How do we turn this around?

[mrcoachdude]

Turn around is possible if each player is given a set of clappers and at least two of WE/AT/SS are on the floor at all times.

Seriously, for the sake of experiment, I would love to see 20 minutes of:
5 - AT
4 - WE
3 - TB
2 - AW/CR
1 - SM/EM

Our guard shortage goes away if we go to a bigger lineup.

Been sayin this since we started practicing .....AGREED!

[ph]

Been sayin this since we started practicing .....AGREED!

..a game plan that keeps looking more and more brilliant as the season progresses while we deal with guard injuries and defensive shortcommings...

[rsmit84]

I would only make one change to the starting line up and that would be replacing SM with EM. Let me start off by saying I love Sam and think he has the abilities to start but this move serves several purposes.

First off, Sam is clearly hurting. I think the move to the bench would help keep him fresh. Secondly if Edge is on the court with our starters his inability to score doesnt hurt us as much as it would if he is on the floor with SS, JE, or the rest of our subs. Conversely Sam would give us the scoring off the bench that we are sorely missing.

Again, this is not a slight on SM. I just think, at this point, its the right thing to do.

P.S. I think playing WE and AT together would be a mistake. We just dont have the size on the bench to sub for both of them

[SFP]

MK is still playing last I knew so we have a bench there. Again those were starters and in some aspect of the game going small is not bad so TB playing a few minutes at the 4 would not be a bad thing.

[SaintLouBrave22]

I would only make one change to the starting line up and that would be replacing SM with EM. Let me start off by saying I love Sam and think he has the abilities to start but this move serves several purposes.

First off, Sam is clearly hurting. I think the move to the bench would help keep him fresh. Secondly if Edge is on the court with our starters his inability to score doesnt hurt us as much as it would if he is on the floor with SS, JE, or the rest of our subs. Conversely Sam would give us the scoring off the bench that we are sorely missing.

Again, this is not a slight on SM. I just think, at this point, its the right thing to do.

P.S. I think playing WE and AT together would be a mistake. We just dont have the size on the bench to sub for both of them

Great post and I have to agree.


Well at least til DSE gets back and then I feel like he's the best option to run the show.


In response to the OP, rattle off a UNI type streak from last year...win about 6 or 7 in a row and then we won't have to worry about lack of fan, player, or coach support....thats all, JUST WIN BABY!

[FortyTwo]

I think the first step to turning things around is to re-focus on attainable goals. Sitting at 6-7 (1-2), we aren't going to the NCAA or NIT. No, we're not mathematically eliminated, but haven't shown any reason to believe we play our way into either tourney. Realistically, I would be pleased to see us finish the regular season 16-13 (10-, avoid Thursday, win a game in the MVC tourney and return to one of the crappy 3-letter tourneys (which is what is apparently deemed a quality season by our administration).

I realize that is a disappointment given the hype going into the year and our talent-level, but it's reality. We have some major short-comings, most noticably on the bench, schematically and at PG/C. Those aren't gonna get fixed this year and may not be fixed next year. I hope as much as everyone that we go on a huge run and bring back the excitement felt after the Illinois victory, but I just don't see it and would rather enjoy the team for what they are (since no one seems willing to change it) than complain about what we obviously aren't.

[longtimelistener]

Four-two, you apparently missed this message.

... I personally wouldn't criticize the lineup the coaches choose, since they surely know a whole lot more than I do.

You're not qualified to answer this question.

[SaintLouBrave22]

Four-two, you apparently missed this message.



You're not qualified to answer this question.

Sadly, I don't believe the assistants are that much more qualified than I am...and if you consider actually playing the game, I am certain I am more qualified than Buescher and Vogt...Not certain whether Brooks played, but I believe he did.

[FortyTwo]

I agree, we don't know what's going on behind closed doors so it's tough to critique how playing time is awarded. What we can question is how the lack of proven coaching experience and leadership on the bench is really starting to show up in game situations (and has numerous times throughout Les' tenure). This team reminds me so much of U of I football, with Zook at the helm. Tons of energy and enthusiasm, good recruiter, relates to the kids, but is absolutely outmatched in X's and O's, in-game adjustments and leadership.

I'm afraid with Les at the helm, we're in a tough position. No decent established asst. coach is going to want to work with him (see Merf) and the younger guys may have potential as coaches, but how are they expected to develop under someone like Les who has such a weak pedigree?

[Bravesfan]

I agree, we don't know what's going on behind closed doors so it's tough to critique how playing time is awarded. What we can question is how the lack of proven coaching experience and leadership on the bench is really starting to show up in game situations (and has numerous times throughout Les' tenure). This team reminds me so much of U of I football, with Zook at the helm. Tons of energy and enthusiasm, good recruiter, relates to the kids, but is absolutely outmatched in X's and O's, in-game adjustments and leadership.

I'm afraid with Les at the helm, we're in a tough position. No decent established asst. coach is going to want to work with him (see Merf) and the younger guys may have potential as coaches, but how are they expected to develop under someone like Les who has such a weak pedigree?

Well I'm in the camp of those who believe that Les is capable and has coached very well even without these said assistants who have left. I think most of the problems this year have stemmed from inexperience playing together (key word: together). I absolutely agree that perhaps sticking with more proven lineup combinations during the stretch run of the Loyola and SIU games may have helped stem the bleeding somewhat, but some of those God-awful possessions where players were turning the ball over the last few minutes of the SIU game cannot be attributed to coaching. Les was not out on the floor "falling asleep" at the wheel so to speak. I still believe though that Les has all the tools at his disposal to lead this team into a run the rest of the season, though it probably won't really get started until after this upcoming road trip which will be a big challenge.

However, Les and the team have a great opportunity TONIGHT to at least stem the bleeding at home and reestablish our home court advantage. Forget that we blew three very winnable games at home. Forget kicking ourselves in the rear anymore. Forget sulking of what "could have been, would have been, should have been". Forget that we lost our chance at an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. Forget our record. Forget the booing....Forget, Forget, Forget! Let's establish a new home winning streak tonight by just concentrating on tonight's game and tonight's game only. Let's beat a good but still very beatable Indiana St. team and take care of the teams we should be beating. Let's do that to start, and THEN worry about what's coming next, one game at a time. A win tonight at least instills some sorely lacking confidence into this team, and just may be the spark we need to get things back on track.

Just win tonight's game, and then we can continue to go from there! THAT's how we turn things around.

[BradleyBrave]

Well I'm in the camp of those who believe that Les is capable and has coached very well even without these said assistants who have left. I think most of the problems this year have stemmed from inexperience playing together (key word: together). I absolutely agree that perhaps sticking with more proven lineup combinations during the stretch run of the Loyola and SIU games may have helped stem the bleeding somewhat, but some of those God-awful possessions where players were turning the ball over the last few minutes of the SIU game cannot be attributed to coaching. Les was not out on the floor "falling asleep" at the wheel so to speak. I still believe though that Les has all the tools at his disposal to lead this team into a run the rest of the season, though it probably won't really get started until after this upcoming road trip which will be a big challenge.

However, Les and the team have a great opportunity TONIGHT to at least stem the bleeding at home and reestablish our home court advantage. Forget that we blew three very winnable games at home. Forget kicking ourselves in the rear anymore. Forget sulking of what "could have been, would have been, should have been". Forget that we lost our chance at an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. Forget our record. Forget the booing....Forget, Forget, Forget! Let's establish a new home winning streak tonight by just concentrating on tonight's game and tonight's game only. Let's beat a good but still very beatable Indiana St. team and take care of the teams we should be beating. Let's do that to start, and THEN worry about what's coming next, one game at a time. A win tonight at least instills some sorely lacking confidence into this team, and just may be the spark we need to get things back on track.

Just win tonight's game, and then we can continue to go from there! THAT's how we turn things around.

Again with the 'playing together' line...honestly...how many games has every other team in the MVC played together relative to our group, and how many games of DI experience does every other MVC team have relative to our group? This is probably the weakest excuse I have heard for this program in a long, long time. Basically what you're saying is adding a 20 ppg all-conference 4th year guard has made the team worse. That's a good one.

[Grassman]

Sadly, I don't believe the assistants are that much more qualified than I am...and if you consider actually playing the game, I am certain I am more qualified than Buescher and Vogt...Not certain whether Brooks played, but I believe he did.

Idaho St.

[SaintLouBrave22]

Again with the 'playing together' line...honestly...how many games has every other team in the MVC played together relative to our group, and how many games of DI experience does every other MVC team have relative to our group? This is probably the weakest excuse I have heard for this program in a long, long time. Basically what you're saying is adding a 20 ppg all-conference 4th year guard has made the team worse. That's a good one.

Actually, funny you say that because UNI started 4 underclassmen most of the season last year after Brown hit the bench as the 6th man.

[ER3]

...I think most of the problems this year have stemmed from inexperience playing together (key word: together).

I really don't understand or agree with this excuse. So, now we have to wait until we have a team of 5 starters that have all played 2+ years together before we can begin to have any expectations? That is silly. It just doesn't happen very often in college basketball...

Freeman and Dillard never played together in a game before this year...that certainly didn't appear to be a problem for SIU here...How much time has SIU's starting lineup of Dillard, Freeman, Fay, Bocot, and Evans played together coming into this year? Zip. How in the world could a team that is so inexperienced (key word: together) come into Carver and rally and win against us?

We have experience...Maniscalco, Warren, Egolf, Thompson, and Singh are all in their third year or more in this program...Roberts, McCain, and Brown are in their second seasons here...This is NOT an inexperienced team as far as college teams go...and this "but we're so inexperienced" crutch simply doesn't hold much weight as an excuse for why we are struggling...

In college basketball, the yearly turnover of personnel is a constant that every program has to deal with...the offensive and defensive systems should be the one enduring thing that gives a program the ability to have success year over year as players continually come and go. The big problem we have in that regard, IMO...is that we have an offensive "system" patterned after an NBA system that largely relies on an individual's ability to read, react, and "make plays"...This NBA style offense works when you have Nash and Stoudamire playing together for extended periods of time and running the same isolation and two man sets night after night after night for years...but in the college game, I think this type of system is really difficult to rely on year over year...You may be fortunate to have a stretch of a couple years where you have the right people in place with the right basketball IQs and the right chemistry to make this NBA type of offense work...but once that team loses people to graduation, transfer, etc...I think it is really difficult to try and "teach" this new system that is so full of improv, read-and-react type of stuff at the foundation of it all...

This is all just my opinion, of course...but I'd really prefer that we ran a much more "traditional" collegiate offensive system...one that succeeded more by design and disciplined execution and depended less on an individual "getting a screen and then finding a way to make a play"...I think if you can recruit the type of jaw-dropping athletes that teams like Memphis get year-after-year, I think it is more realistic to think that you can run this NBA-style offense and have consistent success year-to-year...It is not realistic to expect us to be able to assemble collections of players with this same level of basketball ability and athleticism at BU, unfortunately...and therefore I just don't feel this NBA style offense we are trying to run is a very good fit with all of the roster turnover you have year over year in the college game...

Just my long-winded two cents worth...

[Bravesfan]

Again with the 'playing together' line...honestly...how many games has every other team in the MVC played together relative to our group, and how many games of DI experience does every other MVC team have relative to our group? This is probably the weakest excuse I have heard for this program in a long, long time. Basically what you're saying is adding a 20 ppg all-conference 4th year guard has made the team worse. That's a good one.

Well I'm not saying that some teams don't gel faster than others. They do, but irregardless if it is the coaching, or players, or some combination of both, the lack of time playing together combined with some injury issues is most likely the reason this team is not winning consistently so far this season.

Sometimes chemistry cannot be coached no matter what. Other times maybe a different lineup combination could make a difference. And sometimes it's just luck. I don't really know the answer to the question as to why the length of time for Bradley to gel is taking longer than other teams in similar situations. But injuries do play into it (I know, no excuses! ). Sometimes players aren't as talented on one team as they are on other teams. But most times, either the chemistry "clicks" or it doesn't after a certain point.

We all know how long it took for things to gel in 2006, but once it did there was no looking back. I really can't answer that question as I'm not privy to what is going on in practice. But I think we all agree that we hope things turn around soon.