Outstanding coaching in the face of multiple starters lost to injury

[AZ BU Fan]

BU will decide if JL is da man next season or beyond. Based on their overall assessment of the program.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows about the wins, the tourneys, the graduation rates, the injuries, the injuries, the injuries, the injuries, the injuries, the injuries, and the injuries (heck, BU should change coaches if for no other reasoin than to try and break the injury curse)

Promoters/Doubters on this site won't matter. No matter how many times each side passionately presents its arguments.

Does anyone really think people on this Forum would like to see a new head coach out number the people on this Forum who think JL is great and should stay? Either in actual number or in number of posts?

BU has lived and died by the jump shooters and slashers ever since POB, MS, and ZA left. Some think another approach may yield better results than the incumbent has achieved.

Defense, intensity, buy in issues, free throws, rebounding, recruiting misses, game plan communication issues.....are what worry me about BU teams.

But this is a moot point as JL will be in great demand from other higher profile schools due to his record in the face of injuries! Wouldn't it be great for once to have to fight to keep a very successful coach at BU?

[Buesch N Chips]

(heck, BU should change coaches if for no other reasoin than to try and break the injury curse)

There are some people who actually believe this.

If BU was going to fire JL based on years of mediocrity, they should have done it last year. Given this year's situation, I don't think those who retained him for 8 years of what some call mediocrity would remove him after this season.

[tornado]

then, again, you solidify my point -- even if the kid BYU lost (11ppg/6rpg - about what Kenny Harris gives Evansville!) was their best player -- or even if O'Rear (6.9ppg/5.7rpg - and only 5/4 in Valley play) was UNI's best player...
then how can people see near complete tanking of BYU and UNI and say even tho Bradley lost TWO players who would have been possibly POY candidates, that it doesn't have major impact!!

[braveatheart]

I think Les has done a remarkable job with this team the last month of the season (as he did during the last month or so of the Sweet 16 run). Kudos and props. However, most on here judge him on his entire body of work over 9 years -- mediocrity. I'm both happy and proud that Les brings in and graduates quality kids. In this regard Les is second to none as a coach and evaluator of quality young men.

However, an objective person must admit that he has been lacking as a game/practice coach over this 9 year period. During his reign as coach BU has lacked consistency, fundamentals, and he has made some very questionable decisions as a coach during games with his choice of players, substitution patterns, game management, and official (referees) management. He has also not been able to keep an assistant coaching staff intact and has been poor in delegating authority and responsibility to his assistants. Up to this point he will always be associated as having success when Chuck Buescher was on the bench and in the practices; he still is struggling to shed this stigma.

I like Les and believe that he has shown growth and improvement as a coach this year. I'm also willing (like many) to give him next season to prove he can build on the success of the last month. I hope Les is our coach next season! I hope Les wins the MVC next season. I hope BU makes the NCAA Tournament next season. And I hope Les can finish out his career as Bradley's head coach. However, if next season mirrors what we've seen the past 9 season then I want Les gone and am willing to go through the short term (hopefully) pain of finding a new coach and rebuilding the program.

Good post. I think this hits the nail on the head. I think Les has earned a shot at next year. But next year better be good or patience will wear thin. Plus the buy-out will be a lot less at that time.

[TheAsianSensation]

To me, the more I think about the evidence that tornado has presented, it does seem clear to me that Bradley has suffered more bad luck than most any team in the country - legitimately. I mean, go around and find as many preseason 1st and 2nd team all conference players from across the country, and find all those players who ended up out for the season very early on. I bet you couldn't find even 10 of them - and then on top of that, there were 2 in the MVC...belonging to the same team.

I think the main point of disagreement is about the coaching job Les has done in response. To have the worst luck when it comes to injury doesn't automatically translate into a good coaching job by Les. For example, this year, our play in the last 10 games is actually somewhat solid, but going on a prolonged losing streak that comprised more than 1/3 of our whole schedule is such a big failure that the last 10 games or so can't completely make up for it.

The point is, just because BU has the worst injury luck doesn't mean Les has done a good job in response. In truth, sometimes he's done good, sometimes he's done adequate, and some times he's failed.

So it's OK to use the injury excuse - but only if you feel the response to the injury was positive by the team.

[tornado]

BTW -- I will take no credit for advancing this argument that Bradley (and Coach Les) have been faced with injuries and player losses of a magnitude that no other Valley team has ever had to face.....

This is what one of the players' dads related and was even more enthusiastic about how well Jim Les has done under the circumstances...

His points included that had Coach Les notdone so well given circumstances, gotten 20 wins each year from 2006-2009...then kids like Dyricus, Walt, Jordan, Jake, Remy, and Donivine may well have been headed elsewhere as we'd have been abysmal and would have gotten no interest from those guys....
Plus...... our ability to schedule and get Duke, Michigan State, Illinois, BYU instead of Presbyterian every year or Penn State or Air Force...


All I ask -- don't just knee jerk to our current situaiton -- look at the bigger picture...
If BU is lousy next year with a full roster - then so be it -- but Coach Les hasn't had the chance to show what he can do with a full roster...
and he hasn't once complained about it...

[LittleBrave]

The point is, just because BU has the worst injury luck doesn't mean Les has done a good job in response. In truth, sometimes he's done good, sometimes he's done adequate, and some times he's failed.

So it's OK to use the injury excuse - but only if you feel the response to the injury was positive by the team.

And I think most of us agree that the 0-11 start in the Valley season was not solely due to the lack of talent, as we are seeing how much talent we have the last 10 games. Not trying to discount the fine job that Les has done lately, and of course, our guys have needed time to adjust to the new gameplan without TB & SM. But it just makes ya' go hmmmmmmmm.....
why'd it take us so long to win 1?

[TheAsianSensation]

Plus...... our ability to schedule and get Duke, Michigan State, Illinois, BYU instead of Presbyterian every year or Penn State or Air Force...
.

I'm surprised you don't mention it more often - Les' biggest strength, IMO, is that the dude can schedule. That's actually my biggest fear of a coaching change - losing those marquee opportunities, or, heaven forbid, hiring a Jank.

[ifarania]

BTW -- I will take no credit for advancing this argument that Bradley (and Coach Les) have been faced with injuries and player losses of a magnitude that no other Valley team has ever had to face.....

This is what one of the players' dads related and was even more enthusiastic about how well Jim Les has done under the circumstances...

His points included that had Coach Les notdone so well given circumstances, gotten 20 wins each year from 2006-2009...then kids like Dyricus, Walt, Jordan, Jake, Remy, and Donivine may well have been headed elsewhere as we'd have been abysmal and would have gotten no interest from those guys....
Plus...... our ability to schedule and get Duke, Michigan State, Illinois, BYU instead of Presbyterian every year or Penn State or Air Force...


All I ask -- don't just knee jerk to our current situaiton -- look at the bigger picture...
If BU is lousy next year with a full roster - then so be it -- but Coach Les hasn't had the chance to show what he can do with a full roster...
and he hasn't once complained about it...

You make a very strong case, and I definitely think Les deserves another season to balance out his body of work before I make some kind of knee jerk reaction and/or fully informed decision, but there are plenty of times when I watch certain players (especially a few select post players) who seem to have absolutely no idea what to do in a given situation, and they never seem to improve in those frequent situations... That's coaching (even if it's stupidity on the part of the player, the coach can bench the kid or bring in subsequent recruits with higher basketball IQ), so I can see why some fans are fed up.

[LittleBrave]

All I ask -- don't just knee jerk to our current situaiton -- look at the bigger picture...
If BU is lousy next year with a full roster - then so be it -- but Coach Les hasn't had the chance to show what he can do with a full roster...
and he hasn't once complained about it...

Very true T.

I look at the 2 seasons in the past 5 where we basically had everyone healthy (at least our top 3 guys) for most of the year.

2006-'07: We overachieved led by Coach Les
2009-'10: We underachieved led by Coach Les

The years aside from these will be viewed subjectively, especially due to key injuries. It would be nice to say, "IF we don't get hit by injuries next season..." But the injury excuse just won't fly next year (I don't think).
Now IF we have a healthy roster, will we see the overachieving coach or underachieving? Maybe we'll see MORE of the LES we've seen in the past 9 games (???) I just don't see how you can argue that he's done an EXCELLENT job in terms of team achievement, or else we would have at least made the NIT since our last appearance and such inconsistency in play throughout the season.

He deserves 1 more year, but it won't be easy, especially if we lose one of our top 3 guys again.

[SaintLouBrave22]

I was just going to ask, what happens now that we lose Dunson and Warren and if we lose say Simms-Edwards, Lemon, or one of the big time recruits to injury next year?

Does and should Les get another year?


Just stating that while you provide good points, that argument could be pulled in either direction...

My concern is the team we saw Sat and last night is NOT the team we have seen most of the year, so why is it that he can NOT get these guys to play like this and for him more consistently?!

[mrcoachdude]

I was just going to ask, what happens now that we lose Dunson and Warren and if we lose say Simms-Edwards, Lemon, or one of the big time recruits to injury next year?

Does and should Les get another year?


Just stating that while you provide good points, that argument could be pulled in either direction...

My concern is the team we saw Sat and last night is NOT the team we have seen most of the year, so why is it that he can NOT get these guys to play like this and for him more consistently?!

Agree its not the same team as earlier in the season...it shouldn't be...you want gradual improvement...

Lets not talk about anyone else getting injured already..

[ph]

The problem is, everyone in the world knows JL is the world's most unlucky coach when it comes to injuries.

But, his recruiting philosophy leans toward high-end potential rather than solid mid-major players that results in a few "misses" on the roster
And his coaching philosophy is to play the "best 7" guys so bench players are not quite as developed. (I'm glad JL was forced to play JP so much this year, because JP needed the playing time for his development)

So, while that recruiting/coaching philosophy is OK for some coaches, it does require a degree of luck to work. JL knows he does not have luck on his side, and hasn't made the changes needed to rise above the challenge in-front of him.