Max Bielfeldt

[mvcfan]

A Taphorn at Bradley would only help the rivalry with ISU and make it even more fun. Pat was in attendance at the ISU/UWGB NIT game supporting his former school.

[wily coyote]

Pat was also at BW's public introduction. Maybe means nothing but just saying he was there.

[tornado]

wonder if all the positive fan talk on the message boards about us possibly seeing Max or Nate has any indirect effect in the kids' decisions??

[Da Coach]

I haven't heard anything definite yet, but I believe we'll hear something positive before the end of the week.

[AZ BU Fan]

Seal The Deal With Max!

Has Bradley renamed the Renaissance Coliseum the 'Bielfeldt Basketball Arena' yet?

Couldn't hurt. Just sayin'...

[Deadguy35]

Far too often we have missed on area talent only to have them come back and play well against us.

Like who? Which players did we overlook that went to a lower level program?

Carson is committed to play baseball at ICC next year. He's not a D-1 basketball player.

I wouldn't mind seeing Bradley extend walk-on offers to guys like Alex O'neill and Peter Hanley. Beyond that, there aren't many Seniors in the area that can help us next year.

It's tempting to take anyone with a pulse, but I'm sure Wardle has a good idea of who to target.

[lefty]

Like who? Which players did we overlook that went to a lower level program?

Carson is committed to play baseball at ICC next year. He's not a D-1 basketball player.

I wouldn't mind seeing Bradley extend walk-on offers to guys like Alex O'neill and Peter Hanley. Beyond that, there aren't many Seniors in the area that can help us next year.

It's tempting to take anyone with a pulse, but I'm sure Wardle has a good idea of who to target.

I already asked that question??¦.looks like a hit and run by scoretable

[Da Coach]

I can only think of one local player that any of the last 3 Bradley coaches should have recruited (and didn't) in the last 10-15 years that we had a chance at getting, and who would have been a significant impact guy and significant upgrade over what we had. That is Alec Peters.

Every other local recruit that I have seen people decry that Ford, Les, or Molinari missed on was either never going to come to Bradley, or would not have been any better than the players we did have.

I have seen uninformed people claim that Jim Les "missed" on Max Bielfeldt, or failed to recruit him or offer him back in 2011. Nothing could be further from the truth. In case anyone doesn't recall, Jim Les' son Tyler played on the same team as Max for 3 years at Notre Dame. Jim saw more of Max's games than any coach saw, and spent more time with him than any D1 coach. He knew Max and his family very well. Jim would have loved to have Max stay and play for Bradley, and the Bielfeldts knew that. But Max was intent on waiting for the spring to commit and was he waiting and hoping for Big Ten offers. He was determined to play in the Big Ten. Once the offer came from Michigan (then Illinois) Bradley had no chance.
By the way, Jim Les was fired March 6, 2011, weeks before Max finally made his decision and committed to Michigan. So even if Max was still interested in coming to Bradley at the time he finally committed, the President completely eliminated that possibility. How anyone could blame Jim Les for missing on Max is mindlessly ignorant.

[wily coyote]

I can only think of one local player that any of the last 3 Bradley coaches should have recruited (and didn't) in the last 10-15 years that we had a chance at getting, and who would have been a significant impact guy and significant upgrade over what we had. That is Alec Peters.

Every other local recruit that I have seen people decry that Ford, Les, or Molinari missed on was either never going to come to Bradley, or would not have been any better than the players we did have.

I have seen uninformed people claim that Jim Les "missed" on Max Bielfeldt, or failed to recruit him or offer him back in 2011. Nothing could be further from the truth. In case anyone doesn't recall, Jim Les' son Tyler played on the same team as Max for 3 years at Notre Dame. Jim saw more of Max's games than any coach saw, and spent more time with him than any D1 coach. He knew Max and his family very well. Jim would have loved to have Max stay and play for Bradley, and the Bielfeldts knew that. But Max was intent on waiting for the spring to commit and was he waiting and hoping for Big Ten offers. He was determined to play in the Big Ten. Once the offer came from Michigan (then Illinois) Bradley had no chance.
By the way, Jim Les was fired March 6, 2011, weeks before Max finally made his decision and committed to Michigan. So even if Max was still interested in coming to Bradley at the time he finally committed, the President completely eliminated that possibility. How anyone could blame Jim Les for missing on Max is mindlessly ignorant.

I think you better check your facts on this one. There are some mindlessly ignorant people that don't think it went down the way your saying and not the part where Jim saw Max play a lot. We all know that happened. Max's HS coach told me something a lot different than your post. In fact Willie was the first to offer Max after JL was let go. Eddie told me when the offer came from Willie it was to late. Don't know why this would be brought up in the first place. The important thing is we all need to hope Max becomes a Brave and I would love to see Pete come in as a walk on. Those two would be a good start .

[ihatetea]

Call me ignorant, who do you mean by Pete, wily? I missed something in there.

[Da Coach]

Pete is probably Peter Hanley, a 6'6" forward from Notre Dame who is planning on walking on to the BU team next year.

From my sources, Jim Les was told that Max was not interested in staying home and playing for Bradley.
Did you hear that Max wanted to come to Bradley?
And when would Willie have offered him? He was only an interim coach for about 21 days, with zero chance of getting the head coaching job. I guess I've never heard of such a short-term, lame duck interim coach doling out scholarship offers before he even knows who the next head coach will be. Plus, during that period after Jim was fired (March 6) until Geno was hired (March 27), only 1 scholarship became available around March 12 (from Sam leaving) so that scenario means Willie would have been committing the only open scholarship the next coach might have to use.
Others eventually opened up well after Geno was hired from Abell and Harris being released by Geno, and Andrew Davis leaving in mid-April, but by then Max had committed to Michigan (on the day Geno was hired, 3/27/11).

I agree that it is all water under the bridge.

[tornado]

I can only think of one local player that any of the last 3 Bradley coaches should have recruited (and didn't) in the last 10-15 years that we had a chance at getting, and who would have been a significant impact guy and significant upgrade over what we had. That is Alec Peters.....

maybe you can put Brett Bisping, Jeff White, Lawrence Alexander, Peyton Allen, Max Bielfeldt, Nate Taphorn, Nick Norton, Gavin Block, Donivine Stewart, Milik Yarbrough, Rickman, Romine, Church, Christian Williams, and maybe Justin Gant & Jared Brownridge - since they're from not far away and we had them right here on campus a few times.

[Da Coach]

Of those listed, Nick Norton, Gavin Block, Milik Yarbrough, Emondre Rickman, Christian Romine, Obdeiah Church, Christian Williams, Justin Gant & Jared Brownridge are not local players.

Peyton Allen (not local either), Nate Taphorn, and Max Bielfeldt were not misses. They chose to go higher, and Donivine Stewart did come to Bradley

So that leaves Brett Bisping, Jeff White, and Lawrence Alexander. And they fit the definition I have said- nice players, but they would likely not have been difference-makers in the MVC.

[wily coyote]

Pete is probably Peter Hanley, a 6'6" forward from Notre Dame who is planning on walking on to the BU team next year.

From my sources, Jim Les was told that Max was not interested in staying home and playing for Bradley.
Did you hear that Max wanted to come to Bradley?
And when would Willie have offered him? He was only an interim coach for about 21 days, with zero chance of getting the head coaching job. I guess I've never heard of such a short-term, lame duck interim coach doling out scholarship offers before he even knows who the next head coach will be. Plus, during that period after Jim was fired (March 6) until Geno was hired (March 27), only 1 scholarship became available around March 12 (from Sam leaving) so that scenario means Willie would have been committing the only open scholarship the next coach might have to use.
Others eventually opened up well after Geno was hired from Abell and Harris being released by Geno, and Andrew Davis leaving in mid-April, but by then Max had committed to Michigan (on the day Geno was hired, 3/27/11).

I agree that it is all water under the bridge.

Can't address if Max told Jim he was not interested in staying home . Can only say he was not offered by Jim and don't know if he wanted to come to BU or not. I can also tell you Willie DID offer Max and was told the offer came to late. Now lets hope we can land Max. There is alot of minutes for him next year. IMO he would look great in a BU uniform.

[Da Coach]

Just got off the phone with a close associate of Jim Les, and he knows the story well. And as I said before, Jim was told Max was not interested in staying in Peoria or playing for Bradley. That was why Jim did not offer him, which is what I said above. Jim knew Max and his parents very well.
The Willie Scott story may be true, but it would have been a symbolic offer at best. Max was simply not going to consider Bradley back in 2011. He was set on playing in the Big Ten.