
In a couple of years, the Saint Louis University Billikens have the capability to have a team that embodies each of these characteristics.
Next year’s lineup will be supported by three key returning players. Chris Sloan is expected to continue to be a threatening perimeter defender. Anthony Drejaj was the diamond in the freshmen rough who put up big numbers for a freshman. Josh Fisher was second in scoring this year and will return next year as a fifth-year senior.
Also, next year’s lineup will include transfer student Reggie Bryant from Villanova, who had to take a redshirt this season because of NCAA rules. Bryant comes to the Bills with postseason experience, including the Big East Conference Tournament and the National Invitation Tournament. Bryant’s regular season numbers were comparable to Fisher’s (about eight points per game), but his ability to put up 13.8 ppg in the postseason is what impresses me most.
Two years from now, the Billikens will have Bryant, Drejaj, both of whom I expect to be scoring leaders for the Bills, and Soderberg’s recruits. Drejaj is already an incredibly fierce defender and has the potential to be one of the toughest defenders in the league. Of the recruits, most notably, the Bills will have Bryce Husak, a 7-foot, 250-pound center from Mt. Vernon, Iowa. Husak might redshirt next year, which will give Soderberg and his staff the opportunity to mold Husak into what he has immense potential to be: A dominant center.
I’m interested in forward Tom Frericks, who will transfer to SLU after playing a year in junior college and a year at UAB. He is a strong, physical post player, which will mesh well with SLU’s needs.
The blend of old and new talent should unfold in an exciting season next year for the Bills.
