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I'm not buying the coaching staff beef. That sounds driven by something else. Are we going to start blaming Chris Reynolds and the new president too? Players play. Only so much you can do with the scrap heap. If we're doing the same things with the same staff with veteran solids after another couple years then I'll buy in.
I'm not buying the coaching staff beef. That sounds driven by something else. Are we going to start blaming Chris Reynolds and the new president too? Players play. Only so much you can do with the scrap heap. If we're doing the same things with the same staff with veteran solids after another couple years then I'll buy in.
I agree 100%. It does fall on the coaches to improve the talent level. The freshmen class is decent. Once again, next year we will be depending on two freshmen to make a difference. That's not good going into a third year.
Man.... all you negative nellies .... when I die, I want to buried face down... so u all can... u know.
Man....
Look to the future. Calm down. Relax.
We are NOT good. In fact... we are BAD.
ISU is good. They are really GOOD in fact.
Just be patient and wait until we get good again.
exactly....we started from scratch. How many teams do that after firing their coach where only one guy stays? Now that was Wardle's decision so he has to handle the heat that comes with that too...
I still think more than 2 will probably to go at the end of the year......
Well what was the alternative? Light it up from three....
ISU is really good defensively........there just wasn't that much opportunity at our talent level to get any good clean shots....actually I thought there was a few times when we penetrated that we got scared and didn't take the short jump shot which seemed to be the only decent shot available......
We seemed intimidated the whole game going into the lane
Well what was the alternative? Light it up from three....
no, sharp, accurate passing and good screens
I don't know a whole lot of coaches who like to see 50 dribbles on every possession..
plus our 3-point shooting accuracy & efficiency is actually one of the stronger parts of our game...
btw- KW's article this morning rails on and on about how the BU-ISU rivalry isn't a rivalry any more...
and he tries to put the blame on Jim Les again by pointing to the JL era for when the rivalry died off....and then back to the 90's for the last time both teams were solid contenders at the same time (I guess to heap a little blame on Molinari, too)
well, someone has to straighten him out and point out the facts.
The BU-ISU game was still a solid rivalry right up until just a few years ago...
2010-2011 - Jim Les' final year - BOTH BU-ISU games were 1-pt thrillers with near sellouts (the BU game was 10,600!)
2009-2010 - even the game over at ISU sold out at 10,200 - they've really never packed the place like that since!! The game HERE was a 1-point thriller again with 11,300 (only 100 short of a sellout!!)
2008-2009 - the BU-ISU game at Carver was one of the most exciting rivalry games in memory..BU held off the Redbirds despite a really great performance by Osiris Eldridge, attendance was 11, 592 - the BIGGEST CROWD EVER at Carver
Arena!! - ...the game over at Redbird Arena was also a SELLOUT that season
...and etc., etc...every year all the way back to the early 1980's - the BU-ISU game was a hot ticket, a true rivalry game...many times with significance in the MVC standings and even post-season picture...
I have no idea where Kirk Wessler was during that era - he obviously was so consumed with his irrational hate for Coach Les and his desire to smear Bradley during that era and try to "beat the drum" to get Les fired (those are KW's own admitted words for how he felt from 2003 on..)
So once again - we MUST correct a total rewrite of history -- the BU- ISU rivalry DID NOT DIE during the Jim Les era...
it is NOT Jim Molinari's fault, it is not Jim Les' fault, it is NOT Ken Kavanagh's fault...
the fault lies clearly and directly with the administration that took over in 2007-2008, then cleaned house, hired Mike Cross in 2009, then fired Jim Les & hired Geno Ford in 2011.
the numbers simply do not lie...everything - and not just the BU-ISU rivalry - EVERYTHING TANKED from that point on....everything we see and declining attendance, poorer quality play, and lack of competitiveness is ALL 100% the fault of the people in charge in administration from the hiring of Joanne Glasser on...
What we see is 100% the result of the fallout from Glasser & gang, including the press & a handfull of stupid, clueless fans who cheered & enabled their actions.
This rivalry STILL - even in 2017, still has a pulse and it's still possible to revive it - but it was sent to its DEATH BED by Joanne Glasser, Mike Cross, Geno Ford and even Kirk Wessler himself - who got exactly what he cheered for and beat the drum for in that span of the latter half of the Jim Les era...
Kirk got EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED and now he sees it's a mess, it's undesirable, it's a disaster...and he's looking for someone else to blame.
Check the mirror and your locket that you wear with Joanne & Mike's picture in it.
btw- KW's article this morning rails on and on about how the BU-ISU rivalry isn't a rivalry any more...
and he tries to put the blame on Jim Les again by pointing to the JL era for when the rivalry died off....and then back to the 90's for the last time both teams were solid contenders at the same time (I guess to heap a little blame on Molinari, too)
well, someone has to straighten him out and point out the facts.
The BU-ISU game was still a solid rivalry right up until just a few years ago...
2010-2011 - Jim Les' final year - BOTH BU-ISU games were 1-pt thrillers with near sellouts (the BU game was 10,600!)
2009-2010 - even the game over at ISU sold out at 10,200 - they've really never packed the place like that since!! The game HERE was a 1-point thriller again with 11,300 (only 100 short of a sellout!!)
2009-2009 - the BU-ISU game at Carver was one of the most exciting rivalry games in memory..BU held off the Redbirds despite a really great performance by Osiris Eldridge, attendance was 11, 592 - the BIGGEST CROWD EVER at Carver
Arena!! - ...the game over at Redbird Arena was also a SELLOUT that season
...and etc., etc...
I have no ideas where Kirk Wessler was during that era - he obviously was so consumed with his irrational hate for Coach Les and his desire to smear Bradley during that era and try to "beat the drum" to get Les fired (those are KW's own admitted words for how he felt from 2003 on..)
So once again - we MUST correct a total rewrite of history -- the BU- ISU rivalry DID NOT DIE during the Jim Les era...
it is NOT Jim Molinari's fault, it is not Jim Les' fault, it is NOT Ken Kavanagh's fault...
the fault lies clearly and directly with the administration that took over in 2007-2008, then cleaned house, hired Mike Cross in 2009, then fired Jim Les & hired Geno Ford in 2011.
the numbers simple do not lie...this rivalry still has a pulse and it's still possible to revive it - but it was sent to its DEATH BED by Joanne Glasser, Mike Cross, Geno Ford and even Kirk Wessler himself - who got exactly what he cheered for and beat the drum for in that span of the latter half of the Jim Les era...
Kirk got EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED and now he sees it's a mess, it's undesirable, it's a disaster...and he's looking for someone else to blame.
Check the mirror and your locket that you wear with Joanne & Mike's picture in it.
LOL. The locket is a funny one!! I will read every article that Dave Reynolds writes, but I will NOT ever read another thing authored by KW.
Great post T. Fans who are deserting Bradley basketball only have to look back to the success 2 coaches had on the Hilltop and were fired. Hard to recover from that. Wardle stepped into a situation almost impossible to recruit.
kw's column this morning mentioned Redbird and Dick Versace's hair. I remember a game at Drake when many students wore white wigs to harrass DV. He went up into their crowd and sat with and talked to them before the game and they had a good laugh. I think that was the night of the famous Les to Hawkins last second full court pass and shot to win the game, but I'm not sure.
we're spoiled Chico - we lived thru a truly great, great era of Bradley basketball...
I believe we can still get back there....Louisville, Memphis, Wichita, Creighton, Butler, Gonzaga, and even as we speak - schools like Valpo & VCU are rising up and out of the usual MIDMAJOR mold and competing regularly with the big boys...
I want to see us do it - and believe it is doable - we were promised better when all the $$$ was spent to upgrade facilities, and we sure threw around a lot more $$ filling the pockets of inept and corrupt admins, AD, and failed head coaches...
but Mac, our guys keep making the same bad mistakes and elementary school turnovers game, after game and we show no sign of improvement in this area...it is really discouraging and frustrating to watch.
How many no-look passes, lazy cross-court lobs, and attempts to feed highly risky passes threaded thru a dozen arms & legs...do these guys have to commit night after night before someone on the coaching staff grabs them by the jersey and says CUT IT OUT!
How many times does ISU have to lob a pass to a wide open teammate standing under the hoop for a dunk before we realize we need to guard that!!
Did we not watch game tape or scouting reports and know that ISU does that all the time...?
Why were we not ready for it?
What I think we have here is... some people upset over getting smoked by ISU. Must hurt a lot more to be upstaged at home against ISU. Guess it is hard to recognize ISU for actually having a really good team when maybe there is so much dislike for ISU.
Let's see... last nights boxscore shows Illinois State had 10 steals coupled with 15 turnovers for Bradley. Comparing that to last year's home game with the top team in the league Wichita State.... Wichita State had 9 steals coupled with 23 turnovers for Bradley.
I don't know... maybe it was just more acceptable to have that done to us by Wichita State than Illinois State.
one last thought - sure we got blown out by a good team...
but I am sitting here flipping back & forth between the Louisville-Clemson game and the Cal-Oregon game
- first - Clemson is a pretty good team but they are getting blown away by Louisville - so it happens even to good teams...
- then as I watch the Cal-Oregon game - Cal is also a pretty good team, but again just getting completely annihilated by Oregon...Oregon has so much more and better talent they are just toying with Cal...
then at the end they flood the court with deep subs and walk-ons...
and finally former Bradley recruit Kavell Bigby-Williams gets in the game...
Hard to tell if he's any good or not cuz he's only playing a few minutes in garbage time and seems a little modest about wanting to do something silly or jack up a bad shot...
but one thing for sure...the front line players for Oregon are soooo much better than Kavell Bigby-Williams and so I can see why he barely plays for a team so stacked with talent as Oregon...
Gotta wonder if it'll be the same next year....and if he doesn't play next year, then he's done - he really needs to get out of there and play at a mid-major - maybe one with his friend and British National teammate DLO
....
I don't know... maybe it was just more acceptable to have that done to us by Wichita State than Illinois State.
When has getting repeatedly blown out on our home floor ever been acceptable? We've seen bad teams before, and rebuilding teams, but we have never seen anywhere near as many blowouts in any full decade as we've seen the last 1 1/2 years.
And it is not just good teams like ISU and Wichita State that are blowing out Bradley. Bradley was embarrassed at home by Delaware earlier this season. We were told by the coach, broadcaster, and the press what a great team Delaware was. They are now 8-12, and a pathetic 1-6 and in last place in the CAA. Delaware's RPI is currently 237- That is not good.
Bradley was also blown out by other mediocre teams like Ball State, Loyola, and more recently by an Indiana State team that was 5-11, and 0-5 in the MVC at the time.
And it's not just the losing, it is the poor quality product people are paying a lot of money to watch.
Like the declining number of remaining Bradley fans, I have been patient for the last 6 seasons. But from the fans I hear from and talk to, the BU admins better expect a big dropoff in ticket sales and donations next year.
Trying to coddle and assuage them with cliches year after year like "rebuilding takes time", "we want to do things the right way" and "we need to give it time" just won't cut it.
When has getting repeatedly blown out on our home floor ever been acceptable? We've seen bad teams before, and rebuilding teams, but we have never seen anywhere near as many blowouts in any full decade as we've seen the last 1 1/2 years.
And it is not just good teams like ISU and Wichita State that are blowing out Bradley. Bradley was embarrassed at home by Delaware earlier this season. We were told by the coach, broadcaster, and the press what a great team Delaware was. They are now 8-12, and a pathetic 1-6 and in last place in the CAA. Delaware's RPI is currently 237- That is not good.
Bradley was also blown out by other mediocre teams like Ball State, Loyola, and more recently by an Indiana State team that was 5-11, and 0-5 in the MVC at the time.
And it's not just the losing, it is the poor quality product people are paying a lot of money to watch.
Like the declining number of remaining Bradley fans, I have been patient for the last 6 seasons. But from the fans I hear from and talk to, the BU admins better expect a big dropoff in ticket sales and donations next year.
Trying to coddle and assuage them with cliches year after year like "rebuilding takes time", "we want to do things the right way" and "we need to give it time" just won't cut it.
DC - you mention many good points.
And I don't accept getting blown out by anyone, especially on our home floor.
But we are in Year 2 of a deep-scouring rebuild. Not in Year 6.
This is why I don't accept such harsh criticism.
We have a team of "practice players". Maybe a couple core bench players from last year that would be great off the bench with a decent team (which we are not). Then add a couple recruits this season that are young and will not contribute for likely most D1 programs right away (and are not making a big enough impact for us to contend with someone really good like ISU). We are re-building. Starting over. From NOTHING.
And to get all worked up over mistakes, turnovers, etc.... when for example Wichita did worse to us maybe last year.... I get the feeling this is just fans being too over anxious to get good too fast... and then not happy with seeing Illinois State good and tearing us apart on our home floor.
We all need to relax and know how bad we are because of the situation we are rebuilding from. It is gonna take time to get good again. Lots of time.
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