Billikens
SLU Basketball gives Billikens fans something to be thankful for heading into Thanksgiving.
Things went about as well as they possibly could for the Billikens Wednesday night. They got the win, they did so in a convincing fashion, and they got to experiment with some new things. Ultimately the Billikens showed that they are clearly in another class of talent than the lower end SIUE. The stars shined;…
Game Day Preview: Billikens Open the 2020 Season with Bronze Boot Variant at the Billiken Classic
Billiken fans…we made it. It’s been a long slog of pandemic related sadness since the Billikens shut down its season on March 13th, and it feels like a completely separate lifetime ago when the Billikens dominated the Bonnies for their last win of the 2019-2020 season. But we made it. A dozen scheduling changes, rumors,…
Coach Ray Giacoletti promoted, and some other thoughts
The biggest news of the week is the promotion of Ray Giacoletti from Assistant to the Head Coach to Assistant Coach. With the benefit of hindsight seems completely obvious as he is such a clear choice to fill the role.
Bet on yourself: Phillip Russell Walks-On to the Billikens, and other thoughts from the commitment
Sometimes a thing is too important to walk away from. Sometimes, despite other available opportunities, the difficult choice is the one best suited for you. In this case, St. Louis local and Vashon High School graduate Phillip Russell decided to forgo other opportunities and take the hard road by walking on at Saint Louis University…
It’s going to take creativity, flexibility to make Billikens conference play work.
The only way to both reasonably and responsibly get the Billikens out east multiple times this sports season is to build a schedule that maximizes opportunities of competition for visits to each center and accept that local ground travel will simply be a part of life.
Francis Okoro picks SLU, roster rumble to ensue
Sometimes, Dorothy is right. There is no place like home. SLU has made their bones on the recruiting trail in recent years by focusing on the STL market, and they have hit again, bringing in Oregon transfer Francis Okoro. The 6’9” sophomore is a native of Normal, Illinois, but made his name in the AAU…
Bills find fill for final scholarship, German forward Marten Linssen commits to SLU
Standing at 6’8 and weighing in officially at 255lbs, Marten is a traditional post big man. He excels offensively with his back to the basket and as a rebounder in box-out situations. He has a massive frame and could very well get bigger and stronger
SLU ESports looks to make its mark
Three years ago, Nicholas Chiu was a SLU freshman looking to help create a community around a passion of his where there was no formal one available. He and a small group of friends created an unofficial club at SLU centered around Video Games so that other wayward gamers would have a place to organize…
Hasahn French, Jordan Goodwin declare for the NBA Draft. Take a depth breath; this is only a good thing.
Within minutes of each other, the roommate tandem of Billiken stars made their announcements via social media to enter the 2020 NBA draft. Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French are each coming off of great years in their junior seasons and are looking to take the next step in their game. With the new rules in…
KC Hankton leaves SLU, now what?
n the wake of his departure, the Billikens are left with an additional scholarship. As mentioned, this was in some ways expected
Granting Spring Athletes NCAA eligibility is not as simple as giving back years.
It is an incredibly difficult time in the world of sports. COVID-19 has decimated the athletics landscape worldwide and has mostly brought society to a pause if not an abrupt halt. Sports, after all, are not worth the spread of a pandemic, and it is undeniable that things look and feel bleak. Nevertheless, one of…
The Unsung hero of SLU Basketball: Jack Raboin earns his moment
Jack came to SLU with no promises. The Mattoon, Illinois native has been grinding out a basketball career for his entire adult life.
Bills prepare for battle against a beat-up URI Rams
Marching into arguably their biggest matchup of the season, the Billikens may be starting to peak at just the right moments.
Heja Sverige: Billikens get commitment from Swedish Stretch Forward Andre Lorentsson
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* The roster for the 2020-2021 Saint Louis University Men’s basketball season is starting to look more and more in view. Going into next season, the Billikens have two open scholarships available, with one going unused this season and the other belonging to grad-transfer Tay Weaver. One of…
Bills comfortably roll past Hawks in “complete team effort”
*This article could be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* The 13-point differential of the final score in Wednesday’s Saint Louis University-Saint Joseph’s matchup is a tad misleading as to how the game actually occurred. While the game was truly never in doubt past the first few moments of the first half, the Billikens had the opportunity…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Overlooking weak opponent would spell doom for SLU as St. Josephs comes to town
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* It is the final hours of the A-10 season. The Billikens have four games remaining on the schedule, two on the road and two at home. All four of which are winnable games. After having what can only be described as an up and down year to…
The Billikens Basketball #ChatWithChaps mailbag: Part 2
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* Last Friday I had the opportunity to bring my Mom to her first-ever Billiken game. She and my Dad typically watch streams (of which the legality will not be stated), or the radio. It was a pretty good game for which to have her in town. She…
Local boys shine as Billikens make statement win over Rams
With just over ten minutes remaining in the first half, with the Billikens down a bucket to the Rams, East St. Louis native Terrence Hargrove Jr checked into the game. TJ, as he prefers to be called by the people around him, has not always had the most clearly defined role on the team. The…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Billikens prepare for pressure as VCU comes to STL
At one point this year, VCU was the marquee game of the A-10 schedule. A ranked team, at home, on Friday night in primetime on ESPN, is a dream matchup for any college basketball program. Unfortunately, the only team in the conference with a more significant fall from “on the bubble” to “out” than SLU…
The #ChatWithChaps mailbag: Part 1
For a long time, I have wanted to try a way to more directly respond to some of the questions I see circulating the Billiken landscape. Twitter is an excellent tool for sharing information but isn’t a great platform for nuance or great depth. Questions deserve as many characters as it takes to answer them,…
Billikens collapse in Amherst, search for answers
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* The Billikens looked like a renewed team going into the half in their road game at UMass. Up seven going into the mid-game break, the Billikens played some of their best offense of the season and looked to be building off the successes of the previous weekends…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: SLU looks to build on momentum going in to UMASS
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* SLU finally got a real blowout win in the conference season, a breakthrough the team has been missing essentially all-season long, but now can boast their ability to dominate a lesser team. The win over La Salle was a full team effort. Each piece played their part…
Despite a slow start, Bills roll over La Salle
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* A minute into this afternoon’s game, things did not look good for the Billikens. A foul, a La Salle three, a turnover, and then another La Salle three and the Bills were looking at the wrong side of a hot start. “I had to call that early…
Billikens see plenty of silver linings in a tough loss at number 6 Dayton
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* Moral victories in February don’t make anyone feel better about a tough loss. But to ignore them entirely would be far too sadistic given the state of things in Billiken basketball land. Saint Louis University lost their second straight game, this one to the #6 Dayton Flyers,…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Revenge Week continues as Bills head to Dayton
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* The men’s basketball program at Saint Louis University is in a state of disarray after losing a home game to Duquesne Wednesday evening. After being embarrassed in their own gym, every member of the program was left shaking their heads and with looks of defeat and confusion.…
Saint Louis searching for answers after getting dominated by Duquesne
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* At the interview desk after getting blown out by 14 points, Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French sat looking more vulnerable than they have ever been in my short time covering this team. Even after losing four straight games last season with one of those loses being directly…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Bills get first opportunity for payback against Duquesne
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* The next four games the Billikens play, two on the road, two at home, will be against teams that they have already seen this season. The first two will be revenge games whereas the next pair will be against teams they’ve already beaten. It is not until…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Saint Louis looks to continue momentum in Philly
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* The Bills continue to win ugly but win nonetheless. Which is concerning in the grand scheme of things but passable in the immediate situation. Any loss to an A-10 team is devastating for the Billikens at this point (save for a few exceptions), but ultimately getting into…
For the Billikens, all roads lead through Jordan Goodwin
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* After a disappointing loss in Davidson, North Carolina, there was not a lot of talking done in the Saint Louis University Billikens locker room. Coming off an excellent game and looking to build on that, the Bills had dropped a game they knew they both needed to…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Billikens head to Philly looking to get back on track.
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* After getting back into the win column with a much-needed victory over Fordham, the Billikens head to the city of Brotherly Love for back-to-back games in Philadelphia. The first of which is against the LaSalle Explorers. This game is a part of a stretch of three must-win…
In the shadow of a legend’s passing, Billikens persevere and win over Fordham 55-39
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* Sitting behind a microphone after his team’s 15th victory of the season, Head Coach Travis Ford was not interested in talking about the X’s and O’s in the win over Fordham. He wanted to talk about a man he had great respect for and what that man…
Billikens drop the ball at Davidson, now see themselves on the outside looking in
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* At the season’s tip-off, the prevailing sentiment for the Billikens is that they are deep, talented, and young. Many, including myself, believed that this group had all the pieces to surprise people and become a force in the A-10. They also thought that these groups’ actual ceiling…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: SLU heads south looking for a rebound in Davidson
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* When the Billikens woke up Monday morning after their heartbreaking loss to Dayton just two nights earlier, they found themselves in the devastating position of being…a prospective NCAA Tournament team. Well, at least some in the national media feel that way. CBS’s bracketology report had the Bills…
Billikens face questions, battle narratives, after a heartbreaking loss to Dayton Flyers.
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* Narratives in college basketball live on the razor’s edge. In just 5 seconds the Billikens went from grabbing their biggest home win possibly ever, to being a footnote in the nation’s well-earned respect for the Dayton Flyers. They went from proving they are a legit force, to…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: STL hit by Blizzard as Billikens welcome powerhouse Dayton Flyers
This is not a weather forecast, and regardless of how the actual precipitation hits St Louis, a blizzard will hit the jewel of midtown Friday night. SLU Men’s basketball team hosts the Dayton Flyers in their annual Billiken Blizzard White Out game. The #13 team in the nation comes to Chaifetz as not only the…
Settling into his new world, Javonte Perkins is starting to live up to the hype
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* At the very beginning of the 2018-2019 season, Travis Ford spoke about one of his transfers saying that it would take till about February or even March before he would be playing his best basketball. That transfer happened to be a graduate transfer and only had that…
Billikens starting to see signs of offense coming around, finding ways to win in the meantime
*This article can be originally found on the ScoopswithDannyMac.com* The Billikens were playing some of their best basketball of the season heading into the 2019 Christmas break. They won an excellent game against a Big 12 opponent on the road despite a significant personnel loss in the form of Gibson Jimerson’s season-ending surgery. All things…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Billikens look to get the offense back on track, host George Washington
The Billikens have struggled as of late, surviving what was supposed to be an easy victory in their last game against UMass, continuing a string of underwhelming performances dating back to the Christmas break. Fortunately for the Billikens though, they have another opponent who, hopefully, provides a little relief for their struggles. Based on how…
Slumping Billikens Survive UMass in Overtime as Travis Ford gets his 400th Career Win
The story of the 2019-2020 Billikens is turning into that of a team that wins games but does so in an ugly fashion every single night. Early in the season, it seemed the Bills were figuring it out and turning themselves into that NCAA tournament team fans felt they were. With all of those efforts…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Billikens look to bounce back in A-10 Home Opener
After a disappointing conference season opener at Duquesne, the Billikens have the opportunity to return to their home building and get back to their winning ways, taking on the UMass Minutemen. While the Billikens are the favorite and should walk away with a clear victory, they also now have to reprove themselves to their fans…
Billikens get a wakeup call in Pittsburgh, lose 73-59 in A-10 opener.
The Billikens got a rude awakening Thursday evening. In their first A-10 game of the 2020 season, SLU got straight up outclassed by Duquesne Dukes and dropped their opener 73 – 59. The loss comes as a rude awakening to a team that needed every win it could get if it wanted to keep its…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: A-10 play opens as Bills head to Pittsburgh for a matchup with Duquesne
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* A New Year and a new type of Billikens basketball awaits Thursday evening. The Bills have flown to Pittsburgh to kick off their conference schedule against Duquesne and so begins the long march to Brooklyn where they will battle for A-10 supremacy. Opening the New Year on…
Bills survive Bethune-Cookman, look forward to conference play.
*This article can be originally found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* Hasahn French said something very interesting post-game Sunday. To paraphrase, “Has” is saying that the Billikens hang their hat on their defensive presence, and they know that they probably won’t go out and really ‘knock out’ any team they play. He’s not wrong, but that can be incredibly…
Game Day Preview: Billikens look to close out a successful Non-Conference Schedule against Bethune-Cookman
The Billikens have played an undoubtedly successful first two months of basketball. Despite not getting wins against either of their two ranked opponents, they showed they could hang with Auburn, beat all the teams they are supposed to beat, and mixed in some very quality wins. At some point, the context surrounding this team went…
Billiken report card: Next man up, Bills answer the bell with a complete team performance
Saint Louis marched into enemy territory Saturday and got contributions from every guy in the lineup in order to take down the Kansas State Wildcats. Despite being understaffed due to injuries, and maybe even a tad emotionally charged due to the news of losing one of their top guys for the season in Gibson Jimerson,…
Gameday Preview: Billikens look to solidify their national profile, take down regional rival in the Kansas State Wildcats
*This article can originally be found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* There a saying in PGA golf that feels similar to how the Billikens game with Kansas State later today feels. You can’t win the tournament in your first round, but you can certainly lose it. The Billikens, as it stands right now, are in a bit of…
BREAKING: Gibson Jimerson undergoes surgery to correct a broken foot; out indefinitely
Billiken sharpshooter Gibson Jimerson will be out for the foreseeable future recovering from surgery for a broken right foot. Jimerson sustained the injury in practice Monday, December 16th, and had the procedure late that same week. Gibson had already missed one game for the Billikens, sitting against Maryville while wearing a walking boot. At that…
Nothing stops Hasahn French in the pursuit of helping his team
*This article can originally be found on ScoopswithDannyMac.com* When the final buzzer of last season sounded and eyes turned towards the future, it became clear to everyone, including Hasahn French, that this program would only go as far as he and Jordan Goodwin took them. The big man from New York has played 68 of…
BILLIKEN REPORT CARDS: Hargrove shines, Billikens limp to victory over the Maryville Saints
Ironically enough, there was really no better game for the Billikens to be stricken by the injury bug than Tuesday night’s matchup with Maryville. Playing without, arguably, two of its three most vital players in Hasahn French and Gibson Jimerson, the Billikens were given all they could handle by the gritty Saints. If they had…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Billikens host neighbor Maryville Saints
Coming off an impressive performance in Birmingham, where the Bills took an incredibly talented Auburn team down to the wire before losing their second game of the season. The Billikens will make a pitstop of sorts before mounting their next attempt at a statement win. Before Saint Louis hops on I-70 to play Kansas State,…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: WAR EAGLE! Billikens head to Birmingham for “neutral site” matchup with number 12 Auburn
Technically speaking, the Billikens will play their second neutral-site matchup of the season Saturday afternoon. Coming off a dominating win in their first of such games in Arizona, the Billikens close their most extended road trip of the 2019-2020 out of conference schedule tipping off against the Auburn Tigers. The reality of the situation is,…
Billiken report card: SLU dominates, sets three-point record en route to an 86-62 blowout of Tulane
For the first time this season, the Billikens put together a full 40 minutes of two-way play. The final score reflects that as Saint Louis came out early and pounced on the Tulane Green Wave. They broke their string of slow starts, built a 7-point lead…and never let it go. Travis Ford’s team executed an…
Gibson Jimerson: Not just a one-trick pony
Travis Ford has a single mantra for his team; if you play defense, you will see the floor. For some freshmen, that can be an intimidating policy. Travis Ford’s version of playing good defense is based on playing gritty, high energy, team-oriented basketball. If you aren’t playing up to that standard, it’s unlikely a player…
Billiken report card: Trend of slow starts continue, but the Billikens hang tough and edge out rival Salukis 69-60
The Billikens are 7-1 through their first 8 games, the best early-season mark in the Travis Ford era, and the best opening 8 game stretch since 2011-2012…a season that resulted in an NCAA tournament appearance. That’s the good news. The not so good news is that the Billikens struggled mightily in their matchup with Southern…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Salukis come to town as the Billikens host cross-border rival
One year ago, almost to the day, the Billikens drove across the border and into Carbondale, where they had what can only be defined as their worst let down game of the season. Coming off of an emotional win at home over Butler. They simply dropped the ball, losing to Southern Illinois 61-54. Both teams…
Billiken report card: Despite a slow start, Saint Louis proves themselves to be a force to be reckoned with in Boston
This article can be originally found on Scoopswithdannymac.com Going on the road and winning a game in enemy territory is not easy. It’s even more challenging to go into a said territory, for the first time in a season and for many the first time ever, fall into a 9 point hole in the first…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: SLU Hits the Road, get first road test at Boston College
After the longest opening homestand in SLU history, the Billikens have hit the road for their first trip of the season. After their statement win over Belmont on Saturday afternoon, the Bills packed their bags, jetting off to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Where the Boston College Eagles wait for them in the showcase game of the…
REPORT CARD: Billikens best Bruins on all-time great Hasahn French performance
The Jewel of Midtown was rocking Saturday afternoon as the Saint Louis University Billikens got their first marquee win of the young season. Taking down an experienced and well-respected Belmont Bruins squad to the tune of 60-55. Hasahn French was the star of the evening, setting two single-game personal bests, 24 rebounds, and 7 blocks…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Billikens face another measuring stick game, welcome Belmont to SLU
After a disappointing, yet successful Wednesday evening at Chaifetz Arena. Saint Louis basketball is back at it this afternoon with another opportunity to measure themselves against top-level talent. And while this test is by no means the same degree of test the Seton Hall game was, it may be a more accurate test subject for…
Billiken report card: Bills win ugly over High Point
Coming into Wednesday night’s matchup at Chaifetz Arena, the Billikens were looking to get their mojo back. After getting blown out like they did Sunday it’s easy to lose your confidence, and for about 6 minutes in the second half, that seemed to be what happened, but for the rest of the night, the Billikens…
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Billikens look to get their mojo back in High Point matchup
Luckily, with the nature of the college basketball schedule, the Billikens won’t have to wait long to get back on the court and redeem themselves. After dropping their first game of the season in a blowout loss to Seton Hall, the Bills only had to wait three more nights until they get back on the…
Billiken report card: Bills get bullied and blown out by Seton Hall
I waited an extra day to finish this Report Card in an effort to really come to the most rational, and measured response to what happened at Chaifetz Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Billikens got a reality check as the result of one of the most anticipated games in recent SLU history, was the Bills…
GAME DAY PREVIEW: Billikens face first real test as Myles Powell and #12 Seton Hall come to SLU
It’s hard to know that if when the Seton Hall home-and-home was scheduled two years ago, the organizers at both schools had even the slightest inkling as to the gravity this game could hold. Obviously, a matchup with a well-known Big East opponent is a nice game to have every year in the non-conference regardless…
Billiken report card: SLU takes care of business, improves to 3-0 in a 22-point blowout of Eastern Washington.
Billiken report card: SLU takes care of business, improves to 3-0 in a 22-point blowout of Eastern Washington It wasn’t always pretty, but the Billikens did what they needed to do Wednesday night, topping the Eastern Washington Eagles by the score of 82-60. Despite the opening few minutes being questionable on offense, the Bills led…
GAME DAY PREVIEW: Billikens focus to be tested in Gotham Classic opener against Eastern Washington
A big week lies ahead in midtown for Team Blue. On Sunday, the Billikens welcome one of the best college basketball teams in the country to Chaifetz Arena. In a sense, luck has smiled on them in allowing Team Blue the opportunity to upset a ranked team potentially. But before that, SLU has to take…
Billiken report card: Foul Trouble, static offense, and disorganized D makes for a nervous night as the Bills edge out Valpo
Fred Thatch and Hasahn French only played six and five minutes, respectively, in the first half. Eleven Billikens saw the floor in the first half, seven of which winded up on the score sheet. It was the bench depth on this night that built the 11-point lead heading into half time. It was also the…
SLU Women’s Soccer dominates in A-10 Championship game, earns spot in the NCAA Championship
For just the fourth time in program history, the Saint Louis University Billikens women’s soccer team is headed to the NCAA tournament. The Bills earned the A-10 automatic bid after finishing a 3-1 victory over the #2 seeded George Washington Colonials. The NCAA bid marks the second time in two years the program has qualified…
GAME DAY PREVIEW: SLU welcomes a veteran Valparaiso squad
The Billikens continue their early-season homestand welcoming the Valparaiso Crusaders into Chaifetz Arena Saturday evening. The second game in the six-game homestand to open the season features an opponent that brings back virtually all of its players from last year. It is looking to build on a subpar season in the Missouri Valley Conference. The…
Report Card: Offensive surge leads the Billikens to breakout opening night victory
Never in Travis Ford’s tenure as the Head Coach of the SLU Billikens has his squad scored as many as 89 points. But that’s what Team Blue did in their season opener downing Florida Gulf Coast to the tune of 89-67. Unlike their exhibition against Kentucky Wesleyan, the Billikens dominance was never in doubt. Stringing…
Gameday Preview: Billikens to raise banner, open the regular season against “Dunk City”
For the last time this year, I can repeat the fact that Billiken basketball season is here. This is the third “official start” I’ve proclaimed, the first being Billiken Madness, the second being the exhibition game last week against Kentucky Wesleyan, but this is the first time that the games count. There will be plenty…
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Carter Chapley 