Program Height Realistic Expectations

[basketball nut]

I try not to spend time worrying about what we cannot control. Just continue being supportive if you like the way the program is headed.
Go BU!

Fully agree with Da Coach. If BW does, or I should say when he does, decide to leave I would think we have 4 Asst coaches that CR could choose any of them to take Wardle's place and IMO we would still be OK.

[Old Coach]

If other schools are courting Wardle, it is a good sign. If he were to leave, I have confidence that Reynolds would hire the right person. The program is in much better position than when he took over, although revenue is down. The size of the city has nothing to do with the quality of a basketball program. For years, Peoria has been one of the smallest cities, in the MVC. Peoria is a great basketball town and the potential to be one of the better mid-major programs in the country still exists. To think or expect anything else is what causes programs to sink.

Peoria is pretty much right in the middle, no?

1. UIC/Valpo - Chicago (9,509,934 metro)
2. Belmont - Nashville (2,012,476 metro)
3. Drake - Des Moines (719,146 metro)
4. MSU - Springfield (481,483 metro)
5. Bradley - Peoria (398,224 metro)
6. Evansville - Evansville - (313,946 metro)
7. INSU - Terre Haute (184,910 metro)
8. ILSU - Bloomington-Normal (170,889 metro)
9. UNI - Cedar Falls (167,796 metro)
10. SIU - Carbondale (132,907 metro)
11. Murray State - Murray (37,560 metro)

[bigjimmy]

I would imagine that Rienk and Ville will be making their decisions soon so that Wardle can start preparing for next season. I would also suspect we’ll be hearing soon about anyone who is transferring in and out. The guys that are remaining need to work on improving their games. Leons is the one who can be such a tough matchup inside but he needs more strength and confidence in there. With his skills and athleticism he should average 20+ points a game. If he can take that final step hopefully we can too.

[Old Coach]

I would imagine that Rienk and Ville will be making their decisions soon so that Wardle can start preparing for next season. I would also suspect we’ll be hearing soon about anyone who is transferring in and out. The guys that are remaining need to work on improving their games. Leons is the one who can be such a tough matchup inside but he needs more strength and confidence in there. With his skills and athleticism he should average 20+ points a game. If he can take that final step hopefully we can too.

With Burch already committed to replace Henry's scholarship, I would expect 4 more available scholarships next season via some combination of players not completing their remaining eligibility and others choosing to enter the transfer portal.

[bradleyfan124]

I think lack of experience in end of the season tournaments hurt Bradley this year.. If we can keep the core of these guys that wont happen next season. I also think if we had played Wisconsin here we would have beat them

[BUBraves2006]

I almost put this in the Rienk thread, but thought it fit best here:

I keep coming back to the regular season championship in Peoria.

You, as a player, can take that one of two ways:

1. You can observe how incredible it was and see the growing potential for the team. It shows how Peoria will support a winner. You keep playing for bigger crowds. Sustained success leads to maybe more chances at at large bids.

2. You can observe how incredible it was and think that might be a once in a lifetime thing because of how big of a deal that one game was. You achieve this incredible thing and ... you still don't even get a NCAA tournament bid. You don't even get a NIT home game against a team you clearly had a better season than other than in name recognition.

I don't know a single player personally as most of us on here don't, but I worry that I might have misjudged how many fall into camp one and how many fall into camp two.

[Da Coach]

I think all the Bradley players are extremely grateful that Bradley offered a full scholarship and an opportunity to play D1 basketball, and that Bradley has kept their commitment. Most are extremely happy and satisfied with their situation, and have no interest in looking to transfer. But with the NIL money now available, everything has changed. It's not just the kids who want more playing time, or think the coach is too demanding that consider transferring like it used to be. It now could be any player who has a degree of success, and some school with deep pockets thinks he can fill a role they need.
Today's student-athletes have only 4 or 5 years to make the most of their careers, so you can't blame them for looking at all their options.
Unless the NCAA figures out a way to reign in the use of NIL money as a tool to recruit ready-to-play D1 players from the mid-majors, we need to get used to the fact this could happen every year.