What we have seen

[bradleyfan124]

No way Wardle leaves. I just don't see it anytime soon. We just extended his contract last year. Not only that, but he has 0 total NCAA tournament wins.

Unless Da Coach has some sort of inside info, lets chill on that talk because there is no basis for it.

I'm not opposed to doing what is necessary when the time comes to keep him around. I'd rather see Bradley pay up and let Wardle build Bradley into what it used to be. Than for Bradley to permanently just be a stepping stone where once we get good, we lose our coach.

AMEN!!!!

[nafstrops]

Congratulations to the Braves and good luck in the tournament!

Also do whatever you have to do, to keep Wardle, continuity is the key to a bright future.

Ohh, shocker fan if you all forgot.

[Chico]

Glad he signed a long term contract. BU used to fire successful coaches. But then, Reynolds isn’t Glasser or Cross.

[wily coyote]

When was the last time Bradley had a coach "hired away"? Has it ever happened? I'm sure he will have some bigger schools calling now with back to back tournament appearances. I really hope we can keep him for at least another year, I think next year we can be even better.

The last coach and maybe only coach to be hired away was Bob Vanatta. He left BU when he was hired by Memphis State in 1956. I sure hope the big boys don't come calling but I wouldn't be surprised sooner than we want. What a great job he has done here after the wreck JoAnn caused. I know Geno gets alot of criticism but Queenie had his hands tied in many ways. He was COY in his previous conference twice and you don't forget how to coach when you move to another job. On a positive note, what a great weekend and the best team did win. If Childs don't get hurt and miss half the conference games I think we win the league regular season also. DB deserved the MVP award but there were so many contributors. Just a great weekend for the Braves. Coach also deserves a lot of credit. I sat next to a very good HS coach from the Peoria area and he said that going to the zone was a game changer when it happened. Now let's hope for a good draw and dance for a couple of weeks.

[Chico]

I liked Geno personally, but know he was controlled by the Admin and was glad to see them all go.

[Da Coach]

Technically, there was one other past Bradley head coach who was hired away. It was Dick Versace in 1986. The University President and AD offered Dick a 1-year extension in 1986 when his contract was due to expire, but Dick considered that a bit insulting after coaching the 1985-85 to arguably the best season in Bradley history (32-3, the best record in the country that year). He was offered a job as a top assistant coach in the NBA with Chuck Daly, the head coach of the Detroit Pistons, so he resigned from Bradley and took the NBA position. It lead to a long career in the NBA for Dick, first as an assistant coach, then as a head coach for the Indiana Pacers, then as an NBA announcer for TNT, and eventually as an executive with the Memphis Grizzlies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Versace

Coach Versace has told me that as much as he loved his time at Bradley, he had no regrets about leaving. He did very well financially in his subsequent positions.

[LittleBrave]

It would great to be the Creighton or Wichita of the Valley as it was from 2000 to 2017.
But I REALLY LOVE the Valley and would be very sad if we ever left for "greener" pastures.

I see the league getting stronger next year and hopefully it returns to a 3-bid league.
The parity this season from #1 to #8 was outstanding.

[LittleBrave]

I was disappointed to see CU and WSU leave for the bigger conf's, but now I'm glad that Loyola and Valpo replaced them. Fan base is more respectful and still have a good following, and their arenas are not too shabby, though small.

[Tommy]

It would great to be the Creighton or Wichita of the Valley as it was from 2000 to 2017.
But I REALLY LOVE the Valley and would be very sad if we ever left for "greener" pastures.

I see the league getting stronger next year and hopefully it returns to a 3-bid league.
The parity this season from #1 to #8 was outstanding.

I agree. I think we’re on our way to being a dominant team in the MVC and I hope the difference is that we stay instead of chasing the money.