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Re-formatted Full Transcript of Chat With Coach Geno Ford Today... Hopefully Easier To Read!
da coach: Hi guys! I am headed over to Bradley shortly to meet with Coach Ford and Bobby to help moderate our chat session. We should get started right about 12:00 noon. Hope you can hang around.
lightsout: Just wanted to thanks to da coach, Coach Ford, and Bobby Parker for helping put this chat together! Really appreciate all of you guys taking the time to make this happen.
da coach: I am now with BP at the Bradley athletic offices. We hope to get started soon.
da coach: If anyone has a question for Bobby, ask away...
da coach: BP, Tell us a little more about how the new players seem to be fitting in with their new teammates.
BP : I am not around the team a whole lot in the summer time, but have popped in on open gyms a few times and have seen the players around campus quite a bit. Everyone seems to be fitting in nicely. I can tell you, each of the guys has been very polite, respectful and engaging in my interactions with them.
BU fan: Is there any news about the TV package for this season?
BP: Nothing that I can share as of right now, but I am working on several different opportunities. It has been hard to do too much with TV without having a conference schedule to work from, but that should be coming soon.
wily coyote: BP any idea when conf. schedule will be released?
BP: It should be very soon. Hoping for next week and keeping my fingers crossed.
bradleyfan124: My battery is going bad.. Right at the time I want to listen to this. An Illinois State graduate must have made this. ha! Question before my computer dies: How do you feel recruiting is going this year so far?
Coach Geno Ford: bradleyfan124: Recruiting is a daily battle. We know what we need. We are focused on front-court players and feel like we are in good position with several kids that we need to get across the finish line in the upcoming weeks. We need continued improvement with shooting, along with size and depth on the interior. That's where our focus is. We'll sign, potentially, the plan is 2, could be 3 in the fall. Would not anticipate using all of the scholarships unless we just fell into a scenario where that is the case.
wily coyote: Are we pretty much injury free from the summer workouts? How is WE holding up?
Coach Geno Ford: wily coyote: Injuries from the summer, happy to report, were minimal. Beyond a couple of bumps and bruises, nothing substantial. Nobody missed any significant time. WE is doing exceptionally well. He seems to have all of his lift and explosion back. Running well. Dealing with day-to-day soreness, which is to be expected. He's 100 percent right now. He feels good and is confident.
da coach: Can you comment on any walk on players this year?
Coach Geno Ford: da coach: Mason Alwan, we're excited he's a part of the team. Good shooter, great kid from a great family. And he's local, which is an added bonus. Darian Harris is a walk-on point guard from the St. Louis area. He's a nice kid and will fit in well. He seems to be adjusting to college life. Just this week, we added a roster spot for Jimmy Gavin, who will be a sophomore transferring in from Mississippi State. He wasn't on the team at Mississippi State and spent the whole last year in Chicago working out with current and former college players, including Ka'Darryl Bell.
Chuck, Sr.: Has Prosser bilt himself up more for this fall.
Coach Geno Ford: Chuck, Sr.: Jordan has done a good job of continuing to improve his conditioning and working on his ability to finish in the low post. The biggest key in my opinion for Jordan this year will be finding a level of consiistency. We saw some moments of brilliance - 17 rebounds in a game - several double-doubles. We need him to establish more consistent low-post offense for us and shoot at a better percentage for us, which he is prepared to do.
wily coyote: What do you see as Nate's role as far as minutes. Did his overseas minutes help in his development?
Coach Geno Ford: wily coyote: It's impossible to say what Nate's role, or any player's role, will be since we haven't had a practice yet. However, the 2012-13 model of Nate Wells is much improved over the '11-12 model. He's significantly stronger, probably our best big-guy shooter mid-range. He runs the floor really well and has a lot of upside. The trip to Brazil, we're hopeful, will show up because he got a lot of game minutes down there. While I do believe Nate will be in deep competition for a spot in the rotation this year, we won't be in a situation where we are just throwing around minutes randomly. He got that experience in Brazil to play a lot and that will give him the opportunity to compete in practice with our post guys.
SFP: Who of the returning players do you believe we should see vast improvements and really help push this team to the next level. BTW thanks for taking the time and joining this fickle bunch of fanatics!
Coach Geno Ford: SFP: Happy to answer some questions for you all. It's really hard to evaluate improvements at this point. We had summer workouts. We have focused so much on individual skill development over the summer, but we have not yet had a chance to evaluate how that has carried over to 5-on-5 situations. There are a lot of guys who have worked really hard, whether it has been on physically changing their body or on shooting, but the key will be on 7 p.m. production on Wednesdays and Saturdays this winter.
Chuck, Sr.: Coach, has Tyshon Pickett had the opportunity to work out with guys yet? He has some cool stats. from C. College, looks strong.
Coach Geno Ford: Chuck, Sr.: Tyshon has done one weight-lifting session, ran a timed mile and played in one open gym, which we were not allowed to watch. We have our first individual workout sessions today, starting at 3 p.m., so I'll be much more prepared to answer that question after dinner. I was happy with his level of conditioning when he arrived on campus. That was a concern. He ran his timed mile yesterday and made his cutoff for the post guys, so that was a good sign.
SFP: Another question: What do you have Walt working on this off season?
Coach Geno Ford: SFP: We really tried to focus on three things with Walt in the offseason and I think this is really going to be key to our success this season. 1 being decision making. Walt's game is not one of a prototypical point guard, but that doesn't mean Walt is not a great player. You watch the NBA playoffs, Russell Westbrook is criticized for not being a prototyopical PG, but OKC reaches the NBA Finals. The key is that Walt just finds a way to make good decisions with what we are running and cuts down on turnovers. The 2nd thing that we addressed with Walt is that we have spent time developing his pull-up jumper to develop a mid-range ability to score. Thirdly is free throw shooting. He has been incredibly dedicated to improve his FT shooting. He has charted FT's this offseason every day, with very few exceptions. There is no question that Walt last year established himself as one of the premier players on our team. We need him to take that next step and establish himself as one of the premier players in the conference, which we believe he can do.
SFP: I've always said that a mid-range game is overly underrated! Glad to hear that you have him working on a pull up jumper.
SFP: BTW Congratulations on keeping up the strong academic performance of the team. Some of us understand the importance of a great balance between academics and sports.
Chuck, Sr.: Does Jimmy Gavin have to sit out a year or can he play this fall?
da coach: Chuck, I was just told that has not been decided yet. It is a possibility that maybe Jimmy Gavin might be eligible this year
lightsout: Hey coach, wonderning in the little about of time you have spent with Anthony, Ka'Darryl, and Omari what you think about their futures at BU?
Coach Geno Ford: lightsout: Ka'Darryl will be battling for a starting PG position. Not an easy task when you are a freshman, but physically, he has good size, length and quickness to compete right away. Where it all shakes out will be determined by his ability to understand our defensive system and on the offensive end minimizing mistakes. We know he can make scoring plays and good offensive plays, but the key to that position will be his ability to minimize mistakes.
Coach Geno Ford: Anthony and Omari, I'm extremely excited about. They came in in the summer and quickly established themselves as two of the biggest gym rats in the program. They are in there all the time. They are very alert because they have already played one season. They are dialed in to what that struggled at last year. Anthony did not shoot the ball well, somewhat as a result of his wrist surgery, but also from a lack of confidence and lack of strength. And he's really dedicated himself to becoming a good pull-up shooter and spot-up shooter.
Coach Geno Ford: Omari shot the bell unbelievably well as a freshman, but needed to work on his ability to score mid-range as well as off one-on-one situations. He's constantly in there doing dribbling drills around cones, doing footwork stuff with Anthony. When those guys work out, they get after it. It's the ability of having gone through a freshman year and having the awareness of what I'm good at and where I have some holes. We expect them to be contributors next year.
wily coyote: I know you can't talk about recruits by name but what position or positions do you see that we need to bring aboard with the 4 available scholarships?
BP: I think Geno answered the recruiting question right out of the chute.
Chuck, Sr.: Coach, are you going to have a slam dunk contest at the Red-White half time show?
bradleyfan124: Coach, can the transfers play in the Red/White scrimmage?
Coach Geno Ford: Everyone will play the Red/White, but the transfers cannot play in the two exhibition games. The format for the Red/White is still being determined.
Fansince69: What do you expect from this years team?
Coach Geno Ford: Fansince69: We need to be a much tougher team physically and mentally. We've done a good job with our team chemistry and our culture of guys being unselfish and keys to successful teams are falling into place. The biggest thing that was tough a year ago, at times we were physically non-responsive in some competitive situations. That needs to never happen again and that needs to be a focus. We need to not be in the bottom of the league in rebounding. And the biggest thing to me, we have to establish winning at home. Losing at home is the worst thing in the world.
SFP: What has been the toughest and best part about recruiting at BU?
SFP: Maybe I should rephrase the question? I'm not talking about specific recruits but the extent of the challenges the coaching staff experiences out there recruiting.
Coach Geno Ford: SFP: It's a great question and a fair question. The biggest thing is getting the brand across. We do spend a lot of time addressing where Peoria is and other topics like that. I know for a fact that the administration has gone to great lengths with making Bradley at University of national distinction. Basketball fits into that. We need to have more success to help piggyback off of what they are achieving. With the new buildings on campus, with the types of students who are enrolling, our batting average with kids that we get on campus with their families is pretty good, above average. The harder part is getting them here. Once we clear that hurdle, we love our chances of landing them are excellent because of all the things we are typically selling: our commitment from our administration and fan base and the long, proud history of our program, which we are able to display once they are here.
SFP: Plus side has to be the facilities. Minus is that he does not have a private plane......
da coach: The harder part is getting them here. Once we clear that hurdle, we love our chances of landing them are excellent because of all the things we are typically selling: our commitment from our administration and fan base and the long, proud history of our program, which we are able to display once they are here.
SFP: With limited budget where do you expect to concentrate your recruiting effort?
Coach Geno Ford: We don't experience an issue with a limited budget, as least as it compares to our league. I haven't had a situation where our administration isn't able to come up with a good solution to any recruiting issues. With that in mind, our recruiting has been national. It will always be key that we do a good job in our backyard, the Peoria area, and that we hammer Chicago. We've also been able to branch out and get some East Coast kids with Pickett and Grier. We will continue to recruit nationally, based on can the kid fit in socially and academically at Bradley, does he believe in our vision for the basketball program and what position we are currently recruiting.
Buesch N Chips: Is Jordan Prosser still working on facing the basket, or will he strictly be a 5 this year? What can we expect from him?
Coach Geno Ford: Buesch N Chips: Jordan is primarily a 5. He's got some ability to shoot that he has demonstrated in practices. We don't have a problem with him stepping away a little bit, but he has played the 5 his whole life. He is a guy that has had some monster games and he's only going into his junior year. Typically this is the time when he should make a big jump and we are hopeful that he is ready to do that.
Beninator: Coach, What are the challenges you see coming from others in the MVC this season?
Coach Geno Ford: I believe Creighton will be picked to win the league, no-brainer there. I don't feel that Wichita is going to fall any farther than the top of the league. Wichita has re-loaded, they have a very good roster in place and will be at the top of the league. UNI has everyone back and should be improved. Illinois State, of course, coming off a good season, would probably be my early blind draw top four.
wily coyote: Does the AAU team coached by an ex SIU players dad hurt our chances with those kids?
Coach Geno Ford: wily: We have to work, just like every staff does, to build relationships with the AAU coaches. If you have a previous relationship with a staff, it probably helps you, but I've never experienced being shutout from a kid or a program based on affiliation. If you do a good job recruiting a kid, you can generally get them on campus for a visit, and that's all you can ask.
Chuck, Sr.: Coach, do you have your eyes on another 6'10, 6'11" guy in near future?
da coach: Chuck, first check our recruiting forun. There are some big kids listed there. But Coach Ford did say his recruiting priority for the 2013 class is big men.
Braves4Life: What is the measuring stick for a successful season in 2012-13?
Coach Geno Ford: Braves4Life: The measuring stick for me is improvement. That's what it has been about since Day 1. I am as excited today as I was a year-and-a-half ago when I was hired. This is a great job, a great program and we have a commitment to getting it turned around. My staff and I fully understood the situation we were inheriting and we need to be taking steps each and every day toward getting to where the fans want us.
Little Brave: How do you (Coach Ford) see the distribution of minutes at point guard.
Coach Geno Ford: It's impossible to answer that without having gone through preseason practice, but is there a chance Walt is our starting PG, absolutely. Is there a chance it will be Ka'Darryl, absolutely. Those things will all have to play out on the practice floor. I think the one biggest misconception sometimes is fans can be coaches going in with preconceived notions of lineups or playing time. We will literally evaluate practice fairly and whoever will give us the best chance to win, that'll be the guy we go with. It is such a long season that eventually everybody get's a shot.
bradleyfans: Any new wrinkles on offense?
Beninator: Any new wrinkles on offense?
Coach Geno Ford: We are hoping to unveil made shots, offensive rebound putbacks and consistent scoring (sarcasm). In all seriousness, we will probably be able to score in the post much more consistently this year than we did last year. I have always believed good offense is built inside-out and I like our group of big guys, so it will be more of a focus for us to throw it inside more. A year ago, one of our better scorers was Taylor. Taylor is a face-up guy and our offense was built more outside-in out of necessity. This year, we have several guards that are good slashers and finishers, along with improved post depth.
SFP: Coach your last answer will greatly please a bunch of us posters! :-)
da coach: I'll ask one- Give us your impressions of the Las Vegas tournament and the teams we'll face.
Coach Geno Ford: da coach: We have Va Tech first. Getting an ACC team is a great opportunity for our program. They are going through a transition this year with a new coach. They'll be physically very impressive and certainly will be a stiff challenge for us, but anytime you get a chance to play a power conference team on a neutral site, where we'll have more fans than they do, you feel like that gives you a great opportunity to pull what some people would consider an upset. Colorado State is loaded, they've got everyone back primarily from a NCAA Tournament team, with a new coach who plays a different style than the previous group. They went from an offensive style with Coach Miles to one of the premier defensive coaches in college basketball in Coach Eustachy. Not as familiar with Portland and will have to do some scouting.
Benninator: Coach, what about the recruiting responsibilities of the assistant coaches....
Coach Geno Ford: Recruiting is chopped up more by region than anything else. Willie is focused on Chicago, which does include kids that left the city and may be playing elsewhere now. Coach Graham primarily does Indiana and Central Illinois recruiting. Coach Uken does all of our junior college recruiting, as well as East Coast. That is not to say they don't have contacts in various other places. A lot of them have been in coaching for multiple years and their contacts are spread out around the country.
SFP: This is a question for BP. Any word on improvements to BU.tv? Some of us do not live in the Midwest so BU.tv is very important and the quality is much to be desired. The streams that came from ESPN3 were much better for the same games.
BP: We are always looking to improve the video streams. Hard to compete with ESPN3, though, when their productions often come from million-dollar production trucks. The Valley games that were produced for ESPN3 last year used the same production trucks that are used for ESPN television productions. Technology continues to improve and we are continuing to strive for the best product possible.
SFP: BP How come the Horizon league stream is free and better? ESPN like quality....12:59
Coach Geno Ford: SFP from BP: The Horizon League made a choice several years ago to forego investing in a regional television network and instead invested their resources into the video streaming equipment for their league members. The Valley still has the opportunity to build a television network through FS Midwest and other Fox Sports affiliates throughout the Midwest, as well as Comcast SportsNet Chicago. So while the league has given the schools some resources for video streaming, The Valley is still committed to optimizing its television opportunities with Fox and ESPN, which does require substantial dollars.13:02
da coach: What will it be like to have Michigan play here?
Coach Geno Ford: da coach: It's a rare opportunity when you get what is going to be a top 10, top 15 team on your home floor for a non-league game. It'll be a night with a lot of interest, not only locally, but also nationally. And it'll be a night when we, hopefully, do our part and play well and get ourselves, our community and our university on the national radar.
PTownHawkeye: How excited are you about this season, Coach?
Coach Geno Ford: I am really excited. I think we have a great group of seniors, and that is where any great group begins. Four guys are going to graduate that have been good representatives of the university and quality players. I know that DSE, being a Peoria kid, is really focused on going out on a good note and does not want to experience another tough season. Egolf chose to come back for a 6th year. That's a huge sacrifice. Jake Eastman will spend his career in basketball, but this will be the last season that he plays and he wants to go out on a high note. And Milos has been adopted by the community and he has done a great job of being a quality representative of our campus. So while it won't be easy, we are very excited to get going.
Chuck, Sr.: That's Cool.......
da coach: Thanks to Coach Ford, and to all the fans. Great questions! And thanks to Bobby for helping to get this arranged.
Coach Geno Ford: Thanks to all for chatting today. Happy to answer your questions and I look forward to seeing you at the games this winter.
da coach: Bye for now
lightsout: Just wanted to thanks to da coach, Coach Ford, and Bobby Parker for helping put this chat together! Really appreciate all of you guys taking the time to make this happen.
da coach: I am now with BP at the Bradley athletic offices. We hope to get started soon.
da coach: If anyone has a question for Bobby, ask away...
da coach: BP, Tell us a little more about how the new players seem to be fitting in with their new teammates.
BP : I am not around the team a whole lot in the summer time, but have popped in on open gyms a few times and have seen the players around campus quite a bit. Everyone seems to be fitting in nicely. I can tell you, each of the guys has been very polite, respectful and engaging in my interactions with them.
BU fan: Is there any news about the TV package for this season?
BP: Nothing that I can share as of right now, but I am working on several different opportunities. It has been hard to do too much with TV without having a conference schedule to work from, but that should be coming soon.
wily coyote: BP any idea when conf. schedule will be released?
BP: It should be very soon. Hoping for next week and keeping my fingers crossed.
bradleyfan124: My battery is going bad.. Right at the time I want to listen to this. An Illinois State graduate must have made this. ha! Question before my computer dies: How do you feel recruiting is going this year so far?
Coach Geno Ford: bradleyfan124: Recruiting is a daily battle. We know what we need. We are focused on front-court players and feel like we are in good position with several kids that we need to get across the finish line in the upcoming weeks. We need continued improvement with shooting, along with size and depth on the interior. That's where our focus is. We'll sign, potentially, the plan is 2, could be 3 in the fall. Would not anticipate using all of the scholarships unless we just fell into a scenario where that is the case.
wily coyote: Are we pretty much injury free from the summer workouts? How is WE holding up?
Coach Geno Ford: wily coyote: Injuries from the summer, happy to report, were minimal. Beyond a couple of bumps and bruises, nothing substantial. Nobody missed any significant time. WE is doing exceptionally well. He seems to have all of his lift and explosion back. Running well. Dealing with day-to-day soreness, which is to be expected. He's 100 percent right now. He feels good and is confident.
da coach: Can you comment on any walk on players this year?
Coach Geno Ford: da coach: Mason Alwan, we're excited he's a part of the team. Good shooter, great kid from a great family. And he's local, which is an added bonus. Darian Harris is a walk-on point guard from the St. Louis area. He's a nice kid and will fit in well. He seems to be adjusting to college life. Just this week, we added a roster spot for Jimmy Gavin, who will be a sophomore transferring in from Mississippi State. He wasn't on the team at Mississippi State and spent the whole last year in Chicago working out with current and former college players, including Ka'Darryl Bell.
Chuck, Sr.: Has Prosser bilt himself up more for this fall.
Coach Geno Ford: Chuck, Sr.: Jordan has done a good job of continuing to improve his conditioning and working on his ability to finish in the low post. The biggest key in my opinion for Jordan this year will be finding a level of consiistency. We saw some moments of brilliance - 17 rebounds in a game - several double-doubles. We need him to establish more consistent low-post offense for us and shoot at a better percentage for us, which he is prepared to do.
wily coyote: What do you see as Nate's role as far as minutes. Did his overseas minutes help in his development?
Coach Geno Ford: wily coyote: It's impossible to say what Nate's role, or any player's role, will be since we haven't had a practice yet. However, the 2012-13 model of Nate Wells is much improved over the '11-12 model. He's significantly stronger, probably our best big-guy shooter mid-range. He runs the floor really well and has a lot of upside. The trip to Brazil, we're hopeful, will show up because he got a lot of game minutes down there. While I do believe Nate will be in deep competition for a spot in the rotation this year, we won't be in a situation where we are just throwing around minutes randomly. He got that experience in Brazil to play a lot and that will give him the opportunity to compete in practice with our post guys.
SFP: Who of the returning players do you believe we should see vast improvements and really help push this team to the next level. BTW thanks for taking the time and joining this fickle bunch of fanatics!
Coach Geno Ford: SFP: Happy to answer some questions for you all. It's really hard to evaluate improvements at this point. We had summer workouts. We have focused so much on individual skill development over the summer, but we have not yet had a chance to evaluate how that has carried over to 5-on-5 situations. There are a lot of guys who have worked really hard, whether it has been on physically changing their body or on shooting, but the key will be on 7 p.m. production on Wednesdays and Saturdays this winter.
Chuck, Sr.: Coach, has Tyshon Pickett had the opportunity to work out with guys yet? He has some cool stats. from C. College, looks strong.
Coach Geno Ford: Chuck, Sr.: Tyshon has done one weight-lifting session, ran a timed mile and played in one open gym, which we were not allowed to watch. We have our first individual workout sessions today, starting at 3 p.m., so I'll be much more prepared to answer that question after dinner. I was happy with his level of conditioning when he arrived on campus. That was a concern. He ran his timed mile yesterday and made his cutoff for the post guys, so that was a good sign.
SFP: Another question: What do you have Walt working on this off season?
Coach Geno Ford: SFP: We really tried to focus on three things with Walt in the offseason and I think this is really going to be key to our success this season. 1 being decision making. Walt's game is not one of a prototypical point guard, but that doesn't mean Walt is not a great player. You watch the NBA playoffs, Russell Westbrook is criticized for not being a prototyopical PG, but OKC reaches the NBA Finals. The key is that Walt just finds a way to make good decisions with what we are running and cuts down on turnovers. The 2nd thing that we addressed with Walt is that we have spent time developing his pull-up jumper to develop a mid-range ability to score. Thirdly is free throw shooting. He has been incredibly dedicated to improve his FT shooting. He has charted FT's this offseason every day, with very few exceptions. There is no question that Walt last year established himself as one of the premier players on our team. We need him to take that next step and establish himself as one of the premier players in the conference, which we believe he can do.
SFP: I've always said that a mid-range game is overly underrated! Glad to hear that you have him working on a pull up jumper.
SFP: BTW Congratulations on keeping up the strong academic performance of the team. Some of us understand the importance of a great balance between academics and sports.
Chuck, Sr.: Does Jimmy Gavin have to sit out a year or can he play this fall?
da coach: Chuck, I was just told that has not been decided yet. It is a possibility that maybe Jimmy Gavin might be eligible this year
lightsout: Hey coach, wonderning in the little about of time you have spent with Anthony, Ka'Darryl, and Omari what you think about their futures at BU?
Coach Geno Ford: lightsout: Ka'Darryl will be battling for a starting PG position. Not an easy task when you are a freshman, but physically, he has good size, length and quickness to compete right away. Where it all shakes out will be determined by his ability to understand our defensive system and on the offensive end minimizing mistakes. We know he can make scoring plays and good offensive plays, but the key to that position will be his ability to minimize mistakes.
Coach Geno Ford: Anthony and Omari, I'm extremely excited about. They came in in the summer and quickly established themselves as two of the biggest gym rats in the program. They are in there all the time. They are very alert because they have already played one season. They are dialed in to what that struggled at last year. Anthony did not shoot the ball well, somewhat as a result of his wrist surgery, but also from a lack of confidence and lack of strength. And he's really dedicated himself to becoming a good pull-up shooter and spot-up shooter.
Coach Geno Ford: Omari shot the bell unbelievably well as a freshman, but needed to work on his ability to score mid-range as well as off one-on-one situations. He's constantly in there doing dribbling drills around cones, doing footwork stuff with Anthony. When those guys work out, they get after it. It's the ability of having gone through a freshman year and having the awareness of what I'm good at and where I have some holes. We expect them to be contributors next year.
wily coyote: I know you can't talk about recruits by name but what position or positions do you see that we need to bring aboard with the 4 available scholarships?
BP: I think Geno answered the recruiting question right out of the chute.
Chuck, Sr.: Coach, are you going to have a slam dunk contest at the Red-White half time show?
bradleyfan124: Coach, can the transfers play in the Red/White scrimmage?
Coach Geno Ford: Everyone will play the Red/White, but the transfers cannot play in the two exhibition games. The format for the Red/White is still being determined.
Fansince69: What do you expect from this years team?
Coach Geno Ford: Fansince69: We need to be a much tougher team physically and mentally. We've done a good job with our team chemistry and our culture of guys being unselfish and keys to successful teams are falling into place. The biggest thing that was tough a year ago, at times we were physically non-responsive in some competitive situations. That needs to never happen again and that needs to be a focus. We need to not be in the bottom of the league in rebounding. And the biggest thing to me, we have to establish winning at home. Losing at home is the worst thing in the world.
SFP: What has been the toughest and best part about recruiting at BU?
SFP: Maybe I should rephrase the question? I'm not talking about specific recruits but the extent of the challenges the coaching staff experiences out there recruiting.
Coach Geno Ford: SFP: It's a great question and a fair question. The biggest thing is getting the brand across. We do spend a lot of time addressing where Peoria is and other topics like that. I know for a fact that the administration has gone to great lengths with making Bradley at University of national distinction. Basketball fits into that. We need to have more success to help piggyback off of what they are achieving. With the new buildings on campus, with the types of students who are enrolling, our batting average with kids that we get on campus with their families is pretty good, above average. The harder part is getting them here. Once we clear that hurdle, we love our chances of landing them are excellent because of all the things we are typically selling: our commitment from our administration and fan base and the long, proud history of our program, which we are able to display once they are here.
SFP: Plus side has to be the facilities. Minus is that he does not have a private plane......
da coach: The harder part is getting them here. Once we clear that hurdle, we love our chances of landing them are excellent because of all the things we are typically selling: our commitment from our administration and fan base and the long, proud history of our program, which we are able to display once they are here.
SFP: With limited budget where do you expect to concentrate your recruiting effort?
Coach Geno Ford: We don't experience an issue with a limited budget, as least as it compares to our league. I haven't had a situation where our administration isn't able to come up with a good solution to any recruiting issues. With that in mind, our recruiting has been national. It will always be key that we do a good job in our backyard, the Peoria area, and that we hammer Chicago. We've also been able to branch out and get some East Coast kids with Pickett and Grier. We will continue to recruit nationally, based on can the kid fit in socially and academically at Bradley, does he believe in our vision for the basketball program and what position we are currently recruiting.
Buesch N Chips: Is Jordan Prosser still working on facing the basket, or will he strictly be a 5 this year? What can we expect from him?
Coach Geno Ford: Buesch N Chips: Jordan is primarily a 5. He's got some ability to shoot that he has demonstrated in practices. We don't have a problem with him stepping away a little bit, but he has played the 5 his whole life. He is a guy that has had some monster games and he's only going into his junior year. Typically this is the time when he should make a big jump and we are hopeful that he is ready to do that.
Beninator: Coach, What are the challenges you see coming from others in the MVC this season?
Coach Geno Ford: I believe Creighton will be picked to win the league, no-brainer there. I don't feel that Wichita is going to fall any farther than the top of the league. Wichita has re-loaded, they have a very good roster in place and will be at the top of the league. UNI has everyone back and should be improved. Illinois State, of course, coming off a good season, would probably be my early blind draw top four.
wily coyote: Does the AAU team coached by an ex SIU players dad hurt our chances with those kids?
Coach Geno Ford: wily: We have to work, just like every staff does, to build relationships with the AAU coaches. If you have a previous relationship with a staff, it probably helps you, but I've never experienced being shutout from a kid or a program based on affiliation. If you do a good job recruiting a kid, you can generally get them on campus for a visit, and that's all you can ask.
Chuck, Sr.: Coach, do you have your eyes on another 6'10, 6'11" guy in near future?
da coach: Chuck, first check our recruiting forun. There are some big kids listed there. But Coach Ford did say his recruiting priority for the 2013 class is big men.
Braves4Life: What is the measuring stick for a successful season in 2012-13?
Coach Geno Ford: Braves4Life: The measuring stick for me is improvement. That's what it has been about since Day 1. I am as excited today as I was a year-and-a-half ago when I was hired. This is a great job, a great program and we have a commitment to getting it turned around. My staff and I fully understood the situation we were inheriting and we need to be taking steps each and every day toward getting to where the fans want us.
Little Brave: How do you (Coach Ford) see the distribution of minutes at point guard.
Coach Geno Ford: It's impossible to answer that without having gone through preseason practice, but is there a chance Walt is our starting PG, absolutely. Is there a chance it will be Ka'Darryl, absolutely. Those things will all have to play out on the practice floor. I think the one biggest misconception sometimes is fans can be coaches going in with preconceived notions of lineups or playing time. We will literally evaluate practice fairly and whoever will give us the best chance to win, that'll be the guy we go with. It is such a long season that eventually everybody get's a shot.
bradleyfans: Any new wrinkles on offense?
Beninator: Any new wrinkles on offense?
Coach Geno Ford: We are hoping to unveil made shots, offensive rebound putbacks and consistent scoring (sarcasm). In all seriousness, we will probably be able to score in the post much more consistently this year than we did last year. I have always believed good offense is built inside-out and I like our group of big guys, so it will be more of a focus for us to throw it inside more. A year ago, one of our better scorers was Taylor. Taylor is a face-up guy and our offense was built more outside-in out of necessity. This year, we have several guards that are good slashers and finishers, along with improved post depth.
SFP: Coach your last answer will greatly please a bunch of us posters! :-)
da coach: I'll ask one- Give us your impressions of the Las Vegas tournament and the teams we'll face.
Coach Geno Ford: da coach: We have Va Tech first. Getting an ACC team is a great opportunity for our program. They are going through a transition this year with a new coach. They'll be physically very impressive and certainly will be a stiff challenge for us, but anytime you get a chance to play a power conference team on a neutral site, where we'll have more fans than they do, you feel like that gives you a great opportunity to pull what some people would consider an upset. Colorado State is loaded, they've got everyone back primarily from a NCAA Tournament team, with a new coach who plays a different style than the previous group. They went from an offensive style with Coach Miles to one of the premier defensive coaches in college basketball in Coach Eustachy. Not as familiar with Portland and will have to do some scouting.
Benninator: Coach, what about the recruiting responsibilities of the assistant coaches....
Coach Geno Ford: Recruiting is chopped up more by region than anything else. Willie is focused on Chicago, which does include kids that left the city and may be playing elsewhere now. Coach Graham primarily does Indiana and Central Illinois recruiting. Coach Uken does all of our junior college recruiting, as well as East Coast. That is not to say they don't have contacts in various other places. A lot of them have been in coaching for multiple years and their contacts are spread out around the country.
SFP: This is a question for BP. Any word on improvements to BU.tv? Some of us do not live in the Midwest so BU.tv is very important and the quality is much to be desired. The streams that came from ESPN3 were much better for the same games.
BP: We are always looking to improve the video streams. Hard to compete with ESPN3, though, when their productions often come from million-dollar production trucks. The Valley games that were produced for ESPN3 last year used the same production trucks that are used for ESPN television productions. Technology continues to improve and we are continuing to strive for the best product possible.
SFP: BP How come the Horizon league stream is free and better? ESPN like quality....12:59
Coach Geno Ford: SFP from BP: The Horizon League made a choice several years ago to forego investing in a regional television network and instead invested their resources into the video streaming equipment for their league members. The Valley still has the opportunity to build a television network through FS Midwest and other Fox Sports affiliates throughout the Midwest, as well as Comcast SportsNet Chicago. So while the league has given the schools some resources for video streaming, The Valley is still committed to optimizing its television opportunities with Fox and ESPN, which does require substantial dollars.13:02
da coach: What will it be like to have Michigan play here?
Coach Geno Ford: da coach: It's a rare opportunity when you get what is going to be a top 10, top 15 team on your home floor for a non-league game. It'll be a night with a lot of interest, not only locally, but also nationally. And it'll be a night when we, hopefully, do our part and play well and get ourselves, our community and our university on the national radar.
PTownHawkeye: How excited are you about this season, Coach?
Coach Geno Ford: I am really excited. I think we have a great group of seniors, and that is where any great group begins. Four guys are going to graduate that have been good representatives of the university and quality players. I know that DSE, being a Peoria kid, is really focused on going out on a good note and does not want to experience another tough season. Egolf chose to come back for a 6th year. That's a huge sacrifice. Jake Eastman will spend his career in basketball, but this will be the last season that he plays and he wants to go out on a high note. And Milos has been adopted by the community and he has done a great job of being a quality representative of our campus. So while it won't be easy, we are very excited to get going.
Chuck, Sr.: That's Cool.......
da coach: Thanks to Coach Ford, and to all the fans. Great questions! And thanks to Bobby for helping to get this arranged.
Coach Geno Ford: Thanks to all for chatting today. Happy to answer your questions and I look forward to seeing you at the games this winter.
da coach: Bye for now
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