Another Mid Season Slide

[leebiddlecome]

I watched last night's game, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a great college basketball game. Creighton is a good team, and they played extremely well to win that game. Bradley played very well. I am disappointed as anyone here that they lost, but I just don't feel the need to complain about the team every time they lose, affix blame, or point out the deficiencies of David Collins in dozens of threads.

I think we all agree on the deficiencies of this team. Maybe it could be fixed by having Andrew Warren and Will Egolf back, but that's not going to happen. A college coach can't just sign a free agent to fill the void.

I agree. It was a fun game to watch. Bradley played hard, and played well--at times. Same for Creighton. They played a little better and have a little better players.

But Da Coach, what is the purpose of a message board? Isn't it a place for fans to congregate in virtual world and talk about their favorite teams? I don't think anyone is complaining or affixing blame. Everyone here wants to see Bradley win every game, win championships, go to the NCAA Tournament, etc. I dont think a person on here would disagree.

But fans are passionate. Passion is never a one-sided street. Passion stirs emotion. All of that is a part of loving the team. I think any coach/players, etc. would want passionate fans as opposed to apathetic ones. Who wants that?

People devote a lot of time and money to Bradley Basketball. They love it. They want to see it do well. Whats wrong with discussing ways that people think will take Bradley basketball to the level fans want it/expect it to be?

I've never met a team, company, organization, etc that succeeded that only allowed for positive talk and didn't listen to alternatives from sources on how to get better and get to an acceptable level. Any person, place or thing worth a salt would embrace differing opions and thoughts as a way to get better.

Sorry for rambling.

[BUFAN]

I agree. It was a fun game to watch. Bradley played hard, and played well--at times. Same for Creighton. They played a little better and have a little better players.

But Da Coach, what is the purpose of a message board? Isn't it a place for fans to congregate in virtual world and talk about their favorite teams? I don't think anyone is complaining or affixing blame. Everyone here wants to see Bradley win every game, win championships, go to the NCAA Tournament, etc. I dont think a person on here would disagree.

But fans are passionate. Passion is never a one-sided street. Passion stirs emotion. All of that is a part of loving the team. I think any coach/players, etc. would want passionate fans as opposed to apathetic ones. Who wants that?

People devote a lot of time and money to Bradley Basketball. They love it. They want to see it do well. Whats wrong with discussing ways that people think will take Bradley basketball to the level fans want it/expect it to be?

I've never met a team, company, organization, etc that succeeded that only allowed for positive talk and didn't listen to alternatives from sources on how to get better and get to an acceptable level. Any person, place or thing worth a salt would embrace differing opions and thoughts as a way to get better.

Sorry for rambling.

I don't know which game you were watching. Everytime I looked up CU was getting a wide open look, most often for a bunny, and then there were the turnovers. I had to turn the game off, it was more than I could bear...

[TheAsianSensation]

Meh. One possession vs. UNI and one @ ISU, and we're 9-5 and perfectly fine.

That being said, it is tiresome to be in the middle of the pack every year and some kind of change in methodology needs to take place, because whatever we're doing right now doesn't look like it'll get us over the hump.


That being said though, Warren and Egolf ARE out and frankly, with our top two out like that, 7-7 is reasonable.

That being said though, we've had injury excuses EVERY year - is this extraordinarily bad luck or are we supposed to be handling this better?

God I'm wishy washy. There's a legitimate excuse as to why we're not better, but it's the same excuse we've had the past couple years. Can we just get through one year with our roster intact?

[houstontxbrave]

I watched last night's game, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a great college basketball game. Creighton is a good team, and they played extremely well to win that game. Bradley played very well. I am disappointed as anyone here that they lost, but I just don't feel the need to complain about the team every time they lose, affix blame, or point out the deficiencies of David Collins in dozens of threads.

I think we all agree on the deficiencies of this team. Maybe it could be fixed by having Andrew Warren and Will Egolf back, but that's not going to happen. A college coach can't just sign a free agent to fill the void.

I personally point out Collins because he simply is getting minutes on a nightly basis on a team that is 13-12 is a senior and is not contributing much of anything to this team.

By continuing to provide him with minutes night after night with virutally the same result from him night after night.. it gets very old to see the same thing same result. We know what he brings and gives, it has helped take us to a .500 record. The experiment has not worked and by continuing to do the same thing Im thinking we will continue to get the same result. Seems very redundent to me and not exactly proven to be successful.

[leebiddlecome]

this is an interesting question.......
I think the purpose of any internet site that is created by an individual or individuals, IS TO BE DETERMINED
by that individual or individuals.
It would be like me going to a liquor store and telling them I want them to stop selling liquor and start selling popcorn.
Guess what the proprietor would say.... "nope, it is my store and I will determine the purpose of this store"

As we have told you and others as well...we are as open to reasonable debate as any message board you'll find,
but if you just want to complain and attack, we will give you the link to where that is their purpose and everyday function...

Understood. I haven't seen anyone attack anyone on this board. To have a discussion you usually have to have two sides of the "argument". That's all it is.

The guys who run this board certainly can do what the wish. If they want people to stop posting, just ask people to stop posting. That's easy. I don't see how that is very indicitive to the Bradley Basketball Fan Community but again, the owners of the board can do as they wish.

As a Bradley Fan I like to be open to new ideas, fresh thoughts, and be open to BU fans of all kinds. I cant imagine stiffling that is progress, but, again, that's just me.

[ph]

I watched last night's game, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a great college basketball game. Creighton is a good team,

My insignificant observation about last night, Creighton looks the part of a good team. even when you watch the players walking around during play stoppages, Creighton looked the part of a much (bigger faster stonger?) better team....

[Da Coach]

Doesn't losing 4 straight and 7 of 10 games have something to do with the complaining.

All it tells me is that complaining hasn't helped.

[leebiddlecome]

All it tells me is that complaining hasn't helped.

Or it means that the right people just arent listening/reading the wise observations posted by us blowhards

[squirrel]

Meh. One possession vs. UNI and one @ ISU, and we're 9-5 and perfectly fine.

That being said, it is tiresome to be in the middle of the pack every year and some kind of change in methodology needs to take place, because whatever we're doing right now doesn't look like it'll get us over the hump.


That being said though, Warren and Egolf ARE out and frankly, with our top two out like that, 7-7 is reasonable.

That being said though, we've had injury excuses EVERY year - is this extraordinarily bad luck or are we supposed to be handling this better?

God I'm wishy washy. There's a legitimate excuse as to why we're not better, but it's the same excuse we've had the past couple years. Can we just get through one year with our roster intact?

That goes to the continuity thing I posted a couple weeks ago. . .changing styles every year instead of building a system that you can utilize replaceable parts means every injury, every player we recruit is put at a disadvantage.

[thefish7]

That goes to the continuity thing I posted a couple weeks ago. . .changing styles every year instead of building a system that you can utilize replaceable parts means every injury, every player we recruit is put at a disadvantage.

I don't really get this complaint... Wouldn't it be more frustrating if we kept up the exact same system even if our personnel isn't able to play that system? Wouldn't that be a sign of bad coaching? Most people, early in the season, were complaining that we were sticking to last year's model, even though we'd lost ALL of our good outside shooters (Crouch, Ruffin, Warren).

I can understand a point about how Les recruits, and whether or not the recruits fits the system he wants to run. Looking at next year's class, it's very consistent with the last couple of years... So I'm not sure Les has scrapped his system, but he has definitely had to put it on hold given our struggles with injuries this year.

[squirrel]

I don't really get this complaint... Wouldn't it be more frustrating if we kept up the exact same system even if our personnel isn't able to play that system? Wouldn't that be a sign of bad coaching? Most people, early in the season, were complaining that we were sticking to last year's model, even though we'd lost ALL of our good outside shooters (Crouch, Ruffin, Warren).

I can understand a point about how Les recruits, and whether or not the recruits fits the system he wants to run. Looking at next year's class, it's very consistent with the last couple of years... So I'm not sure Les has scrapped his system, but he has definitely had to put it on hold given our struggles with injuries this year.

And I submit that the way he wants to play, a program can't win anything tangible, and will never have sustained success.

[leebiddlecome]

And I submit that the way he wants to play, a program can't win anything tangible, and will never have sustained success.

How does he want to play?

[squirrel]

How does he want to play?

Sometimes I'm not even sure he knows. But I'm pretty sure he's convinced that he can win regularly with 4 guards and a 4 playing the 5 spot.

[Bravesfan]

That goes to the continuity thing I posted a couple weeks ago. . .changing styles every year instead of building a system that you can utilize replaceable parts means every injury, every player we recruit is put at a disadvantage.

I think a good coach can do both. Look at Butler. They run a system, and they seem to be able to plug in new players every year and win consistently. However, if they lose their two best players to injury in mid-season, even they may have to alter things a bit.

[Rusty 54]

I think that our style depends on our recruits. The ideal is of course bigs that can post up well as well as are athletic and can run the floor and block shots as well as have a little perimeter game. For guards, we want big athletic guards that are quick and great shooters. But then there is reality. We are not going to field teams of players like that. We play with what we can get.
We have a number of big men that will be on our roster for the next few years in AT, Elgolf, Milos, and Prosser. I would be astonished if we didn't change our style of play to suit their games. It also looks like we will have small guards for a while. I wish they would grow 4 inches each and could all shoot like Jeremy Crouch but they are our guards and I will support them and cheer for them as most on this board will as well.
That doesn't mean I won't get frustrated when 7 foot tall players that are athletically gifted score 2 points in a huge game and when our guards don't shoot as well this year as they did last year and two years ago.