Question for the Great Basketball MInds Here

[Braveman]

Since everyone seems ready to storm the castle and run the coach out and give up on the program- I would ask how do you propose that you would fix this team and program?

And try to be realistic..

Last night was a bit embarassing- but that team was 7-1 and had an RPI of 43. Lesser conference yes- but they out hustled us time and time again.

And by the way, last time I checked, the coach doesn't shoot Free throws for the team...

So weigh in-

[BradleyBrave]

Since everyone seems ready to storm the castle and run the coach out and give up on the program- I would ask how do you propose that you would fix this team and program?

And try to be realistic..

Last night was a bit embarassing- but that team was 7-1 and had an RPI of 43. Lesser conference yes- but they out hustled us time and time again.

And by the way, last time I checked, the coach doesn't shoot Free throws for the team...

So weigh in-

I'm not ready to run anyone out. But I ask these two things - Learn how to call timeouts, and learn how to teach defense and rebounding. These are areas we've been getting beaten in for the better part of 8 seasons. If we do both of those last night, we aren't having this talk today. Seems like these kinds of posts happen year after year...

I will close with this - What do we do well?

[thefish7]

The other coachable thing I'd like to see improve is our ten-second play. It drives me nuts particularly because I'd say that in general our set plays on inbounds for example are pretty strong. Our closeout play seems to consist of running clock to ten seconds then the point guard dribbles around before eventually hoisting up a shot. I used to call it the ruffin play and druff was able to occasionally make something out of it. I recall people criticizing ruffin for not being a team player in those situations and I tended to agree.

Now I kinda have to think it's coached because nothing has changed except maniscalco runs it now and is less effective than ruffin was. I think this "play" is one reason we suck when we go into clock burning mode. SM dribbles until 10 are left on shot clock then dribbles around for a while before a crazy shot or a turnover.

[lefty]

The other coachable thing I'd like to see improve is our ten-second play. It drives me nuts particularly because I'd say that in general our set plays on inbounds for example are pretty strong. Our closeout play seems to consist of running clock to ten seconds then the point guard dribbles around before eventually hoisting up a shot. I used to call it the ruffin play and druff was able to occasionally make something out of it. I recall people criticizing ruffin for not being a team player in those situations and I tended to agree.

Now I kinda have to think it's coached because nothing has changed except maniscalco runs it now and is less effective than ruffin was. I think this "play" is one reason we suck when we go into clock burning mode. SM dribbles until 10 are left on shot clock then dribbles around for a while before a crazy shot or a turnover.

I would rather see us get an isolation set up for TB in the last 10 secs. r when we need the big bucket....TB is very hard for teams tomatch up against

[Disturbed]

Since everyone seems ready to storm the castle and run the coach out and give up on the program- I would ask how do you propose that you would fix this team and program?

And try to be realistic..

Last night was a bit embarassing- but that team was 7-1 and had an RPI of 43. Lesser conference yes- but they out hustled us time and time again.

And by the way, last time I checked, the coach doesn't shoot Free throws for the team...

So weigh in-

I'm not being flip here, but truthfully, in college basketball, the only way you can change your program is to change coaches. You can build new facilities, which is happening to some degree at BU. But ultimately, to truly change the status quo, coaching change is required. And for the record, I'm not advocating either keeping or getting rid of JL at this point. Also, I don't think that those here who are unhappy with JL are "giving up on the program." In fact I would say it's just the opposite. We all want to see BU play well and win some conference titles or conference tourneys and go to the big tournament.

[BU_EMT128]

Learn how to call timeouts...

This, in itself, is my single, number one problem with JL as a coach.

[ER3]

Agree with a lot that has been said by others in this post.

- Our stock isolation play for Maniscalco at the end of the shot clock is terrible. It is unimaginative and simply doesn't give our team a very good chance of being successful in those spots. To simply put the ball in Maniscalco's hands at the end of every shot clock and leave him to 'beat his man or bust' is poor, lazy offensive design, IMO. We have guys like Roberts, Simms-Edwards, and Brown...each of which is far more capable of exploiting their matchup...so why are we continually giving the ball to the least athletic guy on the floor who is nursing a bad ankle and simply hoping that he can find a way to win his matchup against a more athletic defender? Let Roberts or Simms-Edwards operate in an isolation set there...run a set that allows one of them to penetrate and kick to Brown or Warren...
We too often end up with terrible, low-percentage shots...or no shot at all...at the end of shot clocks or halves. The coaching staff needs to be more creative and dynamic in those spots...ditch the Maniscalco isolation play...This same-old-same-old play works if this is the NBA and you have LeBron or Kobe...but this isn't...and we don't...

[AZ BU Fan]

I would ask how do you propose that you would fix this team and program?

And try to be realistic..

And by the way, last time I checked, the coach doesn't shoot Free throws for the team... -

I am not a GBM...I look at the teams who have beaten BU...better post players, better shooting guards, better FT shooting, no total reliance on shooting 3's, better defense, more discipline..

After 7 years, JL is 'who we think he is'. I don't see anything changing from JL as a coach. No major changes this season, it is too late to do this, and, there aren't any other assistant coaches who could be let go.

What we should expect is better execution and performance of JL's plans if JL' players have the capability to improve over the season with more experience and coaching. No major changes. Hopefully this will be enough for BU to beat teams it should beat, partcularly at home.

Next year there will be RS players and more experienced DSE, WE, and AT and DD back. May or may not get other impact recruit(s). I still have hope this will be enough for BU to be able to just win next year!

If JL is still saying next year after too many games "this can't happen", or "that can't occur", I suggest BU find someone to try and "make it happen" with the program. No knock on JL, and respect for what he has done, but he would have taken the Braves as far as he could take them. It would be an insult to intelligence to suggest there isn't another person in the US who couldn't possibly help move the Braves up from there.

[bigdaddystuck]

Not at all happy with the outcome or execution of gameplan in the game last night. But, we didn't lose to some horrible team. They were/are a pretty good team, with a decent RPI. The 3 losses this year are to BYU, OKst, and Western Carolina....all good teams with decent records and ratings. The only reason that last nights loss hurts more than the other 2, is that it came at home.
We didn't finish the game when we had a 10 point lead. You know a good team is going to make that final push at you, they did and the team did not respond. I highly doubt that JL is happy with the situation or is going to let it go. The team will recover from this let down or they will not, but it won't be because JL does not address it.
To me the conference season is the meat of the schedule. I want to finish top 3, first would be the best, IMO this loss can help us improve.
IMO that is what needs fixing, the team needs to close out games at home and finish high in conference.

[Garland 22]

If I were the new AD here is what I would do. Not saying this is what should be done, just saying if you want to change I think this would be the way to go.

1. Fire the entire staff.

2. Do an exhaustive search with the help of Commisioner Elgin to find a young, bright, assistant from a successful program who has a history of recruiting the major markets within a 3 hour drive of Peoria (St.Louis, Chicago, and Indianapolis). This coach should have spent considerable time as an assistant 6-10 years. Help the young coach pick an assistant with Valley experience, either an old guy who has had some success in the league or a former player in the league who is looking for a coaching position.

3. Get marketing efforts created in the recruiting radius mentioned above. Should be someone from Bradley present at every major basketball event from St. Louis to Chicago to Indianapolis.

4. Establish a system and recruit to that system. Don't go after a kid who is talented, but may not fit the system you run. Recruit the guys you want. If a 1 star kid plays the type of game you want - get him.

5. Stop recruiting kids from Alaska, Las Vegas, Louisiana, Texas, California. Those kids are just looking for scholarships. Get some kids who know about Bradley before they arrive at Bradley. There are plenty of good kids (1 start or 0 star) within a three hour radius that Les doesn't even recruit that end up at SIU or MSU or UNI and they kills us.

[amckillip]

5. Stop recruiting kids from Alaska, Las Vegas, Louisiana, Texas, California. Those kids are just looking for scholarships. Get some kids who know about Bradley before they arrive at Bradley. There are plenty of good kids (1 start or 0 star) within a three hour radius that Les doesn't even recruit that end up at SIU or MSU or UNI and they kills us.

If everything else in this post weren't absolutely ludicrous, this is hilarious. I know I want my coach looking in only 2-3 states, where there is tons of competition, and ignoring the fact that talent exists elsewhere. You have watched Hoosiers, Coach Carter, about 100 times too many, at least try Glory Road...

[BUFAN]

I'm gonna say the same thing I have been saying all along. Recruit players who can play defence, rebound and make a jump shot. It turns out TB can make a jump shot but he did not have that skill when JL recruited him. I hope I'm not oversimplifying but just stating facts.

[BUBraves2006]

3. Get marketing efforts created in the recruiting radius mentioned above. Should be someone from Bradley present at every major basketball event from St. Louis to Chicago to Indianapolis.

This can and should be done today, regardless of who the staff is. I know most of you don't care because you don't have to deal with it, but it is maddening how if you listen to the radio up here in Chicago you never hear anything about Bradley. For pity sake, on ESPN radio they say the upcoming "local" games for the night and SIU is always mentioned but the BU-NIU game wasn't even noted (at least during the updates I heard) ... and that had TWO in-state schools.

I know that I'm one of the few really, really into Bradley fans under 30 who don't live in central Illinois anymore. And as into the program as I am now, I knew absolutely nothing about Bradley until the end of high school. The profile needs to be increased - play up the 20-win thing, or postseason tourney appearances....whatever you need to do to get Bradley on more people's radar. We can make Bradley a destination school for not only players coming to the program but young people who like going to basketball games. Why not offer a Bradley fan bus FROM Chicago/STL/etc. so that people can have an easy way to attend games, not just from Peoria?

Just some ideas ... I know this is a bit of a tangent.

[BradleyBrave]

I'm gonna say the same thing I have been saying all along. Recruit players who can play defence, rebound and make a jump shot. It turns out TB can make a jump shot but he did not have that skill when JL recruited him. I hope I'm not oversimplifying but just stating facts.

Anyone can learn how to play defense. It's just whether or not they are taught how to, and required to by the person that controls playing time.

[tornado]

Garland-- you just described exactly what happened at Binghamton over the past few years...
they brought in all new people with desires to be really good in short order...
They even made it to the postseason right away...their fans were really happened.......
only problem, that the need to win and win fast superceded the desire to get character kids, and now their entire program has imploded...

http://rushthecourt.net/2009/09/25/binghamton-basketball-program-imploding/

oh -and it happened at Indiana, too...rememeber the guy named Kelvin Sampson???