Merfield leaves basketball program

[MacabreMob]

Best wishes to you Merf and your family.

[Braveman]

i don't think anyone is jumping to conclusions...just offering opinions. If we don't want that bradleyfans should have never been started.

post of the year!

[tornado]

...There may be absolutely nothing negative to read into this. ..

but that sure doesn't stop people from speculating and throwing negative stuff anyway...
Lots of opinions, few facts........but in the midst of all the panic and hysteria about how this destroys a program...

Let's rank the ten MVC teams in order of coaching stability and turnover these past couple of years...

From MOST turnover to LEAST..
1. Drake - three head coaches in three years - and a completely new system now

2. (4-way tie) Missouri State -

2. Evansville -

2. Wichita -

2. Indiana State - all had massive changes and completely new staffs

6. UNI - at least the new guy was an assistant there before

7. SIU head coach constantly rumored to be leaving and lots of assistant turnover

8. ISU pretty stable now but massive changes just a couple years ago - had to hire a kid's HS coach just to keep him

9. Creighton - these guys are close but their head coach did make two career changes within a 3 day span and they've lost assistants, too.

10. Bradley - the top 3 guys in the system have been there and been stable for the past couple seasons,
and the top two guys have been there since 2002.
So in the wake of yet another "the sky is falling" panic, maybe just look at who is running the program and
the stability we have and you'd see we have more recent stability than all the other schools in the Valley!!

[LG281]

OK... Maybe I'm missing something... But where does it say that you have to be a great player in order to be a great coach?

You don't...it sounded to me like some wanted to just give him the assistant position because he was a "star" at Bradley. All I'm saying is that he wasn't THAT good.

Again, I'd like to see a coach come in that has experience with the bigs to help them develop even further. Not yet another coach who has "guard" on the brain...no offense to Jim, ofcourse.

Everyone talks about Big Bish...but we lost Lennox Forester from the Sweet 16 year as well. I have to believe that he was pretty instrumental in getting Patrick to where he was.

Lets get someone that can help out down low.

[thefish7]

File this in the imaginitive rampant fan speculatiion category. We have a current player and a current commitment with fathers who were NBA post players. I wonder if either is interested in a job and can coach?

[Out of Balance]

Agreed! 20 win seasons, post-season tourneys, major player signings, continued academic excellence, no felonies, great excitement and attendance.........

Come on OoB. Find the positive here, friend

I agree there is a lot of positives but on the other side there are (as I mentioned) things that are disappointing and should not be happening! A good AD being fired (run off), player arrested for fighting, suspended for two games (one that we may of won had he played) and now a coach exiting after 6 games. Never been one to turn my head on the facts and paint a all Rossie picture when there is some crap mixed in. Was not trying to be a negative Nellie, friend. Hopefully there is a good reason for Steve's departure at this time and it will have no negative effect on the team

[LG281]

File this in the imaginitive rampant fan speculatiion category. We have a current player and a current commitment with fathers who were NBA post players. I wonder if either is interested in a job and can coach?

Hadn't even thought of that...if we could get either of those two to coach at BU then their sons could attend Bradley free of charge - opening up another scholarship.

Interesting...and I like it.

[bu fan 9]

We need to find a good recruiter.

[Majik45]

Thought I'd weigh in on this. Don't know how much or how little Merf was doing, but having a former head coach with lots of experience on the staff should have been a good thing. Hope things work out well for him.

The thing that really concerns me about Merf leaving is the timing. How does this happen during the season? Now we are a man down which can really hurt considering all the film work, game planning, and especially recruiting that is going on right now. We now have one less staff person to either get out on the road and recruit, or run things back home while others are out recruiting. Just terrible timing for something like this to happen, especially when we're winning. It's just another distraction the players don't need.

[Grassman]

I am not saying he couldn't end up at Florida Gulf Coast some day, but don't expect that to happen this season. They already have a coach and I don't see KK firing anyone this early in the season. So even if this does seem like a possible future scenario, it could have happened with Merf employed here, and doesn't explain Merf leaving now.

I am also not aware of any openings at jucos, and I am sure he would not be leaving Bradley for a juco position.

And I am certain this doesn't have anything to do with anyone higher up than the head coach. It's reported as a resignation, but again, who resigns at this point of the season with no other job to go to?

NOBODY resigns during the early season unless health, extremely disgruntled (friction), or is asked to.
KK would not let his coach go now, but the way they are playing, their coach better be looking over his shoulder for a MERF sighting!

[bu fan 9]

No way KK would hire Merfeld unless he liked what he saw at Evansville.

[Grassman]

No way KK would hire Merfeld unless he liked what he saw at Evansville.

WAY! He recommended him to Les, for Bradley asst. why not FGC?
These ties go all the way back to Bowling Green.
Evansville does not have much to sell a recruit. Crews is the only one who modestly succeeded there, due to his strong Indiana ties.
Anything that happened at Evansville, should stay at Evansville.

[That Guy]

but that sure doesn't stop people from speculating and throwing negative stuff anyway...
Lots of opinions, few facts........but in the midst of all the panic and hysteria about how this destroys a program...


10. Bradley - the top 3 guys in the system have been there and been stable for the past couple seasons,
and the top two guys have been there since 2002.
So in the wake of yet another "the sky is falling" panic, maybe just look at who is running the program and
the stability we have and you'd see we have more recent stability than all the other schools in the Valley!!

Wouldn't say this means the sky is falling. Still don't think it's good for the program for your most qualified assistant coach to leave mid-season, leaving the team with no one to work with the big men and possibly jeopardize the chemistry of a team that looks like it's beginning to come together nicely, do you?

Also, what does the instability of all the staffs in the Valley have anything to do with anything? This is about our team, I could care less how this ties into the history of the rest of the coaching staffs in the Valley.

[Beninator]

Best wishes to Merf and his family...

[The BabyMaker]

I'm sure Merf is heading someplace for his benefit but lets all start the Crouch chant. Would be pretty sweet to have 2 former star BU players as coaches.

Jason

I have heard talk of the possibility of another Pekin native returning to assist with the program. He played in his college days at Northern Illinois before finishing his graduate studies at Bradley...