-1600x900.webp)
I’ve never understood it.
Why isn’t Saint Louis University consistently good at basketball?
My Billikens fandom goes back to the early 90’s. My first memory with the team is my dad (a SLU grad) taking me down to The Arena to see the Bills lose to Memphis State with a phenom named Penny Hardaway lighting it up for the Tigers. I remember thinking, “I wish we had a team that good.”
Then soon after, we did have a couple really good teams with Spoonball. Charlie Spoonhour, Erwin Claggett, Scott Highmark, and company drew massive crowds to The Arena and went to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 1994 and 1995, including a win in the ‘95 tournament followed by a close loss to Tim Duncan and #1 seed Wake Forest in the second round.
It looked like SLU basketball had arrived and was here to stay.
But it was just a blip.
A couple mediocre seasons ensued, followed by the excitement of CBC stud Larry Hughes choosing to stay home and come to SLU for the 1997-98 season. I remember thinking this could be our Penny Hardaway that could put the program back on the map for good.
But unfortunately it was a one-and-done situation, as the Billikens couldn’t build on the success of Hughes leading the team to the second round of the Big Dance in 1998. They finished under .500 in 1999.
The four wins in four days run of the 2000 Conference USA Tournament championship was thrilling, but that was a bolt of lightning that came out of nowhere and wasn’t sustainable.
I arrived at SLU on campus as a freshman in the fall of 2000. I’ve always loved college basketball and was hoping to have a four-year experience of fun and exciting hoops to watch.
Unfortunately, more mediocrity ensued. The highlight of my SLU basketball experience in college was seeing Anthony Drejaj hit a buzzer-beating 3 to beat Iowa in the first round of the 2004 NIT. A first-round NIT victory being the highlight of my college experience kind of sums up what it has been like to be a SLU basketball fan.
Meanwhile as all this mediocrity was going on, other similar urban, Jesuit schools like Marquette, Creighton, and Xavier were established powers in the college basketball world and fixtures in the NCAA Tournament with plenty of fun, exciting runs.
Why couldn’t SLU be a program like that?
I could never think of a good reason for it.
Then finally, it looked like it was happening with Rick Majerus at the helm.
The Majerus-era Billikens hung banners with Atlantic 10 titles and won a game in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments between 2012 and 2014, but they were never able to crack the Sweet 16. And of course, unfortunately Majerus passed away in the midst of that run. Jim Crews did an admirable job leading those teams after the death of Majerus, but he fell short on the recruiting trail and the cupboard was bare when the core players of that run left college.
The Billikens weren’t even mediocre after that - they were downright bad. There were three consecutive 21 loss seasons between 2015 and 2017. Being a competitive program again felt like a long way away, let alone becoming a consistent contender.
The arrival of Travis Ford brought some hope, and he did achieve bringing SLU back to being a competitive program. Another four wins in four days run for an Atlantic 10 Tournament championship in 2019 was a terrific highlight, but overall, Ford’s tenure was considerably underwhelming. The Billikens had some good teams, but for a variety of reasons, they could never get over the hump to be great.
Then things fell apart under Ford with a 20-loss season in 2023-24, and it was back to square one. I remember still having hope that SLU could eventually become a program like Marquette, Creighton, or Xavier - or in a pipe dream, maybe become a juggernaut like their fellow Jesuit school Gonzaga. But I figured I’m in my 40’s now, I’ve waited this long… it’s probably not going to happen.
But then enter Josh Schertz.
As a college hoops junkie, I watched a good amount of that special Indiana State team in 2023-24 with Schertz at the helm. The Sycamores played a beautiful style of basketball with the offense running through the unique-looking guy with the goggles named Robbie Avila. It was a lot of fun to watch.
When it became apparent SLU was in the running to get Schertz, I was excited. I thought he could be a good choice to bring the program back to being consistently competitive again.
But I didn’t expect this.
21-1 overall, 9-0 in the Atlantic 10.
#18 in the NET and #21 in the AP poll.
The #1 team in the entire country in KenPom in effective field goal percentage BOTH offensively and defensively.
A leading topic across the college basketball news cycle.
Seven 100-point offensive performances, including a 102-71 demolition of rival Dayton.
Could I love this guy any more?
In the world of sports, you often hear about teams in championship windows.
Right now, this very moment… this is SLU’s window to become a championship program.
They have the guy that can lead them to being a consistent winner like so many other similar Jesuit schools have been.
There are certainly Power Five conference teams across the country salivating to get a shot at landing Schertz in the offseason.
SLU must do everything in its power to get Schertz to stay.
I’ve seen the teams I root for win championships in the Cardinals, Blues, and even the Rams when they were here. Those are bucket list things as a St. Louis sports fan.
I’ve said for a while now that the SLU-related thing on my sports bucket list is to see the Billikens make one Sweet 16 before I die. I thought that was a realistic expectation for this program based on its history.
But Schertz has opened up a new world of possibilities to me and SLU fans everywhere.
And who knows? I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of SLU becoming the Gonzaga of the Midwest if Schertz decides to stay. This coach is that special - and while you never know what someone is thinking, he doesn’t strike me as a guy that is looking to leave.
Dream big, Billikens fans.
The time is now.
Extend Josh Schertz as soon as possible.
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Get Eric's picks for all sports by following him in the Action Network app with the username "esontag". Disclaimer