The good news with SM's injury.

[BradleyJD]

Thursday night is all but assured at this point...what a colossal disappointment...at least it was early enough in the season and not after a successful 25 games or so. And the future doesnt look bright either once Warren and Dodie are gone...still no capable big and a coach who doesnt even try to use them the right way. oh well, time to just see what the kids can do. more weave! yay!

I sure hope the team isn't thinking this way.

[ISUBirds]

I don't expect a 7-10th place finish. No way that should happen - we are still more talented than half the league teams even with our losses. I EXPECT Coach Les to find a way to at least finish top 5 - anything less is a disappointment in my eyes. Once our offense starts to roll a bit, we'll be alright. I can't see WE and DSE playing the way they've played all season. Is this ridiculous to think this way?

Hate to come off as a "dumb redbird fan," but you are sipping the kool aid a little too much. Coach Les hasn't exactly found his way much above 5th place in his tenure without many injuries. He loses 2 starters and you expect him to finish on par or better? Pass whatever you are drinking.

Someone please explain to me how Jim Les keeps getting all these passes. Yes, he has a Sweet 16 under his belt. But, he has not finished in the top 3 in the Valley and does not know how to coach up bigs. At some point enough has to be enough.

[SaintLouBrave22]

Hate to come off as a "dumb redbird fan," but you are sipping the kool aid a little too much. Coach Les hasn't exactly found his way much above 5th place in his tenure without many injuries. He loses 2 starters and you expect him to finish on par or better? Pass whatever you are drinking.

Someone please explain to me how Jim Les keeps getting all these passes. Yes, he has a Sweet 16 under his belt. But, he has not finished in the top 3 in the Valley and does not know how to coach up bigs. At some point enough has to be enough.

Sadly I have to agree with the Bird fan here...

Nowhere in his resume does it suggest to me Les will turn this around

[amckillip]

Hate to come off as a "dumb redbird fan," but you are sipping the kool aid a little too much. Coach Les hasn't exactly found his way much above 5th place in his tenure without many injuries. He loses 2 starters and you expect him to finish on par or better? Pass whatever you are drinking.

Someone please explain to me how Jim Les keeps getting all these passes. Yes, he has a Sweet 16 under his belt. But, he has not finished in the top 3 in the Valley and does not know how to coach up bigs. At some point enough has to be enough.

How long can Jank go without a signature non-conference win? it's not that I disagree that JL has gotten some passes. But I'll take JL over Jank any day, including the accomplishments of both.

I think JL has to play both JP and WE starting and see what MK and AT bring... especially since I can guarantee SM will be back next year...

[bigdaddystuck]

Actually, I think that Les has had to deal with injuries and other problems where players have not been available. I think that he could coach them to a middle of the pack/ top 5 finish in the valley.

As for what I hope to see.....I would love for him to mix it up and really see what these guys are capable of. Maybe mix it up in the line up. Go to a more conventional 3 guard and 2 post line up. Give guys a chance to learn on the job.

[ISUBirds]

How long can Jank go without a signature non-conference win? it's not that I disagree that JL has gotten some passes. But I'll take JL over Jank any day, including the accomplishments of both.

I think JL has to play both JP and WE starting and see what MK and AT bring... especially since I can guarantee SM will be back next year...

I'll take two trips to Valley tourney championship and being in position to possibly advance to the NCAA tourney 2 of the last 3 years. Not to mention the past 3 years finishing in the top 3 for the regular season. I guess you don't know much about most of that except for the sweet 16 year. Definitely don't know much about finishing in the top 3 .

Agree to disagree .

Either way, hate to see a team lose 2 starters to injury.

[thefish7]

One negative is that I think that JL fell in love with the three guard offense....

It was the four guard that he fell in love with that year, and that's something I think I may agree with. Perhaps this year he can fall back in love with a three-guard. I've been a broken record saying it, but we almost literally cannot play a 4-guard anymore. Only five guards left on the roster, so 160/5 = 32 mpg for each of the guards.

(Most college teams and even some NBA teams play what I think would be correctly called a three-guard offense, and I don't view that as a liability or gimmick. The four guard on the other hand, is gimmicky and while I think it'd be a nice thing to know how to do and be able to use sometimes, having it as our base alignment bothers me)

[lefty]

Maybe. But coaching a team like this can be different. It can change the way you do things. It can also change the psychology of a team.

To win, this team is going to have to dig deeper and try harder. They may have to do things they have never done before.

I tend to agree with JD. The pressure is kind of off now.....not that we are not suppose to win games but expectations have to be a little different. JL can(has to) take more risks trying things(line-up,style of play,etc) he may not have tried before....especially with an experienced group.

[PTownHawkeye]

It just doesn't seen possible to play small to me anymore...

Ha, I don't think it is possible to play small anymore...we don't have a single scholarship player under 6'3 on the team!! Heck, we only have 3 players under 6'5!

I know you mean though...it seems that in this case, it makes the most sense to play a true PF and C, and keep some combo of Egolf, Pross, Sticks, and Milos on the floor most of the time. We are going to need to save our guards' energy since this team is now officially suffering from a lack of depth.

[Beninator]

It was the four guard that he fell in love with that year, and that's something I think I may agree with. Perhaps this year he can fall back in love with a three-guard. I've been a broken record saying it, but we almost literally cannot play a 4-guard anymore. Only five guards left on the roster, so 160/5 = 32 mpg for each of the guards.

(Most college teams and even some NBA teams play what I think would be correctly called a three-guard offense, and I don't view that as a liability or gimmick. The four guard on the other hand, is gimmicky and while I think it'd be a nice thing to know how to do and be able to use sometimes, having it as our base alignment bothers me)

[thefish7]

Why did that make you blush ben?

[Beninator]

Why did that make you blush ben?

Because I omitted a guard in the JL offense!

[thefish7]

Because I omitted a guard in the JL offense!

Lol

[BradleyBrave]

What about the NIT team after POB went to the NBA? I think that was one of JL's best coaching seasons. He implemented a totally new system to cater the the team's strength. If we bash JL, which I have done at times, then we have to give him some credit where it is due.

I didn't say everything was bad. Not in the least. I just said after 9 years, I think we know what we're getting, and I don't think all of the sudden JL is going to re-invent himself or have some radical philosophical shift.

[ph]

More good news. Sounds like this is forcing us to start big, WE and AT!