Rebuilding?

[bigjimmy]

All I know is that it's been the S.O.S. the last 4 years and nothing changes. Too many missed point blank shots, too many reach in fouls, too many unforced turnovers, too many wild thrown up shots as the shot clock is about to expire, too many bricks from both the 2 point and 3 point lines, too many easy baskets and wide open 3's from the other team. TOO MANY! Now before you think I'm throwing the players under the bus like Geno there is 1 simple fact. Players play, coaches coach. Geno and his staff were the ones who brought all of these players in the last 4 years because they thought they were talented enough and could play in his system. You expect the players to progress and they just haven't. That's on the coaches. You'd expect for their to be adjustments during the game but Geno stays true to his sorry system. For a guy who is top 5 all time in scoring in Ohio high school basketball when has he ever recruited a shooter. The players still have to play but if what they are doing isn't working than the coaches need to either coach them up or bring in players who can play. Geno has simply done neither and his time is up. Madame soon to be former President needs to get out of the way and let the BOT hire the AD and then the BOT needs to let the AD hire the coach.

[wily coyote]

So if you were the coach, and you had the league's worst 3-point shooting team, you's have them launching threes for 35%+ of their shots? I doubt it.

A good coach maximizes the talents of his players, not maximize their weaknesses.

Don't have the stats but I bet we have missed more 2 footers and layups than 3's. There is no correct answer as to what sets or plays should be run to solve this lack of talent. I'm not saying we should jack up 3's I'm just saying as bad as we shoot from anywhere on the floor it doesn't matter what Geno tries to run. If Geno is back or a new coach comes in they have a h=ll of a lot of work to do.

[Da Coach]

It is always interesting to read past perspectives about Bradley and compare them to where we actually are now.
Here is a column by Kirk Wessler from the beginning of the 2013-14 season (just last season)-
Not superhuman, but looking good

http://www.pjstar.com/article/201311...1/10964/SPORTS

First, Auston Barnes is compared as a "reasonable facsimilie" to Andrew Wiggins of Kansas (now playing in the NBA). It was suggested Barnes would be an intimidating inside presence at Bradley, and that Bradley had "potential depth this program hasn't seen in a while".
We know how that turned out

Kirk also exclaimed, "I remain convinced Bradley is getting better."
As we now know, he could not have been more wrong. Bradley finished a disappointing 12-25 last season, significantly worse than the previous season, and they have really gone downhill from there

There were a number of other comments that were more than a bit overly optimistic, but this one stood out-

"...a game that was in doubt until the final minute. Some fans might be disturbed by that against Jacksonville State....The Gamecocks, however, are a decent team."

Wrong- Jacksonville State was one of the worst teams in Division I last year. They finished last season 10-21 with an RPI of 320!

Then there were these comments-
That brings us to the giant banner hanging from Section 9 of the upper bowl in Carver: "Geno's Fallout Shelter."
There has been an unfortunate cyberwar between defenders of former BU coach Jim Les and others who either advocated, or have at least come to accept, his March 2011 firing. Some of the defenders continue to predict long-term "fallout" for the Bradley program as a result of the decision to fire Les and hire Ford. The banner was a show of support for Ford and where the Braves are headed.
Frankly, that looks to be upward.
After back-to-back last-place MVC finishes, the first under Les and the second under Ford, the Braves tied for seventh last season. A return to the solid middle this season is likely, and a top-four finish is possible. Considering that BU has not finished above fourth since 2001, that would be considered significant progress.

Wow, really? A "top-four finish"?
We now we can say with certainty that those who accurately predicted all this fallout were right, and Kirk and the fallout-deniers were completely wrong.
I can understand why some fans who don't follow things very closely or who grossly over-rated the coaching and talent could be so wrong, but it's hard to understand how someone who follows basketball for a living could have been so wrong.

[Tulsa Brave]

Simple- better passing, better motion and cutting, creating better, higher percentage shots. And most of all, stop taking so many low-percentage shots we can't make!

Here is an amazing stat that you haven't seen the PJ Star point out-
Bradley is the worst 3-point shooting team in the MVC (31.6%), yet they have attempted an amazing 503 three pointers on the season! That is 18 three point attempts per game, more than any other MVC team except Indiana State and Wichita State.
Question- If Bradley is the worst 3-point shooting team, why do they take so many of them?

The answer is simple...it's better than the alternative. Here's an even more telling stat. we're only better than 80 D-1 teams in 3-point percentage, but we're only better than 7 D-1 teams (out of 351) in 2-point percentage, at 40.5%. So we take a lot of 3's because it's better than the alternative. 31.6% from 3 gets us more points overall than 40.2% from 2.

[tornado]

we never throw bounce passes - we keep throwing them chest high right into the passing lanes, and quick teams like ISU just tip, deflect, or steal them easily.

A simple bounce pass is far harder to steal cuz the defenders don't already have their hands right there at floor level.

[PistolP]

The answer is simple...it's better than the alternative. Here's an even more telling stat. we're only better than 80 D-1 teams in 3-point percentage, but we're only better than 7 D-1 teams (out of 351) in 2-point percentage, at 40.5%. So we take a lot of 3's because it's better than the alternative. 31.6% from 3 gets us more points overall than 40.2% from 2.

To say that we should continue to take 3 point shots instead of 2's because we'll score more points in the end is like saying that we should shoot the first possible 3 on each possession because our assist to turnover ratio has been awful this year like the previous years under Geno. If guys are likely to turn it over, you might as well get a shot in first and give it a chance? No, of course not. Basketball is simple. CREATE as many easy shots as you can and LIMIT the other teams easy shots. This is partially due to talent but really comes down to coaching and players who understand their individual role on the TEAM and work ethic towards a common goal for the good of the TEAM. Finger ultimately points to GENO. Anyone who tries to say otherwise is entitled to their opinion, but their opinion is wrong.

[Tulsa Brave]

My point was that we cannot shoot straight from any spot on the floor even when open. In the games I've seen, we miss open 3's, open 10-footers, and point blank layups far more frequently than most any other team I've seen all season. To say we shouldn't be shooting 3's because of whet our percentage and conference rank from there is is just as wrong as saying we shouldn't be shooting 2's because of what our percentage and conference rank from there is. The bottom line is that the biggest reason we are where we are in the standings is because we cannot put the ball in the basket regardless of the quality of the shot.

[Da Coach]

To boil down what my original point was as "we shouldn't be shooting 3's", or "the players who can't make layups should take more of them", is reductio ad absurdum.

My point was that since we are the worst team in the league shooting threes, instead of simply launching more of them than anyone else, we need a coaching strategy to get higher percentage shots for the guys who are our better shooters (yes, that is what Coach K would do).
I agree we have guys who can't make layups. I am not saying feed those guys the ball and have them brick more layups. I am saying that with an adjustment in coaching, the players who take the most shots on the team (Barnes, Sutherland, Grier, Cunningham, Jones, and Bell) should be able to get better, higher percentage shots, instead of how our terrible offense seems to work- pass around the perimeter then just launch low-percentage threes.

[PistolP]

Agreed. My point is that a good shot for one guy is not necessarily a good shot for another guy. Everyone on the team should know (if they don't know, the coach needs to tell them) where on the floor they are supposed to shoot the ball. For example, a guy like Steve Novak (I know we don't have this guy) has the green light to shoot an open 3 whenever he has a touch no matter how early in a possession with the exception that it is late in a game and you are holding a lead, etc. Novak is much more comfortable and able to succeed with an open 3 than a dribble drive down the baseline with attempt to finish at the rim. We need to recruit guys who can catch and consistently knock down a perimeter shot. This falls on GENO and his staff. I would much rather have a few one-dimensional guys who can do something very well rather than have "athletic" guys who really don't do anything well. Create a team and play to the both the team's and individual's strengths. Don't just set screens without purpose. Use the screen and move guys without the ball to improve spacing on the floor. Don't just shoot because you are open. Everyone should know when they should look to score and when they should not. This will depend on 1) who is on the floor, 2) context or game situation, 3) what our opponent is doing defensively, 4) who is succeeding during that game. Playing pick-up basketball with 9 guys you don't know is one of the greatest things in the world. The team that often wins and stays on the court is the one who can identify who should handle the ball, who should be shooting, etc. and what each other's roles should be in that game up to 11, etc. Now if you have a D-1 team with a head coach making 750k, a recruiting budget, assistant coaches, a film room, and opportunities to spend significant time with the members of the team, you should be able to teach and coach these young individuals on how to play the game with some sense of court awareness and decision-making with practice focused on skill improvement.

[Tommy]

They are too busy patting themselves on the back for the great job they are doing, giving themselves ungodly huge raises and extensions despite lack of results, and these recent articles with all of them touting their great achievements are classic proof that they never will see the problems.

Yes. And the fact that we didn't know about the extension that Geno received until recently - what does that say about the way they do business? What possible reason would there be to keep that a secret unless you knew it was a decision that would be strongly questioned by anyone and everyone!

So glad that change is coming, and it can't come fast enough! History has proven that if leadership at the top is destructive, it always has a cascading effect. Glad to see we are on the road to recovery, and as so many others have posted here already - it's paramount that we find the right person to replace Glasser. Let's not repeat the same mistake.

Here's to choosing the right president and better days to come, Bradley! Looking forward to the future!

[Tommy]

De-Building?

During last couple years of his reign, GF has lamented his players lack of: buy in, leadership, effort, execution...

...

Isn't bringing the best out of the players what you pay a coach to do?

And as for the effort - if effort was the problem, why did he have his clear best effort guy riding the bench for most of the season (aka Nate Wells)?

GF has been making excuses from Day 1, and frankly, I'll never forget when he first got here. One of the first things he did was go out of his way to talk about how the team was lacking talent, but HE was going to change that. First of all, for a coach to say that about the players he is going to be coaching has got to be one of the worst possible things you can do. Secondly, it just wasn't true. They had plenty enough talent to compete in the Valley had they had a decent coach.

I'm just curious. Now that he's got all of HIS guys, why have the results been so abysmal? I don't think it's lack of talent. Anxious to see what a different coach can do with these kids, and I expect much better results in the future (obviously).

[Tommy]

So we take a lot of 3's because it's better than the alternative. 31.6% from 3 gets us more points overall than 40.2% from 2.

I think the reason we take so many 3's is because we have no offense. Anyone going to the games can see that they don't run any type of offense, and half the time they're just chucking it up whenever from wherever.

Josh Cunningham is a perfect example of a complete lack of discipline on the floor. This kid has a .200 3 point percentage, and is 4th on the team in attempts, but he keeps chucking them up there whenever he gets a chance. Why? If I were the coach, I'd say 'hey, Josh, that's not your game, don't take 3's.' And if he did, I'd pull him out of the game immediately. He's just too good of a rebounder to be taking shots that far away from the basket when we know 4 times out of 5 he's going to miss it!

Clearly by my post count today I'm extremely exhausted and frustrated as a fan. Is it hubris to honestly believe that you could do a better job of coaching than the person currently doing it for your favorite D1 school?

[Braves2006]

I can't recall the last time... Or anytime I have seen Geno get angry with a player and yanking them for being undisciplined..

[Vent]

Often times when you rebuild something, you must demolish it first. Well...the demolition has already been done to the men's basketball team and also, to the majority of the other athletic department teams.

Assuming BU is in the market for a new men's basketball coach at the end of this season, and I hope they are, how good of a coach can we expect to get and how good of a job it is. It's been 30 years (the 80's) since we've really had any sustained success, with NCAA and NIT appearances. We would have more post season tournaments had the, alphabet soup-pay your way into the tournaments, been around back then. They may have won 20 games just about every year, even with playing a lot less games.

Although we all love Bradley basketball, it is nowhere near the program or is the Valley anywhere near the conference it once was. We may now be a school and conference, the better applicants fall back on, if they don't get the job they really want.

[Da Coach]

Rebuilding? More like massive failure.

Flashback- here is the final standings for the terrible 2011-12 season in which Bradley went 2-16 in the MVC, and 7-25 overall-

http://statsheet.com/mcb/conferences/missouri-valley?season=2011-2012

And here are today's standings-

http://statsheet.com/mcb/conferences/missouri-valley

So after 4 years of this current "rebuilding" that was promised by Bradley's administration, and predicted and cheered on by the Peoria Journal Star, Bradley is right back where they were in Geno's first year.
In fact, here is the 2010-11 season final standings-

http://statsheet.com/mcb/conferences/missouri-valley?season=2010-2011

And even in the terrible injury filled final season under Jim les, Bradley won 4 games in a far stronger MVC. That is as many or possibly more) than this 4th-year team of Geno's will win.

Plus, Geno's only All MVC players in his 4 seasons have been Jim Les' recruits (Taylor Brown, and Walt Lemon twice, as well as DSE as DPOY).
This is guaranteed to be the first season Bradley will not have at least one All-MVC player since 2002-03.

It is just staggering how inferior the talent has been, how over-rated the recruits have been, and how bad the performance of the team has been these last 4 years, despite the lofty promises made, and the massive increases in salaries, and spending in the Athletic department. Yet despite the huge decline of the quality of the MVC, after 4 years Bradley still finds themselves in last place and unable to beat even the worst opponents. The MVC is as weak this season as it has been at any time in the last 15+ years with 5 really bad teams, 3 mediocre teams, and only 2 good teams. By comparison, in 2006, the MVC had 6 teams in the top 50 RPI! Now we have just 2 in the top 80.
And despite the repeated efforts of the PJ Star, it cannot be blamed on injuries or bad luck. Just monumental failure by those who made these changes, and who promised great things, but who have been wrong about everything, and who have driven a great program into the ground.