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I have been a big believer in Jim Les. But I'm an even bigger believer in accountability.
Some familiar patterns have emerged, both for this coach and for this program.
For Jim Les, the pattern is this: good start, midseason slump, then . . . fill in the blank. For the first three seasons, collapse and a play-in game. The second two, recovery, toughness, nice finish.
This season is beginning to look a lot more like the first three than the last two. Four straight losses at home? I never even expected that under Stan Albeck. But here's what bothers me most: I live in Lansing, so my exposure to Tom Izzo is constant. He has a FIT when his team's weaknesses are rebounding or defense. He accepts bad shooting, he accepts some hiccups from the FT line, he even accepts bad nights for turnovers and ball-handling. But for what he calls "the effort stats" (opponents' FGP and rebounds), he will accept nothing short of dominance, because, he says, those reflect on HIM as a COACH.
Jim Les should likewise be having a fit that his team won't compete. But all I sense from him is a desire to tweak a practice drill here or there. Seniors who don't produce, a team that lacks the pride to compete at home, the inability to get young guys to bang and rebound, yikes!
And on to the second pattern: the history of modern Bradley basketball. Coaches who get us into the tournament, make some national noise, and then preside over some kind of collapse. Stowell, Versace, Albeck, Molinari.
Jim Les had better not join that list this season, and BU's admin had better be telling him so. To his credit, he got Bradley in the spotlight more in one week that Mo did in ten years. But one week is one week, and does not a program make.
It is WAY too early to cast judgment on the Jim Les era. But it is not too early to say, as fans, alums, whatever, that this is not headed in the right direction. The pattern is familiar. We've got a couple months to change that. It takes a year or two for national sports fans to forget completely about a flash in the pan. It takes a whole lot more to get it back. I'm tired of coaches who get us there for a year, then collapse. If I were Bradley's prez, I'd tell Jim Les that right now.
Some familiar patterns have emerged, both for this coach and for this program.
For Jim Les, the pattern is this: good start, midseason slump, then . . . fill in the blank. For the first three seasons, collapse and a play-in game. The second two, recovery, toughness, nice finish.
This season is beginning to look a lot more like the first three than the last two. Four straight losses at home? I never even expected that under Stan Albeck. But here's what bothers me most: I live in Lansing, so my exposure to Tom Izzo is constant. He has a FIT when his team's weaknesses are rebounding or defense. He accepts bad shooting, he accepts some hiccups from the FT line, he even accepts bad nights for turnovers and ball-handling. But for what he calls "the effort stats" (opponents' FGP and rebounds), he will accept nothing short of dominance, because, he says, those reflect on HIM as a COACH.
Jim Les should likewise be having a fit that his team won't compete. But all I sense from him is a desire to tweak a practice drill here or there. Seniors who don't produce, a team that lacks the pride to compete at home, the inability to get young guys to bang and rebound, yikes!
And on to the second pattern: the history of modern Bradley basketball. Coaches who get us into the tournament, make some national noise, and then preside over some kind of collapse. Stowell, Versace, Albeck, Molinari.
Jim Les had better not join that list this season, and BU's admin had better be telling him so. To his credit, he got Bradley in the spotlight more in one week that Mo did in ten years. But one week is one week, and does not a program make.
It is WAY too early to cast judgment on the Jim Les era. But it is not too early to say, as fans, alums, whatever, that this is not headed in the right direction. The pattern is familiar. We've got a couple months to change that. It takes a year or two for national sports fans to forget completely about a flash in the pan. It takes a whole lot more to get it back. I'm tired of coaches who get us there for a year, then collapse. If I were Bradley's prez, I'd tell Jim Les that right now.
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