Saint Louis Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Billikens

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Saint Louis Basketball Javonte Perkins (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Key Reserves

Javonte Perkins | Guard/Forward | 6’6″ | Senior

Perkins is a guy that any coach would love to have on their team because he doesn’t need to be in the starting lineup, for him to produce at a high level (averaged 15.0 points per game last season, which was 2nd on the team). That is why, Travis Ford (the man in charge at Saint Louis) can count on him to come off the bench, and quickly get himself going offensively.

Perkins also doesn’t appear to have a big ego, that could prevent him from being a coachable player. On top of that, he has shown that he can still be an elite scorer, even if Ford sometimes decides not to run plays for him.

I think that because Perkins is so confident in his ability to score whenever he touches the ball and doesn’t allow his defenders to dictate where he wants to go, he is able to put a tremendous amount of pressure on them and keep them off-balance from time to time. Perkins is a gifted isolation player, who loves to catch the ball at the top of the key and go to work immediately.

Some people may not like the fact that Perkins often takes contested mid-range jump shots when he could have gotten all the way to the basket, but those people have to understand that he is a player that thrives when he elects to take challenging shots.

I am almost certain that it drives die-hard Billiken fans crazy, but there is no doubt that Perkins knows which side he needs to attack, and how many dribbles he needs to take, before elevating for a 15-foot jumper. If he can continue to provide instant offense for the Billikens this season, it’ll be much tougher for teams to hang with them.

Gibson Jimerson | Guard | 6’5″ | Sophomore

Unfortunately for Jimerson, he only made an appearance in 10 games last season, due to a devastating injury (broken foot) that ended his season in December. However, Jimerson did manage to average 10.5 points per game and give the Billikens two 20+ point scoring performances (which included a 22-point outing against Tulane, and a 25-point outing against High Point).

He is a good catch-and-shoot three-point shooter, who shot 42.9% from deep last season. When you are on the floor with Yuri Collins, you always have to make yourself available, because he is just waiting for someone to over help, or fall asleep defensively.

Jimerson is a guy that understands, that Collins is looking for the open man whenever he drives, which is why many of his three-point makes last season were uncontested (or contested extremely late). Jimerson has no issue sprinting up from either corner to either wing or sliding down to either corner from either wing, in order to get off the cleanest look possible. Jimerson also has a relatively quick release, which allows him to get shots off immediately on the catch.

Teams shouldn’t sleep on Jimerson’s ability to ball on the floor, because he can certainly take a few dribbles, and step into a mid-range shot if his defenders don’t close out on him under control. I believe that Jimerson will be a big part of the Billikens offense this season, and if he can stay healthy, Jimerson has the potential to be one of the deadliest three-point shooters in the country.

Fred Thatch Jr. | Guard | 6’3″ | Junior

Thatch is another guy that missed most of the 2019-20 season, but instead of being sidelined by an injury, Thatch’s season ended in November, because “A condition called isolated myopathy — where the blood cells don’t work properly — caused his body to break down” (per an KSDK article written by Frank Cusumano).

When Thatch was healthy last season, he showed off his ability to move without the ball, finish through contact at the rim, and get to the basket every now and then, while using minimal dribbles. In addition to averaging 4.8 points per game last season, Thatch was also able to pull down 3.5 rebounds per game as well.

Thatch could certainly take his game to the next level if he develops a reliable three-point shot (only shot 16.7% last season, but also only appeared in 6 games), but offensively, I believe that he has enough tools to be effective this year. I understand that some people will just focus on Thatch’s offensive game, but his stingy on-ball defense is what we all need to be talking about.

Even if struggles to find a rhythm offensively, you can count on him to sit down on defense, keep his man out of the paint, and contest shots at the rim (if he gets beat). Look for Thatch to make his presence felt on the defensive end this season, and show that he can be productive on the offensive end as well.

Terrence Hargrove Jr. | Forward | 6’4″ | Sophomore

To be frank, Hargrove still has a long way to go, before he can be considered a legitimate threat offensively. However, there are certainly some positives, that I was able to take away from his 2019-20 campaign (which concluded with him averaging 5.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game).

Hargrove is an above the rim athlete, which allows him to alter shots in the paint (even when his man gets a step on him), go up and grab easy rebounds (when no one puts a body on him), and quickly explode up when he catches the ball near the basket.

When Hargrove has to put the ball on the floor and make a play 25-30 feet away from the basket, he struggles mightily (which is a problem, because his height tells me that he should technically be a point guard/shooting guard).

It makes perfect sense to me because Hargrove is a guy that is so used to simply running the floor hard, catching lobs from guards, and converting easy putbacks at the rim. If Hargrove is able to expand his offensive game, and prove that he doesn’t need to solely rely on his athleticism this season, he will be much more of a factor in 2020-21.

Linssen is a 6’8″ junior forward, who played one season at Valparaiso, and one season at UNCW, before transferring to Saint Louis in 2020. At Valparaiso, Linssen averaged a measly 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. However, last season at UNCW Linssen took a major step forward, averaging 10.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Linssen is a solid low post threat, who can step out and hit semi-open 14-15-foot jump shots if needed. It will certainly be interesting to see how Travis Ford utilizes him this season, as he is definitely a guy that can positively impact games.

Okoro is a 6’9″ junior forward, who spent his first two seasons of college basketball at Oregon, before transferring to Saint Louis, after the conclusion of last season. During his time with the Ducks, Okoro averaged a total of 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He is a big man that has great hands and can finish around the rim in traffic.

Okoro’s post moves aren’t as developed as they could be, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t be a lethal post player (with a little polishing). Okoro is also a guy who has a high motor and will give maximum effort whenever he is out on the floor. I having a feeling that Travis Ford will have to be patient with Okoro, but I think that with time, he will be a force to be reckoned with down low.

Lorentsson is a 6’8″ freshman forward from Gothenburg, Sweden, who will have to battle for playing time this season. Lorentsson is known for being a good standstill shooter, and he can also be effective in transition (because he likes to get ahead of defenses).

Like Lorentsson, Strickland (who is a 6’5″ freshman guard from Miami, Florida) is a player that also plays well when is able to get out in transition. I believe that Strickland could perform well in Saint Louis’s offense if Travis Ford commits to playing an up-tempo style of basketball, where guys get up and down the floor as quickly as possible. This is mainly because Strickland is a very good athlete, who will be more productive if he can catch the ball on the run, and allow his athleticism to take over at the rim.

Russell, who is a 5’10” guard from Saint Louis, Missouri, has a reputation of being a score-first guard. Although he is one of three walk-ons this season, Russell’s ability to break down defenders, and put together different dribble combinations, in order to get off a decent look, could be useful to the Billikens this season. Ultimately, I think that Russell’s playing time will largely depend, on whether or not Travis Ford trusts him, to provide valuable minutes for the Billikens this season.

Brandon Courtney | Guard | 6’3″ | Junior

Courtney is Saint Louis’s second walk-on, and he is also a member of the scout team (according to Saint Louis’s men’s basketball website). Last season, Courtney played a total of two minutes, and scored a total of three points, while also recording two rebounds.

Joshua Hightower | Guard | 6’3″ | Senior

Hightower is a guy that doesn’t get a ton of love, due to the fact that he is Saint Louis’s third walk-on, but I can assure you that he is much more valuable to the Billikens, than you probably think. When Hightower was forced to step into action against La Salle on the road last season (because of the foul trouble that the Billikens were dealing with), he showed that he might be a hidden gem for Saint Louis, staying disciplined on the defensive end, and converting a critical three-point play, that helped propel the Billikens to a 77-76 overtime victory.

You could take look at Hightower’s numbers right now (averaged 0.3 points and 0.4 assists per game last season, while appearing in 12 contests), and begin to question my credibility, but good thing stats don’t tell the whole story, right?

Listen, you have to understand that analyzing individual games, causes people to appreciate the contributions (whether they are big or small), that players are able to make. When Hightower was on the court last season, he demonstrated that he had no problem taking good care of the basketball against pressure, getting straight into the set that was called by Travis Ford, occasionally beating his man off the dribble, and then making the correct pass (even if it didn’t result in an assist), and being very disruptive on the defensive end.

His contributions may not be all that impressive to many of you, but you can’t deny the fact that not having to worry about seeing games quickly get out of hand, after bringing Hightower in, will certainly make Ford’s job a whole lot easier this year. It will also give the Billikens the depth, that could prove to be beneficial to them late in the season. So if you feel like you are beginning to panic, because you see Hightower entering a game this season, just relax, because the kid can obviously hold his own out there.

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