Scottie James commits to Bradley

[pfcmsh]

Agree On Versace

BW and Staff....What an absolutely outstanding job of recruiting and putting Bradley back on track. I am an old Versace guy and a personal friend of Dicks and always thought his recruiting class with Mitchel Anderson, etc was the best ever at Bradley. I was wrong! You guys have done even better.
Wiz

Hi Wiz. I am a big Versace guy too. Thirdkill, Anderson, Reese, Mines, Willy Scott. Awesome players and I am sure I am leaving out several other great players involved in the NIT win in 1982.

I sure agree with you that I think Coach Wardle appears to have done an outstanding job of selling Bradley to great athletes at the end of the recruiting period. I can't wait to see the team play. I feel good about what has happened in the past 2 months!! The ticket demand is high for the June 2nd welcoming luncheon. In my email to Coach Wardle, I mentioned that he may not realize the kind of support he is going to get from us. The luncheon ticket demand is a harbinger of support to come.

I never have been a season ticket holder because of distance and weather. I am going to rethink that really hard now.

I realize that we haven't even practiced together yet, let alone, play against a Valley team. I compare to 3 months ago, I am elated with what has happened and the student athletes that we have signed up. Wait until you see Pittman play!!!

Hope to meet some of you guys at the luncheon.

GO BRAVES!!!

[Canton BU fan]

I agree this recruiting class appears pretty good especially considering it's all happened in the spring.

[tornado]

nothing short of miraculous...multiple difference-makers & go-to guys, best set of big men since JJ Anderson and Donald Reese

[Chibearsfan10125]

nothing short of miraculous...multiple difference-makers & go-to guys, best set of big men since JJ Anderson and Donald Reese

If the last 4 years have taught me anything, it's to hold off on declaring someone a difference maker or go to guy until we see them on the court. Still I'm loving the optimism. On paper this class looks great, but games aren't played on paper.

[pfcmsh]

Love To Hear More

nothing short of miraculous...multiple difference-makers & go-to guys, best set of big men since JJ Anderson and Donald Reese

Hi Tornado,

I sure like to hear this. Could you expound on your thoughts as to the recruiting class. If they are the best set of big men since Anderson and Reese, Id sure enjoy reading why you feel this way. Please know I am not disagreeing with you. I just want to hear someone else thinking the same things that I do. I would love to hear more about your thoughts.

[tornado]

Hi Tornado,

I sure like to hear this. Could you expound on your thoughts .... If they are the best set of big men since Anderson and Reese....

ok - it was a little joke but since you asked.....

-first - I don't think that - the little smiley face is a hint that it was a "tongue-in-cheek" statement

-it is a parody on the glowing column that was written by Dave Reynolds back November of 2014 claiming Geno Ford's recruiting class last fall was possibly the toughest, most aggressive, deepest and best since the frontcourt 30+ years ago when we had Thirdkill, Anderson, & Reese.

This column was laughable right from the start and we all knew it yet I have never yet seen anything to suggest Dave Reynolds has reversed his opinion, withdrawn this stupid comment or would similarly praise this year's recruiting class.

Get ready - here's the punch line....

"One must go back to the early 1980s when bigs Mitchell Anderson, David Thirdkill and Donald Reese were the Braves’ top three scorers and rebounders for back-to-back seasons and could accurately be described as the strength of the team....
.... the current frontcourt of Mike Shaw, Xzavier Taylor, Jermaine Morgan, Josh Cunningham, Auston Barnes and Nate Wells .....possess more quality frontcourt depth than those teams of yore.."

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20141112/SPORTS/141119708/10962/SPORTS

Plus he doubled down with this comment...
"A defining moment" in the history of recruiting at Bradley
"since the 1980s when Dick Versace's staff signed city standout after city standout —
from Mitchell Anderson to Donald Reese to Willie Scott to Hersey Hawkins."

...Remember this day, Bradley fans. It may take some time.
But it may well be a moment that ushers in a return to glory for the Braves."

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=306166#post306166

-Kirk Wessler likewise lauded Geno's recruits -

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140503/SPORTS/140509714/10962/SPORTS

...amd they claimed Geno's recruiting class was one of the top three recruiting classes since the Hersey Hawkins era - on par with the Deon Jackson/Billy Wright & the Cellus/DRuff/Crouch groups...

they missed so badly and so repeatedly on their assessments of Geno's recruits that it really does deserve some further study and further discussion so maybe they won't make the same monumental mistakes again.

[bigjimmy]

I just remember how I was feeling on Friday night March 6 in St. Louis as I watched us play another horrific half and wondering, with us only losing Barnes to graduation, how we could possibly keep sinking lower and lower. Getting rid of the trifecta of Geno, Cross and Madame President and the light at the end of the tunnel could finally be seen. With each recruit being brought in by Coach Wardle and staff that light keeps getting brighter. Are these guys as good as I've been reading about? Time will tell but if the future is as good as Da Coach, Tornado and others are saying that light is going to be shining so bright I think I'm going to need to be wearing some shades

[tornado]

can't possibly get any worse.....

[pfcmsh]

ok - it was a little joke but since you asked.....

-first - I don't think that - the little smiley face is a hint that it was a "tongue-in-cheek" statement

-it is a parody on the glowing column that was written by Dave Reynolds back November of 2014 claiming Geno Ford's recruiting class last fall was possibly the toughest, most aggressive, deepest and best since the frontcourt 30+ years ago when we had Thirdkill, Anderson, & Reese.

This column was laughable right from the start and we all knew it yet I have never yet seen anything to suggest Dave Reynolds has reversed his opinion, withdrawn this stupid comment or would similarly praise this year's recruiting class.

Get ready - here's the punch line....

"One must go back to the early 1980s when bigs Mitchell Anderson, David Thirdkill and Donald Reese were the Braves??™ top three scorers and rebounders for back-to-back seasons and could accurately be described as the strength of the team....
.... the current frontcourt of Mike Shaw, Xzavier Taylor, Jermaine Morgan, Josh Cunningham, Auston Barnes and Nate Wells .....possess more quality frontcourt depth than those teams of yore.."

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20141112/SPORTS/141119708/10962/SPORTS

Plus he doubled down with this comment...
"A defining moment" in the history of recruiting at Bradley
"since the 1980s when Dick Versace's staff signed city standout after city standout ??”
from Mitchell Anderson to Donald Reese to Willie Scott to Hersey Hawkins."

...Remember this day, Bradley fans. It may take some time.
But it may well be a moment that ushers in a return to glory for the Braves."

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=306166#post306166

-Kirk Wessler likewise lauded Geno's recruits -

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140503/SPORTS/140509714/10962/SPORTS

...amd they claimed Geno's recruiting class was one of the top three recruiting classes since the Hersey Hawkins era - on par with the Deon Jackson/Billy Wright & the Cellus/DRuff/Crouch groups...

they missed so badly and so repeatedly on their assessments of Geno's recruits that it really does deserve some further study and further discussion so maybe they won't make the same monumental mistakes again.

Ahhhh I get it now. Thanks a lot for the trouble you went to to explain all that. I agree with your parody. I totally understand.

Thanks again for the time you took to explain this to me.

[newBUfan]

best since ???

pob/sommervile/andrews/wright the freak, was a killer frontcourt group

[CubbieBear]

If the last 4 years have taught me anything, it's to hold off on declaring someone a difference maker or go to guy until we see them on the court. Still I'm loving the optimism. On paper this class looks great, but games aren't played on paper.

I too share in the optimism--certainly ready for any change after the Ford debacle--but not ready to declare us out of the MVC Thursday night game just yet. There are reasons that the guys we are bringing in were still available this late in the recruiting process--so I too am reserving any predictions of how good we will be until I see them in action vs Valley competition.

[AZ BU Fan]

Hopefully Coach Wardle can get all his guys to play in 'beast mode' and steal a few more wins this coming season than their collective recruiting status's would suggest!

[pfcmsh]

Announcement on Bradley.edu

is there a reason why Scottie James has not been introduced on the Bradley.edu MBB page?

[tornado]

if I had to take a guess - - most of the Athletic staff has been really tied up with Conference Championships (track, baseball...)
they also have not yet put out any info or release on Luuk van Bree even tho he could readily sign and fax...

[Da Coach]

The signing period ends today.