Reflections on UC Davis and Les success

[bradleyfan124]

Just a look back- (** WARNING** - message board opinion follows, that mentions Joanne Glasser! If likely to be offended, look away now)

...in March 2011, Kirk Wessler called for the firing of Jim Les then, claiming he had all the superior knowledge and all the answers....
he wrote this article lecturing the Bradley Board & administrators...

"Bradley can't afford to be wrong"
"...Bradley cannot afford to spin its competitive wheels for another decade...
Bradley cannot afford to fumble the hiring of a replacement for Jim Les..."

and after opposing the wacky idea to move to the girls gym, he suddenly sounded as if he would support it.
"..Playing home games on campus at the new Renaissance Coliseum won??™t be a quirky idea. It will be the only move that makes sense....
Hire the right guy...Bradley president Joanne Glasser and athletics director Michael Cross have to get this right."

http://www.pjstar.com/x256219408/Wessler-Bradley-can-t-afford-to-be-wrong

then when Bradley fumbled the process for several weeks and blew thru the first dozen candidates, ticking most of them off and watching them turn their backs on a great career position....they made their hire & Wessler praised their choices and actions, throwing his weight fully behind Glasser, Cross & Ford & touting him as the best man for the job.

In the end the very choice that Kirk warned could severely damage Bradley for a DECADE - ended up doing exactly that and Kirk helped it happen.
Meanwhile Ken Kavanagh (two-time National AD of the year at FGCU) now has to hire YET ANOTHER basketball head coach since the guys he hires keep repeatedly doing such a great job that they quickly get hired away to bigger & better positions. And Jim Les has turned a no-name institution into a perennial west coast power & won two Coach of the Year awards.

Would love to see a followup column from Wessler explaining his take on how he got it so incredibly wrong and how the guys he wanted fired from Bradley so badly ended up doing so incredibly well elsewhere while our guys did arguably the worst job in the history of DI athletics.

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!

[Braves2006]

Just a look back- (** WARNING** - message board opinion follows, that mentions Joanne Glasser! If likely to be offended, look away now)

...in March 2011, Kirk Wessler called for the firing of Jim Les then, claiming he had all the superior knowledge and all the answers....
he wrote this article lecturing the Bradley Board & administrators...

"Bradley can't afford to be wrong"
"...Bradley cannot afford to spin its competitive wheels for another decade...
Bradley cannot afford to fumble the hiring of a replacement for Jim Les..."

and after opposing the wacky idea to move to the girls gym, he suddenly sounded as if he would support it.
"..Playing home games on campus at the new Renaissance Coliseum won??™t be a quirky idea. It will be the only move that makes sense....
Hire the right guy...Bradley president Joanne Glasser and athletics director Michael Cross have to get this right."

http://www.pjstar.com/x256219408/Wessler-Bradley-can-t-afford-to-be-wrong

then when Bradley fumbled the process for several weeks and blew thru the first dozen candidates, ticking most of them off and watching them turn their backs on a great career position....they made their hire & Wessler praised their choices and actions, throwing his weight fully behind Glasser, Cross & Ford & touting him as the best man for the job.

In the end the very choice that Kirk warned could severely damage Bradley for a DECADE - ended up doing exactly that and Kirk helped it happen.
Meanwhile Ken Kavanagh (two-time National AD of the year at FGCU) now has to hire YET ANOTHER basketball head coach since the guys he hires keep repeatedly doing such a great job that they quickly get hired away to bigger & better positions. And Jim Les has turned a no-name institution into a perennial west coast power & won two Coach of the Year awards.

Would love to see a followup column from Wessler explaining his take on how he got it so incredibly wrong and how the guys he wanted fired from Bradley so badly ended up doing so incredibly well elsewhere while our guys did arguably the worst job in the history of DI athletics.

I agree with you T...and I love Jim Les and what he is doing....wish he could of stayed here. But I think ???perennial west coast power??? may be just a bit too much...

[lefty]

Would love to see a followup column from Wessler explaining his take on how he got it so incredibly wrong and how the guys he wanted fired from Bradley so badly ended up doing so incredibly well elsewhere while our guys did arguably the worst job in the history of DI athletics.

Why? What would it accomplish or change?

[tornado]

just being honest and maybe even reveal the real reason he was so dedicated to supporting Glasser & Cross and even covering for her, making alibis for her, etc...

[Da Coach]

He was more than just a guy with an opinion. He not only had a personal disdain for Jim Les, he had an agenda that he spoke of frequently on his old sportswriters radio show. He felt a different candidate (Wayne McClain), who he vigorously supported, was cheated out of the job in 2002 by a "rigged" search process, and that Jim Les never deserved nor should he have been given the job. He then became a close friend, confidant, and adviser to President Glasser, and his urging played a part in Glasser's firing of Les' assistants in 2010 and of Les in 2011. Considering the immeasurable amount of damage that decision caused, there are a lot of fans, booster, and donors who would like to know more about why it happened.

[Bravesfanchicago]

Wasn??™t an old PJS reporter hired by JG to be a spokesman ? Shelley ...?
I vaguely recall Wesler reporting that he knew what the Les firing/retaining decision was before it was announced. I wonder how much informal chatter there was between old PJS work colleagues like Shelley and Wesler.....

There seemed to be plenty of veiled references to inside information by KW. It seems coincidental that BU hires it??™s first spokesperson....ever...and it??™s an old collleague from the PJS. No background in a University environment etc,

Unlike Judge McDade who publicly acknowledged his initial view on the coach hiring decision was off the mark....I don??™t think KW will ever acknowledge that what he advocated for ...led to a decade plus of disaster. That the change was so poorly handled etc. And the timing left BU vulnerable ...and added to the challenging financial position of BU.

[Da Coach]

...
There seemed to be plenty of veiled references to inside information by KW....

I can give many examples of what you are referring to. One example was when there were lots of rumors started by people on another message board that Coach Les was going to be fired after the 2010 season. There were so-called experts who guaranteed it was a done deal. But recall that Kirk Wessler wrote a column shooting that theory down with authority. It seemed like he knew more than they did, because Les was not fired in 2010.

http://www.pjstar.com/x1838117210/Wessler-Is-March-going-out-like-a-lyin

And as many here know, I have gone to a lot of Bradley road games over the years. Joanne Glasser also used to attend a lot of road games when she was President. In the final season that Jim Les was coach, I witnessed an odd thing at road games that I never saw happen at home games or anywhere before that season. Before some of those road games, Pres. Glasser would walk over to the media table and have somewhat long discussions with Mr. Wessler. They were obviously well acquainted. Make of that what you will...

[tornado]

have we not seen reports that DR, KW & JG have been seen dining out together? That sure is an odd relationship...

[tornado]

UC-Davis' successes have led to a much better and more widely available radio & media deals

https://www.sacbee.com/sports/college/article216215400.html

The Big West already has its own FREE TV-streaming network that is better than what the MVC has!

[Bradleyfan1]

Les is More. Once a brave always a brave.

[Chico]

UC-Davis' successes have led to a much better and more widely available radio & media deals

https://www.sacbee.com/sports/college/article216215400.html

The Big West already has its own FREE TV-streaming network that is better than what the MVC has!

A Hawkins and a Les at the same school. Can’t help but be successful.

[tornado]

it has been a good week for Jim Les
He landed two of his top recruiting targets for 2019...
Ezra Manjon is one of the best point guards in Northern California and Aaron Murphy is an athletic 6-8 forward seen in this highlight dunk