Final score: SIU 85 Bradley 65

[clnyule26]

Question to the board: WHAT HAPPENED?

I'm not positive but I think Foster had concussion symptoms and was held out of practice on Tuesday. There is no way we would have beaten NIU if Jeremy Morgan played. That will be proven when we go there to play.

This is all part of the roller coaster ride. Unless we we get decent junior college help and clean out a lot of the sophomore class, we have two more years of this.

There has been no improvement in my eyes in the sophomore class. Without mentioning names there might be 2 out of that group I would keep. With the two freshmen coming in next year, you're asking this team to jump ahead of at least 5 teams to get to the middle of the conference standings. That ain't gonna happen. We're going the opposite direction of the other bottom dwellers in the league. It is a combination of talent and coaching.

You can blame the former coaching staff if you want but those days are gone. All fans want to see is improvement and we're not seeing it. What we're seeing is another train wreck. This season is over. For whatever reason, coaching or talent, Wardle has lost this team. You could hear it in his voice after the game and you can see it on the floor.

Ronnie Suggs was the most consistent player by far last year and Bradley's key recruit from that class. He chose Bradley for two reasons 1. He wanted to be part of building something special. 2. Be close to home so that his family and friends could see him play. He had plenty of other offers on the East and West Coasts. Some of which we played and they beat us. Prep School players rarely commit early. They are encouraged to wait because its to their advantage to see who goes where and what coaches are on the move. I can tell you for a fact, Ronnie Suggs BLEEDS BRADLEY RED!

I believe each of the remaining recruits from that class bleed the same Bradley red. But the key figure to that class was Ronnie. He was the glue and the de facto leader. When he became a mainstay in the lineup last year, he made everyone around him better. We had two freshmen make the All Freshmen team. A strong case could have been made for Ronnie being one of them. Those guys went as Ronnie went. Few can argue that point! Ronnie played 31.0 mins a game last year because coach wardle depended on him and couldn't afford to take him off the floor. We all saw that firsthand. So WHAT HAPPENED?

We added one of the most athletic wings in the conference from a JC. He showed us why we recruited him earlier in the season. We added a future star at point guard and added a few key complimentary players, which is usually a formula for success. So WHAT HAPPENED?

Alex Foster showed us earlier in the season why we gave him a scholarship. He showed us his low post scoring, defense and the ability to pass out of the post. Every top tier programs in the MVC has a Alex Foster type player. His presence would've opened up easy shots for our perimeter guys. SO WHAT HAPPENED?

Having 6'6 and 6'5 athletic wings defending on the perimeter would've reeked havoc on opposing teams and would've compensated for the size of our PG on D. WHAT HAPPENED TO STRATEGY?

Ronnie was one of the best rebounding guards in the entire conference last year as a freshman and a lockdown defender. WHAT HAPPEND? HOW DID HE FALL SO FAR? AND WHY ISN't THE COACHING STAFF ALARMED BY THAT?

You guys are all smart people and diehard Brave fans just like I am. I'm 84 years old and have seen a lot of basketball in my day. BUT AM I TO BELIEVE THAT AN ENTIRE CLASS DIDN'T IMPROVE AT ALL? WHO'S REALLY TO BLAME HERE?

With the talent we have we should have at least 15 wins and have everyone shaking in their boots!

Sorry for the long message. Thanks for listening

[Braves2006]

Ronnie Suggs was the most consistent player by far last year and Bradley's key recruit from that class. He chose Bradley for two reasons 1. He wanted to be part of building something special. 2. Be close to home so that his family and friends could see him play. He had plenty of other offers on the East and West Coasts. Some of which we played and they beat us. Prep School players rarely commit early. They are encouraged to wait because its to their advantage to see who goes where and what coaches are on the move. I can tell you for a fact, Ronnie Suggs BLEEDS BRADLEY RED!

I believe each of the remaining recruits from that class bleed the same Bradley red. But the key figure to that class was Ronnie. He was the glue and the de facto leader. When he became a mainstay in the lineup last year, he made everyone around him better. We had two freshmen make the All Freshmen team. A strong case could have been made for Ronnie being one of them. Those guys went as Ronnie went. Few can argue that point! Ronnie played 31.0 mins a game last year because coach wardle depended on him and couldn't afford to take him off the floor. We all saw that firsthand. So WHAT HAPPENED?

We added one of the most athletic wings in the conference from a JC. He showed us why we recruited him earlier in the season. We added a future star at point guard and added a few key complimentary players, which is usually a formula for success. So WHAT HAPPENED?

Alex Foster showed us earlier in the season why we gave him a scholarship. He showed us his low post scoring, defense and the ability to pass out of the post. Every top tier programs in the MVC has a Alex Foster type player. His presence would've opened up easy shots for our perimeter guys. SO WHAT HAPPENED?

Having 6'6 and 6'5 athletic wings defending on the perimeter would've reeked havoc on opposing teams and would've compensated for the size of our PG on D. WHAT HAPPENED TO STRATEGY?

Ronnie was one of the best rebounding guards in the entire conference last year as a freshman and a lockdown defender. WHAT HAPPEND? HOW DID HE FALL SO FAR? AND WHY ISN't THE COACHING STAFF ALARMED BY THAT?

You guys are all smart people and diehard Brave fans just like I am. I'm 84 years old and have seen a lot of basketball in my day. BUT AM I TO BELIEVE THAT AN ENTIRE CLASS DIDN'T IMPROVE AT ALL? WHO'S REALLY TO BLAME HERE?

With the talent we have we should have at least 15 wins and have everyone shaking in their boots!

Sorry for the long message. Thanks for listening

I am right there with you. And I'm sure there are a lot people asking the same question....

[clnyule26]

Leadership Food For Thought

Yeah, Wardle stated that we keep making the same defensive mistakes over and over. He is trying different players, but it isn't working. He stated we don't have a leader that will speak up and show some emotion. He sounded frustrated.

I'm not trying to be critical here but, Leadership starts at the top of the house. Leadership is modeled by what is seen/demonstrated and not just words. When coaches place blame on players for what's going wrong, without taking ownership for the role they play, that's a sure recipe for disaster. These players don't wake up in the morning and say to themselves "I'm going to make every fan and coach miserable and lay an egg tonight during the game!". I believe they have more pride than that.
The players know what the coaching staff is saying about them. They know what the issues are, and where to place blame. If you want a winning environment you have to create it! If you want good character, model it! it's that simple, but yet so hard for many that don't have it, to even begin to model it. Even mediocre players succeed in the right environment. We call them overachievers and we are proud of them.
The coaches have to create a listening environment. The players see what's going on and they know the environment better than we do. They know who should be on the floor and who shouldn't. It's not the kids who set the playing time, who substitutes, and say what plays to run. Coach made up in his mind who's going to play and who's not. The team knows that. They know who has a short leash and who doesn't.
Could it be that the coaching staff isn't listening when leaders emerge? Who wants to stand up and get their head bit off? Or get sent to the end of the bench if they disagree or say the wrong thing? Why would that be attractive to a kid? Yes, believe it or not, most of them are still just kids, even through they are in men's bodies.

I was always taught, that the definition of insanity is "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result". Coach Wardle and his staff needs to model what they expect. Then again, maybe they are modeling the results we see, but are expecting something different....Hmmmm....Insanity

[lefty]

I'm not trying to be critical here but, Leadership starts at the top of the house. Leadership is modeled by what is seen/demonstrated and not just words. When coaches place blame on players for what's going wrong, without taking ownership for the role they play, that's a sure recipe for disaster. These players don't wake up in the morning and say to themselves "I'm going to make every fan and coach miserable and lay an egg tonight during the game!". I believe they have more pride than that.
The players know what the coaching staff is saying about them. They know what the issues are, and where to place blame. If you want a winning environment you have to create it! If you want good character, model it! it's that simple, but yet so hard for many that don't have it, to even begin to model it. Even mediocre players succeed in the right environment. We call them overachievers and we are proud of them.
The coaches have to create a listening environment. The players see what's going on and they know the environment better than we do. They know who should be on the floor and who shouldn't. It's not the kids who set the playing time, who substitutes, and say what plays to run. Coach made up in his mind who's going to play and who's not. The team knows that. They know who has a short leash and who doesn't.
Could it be that the coaching staff isn't listening when leaders emerge? Who wants to stand up and get their head bit off? Or get sent to the end of the bench if they disagree or say the wrong thing? Why would that be attractive to a kid? Yes, believe it or not, most of them are still just kids, even through they are in men's bodies.

I was always taught, that the definition of insanity is "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result". Coach Wardle and his staff needs to model what they expect. Then again, maybe they are modeling the results we see, but are expecting something different....Hmmmm....Insanity

Sure sounds like your being critical............people need to relax some here. There was a time people got banned from this board for being overly critical of the BU coach. I don't know if it's going to work out with Wardle or not and it's easy when you are losing(even if it is with a bunch of freshman and sophomores) to go off the rails on the coach but we really need give this more than 1.5 years of a COMPLETE rebuild. Yes I know it was his choice...and I'm guessing fully approved by Reynolds......I don't know anyone that wasn't excited about the choice made by Reynolds in hiring Wardle. We have been losing for a long time and it gets old but there's not any coach in the country that could take over a program like BU's in it's condition and recruit quality MVC players to step in right away and have a significant impact....otherwise they would have already been signed.
Everyone has a right to their opinion but I really think you have give a coach in our situation 4 years. Wardle wants to win more than anyone here on this board....it's his livelihood for crying out loud. I am 100% sure he's going to play whoever he thinks gives them the best chance to win. Doesn't mean every decision is right but that's always easy to second guess when you are losing.

[Da Coach]

lefty, nobody was ever banned for making critical observations or giving civil opinions. That is ridiculous. The only few people banned were because they ripped other posters who did not agree with them, called them insulting names, used vulgarity or obscenities, or went overboard with personal attacks directed at coaches, players, or other posters. Even then, there were numerous warnings given about their rules violations, and banning finally happened when they repeatedly ignored the rules.
I still have archived some of those kinds of posts from the past, and if you saw them, you'd agree that compared with what is here, it is a difference of night and day.

[clnyule26]

Sure sounds like your being critical............people need to relax some here. There was a time people got banned from this board for being overly critical of the BU coach. I don't know if it's going to work out with Wardle or not and it's easy when you are losing(even if it is with a bunch of freshman and sophomores) to go off the rails on the coach but we really need give this more than 1.5 years of a COMPLETE rebuild. Yes I know it was his choice...and I'm guessing fully approved by Reynolds......I don't know anyone that wasn't excited about the choice made by Reynolds in hiring Wardle. We have been losing for a long time and it gets old but there's not any coach in the country that could take over a program like BU's in it's condition and recruit quality MVC players to step in right away and have a significant impact....otherwise they would have already been signed.
Everyone has a right to their opinion but I really think you have give a coach in our situation 4 years. Wardle wants to win more than anyone here on this board....it's his livelihood for crying out loud. I am 100% sure he's going to play whoever he thinks gives them the best chance to win. Doesn't mean every decision is right but that's always easy to second guess when you are losing.

(Lefty)-Do you not agree that leadership starts at the top? And that leaders should create and model the environment they want? When a coach says he doesn't know how to reach his players, how should we think about that? If he doesn't know, then who should? Should we just give up on the rest of the season? Even if he felt that way, he should have never communicated it to the media or in a public forum. That's a private matter. A close door comment. Its hard to take those things back. You have to expect that people would react to that kind of statement. All of us want our team to win or at least show improvement. But when the head coach says publicly, that he's at "wits end" what comfort does that bring?

[lefty]

(Lefty)-Do you not agree that leadership starts at the top? And that leaders should create and model the environment they want? When a coach says he doesn't know how to reach his players, how should we think about that? If he doesn't know, then who should? Should we just give up on the rest of the season? Even if he felt that way, he should have never communicated it to the media or in a public forum. That's a private matter. A close door comment. Its hard to take those things back. You have to expect that people would react to that kind of statement. All of us want our team to win or at least show improvement. But when the head coach says publicly, that he's at "wits end" what comfort does that bring?

I do agree with that.....and I agree that it's not a good idea to share that publicly. I've hired many many people over the last 29 years. There have been some I thought would be really good hires and some that were the best option at the time and I needed someone for that position and couldn't wait any longer. Some in both these scenarios have worked out well while others didn't.
You really never know until they get in and start working with others if they are going to well for you or not...

Wardle would probably just as soon not talk to the press about anything right now because there isn't much positive to say...he seems like a pretty honest guy to me. If all he did was coach speak we have people here say "why doesn't he just admit he doesn't know how to get through to them"?.
I think Wardle knows how to coach. It may be he underestimated how difficult a total rebuild would actually be. Sometimes you have success and you think you can overcome any obstacle and do well. Other than Pittman this soph class is a bunch of last second recruits and there is a reason they were all still available. This is a situation that Wardle has never been in.....heck I don't know of any coach that has been in this type of situation. So I'm going to cut him some slack on how he handles situations he's never been in. I've had several of those too over the years....

I'm not saying we shouldn't say "I wish he wouldn't have said that" but still back him and BU 100%....Most everyone loved the hiring of Reynolds and Wardle....let's give it time to turn it around...

I know opinions and chatter are what message boards are for...so I guess that's mine.......

[lefty]

lefty, nobody was ever banned for making critical observations or giving civil opinions. That is ridiculous. The only few people banned were because they ripped other posters who did not agree with them, called them insulting names, used vulgarity or obscenities, or went overboard with personal attacks directed at coaches, players, or other posters. Even then, there were numerous warnings given about their rules violations, and banning finally happened when they repeatedly ignored the rules.
I still have archived some of those kinds of posts from the past, and if you saw them, you'd agree that compared with what is here, it is a difference of night and day.

I figured that might get a response and I wasn't trying to start anything there...but I thought you started this board because of negativity toward BU and Coach Les on the other board......maybe that's incorrect. In any event that wasn't the purpose of my post....

[Da Coach]

Nobody got more criticism than Coach Les did, and it never bothered him.
However, in that case, some of that criticism was way over the line compared with now.
Interestingly, the only person who ever asked us to removed criticism was Dr. Cross. And he only wanted criticism of the administration removed, not that directed at the coaches and players.

[pfcmsh]

Coach Comments

I do agree with that.....and I agree that it's not a good idea to share that publicly. I've hired many many people over the last 29 years. There have been some I thought would be really good hires and some that were the best option at the time and I needed someone for that position and couldn't wait any longer. Some in both these scenarios have worked out well while others didn't.
You really never know until they get in and start working with others if they are going to well for you or not...

Wardle would probably just as soon not talk to the press about anything right now because there isn't much positive to say...he seems like a pretty honest guy to me. If all he did was coach speak we have people here say "why doesn't he just admit he doesn't know how to get through to them"?.
I think Wardle knows how to coach. It may be he underestimated how difficult a total rebuild would actually be. Sometimes you have success and you think you can overcome any obstacle and do well. Other than Pittman this soph class is a bunch of last second recruits and there is a reason they were all still available. This is a situation that Wardle has never been in.....heck I don't know of any coach that has been in this type of situation. So I'm going to cut him some slack on how he handles situations he's never been in. I've had several of those too over the years....

I'm not saying we shouldn't say "I wish he wouldn't have said that" but still back him and BU 100%....Most everyone loved the hiring of Reynolds and Wardle....let's give it time to turn it around...

I know opinions and chatter are what message boards are for...so I guess that's mine.......

I, for one, find Coach Wardle's unabashed honesty to be what we need. I think back on the previous coach, who repeated talked a great game, but couldn't deliver. The idle talk continued year after year and our team performed poorly in a downward cycle. I really like what Coach Wardle has to say. I think he is being straight out honest. If it stinks, he is going to say it stinks.

I had the privilege of hearing him talk before the season started and he pointed out that he wanted a leader to emerge. He said this would help the team a great deal. It sounds like that hasn't happened this season. I think our coaches are leading in the locker room, in that absence of a player leader. Good for them. At least they are trying. They could throw up their hands and give up, but I doubt they are. Coach Wardle was a determined player. I am sure he didn??™t give up on the floor and he is not going to give up at Bradley. I am sure he fought and fought to perform for Marquette. I think Coach Wardle is frustrated with the lack of leadership. Why the kids don??™t put out consistent effort is a mystery to me. So Coach Wardle, immediately after a game, might be at a peek of his frustration. I don't believe Coach Wardle is giving up on the players. He is just being frightfully honest at the moment.

Like I said in my background post, I am not a coach. I guess I am a believer. We are better than last year and next year will be better than this year. We will have more players leave than just 2 and I am hoping a leader emerges and the talent pool gets better . It just isn??™t happening as fast as we would all like.

[molar50]

Yeah, everyone, including me, wishes it were like when Versace went from last to first in the MVC in one season. Wardle has a lot more challenges than Versace and it is harder to recruit now to a lot of factors that he cannot control. This is like an ocean liner that was going in the wrong direction for many years and it takes a while to get back on course. Let's not all jump off the boat into the lifeboats. Give this guy a couple of more years.

[Da Coach]

I appreciate what you are saying molar, but we had a lot of people (including our clueless press) saying the exact same thing 4 years ago, and they were all wrong and contributed to the massive demise of Bradley basketball. Too bad the administration didn't pay attention to the issues a few people were noticing then, maybe we wouldn't have fallen to historic all-time lows.

[molar50]

Time to move forward

Yes, I was also stunned when Jim Les was fired and also when Geno Ford was hired. But that is history now, and it is time to move forward and hope things will improve. If not, I can always get season's tickets for the Peoria Rivermen.

[clnyule26]

I do agree with that.....and I agree that it's not a good idea to share that publicly. I've hired many many people over the last 29 years. There have been some I thought would be really good hires and some that were the best option at the time and I needed someone for that position and couldn't wait any longer. Some in both these scenarios have worked out well while others didn't.
You really never know until they get in and start working with others if they are going to well for you or not...

Wardle would probably just as soon not talk to the press about anything right now because there isn't much positive to say...he seems like a pretty honest guy to me. If all he did was coach speak we have people here say "why doesn't he just admit he doesn't know how to get through to them"?.
I think Wardle knows how to coach. It may be he underestimated how difficult a total rebuild would actually be. Sometimes you have success and you think you can overcome any obstacle and do well. Other than Pittman this soph class is a bunch of last second recruits and there is a reason they were all still available. This is a situation that Wardle has never been in.....heck I don't know of any coach that has been in this type of situation. So I'm going to cut him some slack on how he handles situations he's never been in. I've had several of those too over the years....

I'm not saying we shouldn't say "I wish he wouldn't have said that" but still back him and BU 100%....Most everyone loved the hiring of Reynolds and Wardle....let's give it time to turn it around...

I know opinions and chatter are what message boards are for...so I guess that's mine.......

I can appreciate your perspective. I spent most of my adult life in management. I've since retired (many moons ago).I came up through the management ranks during the most volatile time in our country's history, so I know a thing or two about pressure. I knew what I said mattered, both privately and publicly. So I had to be precise in my choice of words. Not that I didn't hold anyone accountable, because that certainly was not the case.

I know quickly that many lives depended on me. Everyone was fearful, heck I was probably the most fearful, but I knew everyone had the same desire,To do a good job and feed their families. Now I know this isn't quite the same, but there are huge similarities. This is a job for the coaches and the players. Each of their livelihood's depends on their success, so neither wants to deliberately mess things up. In my position, I had to do a lot of listening and understanding the people I led. I understood that there were influencers on the team. I knew if I could reach them and find common ground, they would be a voice for me to the other employees I managed. I found out that many wanted me to succeed, they just wanted the same thing I did and that was to do a good job. I have very fond memories of those days as tough as things were, they were the best times in my life.

So if coach Wardle wants us to be loyal and patient with him, he needs to show the same loyalty and patience to his players. It seems like he counted Suggs and Foster out before the season began. How fair is that? After all it's their livelihood as well. Ronnie Suggs proved himself in front of us all as a freshman. He did it in a conference that was much stronger then than it is now. We all see his contribution when he gets in the game. None of us can explain why he's at the end of the bench. Its not like we have All MVC players in front of him.
I know, I know, its the coach's responsibility to make that call. Then he should take the criticism that goes along with that responsibility. Can't have it just one way!

[Chico]

Yes, I was also stunned when Jim Les was fired and also when Geno Ford was hired. But that is history now, and it is time to move forward and hope things will improve. If not, I can always get season's tickets for the Peoria Rivermen.

If I want to watch boxing I'll watch ESPN.