The night is dark just before the dawn.

We’ve all heard that cliché right? Well, Batman fans have at least. In any case, in times of despair we are reminded that life must knock us down so we can pick ourselves back up; on the other side of the horizon, the sun is burning bright.

Maybe the dark has come, and gone, for our Billikens.

The sun began to set Oct. 14 when Kwamain Mitchell and Willie Reed were dismissed from school for violating the Code of Conduct. It set even quicker after a 64-62 heartbreaking season-opener at home against Austin Peay. That loss was followed by a 61-59 defeat, again at home, to Georgia.

How could a team this young be expected to compete? Saint Louis University struggled to win close games.

More disappointing losses would follow: at Portland (69-60), in Cancun against Southern Miss (74-67) and Ole Miss (69-61), and on New Year’s Day at home against Bowling Green University (67-61). Following the lost to BGU, junior Kyle Cassity vented, “I’ve been here for three years, and all I’ve heard is ‘next year.’ I’m tired of losing.”

The sun wasn’t done descending, however.

During the BGU game, head coach Rick Majerus suffered a laceration to his left leg after a sideline collision. The injury would prevent him from coaching the team against Dayton, Temple and Duquesne; the Billikens dropped all three to start Atlantic 10 Conference play at 0-3. The team currently sits four games under .500 at 7-11.

After the high hopes last spring about the future of the SLU program, could it get any worse?

The answer seems to be no. The sun is rising over the horizon again. And, regardless of public perception of the team, our Billikens still have a chance to make some noise in conference play.

Here’s why.

Our freshmen have been nothing short of stellar in their last two performances. Against Saint Joseph’s on Jan. 15, Dwayne Evans finished with career highs of 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Mike McCall scored nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range. The Billikens won the match 67-51.

In a Jan. 19 tilt against Fordham at the IZOD Center in New Jersey, Evans put up 12 points and had 8 boards; Jordair Jett picked up five points and four boards. Together, the freshman played 79 of the 200 available minutes, more than any other class.

When the freshmen have scored 48 percent of the team’s points this season, you need that productivity from the youngest class. McCall averages 9.5 ppg and a team-best 9.8 ppg in the Billikens’ first four conference games. Jett is third on the squad with 8.5 ppg and leads the Billikens with 27 steals.

But the freshmen aren’t the only promising turnaround coming to life on the court. Cassity, a team captain, said that there’s a renewed sense of “us” on the oft-beleaguered team.
“It feels good to win two in a row, feels good get back on track,” Cassity said following the win at Fordham. “I think everybody pulled together. Guys are really starting to buy in and not let their offense dictate our defense.
“The one thing is most important is that guys are figuring out the roles they need to take to win.”

That’s key with a defensive scheme as complicated and important as Majerus’s. Buckets will eventually begin to fall as the players find their rhythm, but Majerus isn’t known for high scoring squads. This SLU team doesn’t have the playmakers or the experience to walk into games and expect to win; it must fight every minute against even the most mediocre opponent.

And with the return of Mitchell to the bench, maybe it’s time for the athletic department to hand out sunglasses. After all, the sun must rise again.

Let there be light.