New Wessler piece

[Buesch N Chips]

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x123454637/How-hot-is-the-seat-under-Jim-Les

This should be interesting....

[Braves4Life]

Amazing how it took 685 words to say absolutely nothing!

What was the purpose of this piece Kirk?! All you did was restate the obvious and, IMO, purposefully run this "hit piece" to elicit a strong negative response. Have some b@lls son and state your opinion if you want to write this kind of trash! Otherwise, you're just wasting the reader's valuable time!

I try to stay objective and give KW credit when it's due but this is complete garbage!!!!

[SFP]

"With that, draw your own conclusions regarding the answer to our opening question."

I thought KW was suppose to state his conclusion and not have you "draw your own". I just wish he would tell us how he really feels about JL.

[AE Braves Fan]

Well that was pointless drivel.

[Chico]

IMO, kw won't be happy until JL is fired and WM is hired.

[MacabreMob]

I stopped reading KW a while ago. I don't care to waste my time with what he has to say. And so far, I have missed nothing.

[ph]

Well, we want more coverage. This is part of more coverage. I've heard a lot of hot seat talk for Lovie, Vinnie, Zook, Ozzy, Panella, and even BAM (a few years ago more than today)...

[tornado]

There's not likely a single coach who would have done any better -- since factors out of JL's control hurt recruiting...
things like BU's location, the small campus, unavailability of state funds to throw around, lack of decent facilities - even the unfair negative things some losers propagated after not getting the job..
none of that was JL's fault, yet he's done better than most other Valley coaches in the interval...

I can still see all the posts about..
"how come we didn't go after someone like Chris Lowery"
"how come we didn't get Jim Whitesell"
...and add any other name of anyone who actually wanted the job, and they wouldn't have done any better than JL has done...


I think it's only fair that Coach Les has been largely instrumental in raising the $$ to build the facilities,
then he should be allowed a few years minimum to finally benefit from the better recruiting all that fund raising
and those fine facilities now can afford the head coach.

However, having said that, some of the powers that be, seem ever willing to dump coaches we have, even ones that are doing well, and cast a fishing line out hoping for better. That might work in track or golf -- but it isn't likely to work in D-I basketball.
Even using the four criteria given by Cross -- BU is doing as well or better than just about every other Valley school.


also...he first of the "Reader responses" says..
"Les was a good ball player for Bradley. He also won the 3 point contest at the all star game."

..so draw your own conclusions about this fellow's insight...

[Dallas Brave]

What a thinly-veiled, personal-agenda piece of under-handed journalism!

KW clearly states that the interview with Dr. Cross was not focused on JL and the basketball program, but rather, “But Cross did explain to Journal Star reporter Dave Reynolds and me the process he uses to evaluate the coaches and programs in his department.”


What does KW do? He then twists his meeting with Dr. Cross to fabricate a “JL on the hot seat” element to the story with unsubstantiated comments like:

• Almost every conversation I have about Bradley basketball these days includes some variation of that question regarding the head coach.
  (Does this sound suspiciously similar to infamous “renegade” program whispers he was hearing in his head?)
• It wouldn’t be appropriate for BU athletics director Michael Cross to answer the question.
  (Did you ask him the question, or is this a drive-by?)
• With that, draw your own conclusions regarding the answer to our opening question.
  (There was no opening question, you make a chicken sh*t implication to a question).
• It wouldn’t be appropriate for BU athletics director Michael Cross to answer the question.
  (There he goes again … what is the question Kirk?)

I think the real question is, “Why the PJS keeps such a pathetic writer employed?” Surely the PJS could hire a newly minted journalism major from BU to replace KW and immediately up the quality of the newspaper.

[tornado]

[*]Almost every conversation I have about Bradley basketball these days includes some variation of that question regarding the head coach. ....

...btw -- I don't have a problem with this column -- it doesn't differ at all from the hit piece that suggested JL was to blame for the Joe Stowell thing or that BU is a renegade program...or the report as FACT that Wilkins had verballed to Iowa State, even though at that very time, many right here on this board knew those reports were premature & false.

...but when hasn't there been endless talk of JL on the hot seat??
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005...??? some fans -- and obviously the ones who call and talk to KW ...are never happy -- never!
Even his "golfing buddies" a few weeks ago were having a cow and ruined their golf game just over the worry of missing a game because it was being held at the new arena...

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x353249643/Wessler-Captain-gets-closer-to-his-home

The talk of JL on the hot seat goes back at least 6 years and didn't just come up "these days"....it has been non-stop for the past 6 years..


BTW -- what ever happened to this slimy rumor?? Did I miss the retraction and apology??
just a couple weeks ago - people claiming they knew facts and that yet anotgher scandal was brewing??

http://www.pjstarforums.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=81053

[Dallas Brave]

...btw -- I don't have a problem with this column -- it doesn't differ at all from the hit piece that suggested JL was to blame for the Joe Stowell thing or that BU is a renegade program...or the report as FACT that Wilkins had verballed to Iowa State, even though at that very time, many right here on this board knew those reports were premature & false.

The problem I have with KW??™s writings is that he is taking BU events and twisting them into innuendo, speculative pieces on JL. The half-baked story on Coach Stowell could have been a real interesting article if KW would have done a little more investigation and presented a balanced backdrop for the decisions and then assessed the decisions in a man-like fashion ??¦ instead, he rushes into ramblings on JL??™s level of involvement or non-involvement. The same situation with today??™s article. It appears that KW and DR had the chance to meet with Dr. Cross and discover what makes Dr. Cross tick and his approach to running the Athletic Dept at Bradley. Instead, KW has to turn the Dr. Cross interview into an article on JL and the ???hot seat.??? If KW wants to write a piece exploring whether JL should be fired, then he needs to man up, do some research rather than relying on his close circle of whiners, and write about it directly . He should definitely stop taking effeminate swipes at the topic ??¦ or the unstated question as he puts it.

Here is a hot sports topic for you ??¦ KW has lost his journalistic integrity and the PJS should fire his butt.

[AZ BU Fan]

Well, no surprises in KW's latest article re Hot Seats at BU.

KW is obviously anti BU, a JL hater, AND, a Negative Nellie!
His hairpiece must be floating in his soup!

Not an insider. Not a true fan. Not a real fan. Not a fan at all

Too bad he didn't try to post his article directly on our Forum so we could have deleted it!

KW should be on the 'hot seat' at the PJ Star!!!

[AZ BU Fan]

There's not likely a single coach who would have done any better ....yet he's done better than most other Valley coaches in the interval...

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

There may be many valid reasons to support JL unequivocally, and to retain him forever as BU Head BB Coach, but these two reasons are not....

[shaunguth]

What a thinly-veiled, personal-agenda piece of under-handed journalism!

KW clearly states that the interview with Dr. Cross was not focused on JL and the basketball program, but rather, “But Cross did explain to Journal Star reporter Dave Reynolds and me the process he uses to evaluate the coaches and programs in his department.”




What does KW do? He then twists his meeting with Dr. Cross to fabricate a “JL on the hot seat” element to the story with unsubstantiated comments like:

• Almost every conversation I have about Bradley basketball these days includes some variation of that question regarding the head coach.
  (Does this sound suspiciously similar to infamous “renegade” program whispers he was hearing in his head?)
• It wouldn’t be appropriate for BU athletics director Michael Cross to answer the question.
  (Did you ask him the question, or is this a drive-by?)
• With that, draw your own conclusions regarding the answer to our opening question.
  (There was no opening question, you make a chicken sh*t implication to a question).
• It wouldn’t be appropriate for BU athletics director Michael Cross to answer the question.
  (There he goes again … what is the question Kirk?)

I think the real question is, “Why the PJS keeps such a pathetic writer employed?” Surely the PJS could hire a newly minted journalism major from BU to replace KW and immediately up the quality of the newspaper.

Great post!

While I happen to believe JL is on the "hot seat" this season with the new President and AD, all the points made in the above post point to the same "agenda" we've seen in the past.

Instead of saying "it wouldn't be appropriate to answer the question", simply state that Michael Cross declined to comment.......or were the "questions" never even asked?

In fact, while you're at it, why not write the same article about Paula Buscher?

[shaunguth]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

There may be many valid reasons to support JL unequivocally, and to retain him forever as BU Head BB Coach, but these two reasons are not....

I don't know.....we've seen what C-Lo can do with a highly-touted recruiting class at SIU.