If Les is less, then who is more?

[Garland 22]

I don't care that any of these coaches are in their second year. Let's see where they will be in their third or fourth year. If they retrograde or stay stagnant, no one will care how "great" they did in their second year.

I seem to remember that Evansville's Marty Simmons had a decent second year last year.

I know it's not entirely his fault, but ask him how he feels this year!

You are proving my point - I don't think any of those coaches beside Marshall are doing well. The point is in their second year they are mediocre - just like us!!

[braveatheart]

I agree SFP. I think the main thing that is needed is a good core of Assistants under JL. By saying this, I am not bashing our current assistants in any way. IMHO, we need to step up and hire 2 additional assistants and increase our pay scale to attract very qualified people.

Right Ben. JL needs some top notch assistants. I think a lot of our problem is JL didn't come up through the coaching ranks and in my opinion is not the best game manager or the best game strategy guy. He needs top notch assistants to help him with these areas. Experience matters.

I think a big reason sucessful programs are sucessful is that the coach hires great assistants. These great assistants come from contacts made over many years in the business and having a great network. JL doesn't have that network to draw from as he was in a different business.

I think CB and SM really helped JL in the past and their experience is missed. DV mentioned on a broadcast this year that he already has a job lined up for next year. Could it be on the Bradley bench? We could only be so lucky.

Don't read me wrong. I am a JL supporter. I talked about where JL is lacking so we need to balance that out with talking about where he excells. He is a very good recruiter and a great face for our program. I don't know the numbers but I am sure the guy brings a lot of money to BU. He is also loyal. He isn't going anywhere and that is worht a lot. He graduates kids and that means a lot.

I don't think any one is going to argue with what I just said. However some will point out that the results in wins and losses are not satisfactory. I agree but think the future looks bright. Let me cite some reason for my optimism.

Player Experience
This year our players have 12 years combined experience at BU. That doesn't count DD and only counts SS as 3 years. Next year we will have 18 years experience at BU if everybody returns. Pomeroy ranks experience a little differently and has our experience this year at #202 of 347. You have to guess a little at what our numbers will be next year but they should go up to maybe about #77 of 347. Go out a year after that and we return 19 years experience plus maybe three more if we add three players for next year and they don't redshirt. We will be moving a lot higher in the food chain. Northern Iowa starts three seniors this year. Didn't we have 5 or 6 seniors on the sweet 16 team? Experience matters.

Quality Players
Look at who is coming back next year. With WE,SM,TB,AW we will be returning something like 3 of the top 10 returning scorers in the conference, and two of the top 10 rebounders. The other statistical catagories show more of the same. That doesn't even count DD.

Also keep in mind JL is building a solid base. He is going away from the quick fix of juco players and getting guys who will be here a while . We also redshirted a guy this year. That is a sign of strength and a willingness to build for the future.


Lets fast forward a little and say JL gets a great assistant (like DV) and JW comes to BU next year and we get a couple of other real nice freshman recruites who will be around a while. And, now we will have first class facilities. If this all happens BU could go on a roll for years to come.

The losses suck. I agree. Let's be realistic though, BU is not going to eat the rest of JL's contract. JL is building for the future. The man is a winner and we are lucky to have him. Lets just get him a great assistant or two.

[SFP]

One thing I said early on this year is that this team may be lacking a Matt Salley like player who was willing to get a little dirty out there on the court. It would be nice to see that happen night in and night out. I've said this also quite a bit, play hard and with heart and I'm a fan. This team needs a bit of an attitude adjustment I'm guessing and either one of the young guys will step up or perhaps JL recruits a junk yard dog guy who can take any prima dona out to the woodshed. No matter how you slice it, talent and all, this team is under performing and there is no room for one bit of attitude or not making the necessary adjustments in the off season from the coaching staff to players. BU basketball is about playing a proud hard working brand that the community can support. We also believe W-Ls come from how much the team puts into it and will never except mediocre underperformed play. With all this said I believe JL can make it happen. It will take a huge effort and perhaps readjusting the staff and chemistry on the team but doable. The guys on the floor need to start showing who are the ones that want become forever mentioned in BU lore.

[AZ BU Fan]

Don't know what is happening out of sight of the public, but, based on public information, doesn't seem to be a vocal, respected, leader of this team this year. Was it DD before he got hurt? Should it be SM, or AW?

[SFP]

Don't know what is happening out of sight of the public, but, based on public information, doesn't seem to be a vocal, respected, leader of this team this year. Was it DD before he got hurt? Should it be SM, or AW?

SM may not be that vocal leader but he does show heart when he plays, AW has never been a vocal guy and that will not change. DD is a great team guy that seems to be very upbeat but not the, I'm taking you to town type of guy. I'd have to believe that DSE has that in him and will be a force before he leaves. JL also needs to start recruiting ball players that have that drive. Our team has a bunch of very likable guys but sometimes JL should try to recruit a guy like himself as a player. JL was one arogant player that teams and opposing fans hated. We loved him because he would do what it took for his teams to win. He also played a ton of minutes a game, dove after the ball on the floor and would get in anyones face. HH was not that type of player, he was very quiet but when JL left we had Anthony Manuel who took that role.

[Braves4Life]

JL also needs to start recruiting ball players .

That's part of our problem, IMO. Les consistently recruits "athletes", not players. When you have a group of great athletes with limited skill sets and understanding of the fundamentals of basketball and TEAMWORK you get a bunch of individuals that often times lose to lesser teams. UNI has very few "athletes" that can hang with our guys, WSU guys, or CU guys yet they understand the game of basketball and the necessity of fundamentals and teamwork. That is why TEAMS like UNI win consistently and other more athletic teams have "flair" on a game by game basis but lack consistency.

[electricmayhem]

That's part of our problem, IMO. Les consistently recruits "athletes", not players. When you have a group of great athletes with limited skill sets and understanding of the fundamentals of basketball and TEAMWORK you get a bunch of individuals that often times lose to lesser teams. UNI has very few "athletes" that can hang with our guys, WSU guys, or CU guys yet they understand the game of basketball and the necessity of fundamentals and teamwork. That is why TEAMS like UNI win consistently and other more athletic teams have "flair" on a game by game basis but lack consistency.

I don't completely agree with this. I wouldn't say that SM is a superior athlete, and he has been our best player of late. AW is more a baller than an athlete, same with TB.

I can see your point with guys like WE, EM and especially CR, but I think our new crop of kids will be good athletes AND players. Again, I'm not sure MK, JP or JE are dripping with athleticism. The jury is still out.

[BradleyBrave]

Right Ben. JL needs some top notch assistants. I think a lot of our problem is JL didn't come up through the coaching ranks and in my opinion is not the best game manager or the best game strategy guy. He needs top notch assistants to help him with these areas. Experience matters.

I think a big reason sucessful programs are sucessful is that the coach hires great assistants. These great assistants come from contacts made over many years in the business and having a great network. JL doesn't have that network to draw from as he was in a different business.

I think CB and SM really helped JL in the past and their experience is missed. DV mentioned on a broadcast this year that he already has a job lined up for next year. Could it be on the Bradley bench? We could only be so lucky.

Don't read me wrong. I am a JL supporter. I talked about where JL is lacking so we need to balance that out with talking about where he excells. He is a very good recruiter and a great face for our program. I don't know the numbers but I am sure the guy brings a lot of money to BU. He is also loyal. He isn't going anywhere and that is worht a lot. He graduates kids and that means a lot.

I don't think any one is going to argue with what I just said. However some will point out that the results in wins and losses are not satisfactory. I agree but think the future looks bright. Let me cite some reason for my optimism.

Player Experience
This year our players have 12 years combined experience at BU. That doesn't count DD and only counts SS as 3 years. Next year we will have 18 years experience at BU if everybody returns. Pomeroy ranks experience a little differently and has our experience this year at #202 of 347. You have to guess a little at what our numbers will be next year but they should go up to maybe about #77 of 347. Go out a year after that and we return 19 years experience plus maybe three more if we add three players for next year and they don't redshirt. We will be moving a lot higher in the food chain. Northern Iowa starts three seniors this year. Didn't we have 5 or 6 seniors on the sweet 16 team? Experience matters.

Quality Players
Look at who is coming back next year. With WE,SM,TB,AW we will be returning something like 3 of the top 10 returning scorers in the conference, and two of the top 10 rebounders. The other statistical catagories show more of the same. That doesn't even count DD.

Also keep in mind JL is building a solid base. He is going away from the quick fix of juco players and getting guys who will be here a while . We also redshirted a guy this year. That is a sign of strength and a willingness to build for the future.


Lets fast forward a little and say JL gets a great assistant (like DV) and JW comes to BU next year and we get a couple of other real nice freshman recruites who will be around a while. And, now we will have first class facilities. If this all happens BU could go on a roll for years to come.

The losses suck. I agree. Let's be realistic though, BU is not going to eat the rest of JL's contract. JL is building for the future. The man is a winner and we are lucky to have him. Lets just get him a great assistant or two.

Ok mods...I wrote a very lengthy response to Braveatheart's long post last night, that took me almost an hour to write. Why the h-ll is has it been removed?

[Da Coach]

Sorry, but we seem to get blamed for a lot that we don't do.
I went to bed early last night, and can't find any evidence that anything was deleted. Are you sure it wasn't in a different thread?

[BradleyBrave]

Sorry, but we seem to get blamed for a lot that we don't do.
I went to bed early last night, and can't find any evidence that anything was deleted. Are you sure it wasn't in a different thread?

Not blaming (I appreciate all that's done here, see my haiku ), just asking. I agreed with a lot, but not all, of what Braveatheart said in his lengthy post, and responded to it. I was surprised to see it wasn't there anymore. Oh well.

[Braves4Life]

I don't completely agree with this. I wouldn't say that SM is a superior athlete, and he has been our best player of late. AW is more a baller than an athlete, same with TB.

I can see your point with guys like WE, EM and especially CR, but I think our new crop of kids will be good athletes AND players. Again, I'm not sure MK, JP or JE are dripping with athleticism. The jury is still out.

SM and AW are the exceptions. I think TB is more an athlete than a baller. Did he even start on his high school team?

Last year's recruiting class was the first, I think, where Les recruited basketball players instead of athletes. I think this will pay dividends for Les down the road....... if he gets the chance. Too little too late?

[BradleyBrave]

SM and AW are the exceptions. I think TB is more an athlete than a baller. Did he even start on his high school team?

Last year's recruiting class was the first, I think, where Les recruited basketball players instead of athletes. I think this will pay dividends for Les down the road....... if he gets the chance. Too little too late?

Not sure I agree. Marcellus Sommerville was a 'basketball player'. The class of Dan Ruffin, Jeremy Crouch, Tony Bennett, Patrick O'Bryant, and Lawrence Wright had more 'basketball players' than 'athletes'. Will Franklin was a 'basketball player' the following year. WE was touted as a very skilled big man who was originally slated to play on the perimeter because of his shooting abilities. SM is a basketball player. TB is. AW is. Looks like the majority of guys have been 'basketball players', with guys like LW, ZA, and CR mixed in.

[Beninator]

SM and AW are the exceptions. I think TB is more an athlete than a baller. Did he even start on his high school team?

Last year's recruiting class was the first, I think, where Les recruited basketball players instead of athletes. I think this will pay dividends for Les down the road....... if he gets the chance. Too little too late?

Not sure I agree. Marcellus Sommerville was a 'basketball player'. The class of Dan Ruffin, Jeremy Crouch, Tony Bennett, Patrick O'Bryant, and Lawrence Wright had more 'basketball players' than 'athletes'. Will Franklin was a 'basketball player' the following year. WE was touted as a very skilled big man who was originally slated to play on the perimeter because of his shooting abilities. SM is a basketball player. TB is. AW is. Looks like the majority of guys have been 'basketball players', with guys like LW, ZA, and CR mixed in.

After watching the past few games, I believe that there is probably some truth in both your statements. What I firmly believe is that the Phoenix Suns offense that JL installed in the NIT year was perfect for the team that we had at the time, but does not fit with the players we currently have. This year, we don't have the multiple players who can hit the three on a consistent basis from night to night nor do we have the flexibility of players that we had with the NIT team to bring a player ala Will Franklin off the bench who we can depend on to hit a three on a fairly consistent basis. Our guards also seem to have difficulty in penetrating the lane and then kick out a pass to an open player on the perimeter. Instead, our guards rush up the floor and more often than not put themselves in difficult situations.

[braveatheart]

Ok mods...I wrote a very lengthy response to Braveatheart's long post last night, that took me almost an hour to write. Why the h-ll is has it been removed?

BB would have loved to read it.

[BradleyBrave]

Fran McCafferty
Scott Sutton
Leon Rice
Ray Giacoletti
Scott Nagy
Greg Gard
Mark Montgomery
Ron Jirsa
Steve Robinson
Joe Mihalich
Steve Donahue
Dennis Felton

Just a sample of guys that are out there that BU could go after if they wanted to.

This guy sure would look good on the Hilltop...