Bradley Problems

[wizard1]

IMO, something is going very wrong with the Bradley Basketball program.While we are not talented enough as yet to be highly ranked, we should be a very formidable team against the opponents we have scheduled. Unfortunately we are not formidable at all and we continue to lose to weaker teams. Our offense is pittiful...We bring the ball up the floor slowly and we really don't attack our opponent very much. Does our slow offense cause our players to be tentative and to shoot with very little confidence? Our passes are weak, not quick or crisp and our players clearly are very tentative on the floor. We seem to have no confidence at all. We make the same 8th grade mistakes over and over. Is our offense so complex that our kids really cannot run it. What are we doing in practice Do we scrimmage so our coaches can correct mistakes when they occur in practice? Is our team on a tight leash causing them to play tight? Why no player interviews with Snell after(or before) games? We still do not really have open practices. The few we have had were highly structured, no real scrimmages with teaching by the coaches. Previous coaches (Orsborn, Stowell, Versace, Molinari ) Had practice scrimmages that simulated game conditions and which coaches could use to teach and correct mistakes. Whatever we are doing, it is not working.
Wizard

[sam hannam]

Talking about problems - Are Pittman and Luuk practicing with the team? What about Brummett? Is he leaving?

[Big Mike]

Talking about problems - Are Pittman and Luuk practicing with the team? What about Brummett? Is he leaving?

Good questions.....been wondering the same thing.

[Go_Braves]

IMO, something is going very wrong with the Bradley Basketball program.While we are not talented enough as yet to be highly ranked, we should be a very formidable team against the opponents we have scheduled. Unfortunately we are not formidable at all and we continue to lose to weaker teams. Our offense is pittiful...We bring the ball up the floor slowly and we really don't attack our opponent very much. Does our slow offense cause our players to be tentative and to shoot with very little confidence? Our passes are weak, not quick or crisp and our players clearly are very tentative on the floor. We seem to have no confidence at all. We make the same 8th grade mistakes over and over. Is our offense so complex that our kids really cannot run it. What are we doing in practice Do we scrimmage so our coaches can correct mistakes when they occur in practice? Is our team on a tight leash causing them to play tight? Why no player interviews with Snell after(or before) games? We still do not really have open practices. The few we have had were highly structured, no real scrimmages with teaching by the coaches. Previous coaches (Orsborn, Stowell, Versace, Molinari ) Had practice scrimmages that simulated game conditions and which coaches could use to teach and correct mistakes. Whatever we are doing, it is not working.
Wizard

I shared very similar insights 2 days ago.... Refer to my December 19th entry for the topic "Next game: Southeastern Louisiana at Bradley, Saturday, Dec. 22, 1:00 PM".

[BUfan17]

IMO, something is going very wrong with the Bradley Basketball program.While we are not talented enough as yet to be highly ranked, we should be a very formidable team against the opponents we have scheduled. Unfortunately we are not formidable at all and we continue to lose to weaker teams. Our offense is pittiful...We bring the ball up the floor slowly and we really don't attack our opponent very much. Does our slow offense cause our players to be tentative and to shoot with very little confidence? Our passes are weak, not quick or crisp and our players clearly are very tentative on the floor. We seem to have no confidence at all. We make the same 8th grade mistakes over and over. Is our offense so complex that our kids really cannot run it. What are we doing in practice Do we scrimmage so our coaches can correct mistakes when they occur in practice? Is our team on a tight leash causing them to play tight? Why no player interviews with Snell after(or before) games? We still do not really have open practices. The few we have had were highly structured, no real scrimmages with teaching by the coaches. Previous coaches (Orsborn, Stowell, Versace, Molinari ) Had practice scrimmages that simulated game conditions and which coaches could use to teach and correct mistakes. Whatever we are doing, it is not working.
Wizard

IMO Wardle's subbing patterns this season has caused some of these problems. At the very slightest mistake he likes to yank players out of the game, the constant lineup change really seems to affect the flow of the team. I understand that he is wanting to teach smart play but there is a fine line there of teaching players or making them too scared to be aggressive. I'm not a coach or anything, but that is just my observation as a casual fan. The loss of Donte has also been a bigger a problem than many of us wanted to believe. He was a constant inside threat that allowed our shooters to get open more often and we've really been lacking in that this year. Based off last year we all thought Childs would be able to fill Donte's shoes but it seems like he's not there yet. Overall I'm not too worried since there is still a lot of basketball to be played this year, but I don't think I would call this year "the arrival' yet.

[Go_Braves]

IMO Wardle's subbing patterns this season has caused some of these problems. At the very slightest mistake he likes to yank players out of the game, the constant lineup change really seems to affect the flow of the team. I understand that he is wanting to teach smart play but there is a fine line there of teaching players or making them too scared to be aggressive. I'm not a coach or anything, but that is just my observation as a casual fan. The loss of Donte has also been a bigger a problem than many of us wanted to believe. He was a constant inside threat that allowed our shooters to get open more often and we've really been lacking in that this year. Based off last year we all thought Childs would be able to fill Donte's shoes but it seems like he's not there yet. Overall I'm not too worried since there is still a lot of basketball to be played this year, but I don't think I would call this year "the arrival' yet.

I agree with a lot that you have shared. Very very few fast breaks. Opposing teams don't have to immediately get back and play defense after making a basket or the ball is turned over. It appears that no Bradley player will take the lead on a fast break and it also appears that the rest of the team doesn't know what to do if one were to take a fast break risk - making the opposing teams defensive coverage easier for these types of cases. Another case is - each player seems tentative when making a move and this "lag / tentativeness" gives the other teams defender an advantage. We never hear anyone state anymore about the teams or individual player quickness. At times Darrel may show signs as well as Dwayne. It's mostly - dribble the ball down the court - set up - and run some sort of play. As for Childs - it's as if he forgot what Donte taught him last year. Donte "owned" the rim - that was his territory.... Childs last year caught on. I thought Childs was taking off from where he left off when playing SMU and Penn State. Since Cancun Childs does not "own" the rim. It'll be a telling home game today before another 11 day break till Northern Iowa comes to town. Not to be a "Scrooge" but I'm changing my chant from "Go Braves" to "Come On Braves"....

[Mikovio]

I don't know about any off the court stuff but at least they're staying off the police blotter. My hope is with Boya emerging we won't need to rely on Luuk as much. Nothing against him but he shouldn't get more than 10 minutes.

Need to win this one, and not by a little.

[sam hannam]

Brummett is back for today's game.

[wily coyote]

IMO, something is going very wrong with the Bradley Basketball program.While we are not talented enough as yet to be highly ranked, we should be a very formidable team against the opponents we have scheduled. Unfortunately we are not formidable at all and we continue to lose to weaker teams. Our offense is pittiful...We bring the ball up the floor slowly and we really don't attack our opponent very much. Does our slow offense cause our players to be tentative and to shoot with very little confidence? Our passes are weak, not quick or crisp and our players clearly are very tentative on the floor. We seem to have no confidence at all. We make the same 8th grade mistakes over and over. Is our offense so complex that our kids really cannot run it. What are we doing in practice Do we scrimmage so our coaches can correct mistakes when they occur in practice? Is our team on a tight leash causing them to play tight? Why no player interviews with Snell after(or before) games? We still do not really have open practices. The few we have had were highly structured, no real scrimmages with teaching by the coaches. Previous coaches (Orsborn, Stowell, Versace, Molinari ) Had practice scrimmages that simulated game conditions and which coaches could use to teach and correct mistakes. Whatever we are doing, it is not working.
Wizard

Wizard You are 100% correct with your last 2 sentences. I officiated 4 or 5 practice scrimmages for Coach Versace, and he did use those scrimmages to teach and correct mistakes. He would stand at half court and use his whistle to teach and correct about as much as we used ours to work the games. In fact sometimes he would use very salty language. One scrimmage I was working he got so mad he kicked my 10 year old son out of the scrimmage. When he realized it was my son he stopped him from leaving and apologized to both of us. He told me sometimes young kids would get in and if he used language not fit for their ears,they would go home, tell their parents and they would contact his boss and as he told me ."Then my ass would be in trouble again." Don't think BW is going to have my open practices that we will be able to see.

[tornado]

I have been to practices and I know a few others have and they are intense - "game conditions"....but I do not see why it doesn't translate to the games...
Perhaps when we went 6-1 to start the season our guys were overconfident...
Of course that should NOT happen at DI - we ought to get 100% effort 100% of the time. But we do look tentative at times and teams put 10-15 point runs on us.

[Go_Braves]

I have been to practices and I know a few others have and they are intense - "game conditions"....but I do not see why it doesn't translate to the games...
Perhaps when we went 6-1 to start the season our guys were overconfident...
Of course that should NOT happen at DI - we ought to get 100% effort 100% of the time. But we do look tentative at times and teams put 10-15 point runs on us.

I too have previously recognized and mentioned in previous posts the "tentativeness" of this years team. Why is that ?? - we may never know - but to me it's a mind set and there have been others wondering if each Brave player this year doesn't want to make a "mental" mistake in front of Wardle from all the previous feedback Wardle has made about mental mistakes. The tentativeness / hesitation gives the defensive opponent an advantage if not for just a brief moment - enough to make a defensive difference and take away any offensive advantage of a quick move to the hoop or a fast break. The first 2 games with Northern Iowa and Indiana State will give a clear signal of what to expect for the rest of the conference season. Ben Jacobson is a great coach who could have left for a bigger program after each of Northern Iowa's NCAA runs and this year he has a challenge with this years Northern Iowa team.... My concern it is another 11 days between games until Northern Iowa - look how "rusty" Bradley was after their first 11 days off and then loosing to Eastern Illinois "at home". Ben will have Northern Iowa as "ready" as he can - this years Northern Iowa team is also still learning. Then comes Indiana State at Indiana State.... Now Indiana State is scary - picked 6th in the Mo Valley preseason. Leading the "nation" in 3 point efficiency. Upsetting teams and playing TCU in the Diamond Head Classic finals. Bradley was picked 4th - Northern Iowa 5th - Indiana State 6th in the Mo Valley Preseason poll. Bradley is "clearly" going to be tested Jan 2 and Jan 5 and has a lot to prove as a team, to their critics, and to their fans. The foundation for the rest of the conference season will be set with these first 2 games.. As I stated earlier - my chant for this season is not "Go Braves" it is "Come On Bradley'. Sorry to be such a scrooge this time of year. Bah-hum-bug ...

[Braves2006]

I’m just happy that someone on this board recognizes there is a huge problem here... there’s time to get it right but it has to start ASAP.... its conference time. Game 1 against UNI will tell an awful lot on if this team will rise up or fade away.