Not sure if this has been posted - Wilkins

[Braves4Life]

The Big 12 has seven teams (out of 12) in the top 31 in the RPI according to Real Time RPI. The Big East has five schools in the top 35 in the RPI (out of 16) and eight with a winning conference record and their ninth school is at 61 today. You really think that the Big East will get two more in than the Big 12 given those numbers? Would you like to make a wager?

I see your point but I think the Big East is better. I guess we'll know for sure in about a month

[Guinness]

"Les will really help our recruiting"
"The Sweet 16 run will really help our recruiting"
"The new facilities will really help our recruiting"

[MacabreMob]

And last year, one of the Big 12's worst teams (ISU) won at the MVC champ (UNI). What a difference a few years makes!

And I wouldn't say last year was one of the MVC's strongest years.

[ph]

"Les will really help our recruiting"
"The Sweet 16 run will really help our recruiting"
"The new facilities will really help our recruiting"

The S16 run got us a "top 25" class but we've really only seen decent contributions from SM and TW..

..although to be fair, we have not been able to have a new recruit tour finished facilities.. we just have a nice DVD virtual tour. so I dont think we're really had the chance to experience the true benefit of modernized facilities..

[littlebishforpres]

The S16 run got us a "top 25" class but we've really only seen decent contributions from SM and TW..

..although to be fair, we have not been able to have a new recruit tour finished facilities.. we just have a nice DVD virtual tour. so I dont think we're really had the chance to experience the true benefit of modernized facilities..

The recruiting upgrade the facilities will give Bradley is way, way overrated. It is a practice facility. Nothing more. I've never heard a guy sign with a school because they have good practice faciities.

There isn't any evidence that an upgrade in facilties at a school lead directly to better recruits.

[SFP]

And last year, one of the Big 12's worst teams (ISU) won at the MVC champ (UNI). What a difference a few years makes!

Touche!

The recruiting upgrade the facilities will give Bradley is way, way overrated. It is a practice facility. Nothing more. I've never heard a guy sign with a school because they have good practice faciities.

There isn't any evidence that an upgrade in facilties at a school lead directly to better recruits.

Really? Brand new practice facilities have never made a difference? Where have you been? I've heard plenty of kids and coaches say just the opposite. Memphis went through huge upgrade and were able to land Calipari as a coach. Do you think he would have went to a school with terrible facilities? Now you are going to say that programs with national exposure is over rated.

[Bradleyguy10]

The recruiting upgrade the facilities will give Bradley is way, way overrated. It is a practice facility. Nothing more. I've never heard a guy sign with a school because they have good practice faciities.

There isn't any evidence that an upgrade in facilties at a school lead directly to better recruits.

At the VERY LEAST.....it doesn't hurt recruiting that's for sure.

[MacabreMob]

Really? Brand new practice facilities have never made a difference?

Didn't Fay say he chose SIU over Bradley due to facilities?

[SFP]

Didn't Fay say he chose SIU over Bradley due to facilities?

Yes he did and there were a few others but when posters post these types of things they really expose that they are on this site because they have an agenda. I really do not care if you believe JL should be replaced or the program is crap just be smart about your statements. If you have an issue with JL let us in on it rather then spilling all that hate and venom. I do like a rational discussion even if I do not agree. There are a few posters on this board that lean a certain direction that I do not agree with but their arguments are well worth my time to read.

[Bradleyguy10]

And what was that one guy's name......went to WKU

"facilities"

[Boiler]

And what was that one guy's name......went to WKU

"facilities"

Courtney Lee?

[ph]

The recruiting upgrade the facilities will give Bradley is way, way overrated. It is a practice facility. Nothing more. I've never heard a guy sign with a school because they have good practice faciities.

There isn't any evidence that an upgrade in facilties at a school lead directly to better recruits.

While facilities may not be the main reason to choose a school, poor facilities are a reason to not choose a school. With basketball being year-round training, would you rather practice in a state of the art, air-conditioned facility or be sweating it upall summer in the archaic fieldhouse? Should we have done nothing and say "Come to Bradley and we'll make you a better player by treating you like 2nd class junk?"

[Da Coach]

The recruiting upgrade the facilities will give Bradley is way, way overrated. It is a practice facility. Nothing more. I've never heard a guy sign with a school because they have good practice faciities.

There isn't any evidence that an upgrade in facilties at a school lead directly to better recruits.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Multiple college coaches over 3 decades have told me how important athletic facilities are in recruiting.
I doubt you could find a D1 coach anywhere who would not agree.
Ask any D1 coach, facilities are one of the top couple reasons most recruits choose the school they choose.
Bradley would be battling against the Evansvilles and SIUE's for recruits if the campus overhaul had not taken place.

If it didn't make much difference, then why do some schools spend hundreds of millions upgrading their athletic facilities?

And why is it that the quality of all D1 teams nationwide is almost exactly proportional to the quality of the on-campus facilities they have?
It's because it makes a huge difference in their recruiting and winning.

[littlebishforpres]

Nothing could be further from the truth. Multiple college coaches over 3 decades have told me how important athletic facilities are in recruiting.
I doubt you could find a D1 coach anywhere who would not agree.
Ask any D1 coach, facilities are one of the top couple reasons most recruits choose the school they choose.
Bradley would be battling against the Evansvilles and SIUE's for recruits if the campus overhaul had not taken place.

If it didn't make much difference, then why do some schools spend hundreds of millions upgrading their athletic facilities?

And why is it that the quality of all D1 teams nationwide is almost exactly proportional to the quality of the on-campus facilities they have?
It's because it makes a huge difference in their recruiting and winning.

They spend the money to keep up. No doubt. But I have never seen a guy choose a school he wouldn't have normally chosen because of facilities. It is one of a hundred factors when a kid decides what school to choose.

Facilities are not some "magic bullet" that cures all. They just aren't. Where a recruit ends up going has a lot more to do with the coaching staff, feel, the university itself, playing time, teammates, etc.

Again, facilities is one of many, many things. Please find a school whose level of recruiting went up based solely on getting new facilities to practice in. Unitl then, its just another talking point. Facilities would maybe play a role if everything else were equal--but everything else is never equal.

I know people love to blame Bradley's lack of performance on lack of facilities but it doesn't add up. Sorry. Again, its a practice facility. Not a new place to play.

Its amazing Bradley has ever won in basketball with the poor facilities they've had. This isn't something new.

[MacabreMob]

littlebish - did you miss the examples of Fay and Lee? Or did you ignore them just to further drive your point?

I remember reading the quote from Fay saying Bradley and SIU were even in his mind and it came down to facilities at Bradley versus the facilities at SIU making his choice for him.