Billiken Briefs

NEW RECRUITS: Two standout high school players and one junior college star have signed national letters of intent to play for the men's basketball Billikens next year. Marque Perry, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard from Prosser High School in Chicago, is one of the recruits. He has been rated the best guard in Illinois and the third-ranked player in the state by recruiting services. Vincent Hart, a 6-8, 215-pound forward from Westside High School in Gary, Ind., also has signed. He is a Street and Smith's High School Honorable Mention All-American and is ranked among the top 150 players in the country according to the 1998-99 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Maurice Jeffers, a 6'-4", 195-pound swingman from Westark Community College in Morrilton, Ark., has agreed to transfer to Saint Louis University. He has been rated by a junior college recruiting analyst as the fifth best shooting guard in the nation.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Conference USA coaches have elected senior sweeper Kevin Kalish as the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. Kalish spearheaded a Billiken defense that had the lowest goals against average in the conference and placed second in shutouts. He also scored two assists, both on game-winning goals, one against Marquette and one against California. Joining Kalish on the first-team All-Conference squad were midfielder Jeff DiMaria and defender Ken Costello. Senior co-captain Mike Moriarty, midfielder Jason Mims and forward Brian Benton were second-team selections. Forward Dominic DaPra and midfielder Marty Tappel were elected to the All-Freshman team.

GREAT FANS: The Billikens set a single-game attendance mark at Kiel Center with a crowd of 22,527 vs. 11th-ranked Kansas on Dec. 23. The Billikens ranked sixth last year in average attendance for Division I men's basketball at 17,708. Only traditional national powers Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, Arkansas and fellow Conference USA member Louisville outdrew the Billikens. In three of the past four years, Saint Louis University has ranked among the top 10 nationally in average attendance.

LAST OUTING: The men's soccer team was eliminated in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament by Creighton 4-1 in overtime on Sunday, Nov. 22, at the Anheuser-Busch Conference and Sports Center. The Billikens finish the season with a record of 14-5-1.

Top