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I'm a fan of Depaul basketball and while they are going through a similar transisiton to BU, it hasn't been successful for them. That said, a comparison could lend to a fruitful discussion.
Depaul was 1-35 in the Big East in the two seasons before Oliver Purnell arrived. The Demons went 4-32 in the Big East in his first two seasons. They start 0-1 this year after a bad home loss to Seton Hall, who was picked 14th in the Big East this year by the media. They have already lost at home this year to Gardner-Webb, Loyola and now Seton Hall.
Depaul fans - much like we are with our Braves - believe they are better than this, and they should be disposing of these teams with ease. That said, nothing seems to be working for Depaul. The fan base is irritated and some people are calling for an on-campus arena. The morale is extremely low.
Our situation is similar, but different. Bradley was 13-23 in the Valley in the two seasons before Geno arrived, and won just two league games last year. However, we played well in the non-conference season and have started league play 2-0 this year. Clearly, progress is being made and it can be expected that the team will continue to take steps forward.
The fans still haven't returned to Carver, but judging by this board and other BU fans that I talk with, the program is on its way back to national respectability. By the end of year three, BU will be back in the Valley mix, hopefully at the start of a long run of contending for titles.
The comparison sits with the fact that both teams feature a 'seasoned' fan base and both seem to want to live off their reputations from decades ago and feel that their programs are still powerhouses. They aren't anymore, but both have a chance to return to prominence in a short period of time.
I wrote this only so that I can express my pleasure in what is happening on the hilltop this season. The progression is great to see, and I think we are light years ahead of a program like Depaul at this juncture in the tenures of our new coaches. We can only wait to see what the future holds, but we as BU fans should be extremely happy with where we are at right now, relative to the last few seasons.
Thoughts?
GO BU
Depaul was 1-35 in the Big East in the two seasons before Oliver Purnell arrived. The Demons went 4-32 in the Big East in his first two seasons. They start 0-1 this year after a bad home loss to Seton Hall, who was picked 14th in the Big East this year by the media. They have already lost at home this year to Gardner-Webb, Loyola and now Seton Hall.
Depaul fans - much like we are with our Braves - believe they are better than this, and they should be disposing of these teams with ease. That said, nothing seems to be working for Depaul. The fan base is irritated and some people are calling for an on-campus arena. The morale is extremely low.
Our situation is similar, but different. Bradley was 13-23 in the Valley in the two seasons before Geno arrived, and won just two league games last year. However, we played well in the non-conference season and have started league play 2-0 this year. Clearly, progress is being made and it can be expected that the team will continue to take steps forward.
The fans still haven't returned to Carver, but judging by this board and other BU fans that I talk with, the program is on its way back to national respectability. By the end of year three, BU will be back in the Valley mix, hopefully at the start of a long run of contending for titles.
The comparison sits with the fact that both teams feature a 'seasoned' fan base and both seem to want to live off their reputations from decades ago and feel that their programs are still powerhouses. They aren't anymore, but both have a chance to return to prominence in a short period of time.
I wrote this only so that I can express my pleasure in what is happening on the hilltop this season. The progression is great to see, and I think we are light years ahead of a program like Depaul at this juncture in the tenures of our new coaches. We can only wait to see what the future holds, but we as BU fans should be extremely happy with where we are at right now, relative to the last few seasons.
Thoughts?
GO BU
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