SIU coach in Springfield

[Da Coach]

SIU coach Chris Lowery was in Springfield on Thursday for the annual SIU Coaches Caravan. He talked about last year's team--

http://www.sj-r.com/sports/x1518869443/Jim-Ruppert-Lowery-says-pups-will-grow-into-Salukis-soon

One interesting quote was about a couple players who left the team, Josh Bone and Torres Roundtree.
Lowery now says he's glad they left and suggests that they didn't play hard.--

For the first time, players defected, including one-time starter Joshua Bone and much-ballyhooed recruit Torres Roundtree.
???It didn??™t bother me because if kids don??™t want to play hard, that??™s going to be a problem,??? Lowery said. ???We look at Josh Bone and Torres Roundtree, their issues were more than just basketball. Giving them an opportunity to leave was important for them and their families.
???We??™re always going to keep a family atmosphere. We??™re always going to make sure that the kids we have are the kids that want to be there.

[tornado]

I appreciate that whenever players have left BU, Coach Les takes the high road, and says nothing but good about them.
Even when the media tries to pry some sort of controversy from the departing players or family, our coaching staff has never fired back or stooped to the level of attacks or insults.

[tornado]

btw-- in that article he says this about the players who were in the game that BU knocked SIU out of the MVC Tourney...

"For their final game of the 2008-09 season against Bradley ..the Salukis started three first-year players,
a sophomore and senior Tony Boyle. Two of three reserves were freshmen.
“We played those five guys, and in a real year they’re red-shirted,” Lowery said.
“Most of them are red-shirted because physically they aren’t ready to compete.”
But Ryan Hare, Justin Bocot, Nick Evans, Kevin Dillard and Anthony Booker
were thrown into the fire, and a lot of the time they got burned."


wait a minute, I am puzzled by this comment.....it sounds like an alibi, but he's entitled to spin the season as he wishes....
but....of those five players, two of them ALREADY HAVE REDSHIRTED!!!, and by this time they've been at college two whole seasons!
On top of that Booker was rated as high as Top 40 in the nation, Dillard was Illinois Mr. Basketball and just maybe their best overall player,
and Hare is as physically solid and strong and just about anyone else in the Valley at that position!

So just which one of those five players could he have or WOULD he have "red-shirted because physically they aren’t ready to compete"?


also..."For the first time, players defected, including one-time starter Joshua Bone and much-ballyhooed recruit Torres Roundtree."
what?? for the first time??...Mike Dale, Stetson Hairston, Jamaal Foster, Kyle Smithpeters, Dion Coopwood, Tyrone Green, Brandon Wood, Jordan Armstrong, Chris Cornelius..
didn't some of these players leave, "defect"? I know some were non-scholarship, but players leaving before their eligibility happen everywhere,
so why the phony comment that it has never happened at SIU until now with Bone & Roundtree?

[NSBF]

btw-- in that article he says this about the players who were in the game that BU knocked SIU out of the MVC Tourney...

"For their final game of the 2008-09 season against Bradley ..the Salukis started three first-year players,
a sophomore and senior Tony Boyle. Two of three reserves were freshmen.
???We played those five guys, and in a real year they??™re red-shirted,??? Lowery said.
???Most of them are red-shirted because physically they aren??™t ready to compete.???
But Ryan Hare, Justin Bocot, Nick Evans, Kevin Dillard and Anthony Booker
were thrown into the fire, and a lot of the time they got burned."


wait a minute, I am puzzled by this comment.....it sounds like an alibi, but he's entitled to spin the season as he wishes....
but....of those five players, two of them ALREADY HAVE REDSHIRTED!!!, and by this time they've been at college two whole seasons!
On top of that Booker was rated as high as Top 40 in the nation, Dillard was Illinois Mr. Basketball and just maybe their best overall player,
and Hare is as physically solid and strong and just about anyone else in the Valley at that position!

So just which one of those five players could he have or WOULD he have "red-shirted because physically they aren??™t ready to compete"?


also..."For the first time, players defected, including one-time starter Joshua Bone and much-ballyhooed recruit Torres Roundtree."
what?? for the first time??...Mike Dale, Stetson Hairston, Jamaal Foster, Kyle Smithpeters, Dion Coopwood, Tyrone Green, Brandon Wood, Jordan Armstrong, Chris Cornelius..
didn't some of these players leave, "defect"? I know some were non-scholarship, but players leaving before their eligibility happen everywhere,
so why the phony comment that it has never happened at SIU until now with Bone & Roundtree?

If you play hardnosed Saluki basketball you're part of the family. If you're a slacker and leave because the system doesn't fit your style then you're not ready to compete!

[BraveDog]

Nick Evans had red shirted. No one else had red shirted. Justin Bocot was Prop so he has been in college for 2 years but some would say this is worse for a guy because he was completely away from the game for a whole year.

I think if SIU had a usual team Booker and Hare would have been redshirted. I am not sure if Bocot could redshirt. Booker was a highly rated recruit not because of how good he is now. But because of how good he can be. And Dillard is the real deal and no one can deny that, however the little guy probably weighs all of 80 pounds, so he could use some mass.

Mike Dale, Stetson Hairston, Jamaal Foster, Kyle Smithpeters, Dion Coopwood, Tyrone Green, Brandon Wood, Jordan Armstrong, Chris Cornelius.
Where did you get this list? Mike Dale was injured for a year, then he was stabbed and out for another year and after that he had other problems with grades or discipline. He was more kicked off then defected.
Stetson Hairston was part of SIU's 4 year NCAA tournament run.
Jamaal Foster graduated and chose to leave along with Lowery's blessing. Kyle Smithpeters was a walk on that graduated SIU. Dion Coopwood was a walk on that graduated SIU. Tyrone Green was a transfer that played out his eligibility at SIU. Brandon Wood left after last season when SIU recruited a bunch of players that were going to take his playing time. Jordan Armstrong was a body to fill a roster spot. <---facts

[tornado]

If you play hardnosed Saluki basketball you're part of the family. If you're a slacker and leave because the system doesn't fit your style then you're not ready to compete!

amen, as it should be.....these kids are given a great opportunity both athletically and academically...
so I have no probs at all if kids are sent packing..
but credit the kids who played hard as freshman, don't give the excuse that they were undermanned because they all should have redshirted!!

and it's semantics only with Bocot, as he'd never redshirt yet another year on top of his partial qualifier year, as he might never get the 2nd year back!
and one of the reigning topics among SIU fans is how few players recruited by CLo have actually stayed.....so are you now trying to say there have been no defections??