Jim Les question

[Bravesfan]

I've been thinking, with all the Bob Knight hoopla that is going on lately, and after reading some books regarding Bob Knight's coaching style and personality, I was just curious as to how Jim Les coaches and treats his players. This is not a knock against Les at all, just curiousity on my part. I'm sure many posters here have had some contact with Les in the past, so I'd like to hear how he is able to convey his coaching philosophy on his team.

He has done a sensational job the last two seasons getting his team to play so well. He seems like a class act, and while I have all the respect in the world for what Bob Knight has done for the game, I'm just as interested in hearing how Les's methods and personality may or may not compare with Knight's. While I don't have an inherent problem with some of Knight's conduct, I do believe there are better ways of getting a message across than verbally "assaulting" players. I'd be interested in hearing any stories anyone might have.

[MacabreMob]

I bet when he gets ticked off at a player in parctice... he suits up and takes it to the player on the court and SHOWS him how he wants it done.

[tornado]

I have seen Jim get angry at his players, but I really haven't seen it in a year or two, now.
Jim treats his players like family and they have responded well to that.

[Bravesfan]

I have seen Jim get angry at his players, but I really haven't seen it in a year or two, now.
Jim treats his players like family and they have responded well to that.

I've read and heard some things on these boards regarding Les the first couple of years at Bradley, perhaps some rumor and some fact. But like you said, either he has mellowed out because screaming at the players did not work and/or because he has players that now know how to win and he does not feel the need to be yelling at them all the time. All part of the Jim Les learning process from the moment he arrived in Peoria.

As I said in an earlier post, he's a class act, doesn't act like a brat on the sidelines (last night's technical not withstanding, and he apologized to his team for that anyway), and is more than happy to address the media without acting disinterested and immature. Les is a great asset to the team and the university, and here's hoping he will be around a long time!

[Guinness]

Someone in one of my classes last year made a comment about Les. He said he had dealt with him on more than a few occasions and he was a complete and total *******. *shrug* Dont believe 100% of what you hear though.

[bravesmanager11]

Whoever has told you that is completely and totally wrong. I work with the team every day as a manager and I will say coach is a great guy along with the rest of his staff. The whole team is a great group to be around.

[tornado]

Guinness, numerous times when I have heard a negative report about JL or the coaching staff, all you have to do is check the source.
Every single time, without exception, it turns out to come from someone with an agenda who wanted someone other than JL to be hired.

Now, most of those agenda driven people are long gone.
Even some of the most outspoken critics no longer speak, post on the boards, or even give an opinion about BU.
Even the very public turnaround by Judge McDade shows that the honest among the anti-JL crowd, have admitted they were wrong and if they are true Bradley fans, they want to be on board for the great years to come.
Sad that some of those who claimed to be BU fans while all the time bashing, are dwindling, but a few still exist on a message board elsewhere.
I think you know who I mean.

[BradleyBrave]

I have had personal interactions with the coach since the day he came to BU. He has always been cordial, respectful, and outgoing. Even in his low points when folks like myself may have thought the program should think about a different direction, he carried himself and treated people the way they should be treated, which might be hard for other people to do.

We are lucky to have one of our own running the program as successfully as it is right now. BU took a big chance 5 years ago, and for a while the outcome looked bleak. Not so anymore. We're heading in the right direction, and I can't think of a better person to have leading us there.

[McBeam]

I met JL within days of when he got the job and have spoken with him many times since then. Enough for me to say he seems like a good guy. And if a person closely involved with the team says he's a great guy, then that's probably a pretty good gauge.

However if someone says they heard he was an *#@#, that doesnt necessarily mean the person that puts that notion forward didnt want JL to get the job. People have all kinds of opinions about all kinds of people. Some accurate some not. We all know situations where we have an opinion about a person and someone we know has a complelty different opinion. It happens, its part of life.

[tornado]

Of course people are entitled to have varying opinions of Jim Les, but a lot of bias preceded Les and drove some opinions well beyond the reasonable.
I found it odd that, because of my open support of BU and JL, I became the target for a few completely unsolicited "Private Messages" from people who declined to identify themselves (although I was able to figure out who they were) but who levelled some of the most hostile, and slanderous claims about JL.
As I have said before, most of those people had an agenda, but with the statements of Judge McDade, I hope those with the agendas will give it a rest now.
Many already have disappeared, including those who even ripped Coach Les personally because they shifted blame for business failures onto someone other than themselves.

[Braves4Life]

X-Mas coal

Of course people are entitled to have varying opinions of Jim Les, but a lot of bias preceded Les and drove some opinions well beyond the reasonable.
I found it odd that, because of my open support of BU and JL, I became the target for a few completely unsolicited "Private Messages" from people who declined to identify themselves (although I was able to figure out who they were) but who levelled some of the most hostile, and slanderous claims about JL.
As I have said before, most of those people had an agenda, but with the statements of Judge McDade, I hope those with the agendas will give it a rest now.
Many already have disappeared, including those who even ripped Coach Les personally because they shifted blame for business failures onto someone other than themselves.

You should have sent those PM morons a chunk of coal for Christmas (or, better yet, Crow )

[tornado]

B4L, I will elaborate, but not out of spite, only to make it clear what I am talking about. You can take it FWIW, but if I was going to make a big stink I would have done it long ago, but here's a true story....
(although I suspect that the admin won't let this one stay up...)

About a year ago after the 2005-2006 season had gotten underway, and there were still quite a few vocal critics saying BU should jettison JL and start over.

One guy who is a pretty regular poster on the other board, and he has several thousand posts and has been on the PJS board for at least 6-8 years PMed me.
He went into great detail to tell me about ONE single supposed incident that allegedly occurred in the fall of 2005.
He claimed to have inside info and even undeniable proof that this incident occurred and that is was so bad it would certainly turn my opinion against JL.
It involved reportedly an incident that occurred in the Athletic offices, and if it were true it would have been a pretty rude bit of behavior, but certainly nowhere near the stuff we see even on the court from Larry Eustachy or Bob Knight.
But this particular "poster" and supposed Bradley fan claimed it was a morally reprehensible incident and it demanded that BU fire JL.
He went on and on for several PM's virtually lobbying for me to jump on board and call BU and try to get JL fired because he thought this incident was that bad....but I had severe doubts as to the truth of all this because it was so out of character.

well---even IF it was true....not only did I think the whole thing sounded more like just a slip of the tongue or at worst a tactless comment, but I even took the bold step of asking a friend I have who works INSIDE the BU athletic dept. and who would have 1000% more reliability in confirming or denying what I had been told by this poster's PMs.

Well--as you can guess, this inside source stated the whole story was totally untrue and unfounded and when I shared the identity of the poster and even the actual e mails from the guy who was making the claims, this is what I got back:

The actual top tier employee of the Athletic dept responded to me by saying:
"yeah, sure, we know who he is. We've known him for a long time and have followed his posts on the other board, too, and cannot understand he has such hatred and hostility for JL and the people at BU.
He used to be a good fan but it is quite clear that he no longer supports Bradley in any way and that he is openly anti-BU while all the while trying to justify his point of view by claiming to be a long time BU fan".

Again, take it as it is, FWIW.
I am not going to get into arguments, and won't post any of those e mails publicly, but it shows the length that some people will go to try to falsely ruin someone's reputation and do damage for some personal agenda he has.

By the way, the poster in question has never posted publicly on this board by the same name he uses "over there", but he did identify himself to me privately in his effort to sway my beliefs and my opinions.

[Bravesfan]

That was an interesting story, tornado regarding some of these "trolls" who seemed to have an agenda against Les from Day 1.

I have always thought of Les to be a classy individual, and man of character. I too remember reading some pretty vicious postings on this and other boards regarding Les, and I just wanted people in his inner circle to confirm how good a person he is, especially in light of Bob Knight about to break the Division 1 victory record. I am not at all surprised that most if not all people have great things to say about the man. I am also glad he does not carry any of the excessive baggage that a Knight or Eustachy carries.

No one can deny what Knight has done for the game, especially his near perfect graduation of players (those who stay around anyway!). But if Les can get through to his players without cussing up a storm, and if he can get the wins and graduate his players in a professional and dignified way, well so much the better!

Thanks for all the great posts tornado and the rest of the posters who have posted on this topic!

[dogsrus]

I met JL within days of when he got the job and have spoken with him many times since then. Enough for me to say he seems like a good guy. And if a person closely involved with the team says he's a great guy, then that's probably a pretty good gauge.

However if someone says they heard he was an *#@#, that doesnt necessarily mean the person that puts that notion forward didnt want JL to get the job. People have all kinds of opinions about all kinds of people. Some accurate some not. We all know situations where we have an opinion about a person and someone we know has a complelty different opinion. It happens, its part of life.

Well said Mcb....it happens even moreso with public figures. JL could be late for a meeting and someone says "hey coach could you sign this autograph and wait a couple minutes for my kids to get done with swimming and meet them"...coach..sorry, I HAVE to get to this meeting, I'll sign but I can't wait for the kids.

Now you have some guy that will say he was an a$$ and very rude not wanting to meet my kids.

Think of the everyday occurences in your life that you get "by" with because your a nobody (so to speak). Guys like JL have no room for error.

[Guinness]

Guinness, numerous times when I have heard a negative report about JL or the coaching staff, all you have to do is check the source.
Every single time, without exception, it turns out to come from someone with an agenda who wanted someone other than JL to be hired.

Now, most of those agenda driven people are long gone.
Even some of the most outspoken critics no longer speak, post on the boards, or even give an opinion about BU.
Even the very public turnaround by Judge McDade shows that the honest among the anti-JL crowd, have admitted they were wrong and if they are true Bradley fans, they want to be on board for the great years to come.
Sad that some of those who claimed to be BU fans while all the time bashing, are dwindling, but a few still exist on a message board elsewhere.
I think you know who I mean.

Hence why I said "Dont always believe everything you hear", and actually its probably good practice to never believe anything someone says bad about a person.