2016-17 team

[Da Coach]

Bradley basketball posted a picture of the first official meeting of the 2016-17 team as classes are underway for the first summer session of 2016 and summer workouts have begun. I think I recognize everyone on the roster except Koch Bar and JoJo McGlaston in the picture?

https://twitter.com/bradleyumbb/status/739997835781910529

2016-17 roster-

http://www.bradleybraves.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=3400&SPID=1498&SPSID=19333&_ga=1.188333480.1097434434.1440981485

[pfcmsh]

Jo Jo McGlaston

Jo Jo is a redshirt junior. Will he play for us in the 2016/2017 season?

[lightsout]

Jo Jo is a redshirt junior. Will he play for us in the 2016/2017 season?

Yes, he has two years of eligibility left and will play next year 2016/2017 for us.

[Da Coach]

Bradley basketball posted a picture of the first official meeting of the 2016-17 team as classes are underway for the first summer session of 2016 and summer workouts have begun. I think I recognize everyone on the roster except Koch Bar and JoJo McGlaston in the picture?

https://twitter.com/bradleyumbb/status/739997835781910529

Dave Reynolds reports that Koch Bar is not on campus as he is preparing for graduation from his prep school, Arlington Country Day, and JoJo McGlaston is not on campus, but will be for the 2nd summer session, which starts July 14.

[tornado]

in that same article Dave Reynolds comments on attendance...

I think he downplays the effect that the loss of Creighton caused - as he only looks at Creighton's home attendance...
but each of Creighton's ROAD GAMES as well were undoubtedly better draws than when those same teams hosted Loyola...

Then Dave Reynolds also mentions only Bradley's lower home attendance. But the effect a very weak Bradley team has had on road attendance the past 5 years has also been significant - with the talent and poor coaching - who'd pay to see that?
I wish for once DR would lay the blame where it belonged....but then I think he & KW shares some of that blame for fanning the flames to run all our talent out of here and usher in the mess that caused the Bradley attendance slide.

Then another factor DR doesn't mention - in the past decade or so a lot of new teams have been added to DI...and similarly to DII...
Those new teams are not drawing 10K - they are virtually all at the bottom of the spectrum...
So basically expansion of DI with numerous weak teams like the ones we had scheduled (NC A&T, Jacksonville State, Chicago State, UTPA, etc.) - also caused the home crowds here to bite the dust.

[Da Coach]

There was also this statement-
The Braves have dropped from a home average of 9,728 in 2006-07 (53rd in the nation) to 5,953 last year (91st nationally), a dropoff of 39 percent.

While those numbers are accurate, by picking the start year of 2006-07, one might get the impression that the attendance dropped just as much during the late Jim Les years as during the Geno Ford years. But that is not true. Again, I feel compelled to post the actual information, and clarify the reasons for the attendance drop. Or to quote Dave Reynolds, "a closer look at the numbers reveals a slightly different story."

Here are the actual attendance averages and the changes from year to year since 2000-2001 (the list shows the year, the national rank, the number of games, total attendance, average attendance, and change)-

2016 #91 15 89,299 5,953 up 227
2015 #94 16 91,614 5,726 down 882
2014 #74 17 112,335 6,608 up 51
2013 #79 18 118,024 6,557 down 1,083- largest drop since the Albeck years
2012 #68 16 122,245 7,640 down 807
2011 #56 16 135,148 8,447 down 892
2010 #52 15 140,079 9,339 up 229
2009 #55 18 163,981 9,110 down 490
2008 #52 19 183,392 9,600 down 128
2007 #53 17 165,376 9,728 up 508
2006 #54 14 129,086 9,220 down 117
2005 #51 15 140,065 9,337 up 159
2004 #52 15 137,667 9,178 down 173
2003 #47 14 130,907 9,351 up 279
2002 #47 13 117,935 9,072 down 50
2001 #51 15 136,683 9,112 down 1,066

Between 2001-2002 (the season before Jim Les arrived) and 2009-10, the average attendance rose or remained steady even when the great majority of NCAA teams were showing declines. In fact, the average attendance actually increased from 9,072 (in 2002) to 9,339 (in 2010- a 3% increase) during those 9 seasons from 2002-2010.

A closer look reveals that the attendance decline at Bradley started not so much in 2006 or 2007 as Dave suggests (those years were actually boosted above the previous averages by the successes of 2006 & 2007), but the real significant drops started in 2011, when in Jim Les' final year, the new administration started meddling with the coaching staff (fired 2 of JL's assistants), raising ticket prices more than they had ever been raised before, and cancelling many of the most popular Bradley basketball promotional events (Itoo Hall spaghetti supper, preseason banquet, postseason banquet, red-white scrimmage, road trips for fans, etc), plus Les was forced to play without 2 All-MVC starters that season, which predictably resulted in his only losing season in his last 6 season.

The overwhelming portion of the attendance drop Dave is writing about, occurred after the coaching change in 2011. 3 of the largest year-to-year drops occurred in Geno's 4 seasons. The administration's continued meddling had more devastating effects- such as moving regular-season games to the Renaissance Coliseum, a move that backfired and alienated fans tremendously. Then came the attempts to change the Bradley logo, create a mascot, and the failed attempt to drop the name Braves after Bradley won a 5 year battle with the NCAA to keep their name.
Then the administration made a calculated move to downgrade the schedule tremendously to try to make those Geno Ford teams look better than they were. I have always believed this complete change in scheduling philosophy, along with the ticket price increase were the most damaging moves that negatively affected ticket sales. Losing may cause ticket sales to drop, but those fans eventually come back, but the ticket price increase and the bad scheduling will drive fans away forever. I personally know a number of people who dropped their tickets when the ticket price was hiked, and when the schedule suddenly became much weaker.

Again, Dave said: "The Braves have dropped from a home average of 9,728 in 2006-07 (53rd in the nation) to 5,953 last year (91st nationally), a dropoff of 39 percent."

But as can be seen above- the attendance drop just from 2010 (9,339- 52nd in the nation) to 2015 (5,726- 91st nationally) was 39%. So, IMO, virtually all the drop in Bradley's attendance can be attributed to the moves made by Joanne Glasser and Mike Cross, and the disaster and record losses that was the Geno Ford era, and not because of some vast national trend.

Also, note also that Bradley's home attendance compared with all other D1 schools' attendance, remained in the top 56 nationally throughout the entire Jim Les tenure, changing very little in those 9 seasons. Then starting in 2011-12, it started falling rapidly- to #68, then #79, then eventually to a record low #94 in Geno's final season. Had Geno not been fired, it would have certainly dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in history. It actually recovered a bit to #91 last season under Coach Wardle. More evidence that even after accounting for national trends, that the real problems affecting Bradley's precipitous fall in attendance began with the changes made in 2011 by the then President and AD.

[tornado]

I agree that they did drop a little after 2007 as multiple changes started that would lead to further decline in attendance & fan interest, but yes, the real tanking of our home attendance occurred after 2009-10...
It is a fallacy to think it is all due to some national trend or was caused by factors way back in 2006 and 2007.
To see why Bradley's attendance started dropping in 2007 then fell drastically after 2009 you have to look at the two most significant events that occurred at those times.
They were two of the biggest news stories here in Peoria in the past decade and yet the PJS cannot figure it out.

2007- LINK
2009- LINK

[tornado]

Just missing Jojo

[tornado]

Just missing Jojo

don't think it was mentioned anywhere else...

but Jojo McGlaston is now with the team here in Peoria...he was the final player to get here for summer classes and conditioning.........

At the event last night he was playing volleyball & interacting with the other players & fans - and for a guy who just got here - he seems quite comfortable and already having a blast....
He is an amazingly athletic kid with a build & jumping ability reminiscent of a mix of Theron Wilson & Chris Roberts.

Speaking of Theron Wilson - it was nice to see him back on campus last night -- he's one of the past Braves that I cannot recall seeing back here since he finished his eligibility...
Da Coach also noted all the other guys who were back for the alumni events...

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=825123227#post825123227