Xzavier Taylor wants to come back?

[Da Coach]

I haven't seen any signs that XT was uncoachable. I just think he lacked coaching. I feel optimistic this staff will be different.
Coach Wardle and Coach Foster already have a better track record with developing big men at Green Bay, compared with the big man recruits these last 4 years which showed little progression.

[tornado]

college centers rarely ever become successful with the ubiquitous move we saw under Geno Ford, where our BIG MEN back their defender down low, then turn 1/3 of a turn and toss a mini-fadeaway-sky-hook...almost as if they are afraid they might get touched or hurt or get the ball slapped back in their face and so they want to unload as awkwardly and get the heck out of there as fast as they can!

Seriously - look at the numbers statistically...
Xzavier Taylor + Jermaine Morgan + Mike Shaw +Nate Wells combined for 1304 minutes played, 274 shots attempted, and yet only 101 FT attempts.

Seth Tuttle played 1063 minutes, shot 303 times and yet went to the FT line almost TWICE as much all by himself - 195 times.
The year Eric Coleman was a senior he played 763 minutes but went to the line 191 times - Theron Wilson went to the FT line 251 times in 2009, Bayo 211 times!

EVERY big man this league has ever known goes to the FT line MORE than any of our guys ever do
Our big guys look like they've been coached by a weak women's coach!

Our big men under Geno Ford have never heard of the concept of GOING UP STRONG.
Despite all the hype & talk of how deep and talented we were in the paint - we are incredibly soft and have never understood one the single most basic concepts of the entire game of basketball...
GET THE BALL IN THE PAINT - AND WHEN YOU DO, GO UP STRONG and stop being soft...

[Canton BU fan]

college centers rarely ever become successful with the ubiquitous move we saw under Geno Ford, where our BIG MEN back their defender down low, then turn 1/3 of a turn and toss a mini-fadeaway-sky-hook...almost as if they are afraid they might get touched or hurt or get the ball slapped back in their face and so they want to unload as awkwardly and get the heck out of there as fast as they can!

Seriously - look at the numbers statistically...
Xzavier Taylor + Jermaine Morgan + Mike Shaw +Nate Wells combined for 1304 minutes played, 274 shots attempted, and yet only 101 FT attempts.

Seth Tuttle played 1063 minutes, shot 303 times and yet went to the FT line almost TWICE as much all by himself - 195 times.
The year Eric Coleman was a senior he played 763 minutes but went to the line 191 times - Theron Wilson went to the FT line 251 times in 2009, Bayo 211 times!

EVERY big man this league has ever known goes to the FT line MORE than any of our guys ever do
Our big guys look like they've been coached by a weak women's coach!

Our big men under Geno Ford have never heard of the concept of GOING UP STRONG.
Despite all the hype & talk of how deep and talented we were in the paint - we are incredibly soft and have never understood one the single most basic concepts of the entire game of basketball...
GET THE BALL IN THE PAINT - AND WHEN YOU DO, GO UP STRONG and stop being soft...

Maybe that was the approach since they couldn't make any free throws.

[tornado]

guess ya got me there...but at least they'd be getting the other guys' big men in foul trouble - something that's caused our big guys trouble thru the entire Geno era

[Da Coach]

Update from a reliable source. Some of this has been previously reported:

Xzavier Taylor asked to return to the team. Coach Wardle was agreeable and allowed him back on probation. But today, Xzavier skipped the team workout and instead went to scrimmage with the departing players at a prearranged off-campus location.
So Xzavier will definitely not be part of next year's team.

Donte Thomas remains with the team for now, and is doing OK with the workouts.

Omari Grier plans to stay in school until he finishes the semester. He's on track to graduate, then he might still leave Bradley.

So as I hear things-
The players remaining on the team:
Ka'Darryl Bell
Donte Thomas
Warren Jones
Anthony Fields
Omari Grier (for now)
Mike Shaw
Jackson Kane

Incoming recruits:
Ronnie Suggs (NLI received)
Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (NLI received)
Joel Okafor
Antoine Pittman
(there will be no official confirmation until they enroll for Okafor and Pittman since they cannot sign NLI's)
That means there are 4 open scholarships now, and 4 more open next year.

Players not returning:
Xzavier Taylor
Tramique Sutherland
Jermaine Morgan
Kendahl Amerson
Josh Cunningham
Nate Wells (graduating)

And more recruit visits being scheduled.

[Big Mike]

WOW?

[bigjimmy]

You're either all in or you're out of here. Too bad that X couldn't see the forest through the trees. I can't imagine X was afraid of a little hard work. Had to be some bugs in his ear that influenced his choice. I hope he finds what he's looking for.

[Toyota12]

Really sad! He blows a tremendous opportunity to play D1 basketball and get an education from a great school and be part of a great turn around that is ready to happen.

[Chico]

Don't let the door hit you in the --- X and be sure to thank whoever talked you out of this great opportunity.

[Vent]

This is disappointing. I was hoping "X" would return, conform to the changes and become a real success story. Hopefully he lands on his feet somewhere, gets his education and becomes a success in life.

[Tommy]

That's too bad. I guess he'll have to go foul out somewhere else.

[Braves2006]

I am thrilled that it didnt work out. I was not in favor of him coming back. Fresh slate, new start, GO BRAVES!

[pfcmsh]

Wonder If This Is Typical of Previous Regime

You would think that if X was allowed back on probation that he knew what was expected of him.

I wonder if his choice to skip practice and scrimmage with departing teammates is indicative of the lack of discipline that was present before Coach Wardle came in. Perhaps I am wrong, but this lack of team work and discipline would have made our team unsuccessful, no matter what the talent level was.

I go back to an earlier post I had submitted which suggested that players of the old regime would play better under the new coaching staff. I hope that this is true. Then we might see the true abilities of the remaining players. I remember Warren Jones scoring 33 this past season. How many more times could he or others score well if the team was playing as a unit? I hope that what is left of the old regime will play better under Coach Wardle. That will just allow the full talents of the new guys to show.

I am grateful that the BOTs finally took unprecedented action to begin to restore Bradley to championship form.

[patrick_o'brian]

you would think that if x was allowed back on probation that he knew what was expected of him.

I wonder if his choice to skip practice and scrimmage with departing teammates is indicative of the lack of discipline that was present before coach wardle came in. Perhaps i am wrong, but this lack of team work and discipline would have made our team unsuccessful, no matter what the talent level was.

I go back to an earlier post i had submitted which suggested that players of the old regime would play better under the new coaching staff. I hope that this is true. Then we might see the true abilities of the remaining players. I remember warren jones scoring 33 this past season. How many more times could he or others score well if the team was playing as a unit? I hope that what is left of the old regime will play better under coach wardle. That will just allow the full talents of the new guys to show.

I am grateful that the bots finally took unprecedented action to begin to restore bradley to championship form.

great post! ^^^^^^^^^^^^

[RedSoxDSM]

DC - why can't Pittman and Okafor sign NLI's? I thought they were both incoming freshmen.