A Repost

[tornado]

Just a little under 12 months ago, back in mid-season last year, when pessimism was running rampant and people were calling for JL to be axed in mid-year, a few posts suggested we'd be way better off cutting our losses and starting from scratch.
People even started envying the success Butler had an wanted try to get a good young coach like they have.
Someone asked what did BU need to do to quell the criticisms, and someone else listed what BU needed to do.

All this was over on the "other board", but I saved some of it and am reposting just to see if anyone else finds this stuff eerie.

Here are the things people demanded back about a year ago when BU was 12-7 in their first 19 games (by the way, BU is 13-6 this season, even better than last year!)

**********

--win 20 games
--win several road games
--beat Drake
--Beat UNI
--Maybe even beat UNI on the road
--beat a a ranked team
--beat a ranked team on the road
--stay out of Thursday night
--win some games in the MVC Tourney
--Get a post season bid
--I know this is dreaming, but maybe even get a well deserved NCAA bid
--win a game in the NCAA, maybe even two, and somewhere even beat a good team, even a Top 10 caliber team
--finish in the rankings
--get some national publicity
--recruit and/or sign players who are being pursued by the top programs in America, maybe 3 or 4 star recruits.
--get top teams/BCS teams to play us in Peoria or at least schedule well enough to be in the Top 40 in SOS.
***********************


OK, so I trimmed a few like play an ACC team and land 5 star recruits, but isn't it great to see all the things people wanted for BU a year ago--- have come true within the last year?


The whole purpose here is to give credit where credit is due........to KK, JL, and the entire BU program, its fans, and supporters.

To everyone: Keep up the great work and look for even better things coming!

[ser_solace]

I agree. The BU basketball program looks to be on track to continue its success from last year for many a year. Coach Les along with the rest of the staff at the basketball program are doing a great job.

I was at the little rally or whatever at the fieldhouse when the Braves returned from their Sweet Sixteen run. Coach Les gave a speech about not wanting to make it a once every ten year thing for Bradley. They want to make it an every year thing. I believe he can do it.

[squirrel]

On January 8, 2006 there was nothing more negative that could possilby be said.

Every team has its woodshed moment. The home game vs. Wichita last year was it.

My only requirement for last year was to make the NCAA Tournament and win at least one game, based on the talent that was here.

They did that and like every Bradley fan that had hard feelings about the staff, believe it or not, have moved on.

Do we really need accolades year round? This year's team has a game to win tomorrow night that could put us in league contention.

You can't continue to bask in the glory of one good run. Should we not expect this team to be a championship contender at this point?

From what I've seen in the last year, Les is doing a spectacular job and I believe he can win the league with this team.

[AB99]

From what I've seen in the last year, Les is doing a spectacular job and I believe he can win the league with this team.

If you believe this then you not only have to believe the
players on this team are going to play well above their
potential, but you also have to believe Jim Les is a hekkuva coach!
This is a team full of kids who nobody else recruited.
Please tell me who else offered Jeremy Crouch, Daniel Ruffin,
Will Franklin, Zach Andrews, Andrew Warren, Matt Salley, JJ Tauai.
This is why every one of at least 20 people who wrote or
picked the Valley in the preseason chose Bradley 8th or 9th.
Add to that, much of the conference season will be played
without this team's best player and top scorer, Crouch.
So why the turnaround? Back in the preseason you posted
about how good Evansvile was going to be and how Bradley
wouldn't get 5 wins in the Valley.

[squirrel]

Honestly, I don't know if it's players overachieving as much as it is that a system is being employed that gives the guys a chance to compete every night, which is something we did not even see last year.

However, there are still some glaring weaknesses with this team that need to be addressed. They have a lot of momentum and I think that they can really kick it into high gear with rebounding efforts like that seen in Terre Haute.