It's official - Bradley plays in Las Vegas next season

[bu fan 9]

I just tell the truth. I go to every home game many road games.

[tornado]

-Of course anyone who throught we were worth getting too excited about during the last year (or future) of the previous regime

-I for one don't get too bothered with 'fallout' since I don't link my daily happiness/self worth to BU MBB success, or, lack there of.

-BU's unprecedented lows were a culmination of years of recruiting misses....where injuries revealed the absolute lack of depth of talent in the BU program.
House cleaning was bound to take place and would necessitate lows....does it really matter if the low was just low, or, unprecedentedly low?

-Many were willing to risk unprecedented lows to have a shot at something better ....

Hmmm..don't know where to start..........

First - I was and always am "excited" and optimistic and look forward to EVERY new season of Bradley basketball...and I was definitely looking forward to 2011-2012 with Remy Abell and crew coming in....so there.....
I also have plenty more to live for than just basketball - but I am a big fan and the program does NOT want to lose the big fans, believe me...

Second - I am bothered some by the fallout BECAUSE it severely hurts BU and BU's chances to recruit into the future...
We all saw numerous qualified coaching candidates who turned down BU for whatever reasons spurning big increases in pay and level of competition and going back to their jobs at lower-level schools. Recruits even know this. The fallout is of historic proportions and will be looked at even 50 years into the future like White Sox fans look at 1919, and Cubs fans look at 1969.

Third - in case you haven't noticed - "BU's recruiting misses" are not unique to JL - wait a little while and read the paper.

As for how low the fallout dropped us - it does seem to matter to a lot of fans.
But -- I can tell you that even the mood among folks in the Bradley Athletic Department seems to be somewhat somber and reserved -- or have you not noticed there have been no press releases about post-season basketball functions, banquet, summer events, team awards, fund raisers, appearances at Chief's games, appearances at Bradley baseball games, etc........or any of the things we've seen every year....
The depth of the fallout has indeed hit everyone hard and even cost some people their jobs - and to pretend it doesn't exist is the ultimate Koolaid philosophy.

And from the dropoff in attendances and interest I think your use of the word "many" is a bit of literary license - I think it is "not many" and some fans are indeed now gone for good including a few who owned big batches of seats in the lower bowl and even right behind the bench.

[TheAsianSensation]

I'm willing to grant that there's fallout. We can argue about the level of fallout, but there's fallout.

One valid question I really haven't seen asked? What would have been the fallout if we kept Les as coach? I think that's a valid point of view that should be addressed, because I believe a lot of people feel that fallout would've been damaging in itself. (Of course, the argument about if that fallout would've been greater than this fallout is the crux of the entire argument)


And on a completely separate tangent, this schedule for the upcoming year feels pretty similar to the last 2 years of non-con skeds from Les, so I really don't see the problem. It's not great but it's sufficient at worst.

[tornado]

but TAS -- I don't know what job you serve in but had you made a big decision that ended with enormous fallout - wouldn't at least someone be talking about it instead of pretending it didn't happen?

[TheAsianSensation]

but TAS -- I don't know what job you serve in but had you made a big decision that ended with enormous fallout - wouldn't at least someone be talking about it instead of pretending it didn't happen?

Of course, there would be discussion about fallout and I wouldn't expect otherwise.

The point I'm getting to more is more hypothetical: just like firing Les is a decision that creates fallout, choosing to keep Les is a decision that can create fallout as well. And I think that's been lost because when everyone talks about fallout, they should compare fallouts, not just the single fallout to a "everything is roses" scenario.

Of course, what exactly the fallout would've been is a source of debate in its own.

[Braveman]

I don't think they have had a postseason banquet in a few years, have they?

And the Chiefs don't start playing for awhile either, so not worried about a malaise in the Athletic Department... It's obviously easier to promote and be happy about a winning team, isn't it?

I think everyone needs to lighten up... In good times, things are never as good as we think, and in bad times, they aren't as bad as we think...

And if this is remembered and looked back on in 50 years like the Black Sox scandal, I will be very very surprised... Heck even the whole Squeaky debacle is only referenced every now and then, and that surely was a bigger watershed moment than this past season and all the "fallout" from JL's firing...

Sheesh

[bradleybraves1]

And if this is remembered and looked back on in 50 years like the Black Sox scandal, I will be very very surprised... Heck even the whole Squeaky debacle is only referenced every now and then, and that surely was a bigger watershed moment than this past season and all the "fallout" from JL's firing...

Sheesh

Thank you for not allowing this to go unchallenged. You saved me the time of having to do this.

[bradleybraves1]

On the same token, Not sure you've ever posted anything negative, bb1.

Thanks for the compliment LB! I try.

[LittleBrave]

Thanks for the compliment LB! I try.

In all honesty, I wan't trying to give you a compliment, but if you took it that way - GREAT!
I was pointing out that from your posts, you are sliding some of the major problems with the program under the rug.

It's hard to find the kind of optimistic comments you make in a mediocre season - like 2 seasons ago when we finished 16-15, let alone a season in which we only win 2 conference games. I almost thought you were serious before the Valley tourney started in believing that we would win the whole tournament - just seemed a little far from reality, but I figured you were just being sarcastic.

[LittleBrave]

I just tell the truth. I go to every home game many road games.

Did Geno tell you he was lost and asked you for direction on how to run the program? I didn't know "Geno is lost and everyone knows it" is a fact. (???)

[AZ BU Fan]

Speaking of Vegas next season, unless there is some unknown event that precludes it, I look forward to making the trip to Vegas again to cheer on my adopted BU team and hopefully catch up with friends who are BU fans from my previous life in Peoria.

Will have to think up some way visiting posters can recognize the AZ BU Fan and admonish me in person for supporting a regime change...Perhaps I can be re-programmed to the truth of BU MBB being forevermore lost with JL gone.

Look for -



What I find ironic is the local ASU MBB fan base being incensed ASU Coach Sendek got a contract extension from recently fired AD Lisa Love for exactly the same kind of crummy results JL had at BU the past four years ....With ASU player injuries, player defections, and non eligible recruits blamed for the lack of results by the University, and, the reason why the University stood by Sendek in the face of declining MBB attendance, and declining revenues from big buck MBB supporters. The Administration is selling happy times are right around the corner here for ASU under Sendek..just needs more time....

It's really easy to claim BU would be just peachy if JL had stayed and they would have finished in the top 3 of the MVC and gone to the NIT this year, won the MVC and gone to the NCAA's next year and everything would be just fine and the house packed and $$$$$$4 pouring in....Who can prove or disprove this? Or claim that there wouldn't have been any fallout from another low-mid MVC finish and no post season for BU this year, or, next season if nothing had changed with BU's performance...even with RA...

BU hasn't lacked for 'big name' players the past couple of seasons, just not enough of them or them not being as dominant in the MVC as we all think they should be.

[Da Coach]

As noted, Bradley is playing in the Las Vegas Classic Dec. 22-23, 2012, along with Virginia Tech, Colorado State, & Portland.

The Las Vegas Classic is run by IBN Sports.
They just announced the teams for this year's Thanksgiving tournament, the Las Vegas Invitational, which runs Nov. 23-24, also at the Orleans Arena. It will include a pretty good lineup of teams- Creighton, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Arizona State.