Jim Les radio show

[SFP]

BB what are you doing reading my mind!

Come on guys, you are all a lot sharper then this non-withstanding your emotions that is. Let's wait until Friday to start really digging into this team. BYU will be one helluva test for our team and we'll be able to see where this team needs to improve to be a true contender in the Valley win or lose.

[BradleyBrave]

BB what are you doing reading my mind!

Come on guys, you are all a lot sharper then this non-withstanding your emotions that is. Let's wait until Friday to start really digging into this team. BYU will be one helluva test for our team and we'll be able to see where this team needs to improve to be a true contender in the Valley win or lose.

Agreed. How about let's wait until the non-con is over? I don't recall this team finding an identity until conference season last year, and while I suspect it will happen sooner than that this year, I don't think we'll see the finished product for a while.

[ph]

I think we're making too much out of this. Heck, it took half a season before we realized that POB was what he was...there was talk of possibly redshirting the kid the summer before his freshman year. Let's all just simmer down and let this thing take shape. No team is a finished product in the 2nd week of November.

I've been thinking about this defense, not offense quote. Actually, JL has consistantly said all of his players should work hard on defense, then good things happen on O.

When POB was a frosh, he had a real, real, real strong first 5 games (He was top 10 nationally in blocked shots/game, shooting % and top 10 FT% for centers) JL then started saying, "We need to get POB more touches", "We need to get Cellus and POB more touches" "They need to touch the ball more", and that big man, offensively minded approach got us about a year and a half of nothing. POB's production dropped the more we tried to get him "touches" and Cellus started to get a reputation of a selfish player, to his team's detriment. POB's probably been battling against that "O only" mindset in the NBA, and JL does no want to repeat that mistake. Once guys like JJ started to give up defining themselves by offense, the team started playing really, really well and we got our S16 run.

Really, if our centers "only" play strong D and rebound well, they will get more than enough "garbage" (Other than AW, our guards are too good at creating garbage) to cleanup on O. More O then they would otherwise get as a focal point and we will be a better team...

[AZ BU Fan]

JL also mentioned that our centers WE, SS and AT are there for defense, rebounding and being a strong inside presence, but not offense..

As I suspected......"the MVC is a guards league".

Interestingly enough, UNI Eglseder goes for 15 on 7-8 shooting in their exhibition win...It can be done if the offense is set up to run through the post.

It is either coaching philosophy, or, the inability for BU to recruit inside players who can perform at this level.

[amckillip]

As I suspected......"the MVC is a guards league".

Interestingly enough, UNI Eglseder goes for 15 on 7-8 shooting in their exhibition win...It can be done if the offense is set up to run through the post.

It is either coaching philosophy, or, the inability for BU to recruit inside players who can perform at this level.

OR that there is a lack big men who want to play in the tightly called MVC. The 'good' big men over the years have been FAR outnumbered by good guards. Yes, there are a rare few good big men, but those are exceptions, not the rule. While it is possible to get good big men to play in the MVC, it is very difficult, and many are unknowns who coaches take large risks on. BU has actually had it's share in JL's tenure, POB & Cellus, even ZA. JL also has those big men you take risks on in MK, TB, WE, & AT. JP is a little be higher prospect, but big men take a while to develop. TB is the perfect example of the fact that JL has both the ability to recruit and coach big men, TB was INCREDIBLY raw last year, and was really a steal on the recruiting scene - simply put, TB was an also-ran.

The issue of not being able to recruit big men is not systemic to BU, rather endemic to the MVC.

[real fan]

Bu has players that are capable of scoring inside , for whatever reason we simply don"t run a true post offense, too bad because this year we could run more high low with egolf and Brown . I will say it is too early to tell what changes are in store for us but I certainly hope we are better organized then we were sunday against lewis.

[Chico]

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

This is disheartening. We need to have scoring threats outside and in.

Have you ever seen AT and SS as scoring threats? WE is unproven as a scoring threat.

[MacabreMob]

I've been thinking about this defense, not offense quote. Actually, JL has consistantly said all of his players should work hard on defense, then good things happen on O.

When POB was a frosh, he had a real, real, real strong first 5 games (He was top 10 nationally in blocked shots/game, shooting % and top 10 FT% for centers) JL then started saying, "We need to get POB more touches", "We need to get Cellus and POB more touches" "They need to touch the ball more", and that big man, offensively minded approach got us about a year and a half of nothing. POB's production dropped the more we tried to get him "touches" and Cellus started to get a reputation of a selfish player, to his team's detriment. POB's probably been battling against that "O only" mindset in the NBA, and JL does no want to repeat that mistake. Once guys like JJ started to give up defining themselves by offense, the team started playing really, really well and we got our S16 run.

Really, if our centers "only" play strong D and rebound well, they will get more than enough "garbage" (Other than AW, our guards are too good at creating garbage) to cleanup on O. More O then they would otherwise get as a focal point and we will be a better team...

I just wanted to say I think you made a great post here Ph.

[MacabreMob]

...maybe that should be our first regular season pick-em T....first dunk of the year and tie breaker at time of the game it happens?


That would make for a difficult one

Back door ally-oop to Taylor Brown in 1st possession of the game vs BYU... guessing if we get the tip, then at 19:48 left in the 1st half (or if we don't get the tip, I'd say 19:36 left in the 1st half).

[LG281]

Well Chico...if they never get the ball fed to them when they're down low then they can never develop into scoring threats.

If we want to win games we need options. This is like playing basketball and only dribbling with your right hand. Our opponents will eventually (sooner, rather than later) figure it out and adjust accordingly.

Admittedly, I just read what was posted here by PH...hope I'm just misinterpreting what the coach said.

Another thought...why am I up now? Good night.

[Chico]

Well Chico...if they never get the ball fed to them when they're down low then they can never develop into scoring threats.

If we want to win games we need options. This is like playing basketball and only dribbling with your right hand. Our opponents will eventually (sooner, rather than later) figure it out and adjust accordingly.

Admittedly, I just read what was posted here by PH...hope I'm just misinterpreting what the coach said.

Another thought...why am I up now? Good night.

Some players you could feed down low for 40 minutes and they wouldn't be scoring threats. IMO the Braves and most Valley teams have to be outside oriented because most quality big guys go to the higher rated conferences. Here's hoping WE and JP can develop into scorers.

[AZ BU Fan]

Guess BU could start by recruiting the Lewis center who scortched BU for 15 rebounds! Or possibly the Wisconsin Platteville center who scortched BU for 20 points last year...Or Oakland Michigan's center who took it to BU for 20 points last year. Or Old Dominion's two forwards who hit BU for 31 points and 21 rebounds last year, or Ohio's two forwards who put up 31 points and 23 rebounds vs BU a couple years ago, or Tulsa's center who got BU for 35 rebounds and 40 points in the the CBI series.