Just the facts.....No opinions

[Braves4Life]

The most successfull team in 50 years???? I dont even think Jim Les would agree with that. You can make an argument that the 95 team was more succesfull but really how was that team more successfull than any of the great teams from the 80's? We went 32-4 with two NBA players and lost to the eventual national champs in the second round.

I didn't say that team was the best team, and it certainly didn't have the most talented players in 50 years. But you can't dispute that they went farther than any BU team in 50 years. To me success is judged by how far up the ladder you go, and that team was more successful than every other BU team (and coach) in 50 years. They weren't the best..... just the most successful.

[Lakeview Brave]

I didn't say that team was the best team, and it certainly didn't have the most talented players in 50 years. But you can't dispute that they went farther than any BU team in 50 years. To me success is judged by how far up the ladder you go, and that team was more successful than every other BU team (and coach) in 50 years. They weren't the best..... just the most successful.

We just have different standards of success, to me winning the valley regular season then winning in St. Louis determine success and anything after that is gravy. Had the 06 team finished first in the valley that year and made it to the finals in St. Louis and then the sweet 16 well then I would agree but i cant agree that a team which finishes 5th in conference is the most succesfull.

[SaintLouBrave22]

We just have different standards of success, to me winning the valley regular season then winning in St. Louis determine success and anything after that is gravy. Had the 06 team finished first in the valley that year and made it to the finals in St. Louis and then the sweet 16 well then I would agree but i cant agree that a team which finishes 5th in conference is the most succesfull.

I sent this as a PM but feel like it fits here as part of our discussion and my thoughts on overachieving/underachieving and our recruiting:

Well, they could recruit St Louis...

There are many good players out of here that ended up at SiU, ISU, Florida, Xavier, and Butler to name a few teams...

Also, if you're talking about quality big men, we both know that we won't get any of them as long as Les is still here!

Otherwise, I don't think we're recruiting over our heads...

Actually, in my estimation, even in the Sweet 16 year we were right on par...

Sommerville transferred back because he couldn't cut it at Iowa, Tony Bennett wanted to play close to home but not in Chicago, Ruff wanted to stay home, POB was a college overachiever for about a half year before he cashed in on that success, and Tauai, Wright, and Franklin were sparingly recruited through hs and two through jc...

So I think we got more lucky than anything....


I'm really at this point feeling as though we're told to believe that our recruiting is an A- to B+ when it's really closer to a C and then add to that our lack of ability to really develop anyone not a guard in the last few years and you have a failure cocktail waiting to happen.

[tornado]

Almost all mid-majors outside of huge cities have a very hard time drawing recruits....

You can't really compare us to DePaul, SLU, or even Butler or Creighton.......

Let's face it -- any kid who CAN play in the bigger schools, bigger conferences, and bigger cities will do so!
the exceptions are rare that a kid chooses a small school in a smaller market when he could have gone bigger...thus it is a no-brainer, that most midmajor coaches like Jim Les has to beat the bushes and find the hidden gems and under-the-radar players.

Many even go for the higher rated but oft-troubled kids & transfers like P'Allen Stinnett and Ryan Hare and look what it gets them....

Of course I'd like to see 5-Star kids at Bradley but let's be sensible....Coach Les has done a very good job getting some pretty decent kids...
and we've "just missed" on plenty more...Shumpert, Lewis Jackson, Kuric, Roth, etc....

I know our present guys aren't playing well, but if we can get just a little help by the end of the season we might become the most fearful Thursday-opponent anyone's gonna face......

[LittleBrave]

I know our present guys aren't playing well, but if we can get just a little help by the end of the season we might become the most fearful Thursday-opponent anyone's gonna face......

Help frommmmmm....(???)

TB?

[tornado]

scoring and rebounding from any source!! -- I can dream, can't I?

[Braves4Life]

..... but if we can get just a little help by the end of the season we might become the most fearful Thursday-opponent anyone's gonna face......

And where might that come from?

[LittleBrave]

scoring and rebounding from any source!! -- I can dream, can't I?

Sure can, T!
I'm dreamin' of better days for BU hoops.

I must say that our defense has looked decent this season despite being outmuscled/outsized at various points in some games and our inability to clamp down on hot shooters. Unfortunately our defense has not been enough to win games with our lack of scoring.

Here's a fact - our 3-point shooting has NOT been dismal this season. (41.2%)
We're just not shooting them as much as maybe we should. JE and DD seem to lack confidence in taking open 3 pointers.

[SaintLouBrave22]

And where might that come from?

I think he wants us to hold hands and sing Kumbaya...


I mean really, if you haven't noticed by now, we're 0-7 and soon to be 0-8...


Just the thought of playing on Thursday makes me want to lose my lunch!


And given what I have seen, I'm sorry, but Taylor Brown, Sam Maniscalco, and "supposedly" flashy new recruits aren't gonna fix whats wrong with this program and why they aren't competing and winning at a high level!

[real fan]

fact:
Bu should not be playing on thurs. night when it has a coach that has been here 9 seasons, no excuse for this to happen.

[thefish7]

fact:
Bu should not be playing on thurs. night when it has a coach that has been here 9 seasons, no excuse for this to happen.

Not that I disagree with what you're saying, but that's almost the very definition of an opinion.

[SaintLouBrave22]

Not that I disagree with what you're saying, but that's almost the very definition of an opinion.

Ok...

Well, when was the last time someone tenured this long in the Valley kept their job the following year after being in the play-in?

[mrcoachdude]

fact:
Bu should not be playing on thurs. night when it has a coach that has been here 9 seasons, no excuse for this to happen.

Not that we will be playing in that game anyway....and I do disagree and it is not a fact, but an opinion....much like everything on here....other than actual stats...

[Beninator]

And where might that come from?

All I am looking forward to is when pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training!

[squirrelgotdead]

Ruff wanted to stay home,

I don't recall any more what offers Ruffin had, but IIRC, his options would have been fairly limited to begin with. He was short and had a tiny stature to go along with it.

To top it off, he was only a partial qualifier.