Final: Bradley 63 SIU 44

[Da Coach]

Cunningham's just a freshman....
any other freshmen - especially any other true freshman PF's putting up as good of numbers as Josh is??

Again, don't go just by his numbers, those are significantly inflated by playing big minutes against bad, small teams like NC A&T, Eureka, UIC, and others.
Those numbers will fall now that there are no more cupcakes.
Recall that Jordan Prosser's numbers as a freshman were 5.3 ppg and 5.5 rpg, and that was over an entire season, and against better competition.

I don't deny he is a good rebounder. But he will need to improve his shooting and ball-handling a lot to become a consistent scorer. I am not saying he can't. But it doesn't come easily, and what is your evidence that this staff can get him to improve in those areas?

And speaking of true freshmen- SIU freshman Jordan Caroline was lightly recruited, but he is averaging 9.4 ppg and 7.0 rpg, both those averages are better than Josh's numbers (6.3/6.7), and he is playing fewer minutes than Josh.

[Da Coach]

Dave Reynolds' article about the BU-SIU game-

Bradley ???struggling with confidence??™ heading into game against Southern Illinois

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20150102/SPORTS/150109840/12701/SPORTS

[tornado]

the article this morning describes the Salukis as
"the youngest team in the Valley"

but this is according to some calculations on "KenPom"
that show these figures that they label "experience" (not age)


1.05 Southern Illinois
1.41 Missouri State
1.55 Evansville
1.56 Illinois State
1.57 Drake
1.64 Wichita State
1.67 Indiana State
1.69 Loyola
1.73 Bradley
2.11 Northern Iowa

http://www.siusalukis.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/010215aaa.html

but there's a lot of apparently arbitrary variables built into this, since we have a lot of new DI players but apparently their years at juco count the same as years of playing in DI, and apparently so do redshirt years..

But a couple different calculations demonstrate SIU is not really all that bad off in terms of actual DI playing and starting experience...
In fact, they're kinda right there with Bradley

Total years of experience playing in DI:
Bradley - 12 (4 of which are Fields & Wells, our least used players!)
SIU - 10

Total years of experience playing in DI as a starter:
Bradley - 3 (only Barnes, Grier, Taylor have been starters)
SIU - 5 (Beane has started 2 years, Olanynan, Smithpeters, O'Brien one)



BTW - that same link shows SIU is the "shortest team in the Valley" while we are the tallest...
we need to take advantage!!!!

[Da Coach]

Below is the "experience level" of the 10 MVC teams, according to KenPom.com.
Years Team
1.05 Southern Illinois
1.41 Missouri State
1.55 Evansville
1.56 Illinois State
1.57 Drake
1.64 Wichita State
1.67 Indiana State
1.69 Loyola
1.73 Bradley
2.11 Northern Iowa

So does Ken Pomeroy know what he's talking about? According to his stats, Bradley is the 2nd oldest team in the MVC. But we have been told repeatedly by Dave Reynolds and Kirk Wessler that Bradley is a "young" team.

Here is a quote from one of Dave Reynolds' articles earlier this season-
"Bradley has a young, inexperienced team... "

And this quote from Geno Ford appeared in Kirk Wessler's column on December 28, 2014, less than a week ago!-
“Defensively,” Ford said, “I would grade us extremely high, especially with the new and young guys we have.

And the "young" excuse was already planted before the season began with several references in the HOOPS section articles in November.

So which is it? Are we really a "young" team as the excuse-makers have repeatedly told us, or is Ken Pomeroy correct, and Bradley's average age and experience one of the oldest in the MVC?

[tornado]

and we had heard this is the toughest team Bradley has had in decades - tough, aggressive, confident, deep, intense, "takes no excuses", "not back down",, talented...

but this morning's headline...
"Bradley 'struggling with confidence'"

https://twitter.com/pjstarsports/status/551235082388660224

well, there's no time to struggle with confidence or fret about our shortfalls....isn't it the coach's job to get them focused, ready and confident?
This is why we focused on getting tough Chicago kids who would be confident and give Bradley an edge..

[Vent]

So does Ken Pomeroy know what he's talking about? According to his stats, Bradley is the 2nd oldest team in the MVC. But we have been told repeatedly by Dave Reynolds and Kirk Wessler that Bradley is a "young" team.

Here is a quote from one of Dave Reynolds' articles earlier this season-
"Bradley has a young, inexperienced team... "

And this quote from Geno Ford appeared in Kirk Wessler's column on December 28, 2014, less than a week ago!-
???Defensively,??? Ford said, ???I would grade us extremely high, especially with the new and young guys we have.

And the "young" excuse was already planted before the season began with several references in the HOOPS section articles in November.

So which is it? Are we really a "young" team as the excuse-makers have repeatedly told us, or is Ken Pomeroy correct, and Bradley's average age and experience one of the oldest in the MVC?

Pomeroy is talking about the actual age of the players. Reynolds is talking about D-1 experience. Two different issues. Bradley has a lot of junior college transfers this year and two freshmen. Neither have D-1 experience. It's not like the junior college transfers are David Thirdkill, Donald Reece, Hassan Houston, Barney Mines, Kerry Cook, Bobby Ford, Roosevelt Davison and etc. In my mind, it's more of an issue of lack of sufficient talent, poor overall coaching and a weak Board of Trustees, as opposed to who said what.

[Da Coach]

Pomeroy is talking about the actual age of the players. Reynolds is talking about D-1 experience. Two different issues. Bradley has a lot of junior college transfers this year and two freshmen. Neither have D-1 experience. It's not like the junior college transfers are David Thirdkill, Donald Reece, Hassan Houston, Barney Mines, Kerry Cook, Bobby Ford, Roosevelt Davison and etc. In my mind, it's more of an issue of lack of sufficient talent, poor overall coaching and a weak Board of Trustees, as opposed to who said what.

Yes, I do know that. But it's the PJ Star and Geno that should be corrected- they are the ones who keep repeating the "young" excuse.

[saluki762]

the article this morning describes the Salukis as
"the youngest team in the Valley"

but this is according to some calculations on "KenPom"
that show these figures that they label "experience" (not age)


1.05 Southern Illinois
1.41 Missouri State
1.55 Evansville
1.56 Illinois State
1.57 Drake
1.64 Wichita State
1.67 Indiana State
1.69 Loyola
1.73 Bradley
2.11 Northern Iowa

http://www.siusalukis.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/010215aaa.html

but there's a lot of apparently arbitrary variables built into this, since we have a lot of new DI players but apparently their years at juco count the same as years of playing in DI, and apparently so do redshirt years..

But a couple different calculations demonstrate SIU is not really all that bad off in terms of actual DI playing and starting experience...
In fact, they're kinda right there with Bradley

Total years of experience playing in DI:
Bradley - 12 (4 of which are Fields & Wells, our least used players!)
SIU - 10

Total years of experience playing in DI as a starter:
Bradley - 3 (only Barnes, Grier, Taylor have been starters)
SIU - 5 (Beane has started 2 years, Olanynan, Smithpeters, O'Brien one)



BTW - that same link shows SIU is the "shortest team in the Valley" while we are the tallest...
we need to take advantage!!!!

SIU will be starting 3 freshman, 1 sophomore, and 1 junior tonight. Given this and what I have seen of Bradley, it should be an ugly terrible game.

[tornado]

SIU will be starting 3 freshman, 1 sophomore, and 1 junior tonight. ...

3 freshmen? I really doubt it --
The starters in their last game were Caroline, O'Brien, Pendleton, Beane, and Smithpeters...
These have been the starters in practically every single one of their games...

Caroline is the only freshman - all the rest are sophomores & juniors

In fact, the two youngest players on the floor by far will be Josh Cunningham & Donte Thomas
and Xzavier Taylor is younger than any SIU starter except Caroline

[tornado]

since beating a dead horse is all fair game on message boards...here goes...

here's the pregame notes on Bradley
it says the average age of Bradley's 14 roster players on opening night is
20.53 months

http://www.bradleybraves.com/pdf9/3078211.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=209736393

but here are the ages of all the players on SIU's roster on opening night
.. per their own web site...

Beane 20 y 5 mo
Caroline 18 y 10 mo
Djimde 22y 11 mo
Fletcher 19 y 0 mo
Glotta 19 yr 8 mo
Goodwin 20 yr 1 mo
Lavender n/a but probably about 19
Leek 22 yr 0 mo
O'Brien 19 yr 11 mo
Olaniyan 21 yr 8 mo
Pendleton 21 yr 3 mo
Smithpeters 20 yr 11 mo
Verhines 21 yr 11 mo
Weiher 19 yr 5 mo

http://www.siusalukis.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/silu-m-baskbl-mtt.html

So their average age is... 20 yr 6 mo or 20.53 - precisely the same as the 14 rostered players!!!

[saluki762]

3 freshmen? I really doubt it --
The starters in their last game were Caroline, O'Brien, Pendleton, Beane, and Smithpeters...
These have been the starters in practically every single one of their games...

Caroline is the only freshman - all the rest are sophomores & juniors

In fact, the two youngest players on the floor by far will be Josh Cunningham & Donte Thomas
and Xzavier Taylor is younger than any SIU starter except Caroline

Smithpeters and Pendleton will be replaced by Goodwin and Lavender.

[Da Coach]

I have done my own calculation of the average age of the Bradley players, and I believe the number in the media guide is off significantly. Bradley's average age at the start of this season was approximately 21.1 years (it is now 21.3 years), and that puts them near the top in the MVC in average age.

Note that Bradley has the fewest freshmen and sophs, and the most juniors and seniors of any team. Plus, Bradley's senior is a 5th year senior, and at least 4 of the juniors are 4th year juniors (which would usually make them seniors).
Also, whether Jackson Kane (the walkon) is counted, or Kendahl Amerson is or isn't counted, it does not change things very much. Since they are both close to the team's average age, adding or subtracting them does not move the average more than a tiny bit.

[Tulsa Brave]

since beating a dead horse is all fair game on message boards...here goes...

here's the pregame notes on Bradley
it says the average age of Bradley's 14 roster players on opening night is
20.53 months

http://www.bradleybraves.com/pdf9/3078211.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=209736393

Now that I know that our average player is only 20.53 months old, I'm actually very impressed with our performance thus far...

[Da Coach]

SIU shooting very poorly. Bradley started out shooting just as poorly, but they have caught fire the last 5-6 minutes of the half to take a 33-19 halftime lead.

Stats

http://stats.statbroadcast.com/mobile/?id=69150

[PistolP]

First time watching Sutherland. Plenty of mistakes and missed shots, but actually enjoyable to watch him as well as Cunningham. At least with Sutherland, we have someone who can break down his guy off the dribble, get into the lane, set up other guys by distributing at the hoop or kicking out. Of course, we really don't have anyone to finish but at least Sutherland can get places on the floor that Bell and Grier cannot. Grier is awful defensively. Don't understand why he got so many minutes in the second half. Wanna see a little more Nate when it counts- he is no worse than Shaw, Taylor, and Morgan.