‘ oResp. access_rule. message. description ‘
Travis Ford’s consistent good fortune at SLU continued last season with a 20-plus win campaign.
But he didn’t deliver the big breakthrough Billikens fans yearn for — and now he must fight to prevent a total breakdown.
Ford’s downcast remarks spoke volumes after the depleted Billikens took a hard 101-62 fall Saturday at Southern Illinois-Carbondale. He noted that his team “didn’t have much fight” and that it got “physically manhandled” by the Salukis.
SLU’s heartbreak was compounded by the loss of guard Mike Meadows to a back injury. The Billikens fell to 5-4 with a tough task Wednesday against Drake, the Missouri Valley Conference center.
The program is at its lowest point since the early days of Ford’s eight-year history, when predecessor Jim Crews left it with nothing left to shape.
Ford rebuilt the program by sourcing a smart mix of local talent, Atlantic 10 recruits, and viable transfers to schools and Division I. Their last five groups were pretty smart, though only one made it to the NCAA Tournament.
But then came this season, with four early losses and the possibility of more headaches with leading scorer Sincere Parker sidelined by a foot injury and Meadows also absent.
Somehow, Ford has to save up this season to maintain his nutrition. Let’s wish it the best of luck because it’s the best time to get it.
Last year, the Billikens were 7-2 after SIU Carbondale went 85-72 at Chaifetz Arena. They had already picked up notable wins against Memphis at home and Providence at an independent venue.
Ford scheduled last season ambitiously, with the purpose of fighting for a spot in the NCAA General Tournament if his team did not win the A-10 tournament.
This seems like a perfectly moderate goal. The Billikens courted star point guard Yuri Collins from the moving portal. Javon Pickett was traded from Missouri. Javonte Perkins has returned from his serious knee injury.
Gibson Jimerson was the outside threat, and Francis Okoro and Jake Forrester provided plenty of weight inside. Fred Thatch Jr. , Terrence Hargrove Jr. , Larry Hughes II, Parker. . . the Billkens also looked deep.
Then the season took a wrong turn.
The Billikens were beaten 84-62 at Iona as Rick Pitino’s Gaels turned around. A frustrating loss to Boise State at home followed. The Billikens beat Drake, blowing a 17-point lead when they fell at home to SIU Edwardsville.
They regrouped somewhat in league play, going 12-6 while beating the lesser A-10 teams and losing to the top ones. They needed to win the A-10 Tournament to reach the Big Dance, but VCU delivered a 90-78 knockout punch in the semifinals.
Their 21-12 result was unsatisfactory, given their expectations. Once again, Ford failed to take a smart team to the next level. Once again, enthusiasts were looking for more.
SLU president Fred Pestello and athletics director Chris May rallied behind Ford. May noted the school was building infrastructure to help the Billikens compete at a higher level with the O’Loughlin Champions Center and the booster-driven name, image and likeness collective.
But the recruitment didn’t go well.
Top recruit Brock Vice, a 6-foot-10 center, asked out of his letter of intent and went to Creighton instead. Assistant coach Phil Forte exited to North Texas, and Oklahoma transfer C.J. Noland followed him there.
The NCAA has balked at giving Bradley Ezewiro a second transfer waiver after his arrival from Georgetown. Recruit Abou Magassa awaits academic clearance as a foreign student. Recruit Bruce Zhang missed two games awaiting NCAA clearance.
All of this forced Ford to play little with his lineup, relying on his guards and wings. SLU’s five-out offense is fun to watch with its diversity of shooters and cutters creating defensive mismatches.
Then Parker broke his foot and the Billiken weren’t so much fun anymore. The loss of Meadows in Carbondale only made matters worse.
Had Ford built up more equity over the years, he would be buttressed against this turbulence. But the Billikens have suffered setback after setback while remaining stalled on the ramp to the sport’s fast track.
Off-field problems prevented striker Luis Santos from betting on SLU. Elite rookie Carte’are Gordon still played a long time due to his myriad problems.
A sexual assault investigation led to player suspensions and departures. COVID-19 hit the Billikens especially hard, and the A-10 made things worse with by bungling its scheduling in the pandemic’s wake.
Assistant coach Ford Stuen, Ford’s nephew, tragically died of an illness at 29.
Elite striker Javonte Perkins blew his knee off. Thatch too, an actor with center and soul. Parker, a regular goalscorer this season, then broke his foot.
That’s just part of the adversity Ford has faced. But he gets paid to find solutions, so that’s what he wants to do now.
“That’s the ballpark we’re in,” Ford said after the loss at Carbondale. “They gave you to faint and they gave you to play and act. “
Otherwise.
Jeff Gordon @gordoszone on X (formerly Twitter) jgordon@post-dispatch. com
NEW YORK — Marcus Domask scored 33 points and Terrence Shannon Jr. had 31, both career highs, as No. 20 Illinois shot 63% and surged ahead in the second half for a 98-89 victory over No. 11 Florida Atlantic in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday night.
Playing in the event for the second straight year, Fighting Illini (7-1) won its fifth straight game thanks to Domask and Shannon, who combined for 47 points after halftime and shot 25 of 35 from the field.
Domask was 15 of 21 and surpassed the previous career high of 32 pitches set Jan. 29 for Southern Illinois at Illinois State. Shannon was 10 of 14 and also made nine of 11 loose shots.
Vladislav Goldin scored a career-high 23 points before picking up a last-minute foul for the Florida Atlantic (7-2), which made its first appearance at Madison Square Garden since beating Tennessee and Kansas State in the NCAA East Region Tournament in March. triumph in their first Final Four.
Johnell Davis added 19 points as the Owls shot 48%.
Coleman Hawkins returned to Illini’s lineup after missing 3 games with a knee injury. The senior forward had six problems and seven rebounds in 26 minutes.
NO. 2 KANSAS 88, KANSAS CITY 69: Kevin McCullar Jr. scored a career-high 25 points, KJ Adams scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and host Kansas struggled but kept Kansas City at bay.
Hunter Dickinson added 14 and 11 rebounds for the Jayhawks (8-1). Cameron Faas and Khristion Courseault each scored 18 points to lead the Roos (63), who trailed by 8 with 3 1/2 minutes left before the Jayhawks scored 10 outright. Questions to save the game.
NO. 17 TENNESSEE 87, GEORGE MASON 66: Jonas Aidoo scored a career-high 17 points, and Tennessee rediscovered its defense in a victory over visiting George Mason.
Josiah-Jordan James added 15 points, Tobe Awaka scored and Dalton Knecht scored 10 as the Vols (5-3) snapped a three-game losing streak. Darius Maddox scored 15 points for the Patriots (7-2), whose four-game winning streak was snapped.
NO. 19 OKLAHOMA 72, PROVIDENCE 51: Javian McCollum scored 19 points and Milos Uzan added 17 points and 12 rebounds as Oklahoma limited Providence to 20 points in the second half of a home win.
The Sooners (8-0) scored 40 points in the paint, forced 15 turnovers and outscored the Friars 40-23. McCollum scored 13 points in the first half to lead the Sooners to a 35-31 lead over the Friars (7-2), led by Devin Carter with 17 points.
NO. 23 WISCONSIN 70, MICHIGAN ST. 57: AJ Storr matched a season high with 22 points, and Steven Crowl scored a season-high 18 points, leading Wisconsin over host Michigan State.
The Badgers (7-2, 1-0 Big Ten) have won six straight and are yet to lose in the same game. The Spartans (four-four, 0-1) got off to a poor start and struggled to score. from 3-point range, a worrying trend for coach Tom Izzo as he searches for answers with a preseason No. 4 ranked team.
HOW THE AP TOP 25 WAS REWARDED
TUESDAY
The Arizona No. 1 (7-0) didn’t play. Next: opposite to No. 23 Wisconsin on Saturday.
No. 2 Kansas (7-1) vs. UMKC. Next: Missouri on Saturday.
No. 3 Houston (8-0) didn’t play. Next: Against Rice on Wednesday.
No. 4 Purdue (8-1) did not play. Next: in Alabama on Saturday.
No. five UConn (7-1) vs. No. nine North Carolina. Next up: vs. Ark. -Pine Bluff on Saturday.
No. 6 Baylor (8-0) vs. Seton Hall. Next: Michigan St. on Saturday.
No. 7 Gonzaga (6-1) vs. Ark. -Pine Bluff. Next day: Washington, D. C. , on Saturday.
No. 8 Marquette (6-2) did not play. Next: vs. No. 12 Texas, Wednesday.
No. 9 North Carolina (7-1) vs. No. 5 UConn. Next: No. 16 Kentucky on Saturday.
No. 10 Creighton (7-1) did play. Next: vs. Hundred. Michigan, Saturday.
No. FAU (7-2) lost to No. 20 Illinois 98-89. Next: opposite FIU, Wednesday.
The No. 12 Texas (6-1) did not play. Next up: at 8 Marquette on Wednesday.
No. 13 Colorado St. (8-0) did not play. Next: vs. Denver, Wednesday.
No. 14 BYU (7-0) vs. Evansville. Next day: in Utah on Saturday.
No. 15 Miami (6-1) did not play. Next: opposite to LIU, Wednesday.
Kentucky’s No. 16 (6-2) did not play. Next: at Penn on Saturday.
No. 17 Tennessee (5-3) beat George Mason 87-66. Next: No. 20 Illinois on Saturday.
No. 18 James Madison (8-0) did. Next day: at Old Dominion on Saturday.
No. 19 Oklahoma (7-0) beat Providence 72-51. Up next: Against Arkansas on Saturday.
No. 20 Illinois (7-1) beat No. FAU 98-89. Next: Against No. 17 Tennessee on Saturday.
No. 21 Texas A
No. 22 Duke (5-3) did not play. Next: Opposite Charlotte on Saturday.
No. 23 Wisconsin (7-2) beat Michigan St. 70-57. Next: Against No. 1 Arizona on Saturday.
No. 24 Clemson (7-0) did not play. Next: vs. South Carolina, Wednesday.
No. 25 San Diego St. (7-1) at the Grand Canyon. Up next: Against UC Irvine on Saturday.
Not knowing how many players will be available for Wednesday night’s game in Drake, St. John’s University coach has said he will be able to play in the game. St. Louis, Travis Ford, opted to delay the previous day’s practice to give injured players a few hours of rest. Extra rest.
SLU had planned to work out on Drake 24 hours before the complaint. The only thing Ford knows is that the lineup will be different, likely an organization that hasn’t started to combine yet.
Guards Mike Meadows Jr. and Larry Hughes II are questionable after being injured in Saturday’s lopsided loss at Southern Illinois-Carbondale. Gibson Jimerson and Terrence Hargrove Jr. are all injured.
“The most important thing for us right now is to take it game by game until everybody’s healthy again,” Ford said. “We’ll have seven guys fit to pass at this point, maybe eight. “
Meadows failed additional back tests after a heavy fall at the SIUC and had to be taken to the hospital. Hughes didn’t play in the second half.
Jimerson played with a sprained ankle that Ford called “disgusting. “Hargrove has a bone contusion in his knee that is causing him pain. And Sincere Parker stays on the sidelines with a damaged foot.
“I don’t know how he played Gibson. Su ankle is black and blue. He said, ‘I can go’ and I don’t leave unless the coach says he’s OK. T. J. has a bone contusion that bothers him. But those two fought. Should they have done it with those injuries?Probably not. “
It can be expected that guard Djordje Curcic will again see more playing time, and freshman centers Bruce Zhang and Stef van Bussel will continue to get longer stretches of minutes.
Curcic played a season high 19 minutes against the Salukis and scored six points. Zhang and van Bussel combined for 12 minutes.
“Djordje probably deserved more sooner,” Ford said. We love your tenacity and courage, and our team wants it. Obviously, he can put the ball in the hole, which is what we need. Some of the things that were holding him back: “I think he’s gotten better. He’s been given the advantage to play. “
Ford said he put Zhang and van Bussel, who are injured and running in better playing shape, into a combined practice Tuesday before the team leaves.
“They’re in a tough position,” Ford said. “We want them to temporarily make more positive plays than negative plays. They grow quickly here. That’s what the scenario demands. We’re doing a lot of additional things to accelerate them. “
SLU is still without big men Brad Ezewiro and Abu Magassa and there is no indication that they will be eliminated from the NCAA anytime soon. Ford knows the Billikens have to act like they don’t have those two this season. The biggest losing margins in program history don’t seem to be easy against Drake, who opted to win the Missouri Valley Conference.
When the first NET rankings of the season were released this week by the NCAA, SLU was at No. 258. At this point, all the Billikens can do is endure the remainder of the nonconference schedule and hope for something better in the Atlantic 10 season when Parker is expected to return.
“We were obviously disappointed, to say the least, with the way we played,” Ford said. “We understand that he needs changes and more than what is needed to play at the moment and the competitive nature that we want to have. “
Stu Durando @studrando at X (formerly Twitter) sdurando@post-dispatch. com
City SC filled its first — and simplest — offseason roster hole by signing Christian Olivares, who played last season for City2, to be its No. 3 goalkeeper for 2024.
Olivares, 21, has signed a two-year contract with two seasons of participation in the club until the end of the 2027 season.
Being Guardian number 3 can be an existence without a name. The incumbent in this position last year, Michael Creek, trained with the first team but never featured in an MLS match, as the two goalkeepers above him, Roman Burki and Ben LundtArray, never missed a match. City SC did not make use of Creek’s option for next season.
Olivares, of Tacoma, Washington, 8 of City2’s first 12 games before getting injured and missing 10 games. He returned at the end of the season and in City2’s last 3 games, adding to their defeat in the play-offs. Olivares trained with the first team in case Burki or Lundt were absent from the line-up last season or if the team needed a fourth goalkeeper.
In 12 regular-season games, Olivares recorded 3 shutouts and 43 saves. With the league window and a loose and firm opening next week, City SC has 26 players in the squad for next season, leaving them with 4 open spots.
The signing of Olivares coincided with City2’s announcement of their end-of-season squad changes, with only 4 players from last season’s squad under contract at the moment. Defender Michael Wentzel is already under contract and the team has played over forward Dida Armstrong and midfielders John Klein and Larsen Hackworth.
The team declined to sign midfielders Faysal Bettache and A. J. Palazzolo, forward Stanislav Koval and goalkeeper Eric Walker. Defender Ezra Armstrong and midfielders Wan Kuzain and Sergio Rivas are out of contract; The team is in negotiations for the return of Wan Kuzain and Rivas.
Palazzolo announced his retirement from football at the end of the season. The CBC and St. Louis University graduate. Louis played two seasons for City2, making 43 appearances and scoring 3 goals.
The MLS College Showcase begins Wednesday in Phoenix, with 44 players taking part in the four-day event that serves as a scouting opportunity for team technical staffs. The MLS SuperDraft is Dec. 19; City SC has traded its first round pick.
The only player with a home-field connection is Indiana defenseman Joey Maher of Caseyville, the last of Mahers’ lineage in soccer. His brother Jack plays for Nashville in MLS, and another brother, Josh, is part of the City SC academy squad and played for City2. last season.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is suffering from a sprained ankle that could force him to miss the first game of his NFL career.
Coach Doug Pederson said Tuesday that tests on Lawrence’s right ankle showed “everything stable, everything good. “He added that surgery is “not necessarily something that’s warranted right now. “
“We’ll see where he’s at in a couple days,” Pederson said roughly 12 hours after a 34-31 overtime loss to Cincinnati.
Pederson said Lawrence’s injury “looked worse than it really was. Very fortunate there.” He declined to say if Lawrence has a realistic shot at playing Sunday at Cleveland.
“I’m not going to put that timetable on Trevor, not going to put him in a box like that,” Pederson said. “We’ll see how he is in a couple of days.”
The Jaguars will be without wide receiver Christian Kirk for “some time” due to a muscle injury that will likely require surgery. Kirk was injured on Jacksonville’s first offensive play, stayed on the court after a 26-yard gain and then cautiously headed to the locker. room.
Trubisky time in Pittsburgh
Mitch Trubisky insists he’s too worried about the New England Patriots to think about how the next few weeks might unfold his career.
Still, the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft is running out of opportunities to become a starting quarterback in the NFL. His next chance will begin Thursday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the troubled Patriots.
Kenny Pickett, who edged Trubisky on the intensity chart 14 months ago, is out indefinitely after undergoing ankle surgery on Monday.
Enter Trubisky, who at 29 believes he can still offer the skill that allowed the Chicago Bears to develop to take him ahead of the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey.
Not that Trubisky wants to talk about it.
Asked if he feels as if the next month is an audition of sorts — be it in Pittsburgh (where Pickett remains a work in progress), or elsewhere — Trubisky simply shrugged and said repeatedly he’s simply “excited” for the chance to be on the field to prove he’s not quite ready to be a career backup.
“I’m still growing,” he said. I’m still learning and looking to get better every day. They’ve given me some fun under my belt, but I’ve made some smart plays and for me it’s going to be a matter of consistency. “
BRIEFLY
NOMINATED: Two-time league MVP Patrick Mahomes headlines the list of 32 players chosen as finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. Each of the teams nominated one player for the prestigious honor named for the late Payton, a Hall of Fame running back for the Bears. The award recognizes a player for community service and excellence on the field. Mahomes will try to join the award’s namesake, Payton, and nine other players who have won both the NFL MVP and the NFL Man of the Year Award.
LIONS: Detroit placed its most no-nonsense inside defensive lineman, Alim McNeill, on injured reserve with a knee injury and signed cornerback Kindle Vildor from the practice squad. The Lions also added 36-year-old Tyson Alualu and offensive lineman Matt Farniok to practice. team and released linebacker Raymond Johnson.
PATRIOTS: All signs point to quarterback Bailey Zappe making his moment straight up to start with New England on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 2022 fourth-round pick spoke to the media from the podium on Tuesday. Zappe said he made “misreadings” and misses a 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday.
GIANTS: Tommy DeVito will remain New York’s starting quarterback even if veteran Tyrod Taylor is fit to leave injured reserve. Coach Brian Daboll made the announcement Tuesday morning before the Giants began practicing for Monday night’s home game against the Green Bay Packers.
JETS: New York waived quarterback Tim Boyle after two starts and signed Brett Rypien off the Seattle’s practice squad. Boyle mostly struggled while replacing the benched Zach Wilson the past two games. The Jets are mired in a five-game losing streak. Aaron Rodgers has been sidelined since tearing his left Achilles tendon in the season opener.
GLOBAL: Commissioner Roger Goodell said he sees football becoming a global sport within the next decade and that his league is at the forefront of that effort. That includes adding another international market next year for the regular-season schedule. Brazil and Spain are the front-runners.
The full edition PDF is being prepared, please wait…
There was an error generating the full edition PDF. Please try again later.
The full PDF edition is available for viewing.