When Rick Majerus came to Saint Louis University almost two years ago, he was handed a team he didn’t recruit, a team that hadn’t seen the NCAA tournament in eight years: a team that didn’t have a facility of its own.
All that is changing.
Head Coach Majerus has already added six new players to the SLU roster. But next year, he will have a team that must play without Kevin Lisch, Tommie Liddell III and Barry Eberhardt.
“It’s going to be tough without them here next year,” Majerus said. “Kevin was our best scorer and defender. Tommie was a good rebounder. Barry gave us some experience . there’s a void we need to fill.”
Majerus, who is currently traveling the country scouting recruits, said the Billikens had a “great year last year,” but admitted that the team will have to mature, both physically and emotionally. Next season looms large with a major setback – Saint Louis will have the youngest team in the United States.
“It’s going to be a bumpy ride. . I’ll have the youngest team period,” Majerus said. “We didn’t want that, but, in this academic environment, we can’t bring in junior college guys and we had a situation where we let some guys go [from the Sodernberg era] and couldn’t fill all the scholarships.”
Despite the age factor, SLU could be a contender as they add five new recruits in the fall. Cody Ellis (6’8″ forward; Institute of Sport, Australia), Jeff Reid (6’5″ forward; Topeka, Kan.), Cory Remekun (6’8″ post; Mesquite, Texas), Jon Smith (6’7″ forward; Grove City, Ohio), and Christian Salechich (6’4″ forward; Institute of Sport, Australia) have all signed their National Letter of Intent.
Majerus said, “Cody is a tough kid. He’s a smart player; the game makes sense to him. . Cory may redshirt. He has a nice touch with the ball, but will have to make the adjustment from center to forward. . Christian is a very good defender, a good passer, and a good shooter. He’s a cerebral player. . Jon Smith is a good athlete. He’s a good competitor, but he’ll also have to make an adjustment to a 3-man forward.”
Femi John, who redshirted his freshman year, will also make the start for the Billikens. Majerus said the coaches are “excited about him” and think he’ll bring stability to the game on the court. “I think it’ll be fun for the students to see us grow and develop,” Majerus said. “I think next year will give a good glimpse to the future.”
The Billikens will need to grow-and fast. They will face Notre Dame, Nebraska and Iowa State, among others, as part of their non-conference play.
“People think we’re going to be good,” Majerus said. “I feel good about this team. Give me any BCS school and I’ll play them.”
