Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball

Saint Louis Billikens
2023–24 Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball team
University	Saint Louis University
Head coach	Josh Schertz (1st season)
Conference	Atlantic 10
Location	St. Louis, Missouri
Arena	Chaifetz Arena (Capacity: 10,600)
Nickname	Billikens
Student section	SLUnatics
Colors	SLU blue and white [1]
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1952
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1952, 1957
NCAA tournament round of 32
1995, 1998, 2012, 2013, 2014
NCAA tournament appearances
1952, 1957, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019
Conference tournament champions
2000, 2013, 2019
Conference regular season champions
1947, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1971, 2013, 2014

The Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Saint Louis University. They compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The head coaching position is currently filled by Josh Schertz. Chaifetz Arena is home to the Billikens. The Billikens have reached the championship game of the NIT tournament four times and have won it once (1948). They have appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament ten times, most recently in 2019.

History

See also: List of Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball seasons

Rick Majerus era

On April 27, 2007, Rick Majerus accepted the head coaching position. His tenure at SLU got off to a rocky start; in their first conference game, the Billikens set an NCAA Division I record for fewest points scored in a game in the modern era of college basketball, losing 49–20 to George Washington. ^[2] However, as he had done previously at other programs, Majerus eventually made SLU a winning program. In 2012, he led the Billikens to their first NCAA Tournament in 12 years, and their first appearance in a major poll in 17 years.

On August 24, 2012, Majerus announced he would not coach the 2012–13 season due to serious heart problems. ^[3] Jim Crews, one of his assistants, took over for him on a temporary basis for that season. ^[4] On November 16, it was announced that Majerus was retiring when it was apparent that his heart condition would not improve enough to allow him to return. ^[5]

Majerus compiled a 95–69 (.579) record at St. Louis University and retired with an overall NCAA record of 517–215 (.706).

Jim Crews era

A Billikens men's basketball player dribbles the ball during the 2016 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament

Jim Crews was promoted to head coach after serving on an interim basis following the health concerns and eventual death of Majerus. He was on Majerus' staff since 2011. After leading the Billikens to a school-record 28 wins, Crews was formally named SLU's 25th head coach on April 12, 2013. He was fired after the 2016 Atlantic 10 tournament resulted in the elimination of the Billikens and marked the end of two 11–21 Billikens seasons. ^[6] Crews was paid a $1.86 million buyout in 2016-17, according to tax forms. ^[7]

Travis Ford era

On March 30, 2016, Saint Louis University announced that Travis Ford has been hired as the head basketball coach. ^[8] He inherited a Billikens team that had gone a disappointing 11–21 each of the previous two seasons under Jim Crews. ^[9] Due to a lack of talent from the previous regime, SLU was predicted to finish dead last of the Atlantic 10 conference during the 2016–17 season. ^[10] Basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy predicted the Billikens as the team most likely to go winless throughout its conference schedule. ^[11] Ford led the Billikens to six Atlantic 10 conference wins and a 12–21 overall record. ^[12] The Billikens and Travis Ford gained the attention of national news in January 2024 after it was discovered Travis Ford's son created a burner Twitter account to defend his dad as fans and people online were calling for him to be fired. ^[13] Travis Ford and SLU parted ways concluding the 2023-24 season. ^[14]

Postseason appearances

NCAA tournament results

The Billikens have appeared in ten NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 6–11.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1952		Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	New Mexico State Kansas	W 62–53 L 55–74
1957		Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game	Oklahoma City SMU	L 66–75 L 68–78
1994	#7	First Round	#10 Maryland	L 66–74
1995	#9	First Round Second Round	#8 Minnesota #1 Wake Forest	W 64–61OT L 59–64
1998	#10	First Round Second Round	#7 UMass #2 Kentucky	W 51–46 L 61–88
2000	#9	First Round	#8 Utah	L 45–48
2012	#9	First Round Second Round	#8 Memphis #1 Michigan State	W 61–54 L 61–65
2013	#4	First Round Second Round	#13 New Mexico State #12 Oregon	W 64–44 L 57–74
2014	#5	First Round Second Round	#12 NC State #4 Louisville	W 83–80OT L 51–66
2019	#13	First Round	#4 Virginia Tech	L 52–66

NIT results

The Billikens have appeared in 20 National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Their combined record is 18–19. They were NIT champions in 1948 and runner-up in 1961, 1989, and 1990.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1948	Quarterfinals Semifinals Final	Bowling Green Western Kentucky NYU	W 69–53 W 60–53 W 65–52
1949	Quarterfinals	Bowling Green	L 74–80
1951	First Round Quarterfinals	La Salle BYU	W 73–61 L 68–75
1952	Quarterfinals	Dayton	L 58–68
1953	First Round	St. John's	L 66–81
1955	First Round Quarterfinals	Connecticut Dayton	W 110–103 L 81–97
1956	First Round	Xavier	L 80–84
1959	Quarterfinals	Providence	L 72–75
1960	Quarterfinals	Providence	L 53–64
1961	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final	Miami (FL) Colorado State Dayton Providence	W 58–56 W 59–53 W 67–60 L 59–62
1963	Quarterfinals	Marquette	L 49–84
1965	First Round	Army	L 66–70
1987	First Round Second Round	Saint Peter's Southern Miss	W 76–60 L 78–83
1989	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final	Southern Illinois Wisconsin New Mexico Michigan State St. John's	W 87–54 W 73–68 W 66–65 W 74–64 L 65–73
1990	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final	Kent State Green Bay DePaul New Mexico Vanderbilt	W 85–74 W 58–54 W 54–47 W 80–73 L 72–74
1996	First Round	Minnesota	L 52–68
2003	First Round	Minnesota	L 52–62
2004	First Round Second Round	Iowa Notre Dame	W 70–69 L 66–77
2021	First Round	Mississippi State	L 68–74
2022	First Round	Northern Iowa	L 68–80

CBI results

The Billikens have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their record is 3–2 and they were the CBI runnerup in their only appearance.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2010	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Game 1 Finals Game 2	Indiana State Green Bay Princeton VCU VCU	W 63–54 W 68–62 2OT W 69–59 L 56–68 L 65–71

Individual honors

Retired numbers

Main article: List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers

Ed Macauley is the only Billiken whose number (#50) is retired

Saint Louis Billikens retired numbers
No.	Player	Pos.	Career	Ref.
50	Ed Macauley	C / PF	1945–1949	[15]

Honored jerseys

Jerseys were honored/retired, but numbers remained active and can be chosen by future players

No.	Player	Pos.	Career	Ref.
24	Dick Boushka	F	1951–1955	[15]
34	Anthony Bonner	PF / SF	1986–1990	[15]
43	Bob Ferry	PF / C	1956–1959	[15]

Home courts

• 1915, 1917 Muegge's Gymnasium (Grand Ave. and Hickory St.)
• 1919–1920 Rock Springs Turner Hall (Boyle Ave. and Chouteau Ave.)
• 1920–1921 College Hall
• 1921–1922 First Regiment Armory and Macabee's Hall (911 Vandeventer Ave.)
• 1922–1923 First Regiment Armory and Battery A Armory (1 game)
• 1923–1924 First Regiment Armory
• 1924–1925 SLUH Gymnasium
• 1925–1926 First Regiment Armory, SLUH Gymnasium and St. Louis Coliseum
• 1926–1945 St. Louis University Gymnasium (West Pine Gym)
• 1945–1968 Kiel Auditorium
• 1968–1973 St. Louis Arena
• 1973–1991 Kiel Auditorium
• 1991–1994 St. Louis Arena
• 1994–2008 Scottrade Center (Kiel Center, Savvis Center)
• 2008–present Chaifetz Arena

Billikens in the pros

Player	Attended SLU	Current team	Years played professionally
Marque Perry	1999–2003	BG Göttingen	2003–2015
Itzik Ohanon	2002–2005	Ironi Ramat Gan	1999–2011
Ian Vouyoukas	2003–2007	Ionikos Nikaias B.C.	2007–present
Marcus Relphorde	2007–2008	Poiters	2011–present
Kevin Lisch	2005–2009	Sydney Kings [16]	2009–2020
Brian Conklin	2008–2012	Yalovaspor BK	2012–present
Cory Remekun	2009–2013	Caen Basket Calvados	2013–2019
Cody Ellis	2009–2013	Illawarra Hawks	2013–2018
Dwayne Evans	2010–2014	Ryukyu Golden Kings	2014–present
Jordair Jett	2010–2014	Nelson Giants	2014–2019
Mike McCall Jr.	2010–2014	Cheshire Phoenix	2014–present
Rob Loe	2010–2014	New Zealand Breakers	2014–present
Javon Bess	2017–2019	Tindastóll	2019–present
Tramaine Isabell	2018–2019	KK Dubrava	2019–present
Jordan Goodwin	2017–2021	Washington Wizards	2021–present
Hasahn French	2017–2021	Krka	2021–present

Billikens in the NBA and ABA

Player	Attended SLU	Team(s)	Year(s) played
D.C. Wilcutt	1944–1948	St. Louis Bombers	1949–1950
Marv Schatzman	1947–1949	Baltimore Bullets	1950
Ed "Easy Ed" Macauley	1945–1949	St. Louis Bombers, Boston Celtics, St. Louis Hawks	1950–1959
Bevo Nordmann	1958–1961	Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics	1962–1965
Richard Parks	1964–1966	Pittsburgh Pipers	1968
Bob Ferry	1956–1959	St. Louis Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Baltimore Bullets	1960–1969
Don Dee	1962–1964	Indiana Pacers	1968–1969
Barry Orms	1965–1968	Baltimore Bullets, Indiana Pacers, Pittsburgh Pipers	1969–1970
Rich Niemann	1965–1968	Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Carolina Cougars, The Floridians, Dallas Chaparrals	1969–1972
Gene Moore	1965–1968	Kentucky Colonels, Dallas Chaparrals, New York Nets, San Diego Conquistadors, Spirits of St. Louis	1969–1975
Harry Rogers	1970–1973	Spirits of St. Louis	1976
Robin Jones	1972–1975	Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets	1977–1978
David Burns	1979–1981	New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets	1982
Anthony Bonner	1986–1990	Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic	1991–1996
Larry Hughes	1997–1998	Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Charlotte Bobcats, Orlando Magic	1999–2012
Willie Reed	2008–2010	Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons	2015–2018
Jordan Goodwin	2017-2021	Washington Wizards	2021-present

Career statistical leaders

Points

• 1) 1,972 – Anthony Bonner, 6' 8" F, 1986–1990
• 2) 1,910 – Erwin Claggett, 6' 1" G, 1991–1995
• 3) 1,880 – Roland Gray, 6' 5" F, 1985–1989
• 4) 1,877 – Monroe Douglass, 6' 4" G, 1985–1989
• 5) 1,803 – Gibson Jimerson, 6’ 5” G, 2019-present
• 6) 1,703 – Scott Highmark, 6' 5" F, 1991–1995
• 7) 1,687 – Kevin Lisch, 6' 2" G, 2005–2009
• 8) 1,575 – Kwamain Mitchell, 5' 10" G, 2008–2013
• 9) 1,547 – Tommie Liddell III, 6' 4" G, 2005–2009
• 10) 1,499 – Dwayne Evans, 6' 6" F, 2010–2014

Rebounds

• 1) 1,424 – Anthony Bonner, 6' 8" F, 1986–1990
• 2) 1,157 – Jerry Koch, 6' 4" F, 1952–1955
• 3) 1,128 – Jim McLaughlin, 6' 4" F, 1953–1956
• 4) 998 – Jordan Goodwin, 6' 3" G, 2017–2021
• 5) 982 – Hasahn French, 6' 7" F, 2017–2021

Assists

• 1) 878 – Yuri Collins, 6' 0" G, 2019–2023
• 2) 436 – Josh Fisher, 6' 2" G, 2001–2004
• 3) 424 – Charles Newberry, 6' 3" G, 1987–1990
• 4) 422 – Jordair Jett, 6' 1" G, 2010–2014
• 5) 420 – Kwamain Mitchell, 5' 10" G, 2008–2013

Steals

• 1) 225 – Jordan Goodwin, 6' 3" G, 2017–2021
• 2) 192 – Anthony Bonner, 6' 8" F, 1986–1990
• 3) 179 – Josh Fisher, 6' 2" G, 2001–2004
• 4) 176 – Yuri Collins, 6' 0" G, 2019–2023
• 5) 174 – Jordair Jett, 6' 1" G, 2010–2014

Blocks

• 1) 226 – Hasahn French, 6' 7" F, 2017–2021
• 2) 135 – Ian Vouyoukas, 6' 11" C, 2003–2007
• 3) 127 – Melvin Robinson, 7' 0" C, 1989–1992
• 4) 113 – Cory Remekun, 6' 9" F, 2009–2013
• 4) 113 – Willie Reed, 6' 11" F, 2008–2010

References

1. "Colors and Fonts" . Retrieved December 5, 2022.
2. "Saint Louis sets modern record for fewest points in 49-20 loss to George Washington". ESPN.com.
3. Held, Kevin. "Rick Majerus to sit out 2012-13 season with health issues". Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
4. "Majerus takes medical leave at SLU, won't coach 2012-13". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . August 24, 2012.
5. Rick Majerus won't return to SLU. ESPN, 2012-11-16.
6. Saint Louis fires Jim Crews
7. "Illinois, Mizzou, SLU hope record pay results in big hoops payoff".
8. "Travis Ford Tabbed Men's Basketball Coach". Saint Louis University. March 30, 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
9. Durando, Stu. "Travis Ford will be hired as new SLU coach". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
10. "Flyers Picked to Win 2016-17 Men's Basketball". Atlantic10.com. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
11. "The most likely winless teams | The kenpom.com blog". kenpom.com. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
12. "Men's Basketball – Schedule – SLUBillikens.com – The Official Athletics Website of Saint Louis University". www.slubillikens.com. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
13. https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3499329/anything-for-family-travis-fords-son-is-being-accused-of-creating-multiple-burner-accounts-to-defend-his-dads-coaching-job-at-saint-louis
14. https://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/slu/slu-fires-travis-ford-after-eight-seasons-with-one-ncaa-tournament-appearance/article_bd66468a-e17f-11ee-b450-3fc1a5dc1bb2.html
15. Retired Numbers and Jerseys at SLBillikens.com
16. "Kevin Lisch | Basketball Australia". www.basketball.net.au. Retrieved 2017-01-25.

External links

• Official website
• Saint Louis at Sports Reference