49 BU --66 Wyoming post-game

[mrcoachdude]

Originally Posted by BradleyJD View Post
Well I don't know about that view.

I do know THIS year's team and coaches don't get much support here. It's too bad. We have kids playing hard and a new coach.

It's going to take time. I believe in Coach Ford and the staff at Bradley.


JD there is a ton of support here......there are a couple of folks that are not, but the majority????? lets go BRAVES!

[BradleyJD]

I support everyone, but Jim Les' teams played hard too, and that wasn't good enough. Why is it good enough now?

It's month 2 of a coaching change. With really, none of your own players?

What would be a fair expectation?

[Buesch N Chips]

It's month 2 of a coaching change. With really, none of your own players?

Wyoming has the same problem.

What would be a fair expectation?

My expectations have always been to improve as the season goes along, regardless of coach. Because, really, outside of giving 100% and improving yourself, how much else can you control? I don't change my expectations based on who the coach is.

[Old Coach]

Of course he will, and everyone supports him. But the state of the program was not as bad as some want to portray.

I didn't think the program was bad under Jim. I just felt like it got bogged down in mediocrity.

[Da Coach]

I didn't think the program was bad under Jim. I just felt like it got bogged down in mediocrity.

Fair enough. None of us are satisfied with mediocrity. However, prior to last year with the injuries, Bradley had 5 winning seasons with upper half mvc finishes.
No championships, but hardly a program in shambles as some have characterized.

[Bravesfan]

I will admit that I wanted a change. No doubt.

But I don't see any fallout that wasn't expected. Every time you change coaches, you have players come in and out.

I never thought this year would have been good. With or without Jim Les.

Jim got almost a decade. He was 14 games above .500. I think he got more than a fair share to show what he could do.

Now, Coach Ford will get his shot. I think the team is working hard to build that foundation. Every game will not be pretty. Most first years are not.

Give this group time. If we are still here in 3-4 years, then we can talk about disappointment and failure.

But for now, I am going to allow the new staff and this group of players a little leeway.

I think they can still improve this season.

I don't care if Les is here 30 years and he has these kinds of injury issues 27 of them. Any coach who loses over 50% of their point production due to injuries are not going to do well for the most part in terms of conference finish and wins and loses. Period, end of story! If you throw out the last two seasons because of injury issues, and the first three years which were a rebuilding period, Les did pretty darn well, and would have had this team in NIT contention this year if Sammy was here! I truly believe that. At the very least we finish in the top half of the Valley, which would be a great year considering what we are going through.

Is finishing fifth the same as winning Valley championships? No, and I'm not satisified like anyone else that we haven't won more championships here. But I do think the program would be on a lot more solid footing in the short term had Les been allowed one more year.

But that's over and done with, but I am just responding to others who continue to dump on Les after a pretty good run here.

[wily coyote]

I support everyone, but Jim Les' teams played hard too, and that wasn't good enough. Why is it good enough now?

B&C JL is not gone because we didn't play hard. He's gone like so many on here has said because, 1.) 9 years no better then 4th (usually lower not acceptible). 2.) 9 yr.MVC record sub .500. 3.) To many games on thur or fri when the tourney finished on Mon. 4.) Couldn't win at home. 5.) No relief in sight just more of the same. There's probably more reasons but this is a good start.

[lefty]

If you throw out the last two seasons because of injury issues, and the first three year

But that's over and done with, but I am just responding to others who continue to dump on Les after a pretty good run here.

You want to throw out 5 years total? The only person we know for sure who would have helped this year is Sam....the others were speculation...

I'm all for not dumping on JL....this is what happens at a mid-major when you aren't at the top of the leagues for several years....It happens everywhere..

Maybe we won't be better under Geno...I don't know, but he's the coach and it's time to move on

[wily coyote]

Please Wily, before last year's injury riddled season, we won over 100 games over the previous 5 seasons with RPI's consistently in the top 100. Nobody was satisfied with 4th or 5th place finishes, but it is not like the program was in horrible shape. But believe whatever you want. I hope to see Geno do better, but there are no guarantees.

DC nobody will argue injurys played a big part of last seasons record but the bottom line is Jims overall MVC record was sub .500 and NOT acceptible. His inability to recruit the last several years could not be more evident then the depth we have this year after losing two key people and the return of one. Teams lose seniors and have injuries every year and the returners and newcomers step up. That IS NOT happening this year because of the people JL brought in. Maybe people not suited for MV level of basketball. The seasons early maybe we will see what Jim saw. That is my hope. I think better days are ahead. I sure hope so.

[BradleyJD]

I don't change my expectations based on who the coach is.

Do you change them based on talent?

Would you expect this year to be an NCAA season? A MVC title season?

I would and will expect to compete for those things under coach Ford. I don't expect it in year one, without a group of proven, skilled guys.

I think our guys work their butts off. I just don't think they are talented enough to do those things right now.

I find it hard to believe you expect the same from Coach Ford in year 1 as you did from Jim Les after 9 years.

[Air Petey]

I hate this "What have you done for me lately" in college sports!! Two years ago last weekend I would have never dreamed Jim Les would have been fired. We beat Illinois and had Duke on the schedule for the next year. That was awesome. We have a couple of bad loses and Jim gets in a fight with an admin person and he is gone. WOW! I'm sick and tired of this 4th and 5th place in the conference. I have NO proof what so ever, but I have heard rumoors of the top 3 teams in this league are cheating. Then in my book, we were finishing FIRST in the clean league. Unless some of you want to cheat for the top 3 spots - Quit using the case we did not finish in the top 3 of the league. We went to sweet 16 and did not finish in the top 3. Grass is NOT always greener on the other side.

[Old Coach]

Oh dear...

[Bravesfan]

You want to throw out 5 years total? The only person we know for sure who would have helped this year is Sam....the others were speculation...

I'm all for not dumping on JL....this is what happens at a mid-major when you aren't at the top of the leagues for several years....It happens everywhere..

Maybe we won't be better under Geno...I don't know, but he's the coach and it's time to move on

Yeah, because I keep using Dana Altman as an example. I think it's fair you have to throw out his first three years since it took him four years just to get Creighton to the NIT. Only after did the Big Dance invites start coming regularly.

I want to move on too, but at the same time I hate seeing people dump on a guy who had a lot of bad luck with injuries the last year or two. That's why I hate to see coaches fired after a season that was really not in their hands so to speak. If he had a full team and finished under .500, fine. But not after injuries put a cramp into the season from the get go.

[Bravesfan]

DC nobody will argue injurys played a big part of last seasons record but the bottom line is Jims overall MVC record was sub .500 and NOT acceptible. His inability to recruit the last several years could not be more evident then the depth we have this year after losing two key people and the return of one. Teams lose seniors and have injuries every year and the returners and newcomers step up. That IS NOT happening this year because of the people JL brought in. Maybe people not suited for MV level of basketball. The seasons early maybe we will see what Jim saw. That is my hope. I think better days are ahead. I sure hope so.

Then Les should have been fired after year 7 or 8. You never fire a guy after a season with so many major injuries like he had to deal with last year! If they wanted to get rid of him, they should have launched him a year or two prior, but more properly should have given him one more year to see what he would have done with Sammy and Remy on the team. I know Egolf is out, but it's probably not as big a loss that he had to deal with with Sammy and TB out at the same time.

I do agree that I'm miffed with our poor free throw and three point shooting on this team. You would think that every recruit could at least shoot 65% or better, but I agree, hopefully that will come together as the season progresses. We need the crowd into the game Tuesday though!

[Buesch N Chips]

That's why I hate to see coaches fired after a season that was really not in their hands so to speak. If he had a full team and finished under .500, fine. But not after injuries put a cramp into the season from the get go.

That's why I thought, if you were unhappy with JL's performance, he should have been let go a year earlier. To bring him back, have him work under the conditions of losing two starters, two losses that he had no time to recruit to cover, and then fire him for the number of wins that the swiss cheese team had, I thought was bad form.

8 years, mediocre record, I get it. Let him go. Tie an arm behind his back and blindfold him, then ask him to finish top 3, then fire him because he doesn't, makes no sense.

I think fans who were not enamored with JL took advantage of last year's circumstances to exaggerate his shortcomings. And it worked.