It’s nothing against the team he has this year, but Rick Majerus does not want to be in his current position.
All eight of the head basketball coach’s inexperienced freshmen will see time in upcoming games; sophomore Paul Eckerle is fighting a lingering back injury; senior Barry Eberhardt missed the first exhibition game for academic reasons; senior Kevin Lisch has an injured tailbone and senior Tommie Liddell III, who struggled with communication on the court last year, is trying to lead a team of freshmen.
This is not exactly the ideal situation for Majerus.
“If I could go back and find out how I got in this position, I would,” Majerus said after Saint Louis University rolled past Harris-Stowe State, 84-40. “But we’re just going to take our lumps, and I want them to play hard and give a consistent effort.”
Part of the reason for SLU’s current position is due to last year’s end-of-the-season “layoffs.” Six team members were warned they would not see much playing time this year and were given the option to play elsewhere.
After trimming some of the fat from the last year’s team and four seniors moving on due to graduation, Majerus now finds himself without any juniors and only one sophomore.
“It’s hard to adjust now, all-of-a-sudden,” Majerus said. “Last year was the season of hanging on, and this season is about rebuilding totally.”
The win against Harris-Stowe Nov. 7, although convincing, does not reflect the type of competition the team will see in upcoming games, according to Majerus.
The team faces the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Friday, followed by Kent State University Nov. 19. Last year, the Flashes of KSU held the Billikens to 15 first-half points, en route to an 81-40 win.
SLU’s schedule also features games against Nebraska University, a team that returns 11 veterans and four starters, and Boston College, a powerhouse in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“They are going to get shellacked, and they won’t know how to respond,” Majerus said. “I’m frustrated that we won by 46 tonight [against Harris-Stowe]. I see that freight train coming.”
Majerus, though, maintains the players are good kids who try hard and that the transition from last year has not been easy.
Liddell, one of SLU’s four returning veterans, said success will stem from good communication and composure on the court.
The team had a slow start in its first-ever match in Chaifetz Arena, missing its first eight shots from the field. But once the players started to settle into their rhythm, their shots began to fall. Six players finished the night with 10 points or more.
“We have a team full of freshmen, but every day, we’re learning things that we didn’t know before,” Liddell said. “Everyone did a good job [against Harris-Stowe], but, despite the score, we really have a lot of work to do.”
