Fans, St. Louisans, Billikens, lend us your ears: Basketball season is about to begin. Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Chaifetz Arena, Saint Louis University’s Basketball Billikens take on University of Missouri – St. Louis for the first game of the Fall season.

But men’s basketball coach Rick Majerus has said, flat out, that he is worried.

True, the team smashed Harris-Stowe State University in an exhibition game. True, the team still has superstars Tommy Liddell and Kevin Lisch. But it’s also composed of eight freshmen, with three more freshmen soon to join the team, and few upperclassmen. Though the team has talent, it is low on experience. Plus, Lisch was recently injured, and some basketball upperclassmen risk academic probation. For these reasons, Majerus has hinted that the Billikens may be steamrolled this season.

It’s sort of ironic. Basketball is one of Saint Louis University’s major sports. We’ve built a temple to basketball with the Chaifetz Arena. SLU’s new marketing plan, the Be a Billiken Campaign, encourages students to take pride in Univeristy athletics. We have a pep band to entertain the audience, and members of Blue Crew rile up the crowd. Basketball truly takes the place that football teams occupy at other universities.

But if Majerus has little confidence in the team, why should anyone else?

Though disappointing, Majerus’ prediction is more suspicion than fact. There’s no guarantee that the team will flop. Perhaps their lack of experience will be quickly remedied, and the team’s odds will turn around. With so few upperclassmen, the freshmen are virtually guaranteed time on the court to gain the experience they lack now and learn from beginner mistakes.

Then again, Majerus may be right. He was hired, and is paid a hefty salary, for his knowledge of men’s basketball and of what drives a team. When Majerus was pulled from retirement to coach at SLU, he let go many players recruited by former men’s basketball coach Brad Soderberg, with the intention of building his own team from scratch.

And here they are, more than a handful of newbies, admittedly picked before they are ripe.

No matter the season’s outcome for SLU’s basketball Billikens, the University community would do best to remain loyal. Keep attending games. Keep cheering. Keep supporting the players. With our help, they’ll grow into the hype that’s been built for them.Fans, St. Louisans, Billikens, lend us your ears: Basketball season is about to begin. Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Chaifetz Arena, Saint Louis University’s Basketball Billikens take on University of Missouri – St. Louis for the first game of the Fall season.

But men’s basketball coach Rick Majerus has said, flat out, that he is worried.

True, the team smashed Harris-Stowe State University in an exhibition game. True, the team still has superstars Tommy Liddell and Kevin Lisch. But it’s also composed of eight freshmen, with three more freshmen soon to join the team, and few upperclassmen. Though the team has talent, it is low on experience. Plus, Lisch was recently injured, and some basketball upperclassmen risk academic probation. For these reasons, Majerus has hinted that the Billikens may be steamrolled this season.

It’s sort of ironic. Basketball is one of Saint Louis University’s major sports. We’ve built a temple to basketball with the Chaifetz Arena. SLU’s new marketing plan, the Be a Billiken Campaign, encourages students to take pride in Univeristy athletics. We have a pep band to entertain the audience, and members of Blue Crew rile up the crowd. Basketball truly takes the place that football teams occupy at other universities.

But if Majerus has little confidence in the team, why should anyone else?

Though disappointing, Majerus’ prediction is more suspicion than fact. There’s no guarantee that the team will flop. Perhaps their lack of experience will be quickly remedied, and the team’s odds will turn around. With so few upperclassmen, the freshmen are virtually guaranteed time on the court to gain the experience they lack now and learn from beginner mistakes.

Then again, Majerus may be right. He was hired, and is paid a hefty salary, for his knowledge of men’s basketball and of what drives a team. When Majerus was pulled from retirement to coach at SLU, he let go many players recruited by former men’s basketball coach Brad Soderberg, with the intention of building his own team from scratch.

And here they are, more than a handful of newbies, admittedly picked before they are ripe.

No matter the season’s outcome for SLU’s basketball Billikens, the University community would do best to remain loyal. Keep attending games. Keep cheering. Keep supporting the players. With our help, they’ll grow into the hype that’s been built for them.