Bradley - Quincy Game Thread

[tornado]

I noticed Frank Bussone and Coach B doing the broadcast. Was the game televised?

Nope...it was a "dry run", I talked with someone "close to the situation" and she told me it was for the purpose of taping, then going back over it to see how it goes, what adjustments to make, and where problems may lie, as neither Frank nor Bish have done much broadcasting in a while.

No idea on the people ...

47 points to a Div-I team for a half is simply unacceptable ...

47 points to a NON Div-I team is flat out scary ... and not in a good way ...

Wait a minute.....I agree it was not a pefect half of basketball, but it served the exact purpose intended.
You never saw Jim Les get too angry, he wasn't screaming, nor did he pick up a "T".

He purposely inserted numerous freshmen and new guys in rapid changes in the first half to see how they functioned.
Given the rapid changes, and all the ticky tack fouls...I thought just about everything went well except for the defense and the way the guys attacked the opponents when they came off the bench.
Voila.....as soon as the adjustments are made, BU reverses a 7 point deficit and has a 25 point lead in about 10 minutes!!

Yes, there are things to work on, but I also saw lots, and lots of good things.....

---Sam Maniscalco plays like a veteran D-I guard, and he will only get better.
Watch Sam M. when he goes to the sidelines, he listens intently to Jim Les and wants to know exactly how to get better. He is an incredible player now and learning & getting better as we speak.

---Andrew Warren might have forced a couple shots, but overall, played with amazing confidence for a guy who is a couple games removed from being a freshman. 19 pts in 23 minutes

---Ty Cole Scott is a continuous blur on both offense and defense, and isn't hogging shots at all...just taking what comes naturally. The crummy foul calls hampered him but he still scored more than any non-starter except AW, and more than anyone else of the 12 players who played less than 23 minutes.

---DRuff was All American tonight.
He nearly had a double double at half (12 pts/7 assists) and ended with 22/11, and a BLOCK of a Josh Edmonds layup, where Daniel's arm was 8 inches over the height of the rim.
He had a couple turnovers early that maybe weren't fully his fault, but in the end 11 assists to 4 TO isn't bad.

---DEEP, DEEP at the post spots....something we could only dream about last year. We definitely didn't get beat on the blocks, it was Quincy's good guard play that kept them close, but our post players were solid, and can be better with a little experience.
Note this.....Singh, Anthony Thompson, Rashad Austin, Matt Salley, David Collins, Will Egolf, and Theron Wilson gave BU a total of over 80 minutes of interior and post play (40% of all the minutes played)
and the combined # of turnovers committed by ALL THOSE GUYS IS TWO.
SERIOUSLY....OUR ENTIRE FRONTCOURT COMBINED ALMOST WENT THE ENTIRE GAME WITHOUT A TURNOVER.....

---Last-- our game is a guard oriented game with lots of outside shots.
But the shots are not bad ones, they are unselfish, and our shooting pct
today was 34-68....50%.....not bad!!

all in all it was a totally enjoyable experience.........a fun game to watch
if you don't like this kind of basketball.....good passing, good shooting, and exciting play, then check for a pulse....

[mike radigan]

What does Crouch's shot look like. Is it flat, are they rimming out, rotation, is he using his legs? Shoulder surgery takes a bit to recover from regarding strength. If he still has the arc, their rimming out and plenty of rotation then he just needs to concentrate on shooting. There maybe a little hang-over from the injury that will take a few games to over come.

His 3 point shot is fine. I think there is a question as he seems to start slowly. However he was 3 of 8 in the first game and 3 of 6 in this one. So despite appearances his 3-pointer is just fine. It is his 2 point attempts that are not dropping. Some seem short. Maybe he is a little worried about contact on a drive, I don't know. On the other hand he's gone to the floor without hesitation.

[mike radigan]

It is his 2 point attempts that are not dropping. Some seem short. Maybe he is a little worried about contact on a drive, I don't know. On the other hand he's gone to the floor without hesitation.

Just looked up the stats and JC is 2 of 11 in the 2 games in 2-point attempts.

[BUBraves06]

Also, some of the early fouls on bradley could have been because of the student section. There was an exchange with one of the refs after an early call, one that was clearly terrible, and that ref went on to call at least 3 straight fouls on Bradley.

In our defense, we didn't use abolutely any profane language and were just giving it to the referee for what we thought was a terrible call. He turned it personal and felt the need to tell the cops that if we weren't quiet we were gonna get kicked out. It's not the first time that this ref has gotten into it with the student section, something similar happened last year, and it's apparent that this guy has a problem with fans questioning his calls. I've never been a basketball referee but I can't imagine that whoever his boss is would think it's a good idea for him to be interacting with fans.

[Beninator]

What does Crouch's shot look like. Is it flat, are they rimming out, rotation, is he using his legs? Shoulder surgery takes a bit to recover from regarding strength. If he still has the arc, their rimming out and plenty of rotation then he just needs to concentrate on shooting. There maybe a little hang-over from the injury that will take a few games to over come.

I think that JC will be fine. I didnt go to the Quincy game,but from what I saw at the St Ambrose game, I think that Crouch's shot may be a little off due to JC being a little rusty from not being able to practice as much this past summer.

[tornado]

He turned it personal and felt the need to tell the cops that if we weren't quiet we were gonna get kicked out. .

there was also an exchange between Quincy head coach Marty Bell
and one of the referees (the white-haired guy) during the second half when Quincy was shooting free throws.
The student section was up and screaming and the FT shooter tossed an airball.....
Bell went to the ref and insisted that the fans could not be standing on those risers and in the aisles and along the end-court,
and that they would need to sit down.
I could see the ref responding that it was not a call the game ref would make and was something he'd have to take up with the AD...
I guess Bell was just trying to get any advantage he could when his player #21 (Jeff Wilson) was on the line.
That guy was terrible shooting FTs. Opponents are going to foul him like crazy this season!!

[BUBraves2006]

Hey T, Good thoughts about my 47 points remark. But, I still stand by the fact that it was unacceptable ... luckily, Coach Les felt the same way :-). I knew we were going to win the game because of our superior depth and talent, but this had to be something that really ticked coach (and myself) off, because of how important playing good defense is.

I guess the most important thing to remember is that this team is incredibly talented and could have a lackluster defensive performance for a half and beat many teams on our schedule. But, that won't cut it against the better opponents on our non-conference schedule.

I haven't been lucky enough to see this team in person yet (thankfully we're playing in Chicago again so I can see them locally), but from everything I've heard on the broadcasts, there's no reason this team can't be absolutely fabulous once we iron out all the little stuff. I just hope it's sooner rather than later. A record of say, 10-2, will look a lot better than going into conference play 8-4 or 7-5.

It's because we have such a great coaching staff, program, team, etc., that I just expect that much more out of them now. The time for being good is over, I want them to be great!

Go Braves

[MacabreMob]

Just looked up the stats and JC is 2 of 11 in the 2 games in 2-point attempts.

Well, I don't care what stats say about JC - that guy MUST play a lot!

[BUBraves06]

I guess the most important thing to remember is that this team is incredibly talented and could have a lackluster defensive performance for a half and beat many teams on our schedule. But, that won't cut it against the better opponents on our non-conference schedule.

I was thinkin the same thing. I know that there are a lot of new guys on the roster and I'm sure their still getting to know each other and how each person plays but I hope things round into form this week in practice for the game Saturday. The defense needs to be intense for 40 minutes, not just 20.

A few other things:

-We need to hit the glass harder plain and simple.
-One thing I noticed, which was more in the first half, when a player from Quincy would drive our post players would basically step out of the way giving the guy an easy hoop. Someone either needs to rotate off the person they are guarding and help or step in and take a charge.
-I really liked how aggresive David Collins was under the basket.
-Theron Wilson reminds me so much of JJ already. He doesn't shoot a lot but plays intense defense and attacks the hoop to get rebounds.

[SFP]

I have said this before we will be as good as our DEFENSE! We gave up to many points regardless of how many we scored. Defense is a mind set and we need to be in that mind set every game, every minute and every play! Our O will have an off night and if we play D we can be in it and pull it off. Rebounds are also a mind set of that ball is mine and let's box out. Everyone remebers the Bulls during their glory years and what set them apart from any other team was their D. I'm sure JL will be drilling them this week.....

[Lakeview Brave]

First time I have seen the team this year, here are a few thoughts

Ruffin is picking up were he left off last year, he looks great and should score even more this year.

JC played good D, stayed within the offence and while he may not lead the country in 3pt shooting again he will be a great player for us this year.

Warren looked good and aggressive on O and D, he has to start next week.

Wilson does a lot of little things well but Im worried he will get the JJ treatment on O. He didnt even look to shoot and teams in the Valley may lay off him.

Salley looks bigger and hopefully will be able to score in the post consistantly or at least draw some help so teams cant guard him one on one

TCS- Can probably score 20 a game if he were the focal point of our O. Looke like a quicker Will Franklin and I love how he elevates on his shot. Another great JUCO find for Les

Sam M has a nice shot and should have looked to shoot more I thought but looked slow on D. He got beat of the dribble 3 or 4 times and Im worried he wont be able to stay with the quicker guards in the league. Did anyone else notice that?

Egolf look good better then the reports from the first game. Imagine when he gets into the flow and becomes our "4th guard" He is going to be a match up nightmare before his time at Bradley is over.

Collins can shoot free throws which is great, looked better then I thought he would on O but needs to be a better presence for us on D. We need him to block some shots.

Singh looked the best he has ever looked at Bradley. He has lost alot of weight and I think he will earn minutes this year.


All and all not to bad, the first half made me want to vomit but the adjusted nicely and looked good in the second half. I also noticed some full court pressure which I hope we see more during the season

[BradleyBrave]

Quick Thoughts...most have probably been expressed already (in no particular order) -

1.) Warren needs to be our 3rd starting guard. When he's aggressive and confident offensively, he is very, very good.
2.) Not sold on Wilson starting, but I trust JL that his defense and rebounding earn him the spot.
3.) Collins is going to be a very solid big man when he figures 'it' out. It's a gradual process, and just like Jim said - You can see the progressions game-to-game. There may be bumps early, but the end will be something special.
4.) TCS is awesome.
5.) Sammy M needs to stay aggressive offensively, i.e. looking for his shot. He seemed a bit passive in the 1st half which i think contributed to his turnovers.
6.) Ruffin may be the best point guard in America (I am not usually one for hyperbole).
7.) Egolf - See #3. He looks night and day from where he was a week ago. More confident, more comfortable. Nice to see that 3 go down in the 2nd half.
8.) Singh looked good, would like to see them get him the ball on the block a little more when he's in the game.
9.) Redshirt Thompson. Yes, he's talented enough to contribute this year. But if he's only going to get garbage time, don't make the same mistake we made with Ray Brown.
10.) Austin is showing why the summer IS important.
11.) JC is showing no ill-effects from his injuries, which is great to see.
12.) Defense and rebounding need a LOT of work. Kinda concerned on how bad both areas have been. I think they'll get better as guys get to know each other and continue to progress (see Collins and Egolf comments).

It's very obvious this group is still getting to know each other. Guys aren't quite sure where they're going to be offensively and defensively. But, like Jim said in the postgame, you can see the positive steps being made every game. The 2nd half was great, and there were things to build on, but we CANNOT continue to let inferior competition get to the rim at will and outrebound us. We will have cold shooting nights (see the 1st half today), and we can't defend or rebound, we'll get blown out. That being said, I expect Saturday that we'll see a performance similar to the 2nd half rather than the 1st half.

[georgethedog]

First time I have seen the team this year, here are a few thoughts

Ruffin is picking up were he left off last year, he looks great and should score even more this year.

JC played good D, stayed within the offence and while he may not lead the country in 3pt shooting again he will be a great player for us this year.

Warren looked good and aggressive on O and D, he has to start next week.

Wilson does a lot of little things well but Im worried he will get the JJ treatment on O. He didnt even look to shoot and teams in the Valley may lay off him.

Salley looks bigger and hopefully will be able to score in the post consistantly or at least draw some help so teams cant guard him one on one

TCS- Can probably score 20 a game if he were the focal point of our O. Looke like a quicker Will Franklin and I love how he elevates on his shot. Another great JUCO find for Les

Sam M has a nice shot and should have looked to shoot more I thought but looked slow on D. He got beat of the dribble 3 or 4 times and Im worried he wont be able to stay with the quicker guards in the league. Did anyone else notice that?

Egolf look good better then the reports from the first game. Imagine when he gets into the flow and becomes our "4th guard" He is going to be a match up nightmare before his time at Bradley is over.

Collins can shoot free throws which is great, looked better then I thought he would on O but needs to be a better presence for us on D. We need him to block some shots.

Singh looked the best he has ever looked at Bradley. He has lost alot of weight and I think he will earn minutes this year.


All and all not to bad, the first half made me want to vomit but the adjusted nicely and looked good in the second half. I also noticed some full court pressure which I hope we see more during the season

Sam M. may be too slow, but I don't think he needs to guard everyone so CLOSE!

[dogsrus]

Just got back....Ruf looked good. His block was simply one of the best I've seen in years. Theron works his but off. He seems to know his role quite well. Crouch will be fine. His shot looks good. Like Radigan said its his short shots that are killing him. Sam needs to slow down just a bit IMO. He'll be ok. He needs to look to score when its there...he can shoot the ball. Will looked a bit better. Still a step slow on D but he does have a nice shot. Warren needs to recognize, and I think he is, that he's a go to guy and he needs to be aggressive. SWEET reverse dunk. After he made that his confidence or desire changed. He attacked offensively.
Cole-scott does not force things. I hope he can stop the carries...if indeed they were. I was to far away to tell. Collins needs to just keep working hard. Its good he can shoot free throws because he doesn't appear strong enough to finish shots right now. He also has to quit shooting with his back to the basket when he's 7-8 feet away. Grab it, kick it out and keep working to get closer. Salley had one of the only true post moves of the evening by a big. Sam S looked good in very limited minutes.

Overall I'm concerned about our low post D. I still think much of this is JL experimenting which is what these games are for. Certainly a tale of two halves.

These refs though. I just can't take it sometimes. is EVERYTHING a foul. I mean come on. Credit to the players for not letting it affect their play. They just shook their heads and laughed a few times but played on. Its almost as if the refs were saying to BU, You're a D1 team you shouldn't have to make those fouls and we'll give the Quincy team a bit more slack.

WHY is it a foul when absolutley nothing in the flow of the game is changed or affected one lousy bit. Salley went up for a rebound with two other guys...all three just made un avoidable contact and somehow they come up with a foul on Salley. He (Sally) was just stunned, looking at JL as if to say "what did I do".

BU has work to do....I know they will work hard. We are NOT a second place Valley team right now. JMHO. I see potential. This maybe a year where we need patience as long as they keep getting better as the year goes on.

Go to work guys.....

[BradleyBrave]

Dogs...thanks for the reminder.

The officiating was AWFUL. Not sure who they were, but I hope they weren't a Valley crew. Man was that first half bad. I guess they're allowed to work out the kinks in the preseason too, but wow. Bad.