Jim Les Radio Show

[BUBraves06]

Hmmm ... Fired coach now an assistant at BU ... His former team is coming to town ... Why would the paper want to write about that? Never mind the fact the assistant somehow refused to scout his former team ... that fired him.

All that's not worthy of a story? What else are you going to write about the last-place team in a very sorry MVC? Oooo how about former players coming to play former coach? That's not interesting?

Maybe we need another Daniel Ruffin update.

Maybe I missed something, and I'm not claiming you're making it up, but did the story really say that Merf refused to scout E-Ville? That's the first I've heard of that.

[longtimelistener]

Refused isn't accurate.

http://pjstar.com/stories/011908/BRA_BFHLR608.071.php

The story says JL let Merf decide if he want to scout Evansville. Merf declined.

[shaunguth]

Maybe I missed something, and I'm not claiming you're making it up, but did the story really say that Merf refused to scout E-Ville? That's the first I've heard of that.

from the Peoria Journal Star:

That's why Les left it up to Merfeld whether he wanted to do the scout on this game. Merfeld declined, just as he passed on interview requests, claiming he didn't want to be the focus of the matchup.

[Murph]

from the Peoria Journal Star:

That's why Les left it up to Merfeld whether he wanted to do the scout on this game. Merfeld declined, just as he passed on interview requests, claiming he didn't want to be the focus of the matchup.

Thats much different than refusing.

[cpacmel]

Can you give any examples of his behavior that demonstrate his "thin skin"?

Sure. Some could look at the basis for this thread and say his behavior demonstrated it here.

[MacabreMob]

No doubt, it seems like losing follows him around.

Merf @ Hampton:

97/98 14-12 (3rd in Conference 13-7)
98/99 8-19 (7th, 8-10)
99/00 17-12 (2Tied, 13-5)
00/01 24-6 (1st, 14-4... NCAA #15 seed upset #2 seed Iowa St, then lost to #10 seed Georgetown)
01/02 25-6 (1st, 17-1... NCAA #15 seed lost to #2 seed UConn)

[OrangeandBlack74]

No doubt, it seems like losing follows him around.

So.....the real reason that BU is losing games this year is because Merf is an assistant coach???

It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that our pre-season all-conference PG is on the shelf.....that our JUCO players haven't developed like we hoped.....that we're allowing teams to shoot upwards of 50% of their FG attempts, etc., etc., etc.

Merf is NOT the reason this team hasn't met expectations this year. I think everyone, from the coaches to the players themselves, deserve to take some accountability for their performance so far.

[ER3]

So.....the real reason that BU is losing games this year is because Merf is an assistant coach???

It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that our pre-season all-conference PG is on the shelf.....that our JUCO players haven't developed like we hoped.....that we're allowing teams to shoot upwards of 50% of their FG attempts, etc., etc., etc.

Merf is NOT the reason this team hasn't met expectations this year. I think everyone, from the coaches to the players themselves, deserve to take some accountability for their performance so far.

Wow. Where in the world does anyone even come close to stating that Steve Merfeld is "the real reason that BU is losing games?"
I think your blowing these statements out of proportion a bit.
The players and coaches, collectively, have to be held accountable when a team doesn't meet expectations...so yes, Merfeld would be in the group of people that has contributed to this team's failures thus far this year...but I don't see where anyone has labeled him as the primary scapegoat, nor should they.

[Murph]

Merf @ Hampton:

97/98 14-12 (3rd in Conference 13-7)
98/99 8-19 (7th, 8-10)
99/00 17-12 (2Tied, 13-5)
00/01 24-6 (1st, 14-4... NCAA #15 seed upset #2 seed Iowa St, then lost to #10 seed Georgetown)
01/02 25-6 (1st, 17-1... NCAA #15 seed lost to #2 seed UConn)

You forgot Evansville.

[BradleyBrave]

Merf @ Hampton:

97/98 14-12 (3rd in Conference 13-7)
98/99 8-19 (7th, 8-10)
99/00 17-12 (2Tied, 13-5)
00/01 24-6 (1st, 14-4... NCAA #15 seed upset #2 seed Iowa St, then lost to #10 seed Georgetown)
01/02 25-6 (1st, 17-1... NCAA #15 seed lost to #2 seed UConn)

I'm glad someone posted this. 4 out of 5 seasons with a winning record, 3 of 5 years finishing top 2 in their conference, including 2 conference titles and NCAA bids. The guy has won before. I don't know what happened at Evansville. Some tough breaks recruiting-wise at a place that's impossible to recruit? I don't know. I know some may disagree, but I thought he was a solid addition to the staff.

However, we still seem to be lacking someone who can teach defense and rebounding. Alvin Brooks is pretty much a recruiter. What does EB do? He was the basketball ops guy, then recruiting coordinator, now all of the sudden associate head coach. I'm a firm believe that a coach needs a strong staff around him to be successful. Do we have one?

[Bravesfan]

So.....the real reason that BU is losing games this year is because Merf is an assistant coach???

It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that our pre-season all-conference PG is on the shelf.....that our JUCO players haven't developed like we hoped.....that we're allowing teams to shoot upwards of 50% of their FG attempts, etc., etc., etc.

Merf is NOT the reason this team hasn't met expectations this year. I think everyone, from the coaches to the players themselves, deserve to take some accountability for their performance so far.

Thank you!!! I can't believe how insane this thread has become! The fact that the few of us on this board who defend Les and his staff are constantly called out on how out of touch we are does not diminish the fact that we actually are trying to back our coach, even during tough times like this. I don't think that constitutes a crime. What are we supposed to do, criticize every bad move he makes to the point that he gets fired? What good will that do?

And yes, I do think Les needs to take some accountability too, but he also needs constant support to help him get through this. This season may or may not be a lost cause, but we need to back him up so he can continue to develop this team into a team that may very well perform a lot better next year as they grow from all of this adversity. Yes maybe Les needs a little more experience dealing with the defensive side of the ball, and he probably in the future should not rely so heavily on JUCO players, whom most are a dice roll anyway. But as Les continues to learn and grow as a coach, we need to continue to give him our support. I don't think calling him out on every little mistake is what he needs right now.

If coaching was so easy, Bob Knight's Texas Tech team would be in first place right now, but they are not. They are struggling too. So, I don't think the coaching situation at Bradley is what needs to be changed. Les will become a better coach, but lets give the guy a chance!

[SFP]

BravesFan I have your back! Every program struggles and BU is no exception. I believe JL will lead BU to where all of us want it to be but maybe not as quick as some of us expect. BU is recruiting with their hands tied behind their backs compared to the big schools. JL is tring to change that and has come close to bagging some highly touted recruits. It is just a matter of time. I may snipe at JL sometime but I am 100% behind him. He seems to develop pretty good citizens and we have had some good teams to watch. JL and his teams have represented our fine university pretty darn well and that to me is what counts.

[Braves4Life]

Les will become a better coach, but lets give the guy a chance!

Thank you Bravesfan! I don't think you can sum it all up any better than that.

[longtimelistener]

Six years isn't a chance?