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Originally posted by Vent
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We need to add shooters, and honestly we need to be intentional about recruiting a floor leader. That is a huge part of success, and hasn’t been a strength for a while at Bradley... it can all be fixed.Compete. Defend. Rebound. Win. -
Either the coaching staff doesn’t agree or is not capable of recruiting shooters. It’s gone on too long to be anything different.Originally posted by Dub View PostComment
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The loss at Indiana State was extremely disappointing, but the home loss to UNI (who SIU beat yesterday in Cedar Falls) and the other losses to lowly teams Bradley used to have no trouble beating like IUPUI, EIU, Georgia Southern, etc. hurt even more, and has caused a great deal of discouragement among the fans I have talked to. Sadly, a number of long-time, loyal season-ticket fans have already told me they are not planning on renewing their season tickets.
But I put the blame for the state of things where it really belongs, on Joanne Glasser, Mike Cross, and those who supported the catastrophic changes that were forced on the Bradley program almost 8 years ago.
The prospect of the first winning MVC season in 9 years is not looking real good now. Recall that there were those who claimed Bradley couldn't get any worse by firing Jim Les in 2011. Really? Les won more than 20 games in 4 of his final 6 seasons, had a Sweet 16 NCAA run, had an NIT appearance which included a win over a Power 6 opponent, and he frequently won games over other Power 6 opponents during his tenure. And he averaged 19 wins a season over those last 6 seasons, despite a ton of injuries to key players and losing an NBA lottery pick with 2 years of eligibility left. And the only season in his last 6 years that was not a winning overall record and a .500 or better MVC record was 2010-11 when he was forced to play the entire season without 2 All-MVC starters. And despite the claim that we would surely do better with another coach, since the firing 7+ seasons ago, Bradley has never had another winning MVC season, and it is not looking like that will change this season.
Even with the promising season last year (9-9 in the MVC), in the 7 full MVC seasons since 2011, Bradley has averaged just 5.4 MVC wins per season!
I could point to a lot more FALLOUT from those disastrous changes, including the massive cost of buyouts, lawsuits, overpaying for inept coaches, and trying to reverse some of the damages, plus the enormous drop in attendance and revenues caused by Joanne Glasser, Mike Cross, and the media frauds (all of which was accurately predicted here) but suffice to say, the FALLOUT is still alive and continuing. I will continue to support Bradley, but at this point, I am not confident we will ever see us recover from that FALLOUT.
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agree - there are no intelligent people who would try to lay the blame anywhere else...
The watershed moment came when Glasser was hired during the 2007-2008 season...then her first step was to run Ken Kavanagh out in 2009;
here are just a couple simple, undeniable facts:
-Bradley's record in the decade before Kavanagh's firing = 168-153 (0.523), Bradley's record since Kavanagh's firing 119-184 (0.392)
-attendance and donations/revenue before Kavanagh's firing were at historic and record highs, since his firing they have dropped to historic and record lows...Comment
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Yeah, obviously the revenue losses from poor attendance can’t be sustained indefinitely without cost reductions from within the athletic department itself.... and that can affect the quality of everything you try to do. Right now, our best assets are Chris Reynolds, Brian Wardle, and the fanbase who we need to hang tough right now. Hopefully if you’re still with us, you’re hard core and will go the distance.Compete. Defend. Rebound. Win.Comment
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I don't know, and maybe it's only me, but an AD over a basketball program who has barely an over 500 record for a decade to me is not getting it done either. The attendance and donations portion though I completely agree with and it's the lifeblood of a program. With donations and better crowds you have a better environment and can draw better players. Right now, Bradley is just not an exciting destination for aspiring college players. Hoping that will change, but Bradley and UE suffer from the same things. Kids today are looking for different things than what they used to.Originally posted by tornado View Post
At some point though the crutch of blaming the prior administration has to go away.Cheering with pep and vim for the white and purple!Comment
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I agree to a point. However, Glasser and Cross are not responsible for the caliber of shooters and/or players we are bringing in. How long are we going to keep using them as an excuse? That’s a tired and worn out excuse. I’m not a Wardle hater. I hope he succeeds. I’m sure he is a good man, a hard worker, runs a clean program and knows the game. The fact is we have mediocre talent, have no shooters and after four years are struggling to be a top 3 team in a conference that has dropped to 12th best in the conference. I’’m confident that Dr. Reynolds and Coach Wardle are not using Glasser, Cross and Ford for the deficiencies of the program. If the prior administration is still the culprit of the men’s basketball mediocrity, why are we seeing our track program, cross country program, girls volleyball program, girls basketball program and golf teams making tremendous improvements? The prior administration isn’t holding them back. It seems to be only the men’s basketball program. We all know the prior administration was a disaster, but it’s time to quit using them as an excuse.Originally posted by PurpleAceFan View PostComment
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I hear ya but in the last four years of that span we had four post-season appearances, an NCAA bid, a Sweet 16 and a record of 86-56 (61%)Originally posted by PurpleAceFan View Post
so a lot of fans like me saw that Bradley was on a roll and getting better - then came the firing of the AD, the unilateral firing by the Prez of the entire coaching staff over the objections of Les, and replacement by coaches (Platt) who were selected BY GLASSER and not by Les - plus she overruled and vetoed at least 6 or 7 of Les' recruits - some of whom went on to extremely good careers elsewhere...one who had close to a career 50% 3-pt shooting pct.
Nobody denies that the meddling by Glasser ruined a good thing and cost us tens of millions of dollars. There are STILL lawsuits working their way thru the court....and some of the donors like the $3 million Puterbaugh gift, the $10 million Turner pledge, Hersey Hawkins' multimillion support and others have never returned.
btw- One of the top people in the Athletic Dept. back then told me that everyone - from head coaches in every sport to the people who just answered the phones -
lived literally minute to minute in complete fear that SHE would drop the guillotine and destroy their careers for the tiniest of infractions.
Several with highly successful careers (PM me if you want names) left on their own just to get away, others were run out.
Everyone walked on eggshells and were incredibly careful what they said or even what they might put into an email (which were all being snooped on just as comments on the message board were being observed by Glasser's office employees and they were even making attempts to demand that BradleyFans reveal the identity of those posters who made negative remarks so they could find a way to seek vengeance!
One highly successful head coach who had won four MVC titles and had 3 NCAA appearances was unceremoniously canned for just such a cause - and, as expected, has gone on to extremely good success elsewhere.
The PJS covered for all her massive damage and even hid or lied about financial losses, etc....plus almost every employee hurt by her actions was under non-disclosure clauses so they stayed silent while she peddled her side straight to her lapdogs at the PJS or some message board dodos elsewhere.
The full extent & results of her damage are only now being partially seen but it was & is massive. I hope some day some of the principle insiders do reveal the truth.Comment
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We were 4th last year in the 8th best conference (that sent a team to the Final 4 whose final defeat until then was us). Last year was marked progress. This year has been marked regression. Not much option but to wait out this year and next.Originally posted by Vent View PostComment
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In addition to overseeing the enormous upgrading of our facilities, that Bradley AD had been voted by his peers as the National AD of the Year just 2 years before he was run off from Bradley over personal issues. And he landed on his feet at a school that was new to D1, and has built their basketball program (as well as numerous other sports) into a perennial mid-major powers. And he was voted the National AD of the Year again at FGCU! So anyone who knows the situation, would not be suggesting he didn't do his job well.Originally posted by PurpleAceFan View Post
And Bradley fans would love to "move on", except that we are still suffering greatly from the fallout of those damaging changes.Comment
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I agree with Vent. We need to quit using the prior administration as an excuse. I understand many on this board are still frustrated, but it doesn't change anything to dwell. We need this squad to get better with this Pres, AD and coach. DC I am sorry to hear that there are season ticket holders already bailing. I will echo my frustration, but there is still hope for a prolonged run that gets us in the post-season.Comment
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nobody in our entire current Athletic Dept nor anyone currently involved in any function at Bradley has ever used the "prior administration" as an excuse or an alibi -
.... it would be entirely fair, reasonable & appropriate if Dr. Reynolds did cite how horrible the programs had been destroyed, but he never has - he has ALWAYS looked forward
...but I am sure you will recall that Mike Cross & his defenders incl. the PJS endlessly dragged out excuses to blame the former staff - even making up complete lies like when they claimed it was Kavanagh who made unpopular decisions & cancelled the ITOO & other events that Cross was responsible for and lying about the revenue or the attendance to claim the former era was worse than it was. They all used those excuses for four whole years - even when Cross & Geno were canned, they was given parting interviews by Kirk Wessler who sobbed & hugged them then printed swipes at the fan base for being impatient, expecting too much given how bad the program was, and for not blaming Les, etc...
so it is really only me who still points to the damage from Glasser - but someone needs to be the historian that sets the record straight and reveals the truths that have been lied about for over a decade. You don't have to believe me or even like that I cite the facts from that era - but I reserve the right say what I know and those responsible back then deserve to have their dishonest and unethical deeds exposed.Comment
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Great discussion, even if some are tired of hearing about the past. History is important. It's also important to note that our current players/staff are not making excuses... this is just fans talking.Originally posted by tornado View Post
Let's remember too that up until we hit the skids a mere 40 days ago or so, we had been on a VERY steep upward trajectory for 2 solid years. From 5-13-20... among the best returns in the nation.
We have the staff to get this figured out, and I have faith we will. This current season doesn't have the same optimism and luster it did at the start, but that doesn't sink the program. You are never as good or as bad as you think you are. Let's not cash it in just yet my friends.Compete. Defend. Rebound. Win.Comment
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Probably the WORST 32-point effort I've ever seen. Brown was just chucking shots. He was not even on. Only reason he tallied so many was because everyone else threw up bricks.
Awful 2nd half.
Very disappointed in Bradley's performance the past 4-5 games.
Need to turn things around quickly.
I just don't get Wardle's decision to start Pittman and then have him sit practically the whole 2nd half!Comment
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