Tomorrow night another season of Billiken basketball tips off
against Eastern Kentucky downtown at the Savvis Center. The game
marks the beginning of coach Brad Soderberg’s second season at the
helm of the Billikens and they are hoping to capitalize on a
surprising and strong finish to the year last season, due largely
to their top-ranked defense and opportunistic offense.
Leading the point this season for the Billikens is senior guard
Josh Fisher. Fisher, who is the most experience Billiken on the
squad, came to Saint Louis University with coach Lorenzo Romar from
Pepperdine his freshman year and sat out that year. Until last
season, he was one of the strongest Billikens off of the bench, but
then last season stepped into a starting role and excelled. He is
one of the best defenders in Conference USA, as was shown when he
held Marquette (and now Miami Heat) star Dwyane Wade to seven and
six points respectively in the team’s two meetings last season.
Fisher was the Bills’ second-leading scorer last year, behind the
departed Marque Perry, and will now be relied on to carry some of
the load Perry left behind after graduating. Fisher is on pace to
finish his college career in the top five in both steals and
assists all-time for the Billikens.
Also returning to the starting backcourt this season for the
Billikens is super-sophomore Anthony Drejaj. Drejaj was an
all-state selection at Seton Hall Prep in New Jersey and after
taking a little while to adjust to the flow of the college game,
came on strong in the Billikens late-season run, peaking in the
Billikens Conference USA semi-final loss to UAB, dropping in 27
points. Drejaj put on some muscle to his 6-feet-2-inch frame in the
off-season and should be even more of a presence in the backcourt
for the Billikens this season.
Chris Sloan, a homegrown St. Louis talent, has become a very
versatile swingman for the Billikens. He always seems to be around
the boards and has a knack for put-backs. Third on the team in
scoring last season, he dropped in 7.6 points and seemed to excel
in Soderberg’s tenacious defensive scheme. He compliments his
inside game with a good mid-range jump shot and solid ball-handling
abilities. He has twice been named the team’s Most Inspirational
Player, notably for his intensity and knowledge of the game on the
court.
Phillip Hunt, a walk-on-turned-key contributor for the
Billikens, is the other homegrown talent on the squad. He has
developed so well over the past three seasons that he was awarded a
scholarship this season and will be counted on as an extra ball
handler and defensive guard. He should see a significant upgrade in
court time this season, up from 4.1 minutes per game last
season.
Ross Varner, another Romar disciple who transferred to SLU from
Pepperdine, made great strides at improving his all- around game
last season and in the off-season. He has improved his outside shot
and is a solid post-defender. He averaged almost 10 minutes per
game last season.
The last of the holdovers from last year’s NIT team is Izik
Ohanon, an international player from Israel who played professional
ball overseas before coming to the Billikens last year. He saw his
playing time increase significantly in the Bills’ late-season run
last season, notably because he had to sit out the first eight
games of the year because of his professional basketball background
in Israel. His 6-feet-9-inch frame allows him a lot of versatility
in the post, which is a much needed thing for any team, but he is
also one of a collection of outside shooters on the Billikens,
giving him a very good all-around offensive game.
Last year’s Billiken squad featured four seniors, including
all-everything guard Marque Perry, who was the center of most of
the Bills’ offense, averaging 17.1 ppg. He was also the most clutch
Billiken shooter. His output will have to be replaced if the
Billikens hope to expand upon their late season surge and NIT
appearance from last season. But, according to Soderberg, that is a
welcomed challenge.
“I think a year ago we were a pretty easy scout. The book on us
was just to take Perry out of the game as best you can, limit his
touches and opportunities at the rim and you are going to beat him.
This year we have more people that can give us double-figures
throughout the course of the season. So, I think our balance will
be a lot better,” Soderberg said in a press release.
Drew Diener, Chris Braun and Kenny Brown, Soderberg hit the
recruiting trail and brought in a collection of players, both who
are ready to play now and who will be the Bills’ future.
To fill the vacuum in the lane created when Brown graduated last
season Soderberg brought in junior college standout Tom Frericks
and Greek under-19 national team player Ian Vouyoukas. Frericks
played a season at UAB before transferring to Chipola junior
college in Florida last season. He is a solid 6-feet-9-inches, and
plays like he’s well over seven feet tall and brings a solid
post-up game and a strong rebounding knack. He should step in and
play immediately. Vouyoukas, will also eventually be a key to the
Billikens’ attack, but first he will have to sit out an
NCAA-mandated 10 games because he played professional basketball in
Greece. He is a 6-feet-10-inch freshman and he averaged almost 24
points and 11 rebounds for his club team last season.
The one player whose arrival in the Billiken backcourt has been
most anticipated is Reggie Bryant, a 6-feet-2-inch guard, who
transferred to the Billikens from Villanova after two seasons and
sitting out last season. He had his most productive stretch as a
collegiate athlete during the 2002 Big East and NIT Tournaments,
where he averaged almost 14 points per game. He is adept at
creating his own shots and has a strong outside jump shot to
compliment his dribble-driving abilities. He will miss the first
two games of the season due to a minor NCAA infraction when he was
still at Villanova.
Two true freshman, Justin Johnson and Darren Clarke, will see
key minutes off the bench for the Billikens. Clarke is a
6-feet-4-inch guard from Minnesota, where he averaged almost 15
ppg. Johnson, a 6-feet-8-inch forward, is aggressive on the boards
and features a nice mid-range jump shot. He averaged 14 ppg and 8
rpg as a senior.
The final piece of the Billikens’ recruiting class was also its
tallest. Seven-foot center Bryce Husak is an Iowa product who
elected to redshirt this season.
