Open Letter to the Team and the Coaching Staff

[BUBraves2006]

I have no idea if anyone from the team or staff actually ever reads the message board, but in case they do, I wanted to share my thoughts after a very long car ride home:

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To our great team and coaches,

Thank you for such a fun season. On the surface, it may feel like a disappointment - we didn't win the regular season or conference championship. Maybe in some ways it was, but to take it from a different angle, I'm proud of the bar that this team and program has set that finishing second in a tough conference and getting to the tournament championship are "not good enough". It's good to expect a winner every season and that comes through the collective commitment to the guys on the court and everyone around them helping them to succeed. I felt the pain today on so many levels and I'm just a fan. I can only imagine how much worse it must be if you're one of the players.

With all of that said, you all need to get over the disappointment and continue playing, hopefully in the NIT. Did you see that a neutral site tournament was literally a sea of red wrapping around the entire arena supporting you? In one respect, you owe it to yourselves to put it out on the line until there truly isn't another game to play because you'll never get these days back in your life. But you also do owe it to your fans, too. Do you think that people are going to be driving hours down to Arch Madness if they see a team that quits when their down?

To hear that there is even a possibility that you'd not play in another tournament is completely counter intuitive to the program that Coach Wardle has built. Aside from possibly one game in the past few seasons, it never seems this team gives up, regardless of the score. We're not North Carolina. We don't have the national championship banners nor are we arrogant enough to think we're "too good" for anything but the NCAA tournament.

In the end, remember what the slogan was all year - #proveem. Are you going to prove others right that you were good but not good enough? Or do you keep going for just that much more, because you care about it for yourselves, your teammates and your fans?

Cheers to a great season and hopefully at least one more game.

[Bradley3342]

I have no idea if anyone from the team or staff actually ever reads the message board, but in case they do, I wanted to share my thoughts after a very long car ride home:

-----

To our great team and coaches,

Thank you for such a fun season. On the surface, it may feel like a disappointment - we didn't win the regular season or conference championship. Maybe in some ways it was, but to take it from a different angle, I'm proud of the bar that this team and program has set that finishing second in a tough conference and getting to the tournament championship are "not good enough". It's good to expect a winner every season and that comes through the collective commitment to the guys on the court and everyone around them helping them to succeed. I felt the pain today on so many levels and I'm just a fan. I can only imagine how much worse it must be if you're one of the players.

With all of that said, you all need to get over the disappointment and continue playing, hopefully in the NIT. Did you see that a neutral site tournament was literally a sea of red wrapping around the entire arena supporting you? In one respect, you owe it to yourselves to put it out on the line until there truly isn't another game to play because you'll never get these days back in your life. But you also do owe it to your fans, too. Do you think that people are going to be driving hours down to Arch Madness if they see a team that quits when their down?

To hear that there is even a possibility that you'd not play in another tournament is completely counter intuitive to the program that Coach Wardle has built. Aside from possibly one game in the past few seasons, it never seems this team gives up, regardless of the score. We're not North Carolina. We don't have the national championship banners nor are we arrogant enough to think we're "too good" for anything but the NCAA tournament.

In the end, remember what the slogan was all year - #proveem. Are you going to prove others right that you were good but not good enough? Or do you keep going for just that much more, because you care about it for yourselves, your teammates and your fans?

Cheers to a great season and hopefully at least one more game.

Well said BUBraves2006.Hopefully another game at home and for us old timers youjustneverknow which we remember well in 1982 where our Braves rolled through the NIT

[LittleBrave]

Boy oh boy if this doesn’t tug on your heartstrings, not sure what will!
I have felt the same since I heard that the tram is contemplating an NIT bid, but even stronger now.

THANK YOU for sharing BUBR2006!

[Da Coach]

Ditto... thanks BUBraves2006

[wily coyote]

I have no idea if anyone from the team or staff actually ever reads the message board, but in case they do, I wanted to share my thoughts after a very long car ride home:

-----

To our great team and coaches,

Thank you for such a fun season. On the surface, it may feel like a disappointment - we didn't win the regular season or conference championship. Maybe in some ways it was, but to take it from a different angle, I'm proud of the bar that this team and program has set that finishing second in a tough conference and getting to the tournament championship are "not good enough". It's good to expect a winner every season and that comes through the collective commitment to the guys on the court and everyone around them helping them to succeed. I felt the pain today on so many levels and I'm just a fan. I can only imagine how much worse it must be if you're one of the players.

With all of that said, you all need to get over the disappointment and continue playing, hopefully in the NIT. Did you see that a neutral site tournament was literally a sea of red wrapping around the entire arena supporting you? In one respect, you owe it to yourselves to put it out on the line until there truly isn't another game to play because you'll never get these days back in your life. But you also do owe it to your fans, too. Do you think that people are going to be driving hours down to Arch Madness if they see a team that quits when their down?

To hear that there is even a possibility that you'd not play in another tournament is completely counter intuitive to the program that Coach Wardle has built. Aside from possibly one game in the past few seasons, it never seems this team gives up, regardless of the score. We're not North Carolina. We don't have the national championship banners nor are we arrogant enough to think we're "too good" for anything but the NCAA tournament.

In the end, remember what the slogan was all year - #proveem. Are you going to prove others right that you were good but not good enough? Or do you keep going for just that much more, because you care about it for yourselves, your teammates and your fans?

Cheers to a great season and hopefully at least one more game.

Best post I've seen in a very long time. The ticket office has already sent out information for season ticket renewals. don't think talking about not accepting an NIT bid is a very good idea at this time. Lets put on our big boy pants and get over the disappointment and extent the careers for the Seniors who will never put on the BU uniform again if we call it a season.

[yoda]

Kudos to the 2024-25 Braves
26 wins is the most in 40 years, one of the top two best win totals in 75 years, and the 6th highest win total in Bradley’s 120+ year history

You guys are great & will always be remembered as one of the best BU teams in our generation

[basketball nut]

Well said BUBraves2006. This has been an amazing season and most, if not all, of the fans will never forget this team. We have had great teams in the past and this one goes right beside them. Duke and Darius along with the other seniors will always be a team that is thought of as one of the great BU teams.
Thank guys for the enjoyment you brought to the Peoria area.

[Steve Zalutsky]

A great year! This team was not built by NIL $$, but by dedicated seniors who decided to stay and give it their best shot!

[yoda]

I have posted a couple times on topics that I think cause discouragement, a loss of fans and a hit to the morale of the fan base...
The main issue I've had recently is the lack of interaction and inattentiveness to the concerns of fans.

BUT -- The idea that we get a HOME NIT game, something that has only happened once in the past 18 years, only 3 times this century,
and fewer than a dozen times ever, and -- that maybe multiple starters and key players could opt out and not play is very
troublesome to me. For all the words we hear that the team thanks and appreciates their fans and the thousands of $$ we pay & donate,
they need to IMMEDIATELY come out with a statement or a release and assure the fans that the TEAM is going to play to win this thing!
I am hearing from other old-timers that if the main players aren't playing, that they will just sit home & watch on TV.
I would hope Dr. Chris Reynolds would step in and make this right. This is not BRADLEY BASKETBALL & what we are used to.

[houstonbrave]

Yoda-I hear and understand frustration if some players don't play, but I can only speak for myself-Once I figure out which day we are playing I'm booking my flights from Houston to PIA. I think the coaches and administration can try to convince them to play, but I don't see any way to make them and if they don't want to do it I'm not sure I want them out there. Will I be disappointed in any players that would decide not to play-absolutely. I also think we have stated many times that this is a really connected group that cares about each other. Well, if you are deciding to let your teammates out there to play without your support in front of fans that have supported you (in a number of ways) then that is really sad. With all of that said-I'll be in my seats cheering on those that want to play.

[yoda]

Well, I plan to go to the games, but if you're saying it's just another day when your players say "gee coach, I don't think I wanna play today", then
we've come a long way in college sports, where most kids are willing to give their left arm (the non-shooting one) to get a few minutes on the court in a DI game.
Even if you're coaching a bunch of 5th or 6th graders, what would the average coach do if one of their best player said "I'm done coach, I am gonna skip this game".

I know what I'd do, he'd be off the team and hand in his jersey. But even moreso, if I was paying him to play, then I'd call the bank and stop payment on the checks. There's 150 other players in the MVC who wished they were still playing and somewhere around 4,000 DI players whose seasons are done but who wish they could still be playing.

Whatever happened to "There's no "I" in team"

[carter]

I might be missing something but it makes no sense to play a game in the NIT unless the entire team is wanting to play.

[Mikovio]

This has sadly become routine in college football for bowl games. Players even opt out of major bowl games.

[yoda]

but those are guys who don't want to risk an injury that impacts their draft status and potention multi-million dollar contracts.
That is nowhere near the case here.......in fact, for mid-major players, they have a REAL potential to elevate their status and
INCREASE the opportunity & potential for a professional career. It definitely worked for all the Indiana State kids last year.
Look how many immediately got offers to transfer to Xavier (Conwell), Texas (Kent, Larry) and other higher-level teams.
Last year, two of NIT Champ Seton Hall's All-NIT Tourney guys immediately got offers to transfer to St. John's & Ole Miss.

[bradleyfan124]

but those are guys who don't want to risk an injury that impacts their draft status and potention multi-million dollar contracts.
That is nowhere near the case here.......in fact, for mid-major players, they have a REAL potential to elevate their status and
INCREASE the opportunity & potential for a professional career. It definitely worked for all the Indiana State kids last year.
Look how many immediately got offers to transfer to Xavier (Conwell), Texas (Kent, Larry) and other higher-level teams.
Last year, two of NIT Champ Seton Hall's All-NIT Tourney guys immediately got offers to transfer to St. John's & Ole Miss.

I totally agree!!!!!!